Storage media · exFAT CFexpress Type B card
Recover supported files from an exFAT CFexpress Type B card
How do I recover media from CFexpress Type B?
Short answer
Only if the card is readable exFAT and holds supported formats: then MP4, MOV, MXF, JPEG and supported RAW files are scanned read-only as on any exFAT card. Proprietary camera RAW video stays outside scope, whatever the card label says. Connect a stable Type B reader and export to another disk.
The situation
Supported MP4, MOV, MXF, JPEG, or RAW files are missing from readable Type B media.
Type B cards sit in Nikon, Canon and cinema bodies, and the label on the card says nothing about recoverability. What counts is whether the volume is still readable exFAT and whether the camera wrote a supported container. Proprietary camera RAW video stays outside scope even on a perfect card.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Type B media is fast enough for internal RAW video, so one card often mixes JPEG and RAW stills, MP4 or MOV recordings and, on cinema bodies, a proprietary RAW stream. Deletion and in-camera formatting hit all of them the same way, but only the standard containers can be identified again by their signatures and read back out of the card extents.
File Recovery Hero's relevant boundary is the readable exFAT volume and supported file structure, not the card label alone.
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 shooting on that card immediately and record to the second slot or a spare card for the rest of the day.
- 2
Check in the camera menu which container each recording mode produced, so you know whether to look for MOV, MP4, MXF, JPEG or a proprietary RAW stream.
- 3
Connect a powered Type B reader, confirm the volume mounts as exFAT, and start a read-only scan limited to the supported formats on that list.
- 4
Write every result to a separate disk and compare the recovered clip and frame numbers with the shot list before the card goes back to work.
Do not reformat the card to make it mount more nicely, and do not let a camera firmware repair routine touch it. Writing fresh management data onto a card that still holds deleted extents is the one step that turns a recoverable shoot into a lost one.
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.
Proprietary camera RAW video formats are not supported, whatever the card holds, and neither are physically damaged cards or encrypted volumes. File Recovery Hero scans exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 only, runs on macOS and Windows, and never repairs a broken container.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Stills count as recovered when they open at full resolution in a converter, not merely as thumbnails. Clips count when the player reports the expected duration, both streams decode and the closing seconds run without freezing. Anything that only appears as a filename in a result list has not been validated.
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 exFAT CFexpress Type B card be recovered in this situation?+
Type B cards sit in Nikon, Canon and cinema bodies, and the label on the card says nothing about recoverability. What counts is whether the volume is still readable exFAT and whether the camera wrote a supported container. Proprietary camera RAW video stays outside scope even on a perfect card. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not reformat the card to make it mount more nicely, and do not let a camera firmware repair routine touch it.
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?+
Stills count as recovered when they open at full resolution in a converter, not merely as thumbnails.