Video · Sony exFAT memory card
Sony XAVC S/HS: recover after deletion
How can I recover XAVC clips from M4ROOT after deletion?
Short answer
Yes, often, if the card stayed unused: Sony stores XAVC originals under PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP, with proxies in SUB and management files alongside. Do not let the camera rebuild its database. Remove the card, scan it read-only for MP4, and keep recovered originals and proxies apart so you can match them later.
The situation
XAVC clips from M4ROOT no longer appears in its recording folder even though the storage device is still detected.
The clips have gone from the camera display, but on the card the XAVC data is still there. Sony keeps originals in PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP with proxies in SUB, and deletion removed the entries in that tree, not the recorded material underneath.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Alongside the clips, Sony maintains management files that index what the camera believes is on the card. Deleting a clip updates that database and frees the exFAT clusters, and the next recording or a database rebuild can write into them. Originals and their SUB proxies live in different places, so they are recovered separately.
Deletion can release a directory reference before later writes reuse every block that belonged to the file. For Sony XAVC S/HS, this matters because originals, proxies and management files may occupy different M4ROOT locations
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Take the card out of the camera before it offers to repair or rebuild its management database, and keep it out.
- 2
Write down the clip numbers you are missing, such as C0001 upwards, together with the XAVC mode and their approximate lengths.
- 3
Scan the card read-only through a reader, or image it first, and recover the whole M4ROOT tree rather than single files.
- 4
Export originals and proxies into separate folders on another drive, then match each proxy to its original by clip number.
Do not put the card back for one more take, and do not accept the camera's offer to fix the recording database. Both write into M4ROOT. Copying the proxies off and then formatting the card destroys the originals you actually need.
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.
A card that no longer mounts as exFAT, or one that is physically damaged, is beyond a read-only scan and belongs with a data-recovery laboratory. File Recovery Hero can also not rebuild the Sony management database; relink recovered clips in your editing software instead.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A recovered original plays at full resolution with the frame rate and XAVC mode you shot in, and its size is far larger than the matching proxy. Check the clip numbering is continuous and that each file plays to its expected end, not just its first seconds.
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 exFAT memory card be recovered in this situation?+
The clips have gone from the camera display, but on the card the XAVC data is still there. Sony keeps originals in PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP with proxies in SUB, and deletion removed the entries in that tree, not the recorded material underneath. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not put the card back for one more take, and do not accept the camera's offer to fix the recording database.
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 recovered original plays at full resolution with the frame rate and XAVC mode you shot in, and its size is far larger than the matching proxy.