How to Recover Drone Data: Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about recovering footage, photos, mission data and logs from drones — after a crash, water damage, accidental deletion or a card that will not read.
Drone data recovery questions and answers
- How do I recover data from a drone?
- Stop using the aircraft and card immediately, keep every device that may hold recordings (aircraft, card, controller, goggles, payload), and request a Comprehensive evaluation. Engineers identify where the data was recorded and report what is recoverable before any recovery work begins.
- Can footage be recovered from a crashed drone?
- Often it can be evaluated. The card may be readable even when the aircraft is not, and internal flash can be read after the aircraft is examined. Results depend on where the data was recorded and its condition.
- Can deleted or formatted drone footage be recovered?
- It can be evaluated if nothing new has overwritten it. Stop recording immediately — new flights overwrite the space where deleted footage remains. Do not format the card or accept any prompt to format or repair it.
- Do you recover data from drone internal storage?
- Yes. Recovery from embedded flash inside aircraft, cameras and controllers is supported for evaluation, alongside removable cards and SSDs.
- Where does a drone store footage?
- Depending on the model, footage is written to a removable SD/microSD, CFexpress or SSD card, internal storage in the aircraft or camera, or a camera payload. Some controllers and goggles keep their own recordings. The recording note for each model in our manufacturer catalogs summarizes the manufacturer documentation.
- Can a corrupt or unplayable drone video file be repaired?
- Recordings interrupted before the file closed — after a crash or sudden power loss — can be evaluated for repair using the raw data and reference files from the same aircraft.
- What should I do right after a crash or water damage?
- Keep the aircraft powered off and do not repeatedly power it on — corrosion and short circuits worsen with repeated power attempts. Remove the battery if it is safe to do so, and send the aircraft together with the card.
- Does encryption affect drone data recovery?
- Some drone storage is documented as encrypted. Encryption can limit what is recoverable; this is confirmed during evaluation.
- Which drones are covered?
- 21 manufacturer catalogs with 435 listed models are documented on our drone data recovery page. Listed models are supported for evaluation of available recording media and associated devices. Recovery depends on data location, media condition, encryption, and whether the requested data remains present.
- What should I send in?
- The card, the aircraft, and any controller, goggles or payload that may hold recordings, with a note of the model and what happened.
- Is 'drone recovery' the same as drone data recovery?
- No. This service recovers footage and files from drone storage. It does not locate or retrieve lost aircraft.
Common drone data-loss situations
Crash or sudden power loss
An impact or battery ejection mid-recording can leave the active file open and the card or internal flash in an inconsistent state.
Water or liquid damage
Ditching in water, rain or spray can corrode aircraft boards and card contacts. Salt water accelerates the damage.
Deleted or formatted media
Footage removed in the app, on the aircraft or on a computer, or a card formatted by mistake.
Unreadable media
A card or drive that prompts for formatting, shows as RAW, reports the wrong capacity or is not detected.
Damaged aircraft or board
Broken arms, burnt power components or a bent camera module where data sits on internal flash.
Unfinalized or corrupt MP4/MOV
Video that will not play, shows zero length or stops early because recording ended before the file was closed.
What to do now
- Stop recording and do not write anything new to the card, aircraft or controller.
- Do not format the card or accept any prompt to format or repair it.
- Do not repeatedly power on a wet, crashed or damaged aircraft. Remove the battery if it is safe to do so.
- Keep the aircraft, card, controller and any payload or goggles together — the data may be on more than one of them.
- Write down the model, what was being recorded, and what happened (crash, water, deletion, error message).
More about drone data recovery
See the Drone & UAV Data Recovery page for the three places drone data is recorded, recovery by manufacturer (21 manufacturers, 435 listed models, catalogs checked 2026-09-24), and per-model recording notes.
Data Recovery Guarantee
If we cannot recover the data identified as required for your case, you will not be charged a recovery fee.
Request a Comprehensive evaluation for your drone data
Send the aircraft, card, controller or payload that held the data. Engineers identify where the footage or files were recorded and report what is recoverable before any recovery work begins.