What is AVI and How to Recover Deleted AVI Files?

What is AVI?

What is AVI short for? In brief, AVI stands for Audio Video Interleave and is a popular video file format. Developed by Microsoft in 1992 as an extension of the RIFF format, AVI is widely used for storing high-quality multimedia content.

So the process of creating, editing, or downloading them can be laborious and time-consuming, especially when dealing with original content. Unlike other file extensions like MP4 or MOV, large AVI file sizes can be problematic for users with limited space.

But AVI continues to be widely utilized as a global video extension due to its capability to store and playback video and audio content, employing various codecs such as DivX and XviD for coding purposes.

This versatility in handling different codecs contributes to its continued popularity as a preferred multimedia storage and playback format.

How to open AVI files on Windows 10 and Mac?

After figuring out what is AVI video format, you may be wondering how to open a AVI file. You can seek help from various video players to access, convert, or edit AVI videos.  

For Windows OS:

Microsoft Movies & TV, Microsoft Windows Media Player, Abode Premiere Pro 2023, CyberLink PowerDirector 365, VideoLAN VLC media player, Kodi, FFmpeg

» Press Win + E to open File Explorer > click Downloads > right-click on your stored AVI video file > select Open with > Media Player to open a downloaded AVI file on Windows 10 PC.

When it comes to problems regarding how to open AVI files on Mac operating systems, please try the following video players.

• Apple QuickTime Player
• Adobe Premiere Pro 2023
• Eltima Elmedia Player
• VideoLAN VLC media player
• ShedWorx Smart Converter
• Kodi
• FFmpeg

How to recover deleted AVI files on Windows 10/11?

Many users usually save their AVI files on backup drives because of their large storage. But large AVI files are still susceptible to data loss scenarios such as accidental deletion, formatting, or storage media corruption.

Deletion is the most common data loss scenario, so let’s perform how to recover deleted AVI files on Windows.

Method 1. Restore accidentally/recently deleted AVI files from the Recycle Bin

If you’ve mistakenly deleted your needed AVI video file from your Windows, it’s easy to restore it from your desktop Recycle Bin before the second deletion or emptying this temporary storage place.   

Notes:✎...  

Sometimes, this practical way also can help you recover ORF files quickly.  

» Open your desktop Recycle Bin > locate the deleted AVI file you prefer > right-click on it and Restore it to its previously saved path.

Method 2. Recover permanently deleted AVI files via video recovery software

But how to recover deleted files from Recycle Bin after emptying them? Or is it possible to recover permanently deleted AVI video files without backups?

Unexpected file or folder losses can occur without any warning signs, leaving you in a difficult situation.

In the absence of a prepared available backup or uncertainty regarding the reliability of your selected backup, seeking help from professional video recovery software might be your top choice.

Designed to recover deleted or lost videos (AVI, MP4, MOV, WebM, etc.) from internal hard drives, powerful MyRecover can maximize the chances of a successful AVI video recovery and minimize the impact of data loss.

Notes:✎...   

Please avoid writing new files to your Windows computer because any newly added data can overwrite the deleted or lost AVI videos. Once overwritten, it can decrease the AVI video recovery rate.

After video recovery, please save your retrieved AVI videos in another path.

MyRecover offers unlimited times for you to recover 30 MB of files for free. If you only need to recover one AVI file within 30 MB, you do not need to pay for it.   

To recover a large number of deleted/missing files from local hard drives, upgrading MyRecover is a better and more cost-effective choice.

Step 1. Install and launch MyRecover on your Windows> hover the mouse over the C drive > click Scan.

Step 2. MyRecover will automatically run Quick and Deep Scan to scan your selected C drive and display all the recoverable files.

You can preview or filter your needed AVI videos according to Document Type, Name, Date, Path, or Size.

• Name: Type the filenames of your desired files to narrow the search area.
• Date modified: Set the date (today, yesterday, last 7/30 days, etc.)
• Size: Filter the file size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, 1MB~ 512MB, etc.)

Step 3. Go to the Recycle Bin folder and select your wanted AVI video files. Then click “Recover x files” to start the AVI video recovery.

After the process, you can go to your designated location to check your recovered AVI video files.

The path usually is This PC\Your selected drive\Your select folder\the source drive +recovered date\the source folder saves your AVI files before deletion

Bonus tips: How to repair AVI files if your AVI file not playing?

Once the AVI videos are recovered, it is not uncommon for some of them to be broken or unplayable. Why is the AVI file not playing? Bad sectors of the storage drive, virus or malware infection, or power interruptions also are blamed for corrupted AVI files.

So how to repair AVI files? Perhaps the following fixes can give you a hand.

Fix 1. Run CHKDSK with parameters to fix errors on storage devices

In some cases, it’s a corrupt storage drive instead of the AVI videos that discourage the videos from playing. To solve this issue and allow the AVI videos to play correctly, you can use a built-in Windows tool-CHKDSK to scan and repair errors on the storage drive.   

Notes:✎... 

Please enter the command with specific parameters such as /f, /r, /x, or /b because CHKDSK can actively fix errors on the volume rather than simply displaying the volume status. If your SD card is blank or has unsupported file systems, this fix might also be feasible.

Step 1. Connect your storage device to Windows and type “cmd” in the search bar. Then select “Run as administrator” to open the command prompt window.

Step 2. Type “chkdsk F: /f /r /x” in the command prompt window. Please remember to replace F with the real drive letter of your storage device.

Please wait to see this notice: Windows has made corrections to the file system.

Fix 2. Repair AVI files via VLC Media Player

VLC is a famous video player known for its versatility and ability to handle a wide range of audio and video file formats without the need for additional codec downloads.

Besides multimedia playback, VLC serves as a proficient AVI repair utility by building an index and making them playable again.

Please note that the size of the video can affect the speed of the repair process. These steps describe how to automatically repair corrupted/broken AVI files.

Step 1. Install and run VLC media player > select Preferences under the Tools tab.

Step 2. In the Input & Codecs Settings interface, open the dropdown beside Damaged or incomplete AVI > select Always fix.

Step 3. “Save” these modifications.

Fix 3. Convert AVI to MP4 or other formats

It's worth noting that AVI files are primarily designed for Windows devices, which can cause compatibility issues with Mac’s default QuickTime player. Therefore, you can convert AVI videos to other supported formats like MP4, MOV, or WMV using online tools like Cloudconvert.

Additionally, if an AVI file fails to open after downloading from the Internet, please re-download the file to ensure a complete and uninterrupted download process.

Related Q&A about AVI file recovery

What is AVI? How to open AVI files on Windows 10 and Mac? And how can I recover permanently deleted AVI files on Windows? You can restore videos from ready backups or powerful AVI recovery software like MyRecover.

Please keep in mind that professional services may come with a cost, but they can be invaluable if your AVI files are of great importance or value.