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Lost 6 hours of skydiving footage - how to recover deleted Gopro videos?
Quote from kimheyon on April 12, 2026, 5:46 pmHey guys, hi. I could really use a bit of your help.
I was recently on vacation and tried skydiving for the first time. When I got back home, I noticed that all my footage ware missing from the camera. There were quite a lot, both my jumps and my wife’s, around 6 hours in total. I suspect that I accidentally deleted files from the SD card of my GoPro. So now I’m trying to figure out how to recover deleted GoPro videos. I really don’t want to lose them. These were unforgettable moments, and I’d like to have them saved in video, not just memory.
Any advice, pls🙏
Hey guys, hi. I could really use a bit of your help.
I was recently on vacation and tried skydiving for the first time. When I got back home, I noticed that all my footage ware missing from the camera. There were quite a lot, both my jumps and my wife’s, around 6 hours in total. I suspect that I accidentally deleted files from the SD card of my GoPro. So now I’m trying to figure out how to recover deleted GoPro videos. I really don’t want to lose them. These were unforgettable moments, and I’d like to have them saved in video, not just memory.
Any advice, pls🙏
Quote from AlexR on April 12, 2026, 7:13 pmHi. First thing, don’t rush to do anything with the SD card until you get enough info here or elsewhere. Don’t record new videos to that same card if you don’t have copies of your deleted GoPro videos. When files are not showing after deletion, they can still be in the file system on the SD card and will stay there until you erase or overwrite them.
As for GoPro footage recovery, if you don’t have backups, then your only option is a data recovery program. There are quite a lot of them, so I’d recommend looking at ready-made comparison lists like this before choosing one.
Hi. First thing, don’t rush to do anything with the SD card until you get enough info here or elsewhere. Don’t record new videos to that same card if you don’t have copies of your deleted GoPro videos. When files are not showing after deletion, they can still be in the file system on the SD card and will stay there until you erase or overwrite them.
As for GoPro footage recovery, if you don’t have backups, then your only option is a data recovery program. There are quite a lot of them, so I’d recommend looking at ready-made comparison lists like this before choosing one.
Quote from kimheyon on April 12, 2026, 7:27 pmThanks. I picked a program from the list, but now I ran into another issue - I cannot select the SD card to start the scan. It just doesn’t show up as available in the software. What could be the problem? Am I doing something wrong or did I choose the wrong tool for SD card data recovery? I thought this would be a bit easier, so starting to panic a little.
Thanks. I picked a program from the list, but now I ran into another issue - I cannot select the SD card to start the scan. It just doesn’t show up as available in the software. What could be the problem? Am I doing something wrong or did I choose the wrong tool for SD card data recovery? I thought this would be a bit easier, so starting to panic a little.
Quote from JustMike on April 12, 2026, 9:04 pmQuote from kimheyon on April 12, 2026, 7:27 pmThanks. I picked a program from the list, but now I ran into another issue - I cannot select the SD card to start the scan. It just doesn’t show up as available in the software. What could be the problem? Am I doing something wrong or did I choose the wrong tool for SD card data recovery? I thought this would be a bit easier, so starting to panic a little.
Hmm, hard to say something without more details. Which program did you pick? It might be the tool itself, for example, Recuva doesn’t really handle a corrupted SD card well. Also check how the card shows up in Disk Management / Disk Utility. Is it even there? What size does it show? Could also be something simple like the card reader you’re using. There can be a bunch of different reasons for this, honestly.
Quote from kimheyon on April 12, 2026, 7:27 pmThanks. I picked a program from the list, but now I ran into another issue - I cannot select the SD card to start the scan. It just doesn’t show up as available in the software. What could be the problem? Am I doing something wrong or did I choose the wrong tool for SD card data recovery? I thought this would be a bit easier, so starting to panic a little.
Hmm, hard to say something without more details. Which program did you pick? It might be the tool itself, for example, Recuva doesn’t really handle a corrupted SD card well. Also check how the card shows up in Disk Management / Disk Utility. Is it even there? What size does it show? Could also be something simple like the card reader you’re using. There can be a bunch of different reasons for this, honestly.
Quote from kimheyon on April 12, 2026, 9:31 pmI didn’t realize I needed a card reader. I had my GoPro connected directly to the computer. I found a card reader now and started a new scan. Looks like it’s working this time.
I didn’t realize I needed a card reader. I had my GoPro connected directly to the computer. I found a card reader now and started a new scan. Looks like it’s working this time.
Quote from AlexR on April 12, 2026, 11:24 pmQuote from kimheyon on April 12, 2026, 9:31 pmI didn’t realize I needed a card reader. I had my GoPro connected directly to the computer. I found a card reader now and started a new scan. Looks like it’s working this time.
