Is It Possible to Recover Overwritten CCTV Footage, Here are the Best Methods
Last Updated on September 20, 2025 by Yulia Ilina
Is it possible to recover overwritten CCTV footage? No. When new video clips replace the DVR files, the possibility to get back the files is very slim. But it does not mean you cannot find them back. CCTV footages and files are very important especially if you will use them as proof for any confidential purposes. If the files have not been replaced or it is an automatic deletion, here are some workable methods to recover DVR recordings.
Part 1: Can You Recover Overwritten CCTV Videos
No. You cannot retrieve the overwritten CCTV videos. Overwritten happens when a new video clip erases the original one from the CCTV. But there are some walk-around methods you should know. If you just use the automatic deletion to remove the recording DVR recording, there are chances to recover deleted files from CCTV.
Another chance to restore the overwritten CCTV video is from the backup files. Because some CCTV has automatic backup features to save DVR files on the device. Moreover, you can use the Cloud service to back up the recordings according to your requirements.
Although it is difficult to restore the overwritten CCTV files, you need to have one last try to get them back. Just connect the SD card or the CCTV device to your computer, you can use overwritten CCTV file recovery to retrieve the files on Windows and Mac.
Part 2: Possible Method to Retrieve Overwritten CCTV Videos
Method 1: The Simple Method to Retrieve Overwritten CCTV Videos
Whether you need to retrieve the overwritten CCTV videos from an SD card or even the CCTV device, Data Recovery is the desired DVR deleted data recovery to retrieve the files from the connected SD card or CCTV device. It enables you to restore multiple file formats, including DVR videos, photos, and more. Moreover, there are 2 different scanning modes to ensure you have a highly successful rate for data recovery.
1. Retrieve the DVR files and photos from CCTV devices or SD cards directly.
2. Provide advanced scanning modes to recover overwritten CCTV files easily.
3. Get back deleted files, lost videos, and removed photos from CCTV devices.
4. Retrieve deleted or overwritten CCTV devices with a highly successful rate.
Step 1: Download and install the Data Recovery on your computer, you can launch the program. Make sure you have already connected the SD card or the memory card of the CCTV to the computer via an SD card reader. The program will detect the device automatically.
Step 2: Tick the Check all file types option to retrieve DVR recordings from the CCTV device, including the images and videos. Select the SD card from the Removable Drives menu. After that, you can click the Scan button to check whether the overwritten CCTV files are available.
Step 3: Go to the Video menu from the Quick Scan drop-down list, you can check the retrieved files via the name or use the Filter feature to locate the DVR files. After that, you can click the Recover button to retrieve the DVR recordings to your computer.
Method 2: How to Retrieve Overwritten CCTV Files with CMD
If you just need to restore the overwritten CCTV files for free, the command line is the desired choice. When you need to check whether the files are still available, you can follow the command line from the Command Prompt on your Windows accordingly.
Step 1: Go to the Start menu and access the Command Prompt app from the search column. After that, you can choose the Run as administrator button to launch it on your computer.
Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, you can simply type chkdsk ‘Drive Letter' /f in the CMD and press the Enter key. It enables you to retrieve the overwritten CCTV files directly
Step 3: Just enter the following command to fix the errors: -h: to locate the hidden attributes, -r: gives the place of the bad sectors, and /s: commands the system to locate a specific path location.
Part 3: How to Restore Overwritten CCTV Files from Backup
Just check whether the CCTV device has automatic backup features, you can easily recover DVR recordings if you have already set up the desired backup system for your CCTV files. It is an essential process to recover your CCTV files in no time. Here is the simple step on how to recover deleted files from CCTV from the backup.
Step 1: Just another check whether the automatic backup feature has already been enabled on the CCTV device. You can find the CCTV footage backup folder and open the files accordingly.
Step 2: Locate the deleted files and then transfer them all back to the original storage disk. Moreover, you can use the media player to playback the DVR files to locate the overwritten files.