How to Recover Deleted Videos from Hikvision CCTV?

Is it possible to recover deleted CCTV footage?

Video surveillance systems have evolved into crucial components for safeguarding and overseeing security in residential and commercial spaces. Modern CCTV cameras have transferred from storing footage on personal PCs using DVRs (digital video recorders) to direct video recording.

Hikvision is one of the prominent video surveillance manufacturers and has attracted a large number of users across the world.

However, the risk of accidental deletion or loss of recorded videos from the DVR’s hard drive looms large.

Undoubtedly, the consequences of losing CCTV footage can be catastrophic, especially if critical information resides within the deleted or corrupted videos.

Besides regular file backups, powerful data recovery software could be the only option to recover deleted Hikvision CCTV footage from various storage devices such as HDDs, SSDs, or Hikvision SD cards.

Possible reasons for Hikvision video loss

To find the targeted method, it’s essential to comprehend the potential causes of CCTV Hikvision video loss.

When it comes to deleted Hikvision videos, few users are willing to back up their videos regularly. In this case, employing a third-party tool is the top choice for camera-recorded video recovery.

How to recover deleted CCTV footage from Hikvision DVR?

In computing, there is an area called free space, where your permanently deleted videos are initially stored, awaiting newly added data to overwrite them. But after data erasure, it poses challenges in recovering your deleted or missing Hikvision videos.

So you’re advisable to stop loading and writing new files to your Hikvision data storage device. Moreover, the sooner you start video recovery via reputable data recovery tools, the better chances you’ll get.

Backed by AOMEI Tech, MyRecover is good at recovering deleted and missing videos (MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, MPG, M4V, MKV, TS, 3G2/3GP, WebM, etc.) from Hikvision SD cards, HDDs, SSDs, and other local storage devices.

Notes:✎...   

After the camera-recorded video recovery, please save your retrieved CCTV footage files in a new location.

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

If the storage device is an external hard drive or Hikvision SD card, please connect it to your Windows before running MyRecover.

Step 1. Install and run MyRecover on your Windows PC > hover the mouse over the local disk D drive > click Scan.

Step 2. After clicking Start Scan, MyRecover will automatically run Quick Scan and Deep Scan to scan your chosen D drive and show you all the recoverable files.

To quickly locate your desired CCTV footage, you can preview or filter your needed videos according to Filename, Document Type, Date, Path, or Size.

• Name: Enter the filenames of your wanted 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. Under the Other Missing Files folder, choose the recoverable CCTV footage videos > click Recover x files.

How to fix corrupted Hikvision DVR recordings?

If there’s something wrong with your Hikvision data storage device and you attempt to repair them, try the following feasible fixes.

Fix 1. Use TestDisk

As a robust and open-source file recovery tool, TestDisk can recover lost partitions, fix partition tables, and rebuild the boot sectors. It’s 100% free and compatible with various computer operating systems.   

Once you’ve successfully recovered your deleted videos, you can also employ TestDisk to try and repair the corrupted Hikvision DVR hard drive if you’re familiar with CMD.

Fix 2. Run CHKDSK via parameters

The CHKDSK utility is an in-built Windows feature, designed to inspect disk space and usage, generating a status report tailored to each file system.

To repair errors on the volume, you need to run CHKDSK with /f, /r, /x, or /b parameters because CHKDKS only can display the status of the volume but does not fix any errors.

Step 1. Type “cmd” in the search bar > select Run as administrator to open the command prompt window.

Step 2. Enter “CHKDSK F: /f /r /x” in the window. Please remember to replace F with the real letter of your Hikvision storage device.

Related Q&A about Hikvision CCTV footage

Are you wondering how to recover deleted footage from CCTV? In short, users without backups might have no other option but to rely on professional video recovery software to recover deleted videos from Hikvision CCTV.

Apart from that, there’re some related tips about Hikvision CCTV footage and data loss prevention measures.

Does CCTV footage get deleted automatically?

When CCTV footage is recorded, it gets stored either on a local hard disc, a cloud server, or an offsite server. Typically, after 15 days or a month, depending on the DVR/NVR’s storage capacity, old data is automatically replaced with new data.

Can overwritten CCTV footage be recovered?

If you’ve turned on File History or System Protection on the local disk that stores your CCTV footage, you can use Previous Versions to access earlier or older versions of your footage videos according to the timeline.

Because this feature allows you to go back in time and recover specific versions of your CCTV footage videos that may have been accidentally deleted or modified. Moreover, Previous Versions also can help you recover overwritten Excel files. 

Step 1. Press Win + E to open Windows File Explorer > right-click on the local disk that stores your CCTV footage before deletion.

Step 2. Click Properties > Previous Versions > select a folder version > click Restore.

Step 3. If you desire to set a new saved path, please right-click on Restore and select Restore to.

How to prevent CCTV footage from losing?

Regular backups stand as the most effective defense against data loss.

If you intend to prevent CCTV footage from being automatically deleted, it’s beneficial to develop a good habit of making regular backups via this free Windows backup utility, AOMEI Backupper Standard.

It helps safeguard your valuable files and ensures you have a reliable backup in case of unexpected data loss.

Key features of AOMEI Backupper Standard:✎...   

Enable to back up files, folders, partitions, disks, or systems to an internal/external hard drive, USB stick, Network, or Cloud drive.

Implementing intelligent backup strategies allows you to create daily incremental backups, effectively conserving storage space.

By scheduling backups, you can ensure the continuous protection of your valuable data.   

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper on your Windows PC. Under the Backup tab, select the “File Backup” option.

Step 2. Click “Add Folder/Add File” to add the folder or CCTV footage videos you want to back up.

Step 3. Click “Schedule Backup” to enable Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event triggers or USB plug based on your needs. Then click the “Start Backup” button.