My bad. I thought it was obvious that if we’re talking about how to recover deleted files from a GoPro SD card, you need to use a card reader or at least connect the SD card directly to the computer if possible.
Data recovery tools need low-level access to the storage. When you connect the GoPro itself, it usually works over protocols like MTP/PTP (media transfer protocols). That means your computer only sees files that the camera chooses to expose but not the actual raw storage. Because of that, recovery software can’t properly scan the SD card for lost files. When you use a card reader, the SD card connects as USB Mass Storage (MSC). In this mode, it shows up as a regular drive, and recovery software can access the full file system and scan raw sectors.
Quote from kimheyon on April 12, 2026, 9:31 pmI didn’t realize I needed a card reader. I had my GoPro connected directly to the computer. I found a card reader now and started a new scan. Looks like it’s working this time.
My bad. I thought it was obvious that if we’re talking about how to recover deleted files from a GoPro SD card, you need to use a card reader or at least connect the SD card directly to the computer if possible.
Data recovery tools need low-level access to the storage. When you connect the GoPro itself, it usually works over protocols like MTP/PTP (media transfer protocols). That means your computer only sees files that the camera chooses to expose but not the actual raw storage. Because of that, recovery software can’t properly scan the SD card for lost files. When you use a card reader, the SD card connects as USB Mass Storage (MSC). In this mode, it shows up as a regular drive, and recovery software can access the full file system and scan raw sectors.
Quote from DataRecoverExpert on April 12, 2026, 11:38 pmI’ll jump in here since recovering deleted GoPro footage isn't the easiest case in data recovery.
A few key things you should know:
- Avoid overwriting data. That’s critical. Recovery software can only find what’s still physically there. If new data overwrites those sectors, your deleted GoPro videos are gone for good.
- Don’t format the card. GoPro footage recovery after formatting is sometimes possible, but it’s much harder than recovering accidentally deleted footage. So if you haven’t formatted it yet- don’t.
- Ideally, create a disk image before recovery. This is one of the main rules when you try to recover files from a corrupted GoPro SD card, but it’s a good idea even for healthy cards. SD cards are not the most stable storage devices, and they can fail at any moment, even during a scan.
- Once the image is created, scan the image, not the card. This way you reduce the risk and keep the original data intact.
The tricky part is choosing the right tool. GoPro often records video in chunks, which results in fragmented video files. That means a single video is split into multiple non-contiguous pieces across the card. When files get deleted, those fragments can be scattered, and many tools fail to correctly reassemble them. At the moment, one of the few tools that can handle this properly is Disk Drill, specifically using its Advanced Camera Recovery mode.
Anyway, that’s pretty much everything I can add here. Good luck!
I’ll jump in here since recovering deleted GoPro footage isn't the easiest case in data recovery.
A few key things you should know:
- Avoid overwriting data. That’s critical. Recovery software can only find what’s still physically there. If new data overwrites those sectors, your deleted GoPro videos are gone for good.
- Don’t format the card. GoPro footage recovery after formatting is sometimes possible, but it’s much harder than recovering accidentally deleted footage. So if you haven’t formatted it yet- don’t.
- Ideally, create a disk image before recovery. This is one of the main rules when you try to recover files from a corrupted GoPro SD card, but it’s a good idea even for healthy cards. SD cards are not the most stable storage devices, and they can fail at any moment, even during a scan.
- Once the image is created, scan the image, not the card. This way you reduce the risk and keep the original data intact.
The tricky part is choosing the right tool. GoPro often records video in chunks, which results in fragmented video files. That means a single video is split into multiple non-contiguous pieces across the card. When files get deleted, those fragments can be scattered, and many tools fail to correctly reassemble them. At the moment, one of the few tools that can handle this properly is Disk Drill, specifically using its Advanced Camera Recovery mode.
Anyway, that’s pretty much everything I can add here. Good luck!
Quote from kimheyon on April 13, 2026, 3:07 amUnfortunately, I didn’t manage to recover deleted files from GoPro. I used PhotoRec (because it’s free). Besides being really hard to use, all the videos it recovered are just a few-second clips with a black screen. Nothing that looks even remotely like my skydiving footage. I guess this is exactly what the @datarecoverexpert meant about fragmented video files. Are there any other options for the best software to recover GoPro videos? Disk Drill isn’t free, so I’m not sure if I should go that route.
Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to recover deleted files from GoPro. I used PhotoRec (because it’s free). Besides being really hard to use, all the videos it recovered are just a few-second clips with a black screen. Nothing that looks even remotely like my skydiving footage. I guess this is exactly what the @datarecoverexpert meant about fragmented video files. Are there any other options for the best software to recover GoPro videos? Disk Drill isn’t free, so I’m not sure if I should go that route.
