Cameras · formatted Sony exFAT XAVC S card
Sony XAVC S recovery after card formatting
Can XAVC S clips be recovered after formatting a Sony card?
Short answer
Often partly, if you have not recorded since: the format replaced the directory, while some MP4 data of the clips under M4ROOT may still be on the card. Every new recording shrinks that chance fast. Remove the card, scan it read-only with the XAVC S profile, and treat a clip as recovered only after full playback.
The situation
The card was formatted before MP4 clips under M4ROOT were backed up.
A camera format is a quick format. It lays down a fresh exFAT directory and an empty M4ROOT, then reports the card at full capacity. The XAVC S takes that were there are not wiped by that operation; they simply have nothing pointing at them any more.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
XAVC S files each take as an MP4 under M4ROOT/CLIP, frequently several gigabytes in one long run of clusters. After the format those runs lie in space the file system now counts as free, so the next thing that overwrites them is your next recording. Because the files are large, even a short new clip can cover several old takes in one go.
Directory metadata may be replaced while some MP4 extents remain, but later recording quickly reduces the chance.
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 now, and do not put it back in to check whether the format really emptied it.
- 2
Note the recording mode and roughly how long each take ran, so you know what duration a complete result should reach.
- 3
Scan the card read-only through a reader using the XAVC S profile, letting it search the full volume instead of the recreated M4ROOT.
- 4
Export every candidate to a different drive and play each one from the first second to the last.
Do not record a test clip, do not let the camera rebuild its database, and keep repair tools that write to the card away from it. Each drops new data into the free space that currently holds your footage, and one high-bitrate take can bury many minutes of it.
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.
The odds drop with every write that follows the format, and takes that were already fragmented can come back in pieces. File Recovery Hero only reads the card, so it cannot restore original clip names from a wiped directory and cannot repair an MP4 whose moov area is missing.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Judge a clip by playback, never by file size. It is complete when it opens, shows the resolution and frame rate you shot at, and runs to the end of the recorded duration without freezing or breaking into blocks. Scrub the last third in particular, because truncated recoveries usually fail there.
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 formatted Sony exFAT XAVC S card be recovered in this situation?+
A camera format is a quick format. It lays down a fresh exFAT directory and an empty M4ROOT, then reports the card at full capacity. The XAVC S takes that were there are not wiped by that operation; they simply have nothing pointing at them any more. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not record a test clip, do not let the camera rebuild its database, and keep repair tools that write to the card away from 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?+
Judge a clip by playback, never by file size.