Cameras · Sony XAVC exFAT card
Recover Sony XAVC clips from M4ROOT
How do I recover deleted Sony XAVC files from M4ROOT?
Short answer
Keep the whole M4ROOT tree unchanged first: directory context links main clips in M4ROOT/CLIP to their proxy and management files. Then scan the card read-only for XAVC S or HS MP4 and accept a clip only if its container is structurally complete. That profile is tested on reference files, not yet on every Sony camera.
The situation
MP4 clips are missing from M4ROOT/CLIP while related management or proxy files may remain.
The clips you are missing lived in M4ROOT/CLIP, with proxies and management files around them. That surrounding structure is what allows a scan to associate a main clip with its proxy, so it is worth more intact than any single file copied out of it.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
XAVC S and HS record into MP4 containers inside M4ROOT, while management files and a proxy tree describe the session. Deleting a clip, or letting the camera rebuild its database, removes the reference but not the container. What decides recovery is whether that MP4 is structurally whole: box header, media data, and index must belong together, otherwise the clip plays for seconds and stops.
Directory context can associate main and proxy assets, but the actual MP4 container must still be structurally complete.
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 using the card and mirror the entire M4ROOT tree, CLIP, SUB and management folders alike, before recovery software touches it.
- 2
Compare the clip numbers in CLIP with the proxies in SUB, because a surviving proxy tells you that a main clip once existed.
- 3
Scan the card read-only for XAVC S or HS MP4, letting the directory context associate main clips with their proxy counterparts.
- 4
Export to a separate disk and open each clip in Catalyst Browse, where clip length and metadata can be read directly.
Do not let the camera run its media repair, and do not delete proxies to free space for the export. Avoid treating a proxy as the recovered take: it carries the same name and timecode but a fraction of the resolution you shot.
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.
Support is fixture-tested on reference XAVC files rather than verified across every Sony body, so treat unusual models with care. File Recovery Hero reads the exFAT card read-only and exports clips; it rebuilds no management database and repairs no clip that was never finished.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A restored XAVC clip should report the frame size, frame rate, and codec you configured, play from beginning to end, and carry its timecode into the editor. Where a proxy exists, its duration is the reference, so a main clip ending earlier than its proxy is truncated.
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 Sony XAVC exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
The clips you are missing lived in M4ROOT/CLIP, with proxies and management files around them. That surrounding structure is what allows a scan to associate a main clip with its proxy, so it is worth more intact than any single file copied out of it. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not let the camera run its media repair, and do not delete proxies to free space for the export.
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?+
A restored XAVC clip should report the frame size, frame rate, and codec you configured, play from beginning to end, and carry its timecode into the editor.