Video · professional exFAT card structure
MXF with sidecar files: recover after deletion
How can I recover MXF clips with XML and metadata sidecars after deletion?
Short answer
Yes for the MXF media, often; the sidecars are a separate question. Clips can be found by their partition keys, but some editing workflows also need XML, clip lists or the card directory to relink them. Stop using the card, scan it read-only, and keep everything recovered in its original folder layout.
The situation
MXF clips with XML and metadata sidecars no longer appears in its recording folder even though the storage device is still detected.
An MXF clip is more than its picture and sound. Broadcast and cinema cards store essence in one folder and XML descriptors, clip lists and index files beside it, and deletion removed the directory entries of both kinds at the same moment.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
On an exFAT card, deleting frees the reference while the payload stays where it was written. Large MXF essence files carry distinctive partition keys and are usually found again; the small XML and metadata sidecars are only a few kilobytes and offer far less for a scan to latch onto. Editing systems, however, often need both to relink a clip.
Deletion can release a directory reference before later writes reuse every block that belonged to the file. For MXF with sidecar files, this matters because some NLE workflows rely on clip lists, XML or directory context in addition to readable essence
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 on that card and eject it; a broadcast camera writes small index files continuously and can overwrite sidecars within seconds.
- 2
Note the card layout the camera used, for example an XDROOT or M4ROOT tree, so recovered files can go back into the same structure.
- 3
Scan the exFAT card read-only rather than repairing it, and sort results by size so the large essence and the tiny XML files are visible separately.
- 4
Export to another drive into a rebuilt folder tree, then point the editing system at that tree instead of importing individual clips.
Do not let the camera create a new card structure or run its own recovery routine, and do not write recovered files back onto the source. The sidecars are the first thing a fresh directory overwrites, because they are small and land in the earliest free blocks.
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 reads the exFAT card read-only and exports files; it does not recreate a camera card structure or write clip lists that were overwritten. Essence often returns when sidecars do not, and the other way round. The scan is free, export needs the 50 € license.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Check essence and metadata separately. Every MXF should open in a player and run to its stated duration, and each recovered XML should parse and name a clip that actually exists. The real test is the editor: a clip that relinks and shows its original name proves the pair belongs together.
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 professional exFAT card structure be recovered in this situation?+
An MXF clip is more than its picture and sound. Broadcast and cinema cards store essence in one folder and XML descriptors, clip lists and index files beside it, and deletion removed the directory entries of both kinds at the same moment. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not let the camera create a new card structure or run its own recovery routine, and do not write recovered files back onto the source.
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?+
Check essence and metadata separately.