How to Recover Deleted CCTV Footage?

Over the past decade, CCTV Data Recovery cases have seen a ten-fold increase in India. Almost always, the footage recorded by CCTVs is of critical value to the owner, and if lost, it can have serious—even legal—consequences.

Whether it is government agencies and the police needing video evidence, organizations needing access to their footage to verify workplace incidents, or homeowners and shopkeepers wanting to report miscreants in their area, the good news is that CCTV footage recovery is possible in most cases.

To an extent, data recovery from CCTVs is quite similar to that from any storage device, though there are some extra layers of complexity related to file formats and encryption. Moreover, CCTV setups, comprising cameras and storage devices, often are exposed to extreme weather conditions and are also vulnerable to manual tampering. This also makes CCTV Data Recovery a bit more challenging.

To recover CCTV footage, first you’ll need to understand where the footage is stored—for example, whether it is on-device, on a local peripheral storage, or on the cloud. Knowing how long the footage is retained before it is overwritten is just as essential.

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Overview of CCTV Storage Setups

Most CCTV systems fall into three broad categories based on their data storage mechanism.

1. In-Device Storage

Most standalone IP cameras have a built-in microSD card slot. These cameras support SD cards of capacities anywhere between 16 GB and 256 GB. Such cameras are very common in homes and small businesses.

2. Local External Storage

These are systems that have a storage device located on-site but outside the camera. They can accordingly be subdivided into DVR or NVR systems.

1. DVR (Digital Video Recorder) works with analog cameras that use coaxial cables. In this case, the footage is saved in an internal HDD or SSD housed inside the DVR unit.
2. NVR (Network Video Recorder) is used with a system of IP cameras connected over Ethernet, and it houses an HDD or an SSD for storage.
3. In some cases, multiple IP cameras can be connected over a Network Attached Storage (NAS). In this system, multiple IP cameras store footage centrally over a local network. In a NAS-based CCTV setup, there are additional features like RAID for redundancy, advanced access control, and scheduled backups.

3. Cloud-Based Storage

Some CCTV systems are configured to upload footage directly to a remote storage location using a cloud subscription model over the internet.

Types of Data Loss in CCTV Systems

The method you use to recover CCTV data footage depends on the cause of data loss. In CCTV systems, loss of footage can happen for many reasons—intentional sometimes, and at times accidental.

1. Automatic overwriting: This is a system-defined behavior in most DVR, NVR, or even standalone camera-based systems. There is a continuous recording loop that uses FIFO (first in, first out) logic. This means that once the storage capacity is full, the system begins to overwrite the oldest footage with new recordings. The retention setting can be anywhere from 7 days to 30 days, or sometimes even higher.
2. Logical malfunction or storage media failure: Logical errors refer to failures in the data structure or software of the recording system. Some examples include file system corruption due to power cuts and bad sector development on aging drives.
3. Physical damage to the storage device: CCTV footage can become inaccessible when there is physical harm to the DVR, NVR, or the in-camera storage device. In India, this is common due to overheating, water ingress, or fire damage. In many cases, the damage can also be human-inflicted—such as in cases of theft, vandalism, or improper handling.
4. Unintentional deletion: A user may mistakenly delete footage or format the storage device. In some cases, a user might misconfigure the data storage mechanism due to unfamiliarity with the admin console of the CCTV system.
5. Malware or security breach: In many cases, a digital threat can end up corrupting, encrypting, or erasing footage from your CCTV cameras.

CCTV Data Loss Scenarios and Recovery Chances

Category	Example Scenario	Chance of Recovery
Automatic Overwriting	30-day cycle: Day 31 footage replaces Day 1	❌ Very Low
Logical Malfunction	File system corruption due to sudden power loss	✅ High
Physical Damage	DVR damaged by fire or water ingress	⚠️ Moderate to High
Human Error	Accidental formatting of DVR/NVR drive	✅ High
Malware / Security Breach	Ransomware encrypts NVR footage; unauthorized deletion via hack	⚠️ Moderate to High

You would have noticed above that the chances of a successful CCTV data recovery depend largely on the cause of data loss. However, there are ways by which you can retrieve critical footage even in complicated scenarios—four such methods are discussed below.

How to Recover Lost CCTV Data?

