Video · high-speed exFAT card
high-frame-rate MP4: recover after deletion
How can I recover slow-motion or HFR MP4 clips after deletion?
Short answer
Yes, often, but stop recording at once: a deleted slow-motion clip stays on the card until new footage overwrites it, and HFR files are large. Scan the card read-only, then write down the capture rate, such as 120 fps, and the intended playback rate, so the recovered clip is conformed correctly instead of playing at real speed.
The situation
slow-motion or HFR MP4 clips no longer appears in its recording folder even though the storage device is still detected.
Slow-motion files are the largest thing on most cards, which cuts both ways. They are easy to spot in a scan by their size, and they are also the first data a new recording covers, so the time between deletion and the first write matters most here.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Deleting an MP4 on exFAT removes the reference while the frames stay in the data area. An HFR take captures many more frames per second than a normal one, so a minute of footage occupies far more space and spreads across a large part of the card. That makes a full recovery likely at first and unlikely once filming continues.
Deletion can release a directory reference before later writes reuse every block that belonged to the file. For high-frame-rate MP4, this matters because recording rate and playback rate can differ, making an incorrect duration look plausible
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Stop recording at once and remove the card; a single new slow-motion take can cover several deleted ones.
- 2
Write down the capture rate the camera used, for example 120 or 240 fps, and the playback rate the clip was meant to have.
- 3
Scan the card read-only with File Recovery Hero and export the large video files to a drive with enough free space.
- 4
Conform each recovered clip to the intended playback rate in the editor, working on a copy of the export.
Do not record a short test clip to see whether the card is still usable, and do not export the recovered files onto the same card. HFR footage is written in long runs, so a single write can cut through several deleted takes at once.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
File Recovery Hero recovers files read-only from exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 cards and does not repair a damaged clip or change how footage is conformed. A partly overwritten HFR take returns with gaps that cannot be filled. Export needs the 50 € license.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Compare the file size against the recorded length: an HFR clip is several times larger than a normal take of the same duration. Play it through and look for sudden freezes or blocks of noise, which mark the places that were already overwritten before the scan.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can high-speed exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
Slow-motion files are the largest thing on most cards, which cuts both ways. They are easy to spot in a scan by their size, and they are also the first data a new recording covers, so the time between deletion and the first write matters most here. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not record a short test clip to see whether the card is still usable, and do not export the recovered files onto the same card.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
Compare the file size against the recorded length: an HFR clip is several times larger than a normal take of the same duration.