How to Recover Deleted OBS MKV Recordings

Updated on Oct 19, 2026 | by Qiling

Quick Navigation:

Locate the OBS Recording Output
Protect the Source Before Recovery
Recover With Qiling Deep Data Recovery
Verify the Recovered Files
Frequently Asked Questions

OBS may save recordings to a custom folder, and a recording can be missing because the output path changed rather than because the MKV was deleted. Confirm the path before scanning.

Locate the OBS Recording Output

Open OBS Settings > Output and note the Recording Path. Search nearby folders for .mkv files of the expected date and size, then check Recycle Bin and backups.

If OBS crashed while recording, the video may be incomplete rather than deleted. Do not continue recording to the same source drive until you know whether the original file still exists.

OBS can save to a configured Recording Path, and MKV is intended to tolerate an interrupted recording better than some other containers. That does not mean a capture contains frames or audio that OBS never wrote before a crash.

OBS may remux an MKV to MP4 after recording. Search for both files and compare their creation times before treating one format as deleted. Remuxing changes the container, not the missing content of a damaged or overwritten source recording.

Protect the Source Before Recovery

Pause large downloads, exports and new recordings on the affected drive. Video files are large, so later writes can overwrite substantial portions.

Have another physical drive with enough free space for the recovered MKV. If a file exists but fails to play, preserve it and investigate repair separately.

Recover With Qiling Deep Data Recovery

Qiling Deep Data Recovery provides a visual scan of storage that Windows can detect. In this case, scan a stable local recording drive; it cannot rebuild footage that was never written during a failed capture. A listed file is only a candidate until you open and verify its recovered copy.

Step 1. Confirm the Recording Was Saved

Check OBS's current and previous output paths, Recycle Bin and project backups. Note the capture date and approximate duration.

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Step 2. Choose a Deletion Scan

For an ordinary deleted MKV, choose Fast Scan or Recycle Bin Scan if the bin was emptied. Choose USB/SD Scan if the recording was on removable media.

Step 3. Select the Original Recording Disk

Match the physical disk by model and capacity. Avoid running another recording or saving scan results to that disk.

Step 4. Review Video Candidates

Filter for .mkv and compare dates and sizes. Preview a candidate if supported, but remember that a thumbnail does not prove the full timeline survived.

Step 5. Recover and Play the Entire File

Save the candidate to a different disk. Play the beginning, middle and end; inspect audio tracks and duration before deleting any backup.

Verify the Recovered Files

If OBS saved only a partial capture before crashing, recovery cannot invent the missing end. A separate media-repair workflow may help with a damaged container, not overwritten frames.

After recovery, confirm the desired output path in OBS and keep recordings on storage with enough free space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my OBS recording in another folder?

The Recording Path can be customized or changed; check OBS settings and previous output drives.

Will an MKV always be playable after recovery?

No. A candidate may be truncated or overwritten, so check the whole video and audio.

Can recovery restore footage never written by OBS?

No. Disk recovery can only find data that was actually stored.