1. Use the Built-in Features of the CCTV System

Before you try any technical data recovery method for CCTV, check whether your CCTV system has any internal tools that can let you access seemingly lost footage.

1. If you are using a standalone camera, use the official application or web dashboard to check for any downloadable clips or whether any backup options were enabled.
2. If you are using a DVR or NVR, use the admin interface to explore footage recording history. In some models, there are features like scheduled exports or dual disc backup.
3. If you are using cloud-connected data storage with your CCTV, log in to your account with the service provider and check for footage in the archive or trash folder.

2. Recover CCTV Data Using Command Prompt (CMD)

Command prompt can help you repair file system errors and try to recover inaccessible footage, particularly when a drive is affected by corruption but isn’t physically damaged. Here’s how to use command prompt.

1. Connect the affected storage device to a PC.
2. Press the Windows key and type CMD. The Command Prompt icon will appear at the top. Right-click on the icon and select Run as administrator.
3. In the CMD window, type the following: chkdsk X: /f /r (replace “X” with the letter of the drive you have connected) and press Enter.
4. Let the scan complete. You will see a report with a list of fixed issues or recovered data on the screen.

Note: The CMD option is not recommended for users unfamiliar with command-line tools. It does not offer a file preview option like Stellar Data Recovery software.

3. Use a Specialist CCTV Data Recovery Software

Given that in most cases, recovering lost CCTV data is extremely important, your best bet is to use a specialized software. Stellar Data Recovery Software is a powerful tool that can recover footage lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, bad sectors, and other logical errors.

Once you have downloaded the software, follow these steps.

1. Connect the affected storage device (CF card, HDD, SSD, etc.) to your Windows or Mac system.
   • Use a USB card reader for SD cards.
   • Use a SATA-to-USB cable or a docking station for HDDs or SSDs.
2. Launch the software.
3. On the user interface, select the storage device you need to scan.
4. Click Scan and wait while the software searches for potentially recoverable CCTV footage.
5. You can also select Deep Scan for a more thorough search.
6. Let the scan complete and preview the recoverable CCTV files.
7. Select the videos you want to recover and click on the Recover option.
8. Choose the drive or folder where you want the restored footage to be saved.

Note: The free version of Stellar Data Recovery software lets you preview and recover up to 1 GB of data, so you can verify that the data you’re interested in is recoverable. You can then decide whether you want to purchase the license or not.

4. Get Professional CCTV Data Recovery Service

This is your best option when you’re dealing with physical damage to the storage media or when there’s been a malware or virus attack.

Stellar Data Recovery offers a dedicated CCTV Data Recovery service. Data recovery from CCTV systems requires a highly specialized set of skills, and here’s why we recommend you contact us to recover lost footage from your CCTV cameras.

1. We can recover CCTV footage from DVR/NVR hard drives, SD cards, and NAS devices.
2. We can handle complex scenarios such as electrical damage, bad sectors, and total device failure.
3. We have a Class 100 Clean Room, where we can safely open and restore sensitive hard drives without any risk of contamination.
4. We follow strict procedures to maintain a chain of custody, which is crucial if the recovered footage is intended for legal proceedings.

Our CCTV data recovery experts have worked on all types of video file formats and storage devices and are familiar with file systems such as NTFS, btrfs, ZFS, ext4, exFAT, XFS, HFS+, and other proprietary file systems.

If you want to recover CCTV footage that has been deleted, we strongly recommend you give us a call and get a free consultation from a CCTV data recovery expert, who will advise you on the next steps. We can also arrange to send our collections expert to your premises to help you disconnect the storage media and bring it to our lab, where we can work on it and get your CCTV footage back.

FAQs

1. Can deleted CCTV footage be recovered?

Yes—if the footage has not been overwritten and the storage device is not completely damaged, the footage can be recovered.

2. How can I recover CCTV footage from a DVR or hard drive?

We strongly recommend using Stellar Data Recovery software if the footage has been deleted or corrupted. If that doesn’t work, you can use our professional CCTV footage recovery service.

3. Can completely overwritten CCTV footage be recovered?

No. Footage that has been completely overwritten with new data is permanently erased and cannot be recovered.

4. My DVR is badly damaged. Can my CCTV footage still be recovered?

Yes. Professional CCTV data recovery experts can recover footage from physically damaged DVRs using special tools and cleanroom facilities.