Storage media · exFAT CFast card
Recover supported files from an exFAT CFast card
Can I recover MP4, MOV, or MXF from a CFast card?
Short answer
Yes, if the CFast card uses exFAT and the camera recorded MP4, MOV or MXF, so check both before scanning. Some CFast cameras write proprietary RAW formats, which stay unsupported even on a readable volume. Then scan read-only through a stable reader, knowing that MXF is recovered only from contiguous extents.
The situation
A professional camera card is readable, but supported media files are missing.
Two things decide this case and they are independent of each other: the file system on the CFast card and the container the camera recorded. A readable exFAT volume is the easy half. If the body wrote a proprietary RAW format instead of MP4, MOV or MXF, even a clean scan cannot help.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
CFast was built for broadcast and cinema bodies, so formatting practice varies between manufacturers. Many cameras use exFAT, some use a vendor layout, and a single card can hold MXF clips next to smaller proxy files. When material disappears after a delete, a format or an aborted ingest, the directory is usually the casualty while the large contiguous clip extents stay in place.
Some CFast workflows use exFAT, yet proprietary camera RAW formats may still be unsupported even when the volume is readable.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Pull the CFast card from the camera and leave it out; even a menu screen that rebuilds a database counts as writing to it.
- 2
Look up which container that model records in the mode you used, and check the card in a reader to see whether the volume really is exFAT.
- 3
Run a read-only scan from a mains-powered CFast reader for the specific containers involved, working from a sector image if the card reads slowly.
- 4
Save everything to a different disk and match each recovered clip to the shooting log by timecode or duration before you trust it.
Do not run repair or check-disk tools against the card, and do not let the camera format it to make it usable again. Both write management structures over the region a scan still needs. Cheap adapters that drop out mid-scan cause the same damage more slowly.
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.
MXF is recovered from contiguous extents; fragmented clips and missing index or footer structures are not rebuilt. Proprietary camera RAW video, physically defective cards and encrypted media stay out of reach for File Recovery Hero, which reads exFAT, NTFS and FAT volumes only.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
An MXF or MOV clip is proven when your editor imports it, reports the expected duration and timecode, and plays through to the final frame with audio. Spot-check the middle and the end as well, because a truncated clip often opens and shows its first seconds quite normally.
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 CFast card be recovered in this situation?+
Two things decide this case and they are independent of each other: the file system on the CFast card and the container the camera recorded. A readable exFAT volume is the easy half. If the body wrote a proprietary RAW format instead of MP4, MOV or MXF, even a clean scan cannot help. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not run repair or check-disk tools against the card, and do not let the camera format it to make it usable again.
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?+
An MXF or MOV clip is proven when your editor imports it, reports the expected duration and timecode, and plays through to the final frame with audio.