Video Recovery: How to Recover Formatted Video Files

Quick and brief steps to recover video files:

Step 1. Launch the Qiling video recovery program on your PC.

Step 2. To scan for deleted/lost videos, locate the drive where the videos are stored and click the "Scan" button.

Step 3. Preview and recover video files.

More detailed guides...

What Is Formatting

Formatting a data storage device, such as a hard disk drive, SSD, USB flash drive, or SD card, is the process of preparing it for initial use by deleting all existing data and creating a new file system.

Here are three situations where your device will be formatted:

Your device is infected by a virus.
Your storage device is malfunctioning and cannot be used for storing data.
Unintentional operations.

What to Do When Lost Video Files

Case: "Formatted my Canon SD card because I cannot access it. The bad news is all my videos and pictures are gone. Is there any possibility to restore my Canon videos and pictures? Really need help."

Losing precious videos, photos, and files due to unexpected disasters is a common experience for many. Accidental deletion, formatting, misoperation, and system crashes are the main culprits behind data loss. If you find yourself in this situation, it's essential to know that there are ways to recover your lost data.

Data loss is a common occurrence in daily life, and it can happen to anyone. However, the good news is that lost files can often be recovered. For instance, if you format an SD card or other device, it may appear empty and the data may seem invisible, but the files are still there until new data is added. If you act quickly and don't add any new items to the device, you may be able to recover your lost files.

 Important

Ensure that no application writes to the drive or partition, as new files created, even small ones, may overwrite deleted files.

Avoid using the problematic partition for running applications, as they may create temporary files that could overwrite and corrupt your formatted files.

Here are two ways to get back formatted videos.

Method 1. Retrieve Videos with Free Video Recovery Software

If you're not tech-savvy, using a free tool is the way to go. Qiling's free file recovery software is a great place to start, as it's easy to use and can recover lost data in just three simple steps. Whether you've accidentally emptied the recycle bin, formatted an SD card, or deleted files, this software can help you restore your data with ease.

Software features:

The program supports conversion of over 1000 file types, including AVI, MOV, MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, MKV, ASF, FLV, SWF, MPG, and RM/RMVB.
The device supports various data transfer methods, including USB, SSD, PC/laptop, CF/SD card, digital camera, and hard drive.
Supported file system: FAT(FAT12,FAT16,FAT32), exFAT, NTFS, ext2/ext3, HFS+, ReFS.
Supported OS: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, Windows Server 2003 -2019.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Step 1. Run Deep Data Recovery and select the file types. Click "Next" to start the recovery process.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 2. Run Deep Data Recovery, select the location or device where the videos were lost or deleted, and click "Scan" to find the missing videos.

Step 3. After scanning, go to the "Videos" section, select "Lost" or "All" to find the desired videos, and then click "Preview" to view them.

Step 4. To restore video files, select the desired files, then click "Recover" to save them to a secure location on your PC or external storage device.

Consult with Qiling data recovery experts for a one-on-one manual recovery service, which includes the following services after a FREE diagnosis.

To repair a corrupted RAID structure, unbootable Windows OS, and corrupted virtual disk file, you can try the following steps:
Recover/repair lost partition and re-partitioned drive
Unformat hard drive and repair raw drive(Bitlocker encrypted drive)
Fix disks that become GPT protected partitions

Method 2. Video Recovery Using CMD After Formatting

You can recover deleted files from an SD card using the built-in Windows command-line utility, chkdsk, if you're familiar with it.

Step 1: Connect your SD card to your computer via a card reader. Check the drive letter of your SD card via Computer or Disk Management.

Step 2: To run the Command Prompt as an administrator, follow these steps: Type "cmd" in the search box on the start menu, right-click it and select Run as administrator. This will open a Command Prompt window with administrator privileges.

Step 3: The command "attrib -h -r -s G:\*.* /s /d" in the Command Prompt window is used to display hidden files on the G:\ drive. This command removes the hidden, read-only, and system attributes from all files and folders on the drive, making them visible. The "/s" option specifies that the command should be applied to all subfolders, and "/d" indicates that the command should be applied to files and folders. By running this command, you can view files and folders that were previously hidden due to these attributes.

Extra Tips for Data Protection (Bonus)

If you've added new data to the device, your old items will be overwritten, and your files will be lost. Recovery is impossible. To prevent this, you can use backup software, such as Qiling Backup, which is free.

With the help of this tool, you can choose what to backup, such as your entire system, a disk, a partition, or specific folders.

To back up files with this free Windows backup and recovery software, simply download it and follow the instructions provided, which will guide you through the process of using the software to protect your important files.

Step 1. Click the "File backup" button to start backup.

Step 3. Both local and network files will be listed on the list view, allowing you to expand directories to select files for backup.

Step 3. To save the backup, follow the on-screen guide and select the desired destination where you want to store the backup.

To encrypt the backup with a password, click on "Options" under "Backup Options" and select the desired encryption method. This will allow you to customize the backup task according to your specific needs and preferences.

Click "Schedule" to set the backup schedule and choose to start back up at certain event in "Backup Scheme".

Step 4. You can store the backup to local drive, Qiling's cloud service, and NAS.

Step 5. Qiling Backup allows users to back up data to both third-party cloud drives and its own cloud drive.

To back up data to a third-party cloud drive, select "Local Drive", scroll down and click on "Add Cloud Device", then add and log in to your account.

Step 6. Click "Proceed" to start the backup, and once it's done, the task will be displayed as a card on the left panel, where you can further manage it by right-clicking.

To restore the backups, follow these steps:

How to restore images with Qiling Backup

Video Recovery FAQs

Here are three topics that users are most concerned about with regard to video recovery:

1. How do I recover a deleted video?

Qiling data recovery software can help with video recovery in simple steps.

Step 1. Run Deep Data Recovery, select the location and click "Scan".

Step 2. Choose "Videos" in the "Filter". Preview found videos.

Step 3. Click "Recover" to restore video files.

2. What is the best video recovery app?

Qiling free video recovery software can recover lost, deleted, or formatted video files from various storage devices, including HDD, SSD, USB drives, and more, and is available for free download on Windows 10/8/7.

3. Can I get back deleted videos on my phone?

You can recover deleted or lost videos from your iPhone or Android device using professional video recovery software. Qiling MobiSaver Free is a helpful tool that not only restores videos but also recovers other content such as contacts, messages, photos, notes, and more from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.
Qiling Deep data recovery for Android allows you to recover lost files, including messages, contacts, photos, music, and videos, with ease.