Quote from OhioTom on April 13, 2026, 3:17 amI haven’t tried to recover deleted videos from the SD card in a while, since I stopped filming a few years ago. But back then, when I had to recover files from a corrupted GoPro SD card, I used something called GPR (a tool specifically made for GoPro cameras). Don’t remember the exact price, but if I bought it, it probably wasn’t that expensive( I usually wouldn’t pay much for stuff like that) 🙂
I haven’t tried to recover deleted videos from the SD card in a while, since I stopped filming a few years ago. But back then, when I had to recover files from a corrupted GoPro SD card, I used something called GPR (a tool specifically made for GoPro cameras). Don’t remember the exact price, but if I bought it, it probably wasn’t that expensive( I usually wouldn’t pay much for stuff like that) 🙂
Quote from DataRecoverExpert on April 13, 2026, 9:31 amQuote from OhioTom on April 13, 2026, 3:17 amI haven’t tried to recover deleted videos from the SD card in a while, since I stopped filming a few years ago. But back then, when I had to recover files from a corrupted GoPro SD card, I used something called GPR (a tool specifically made for GoPro cameras). Don’t remember the exact price, but if I bought it, it probably wasn’t that expensive( I usually wouldn’t pay much for stuff like that) 🙂
Yeah, that’s actually a decent tool. But as far as I know, the developers behind Disk Drill made a deal with them and integrated those algorithms into their Advanced Camera Recovery module. From what I’ve seen, GPR itself is no longer really available as a standalone option to restore files from a memory card.
Quote from OhioTom on April 13, 2026, 3:17 amI haven’t tried to recover deleted videos from the SD card in a while, since I stopped filming a few years ago. But back then, when I had to recover files from a corrupted GoPro SD card, I used something called GPR (a tool specifically made for GoPro cameras). Don’t remember the exact price, but if I bought it, it probably wasn’t that expensive( I usually wouldn’t pay much for stuff like that) 🙂
Yeah, that’s actually a decent tool. But as far as I know, the developers behind Disk Drill made a deal with them and integrated those algorithms into their Advanced Camera Recovery module. From what I’ve seen, GPR itself is no longer really available as a standalone option to restore files from a memory card.
Quote from nikaredko on April 13, 2026, 10:29 am@kimheyon, if you’re still in the process of trying to recover deleted GoPro files, you might want to check our guide. It walks through the whole process step by step, using Disk Drill as an example. We included clear instructions, so you can follow along easily. And if you prefer video, there’s also a video guide that shows how to recover deleted GoPro videos from SD card in practice.
@kimheyon, if you’re still in the process of trying to recover deleted GoPro files, you might want to check our guide. It walks through the whole process step by step, using Disk Drill as an example. We included clear instructions, so you can follow along easily. And if you prefer video, there’s also a video guide that shows how to recover deleted GoPro videos from SD card in practice.
Quote from Ryan404 on April 13, 2026, 1:32 pmThat’s actually true, that not every tool can handle GoPro memory card data loss properly. A while back, I tested a bunch of tools from this comparison list. Most of them did a decent job with Sony camera footage, no major issues there. But when it came to formatted GoPro SD card recovery, things went downhill fast and a lot of them returned broken or unplayable videos. Disk Drill was the only one that actually handled it well and gave usable results. So I’d confidently call it one of the best SD card recovery software options for this kind of case.
If you haven’t tried it yet, just download it and scan the SD card for lost files. There’s a small free limit, but it’s enough to test whether your deleted GoPro footage can be recovered before paying. Also found a Reddit review about it, might be worth a read, you could pick up something useful there.
That’s actually true, that not every tool can handle GoPro memory card data loss properly. A while back, I tested a bunch of tools from this comparison list. Most of them did a decent job with Sony camera footage, no major issues there. But when it came to formatted GoPro SD card recovery, things went downhill fast and a lot of them returned broken or unplayable videos. Disk Drill was the only one that actually handled it well and gave usable results. So I’d confidently call it one of the best SD card recovery software options for this kind of case.
If you haven’t tried it yet, just download it and scan the SD card for lost files. There’s a small free limit, but it’s enough to test whether your deleted GoPro footage can be recovered before paying. Also found a Reddit review about it, might be worth a read, you could pick up something useful there.
Quote from DataRecoverExpert on April 13, 2026, 1:50 pmI just remembered that SanDisk RescuePRO Deluxe can sometimes handle fragmented video files as well. It’s not a free tool, but if your SD card is from SanDisk, there’s a chance you got a license key with it (often printed on the packaging or included as a code). If that’s the case, it’s definitely worth trying.
I just remembered that SanDisk RescuePRO Deluxe can sometimes handle fragmented video files as well. It’s not a free tool, but if your SD card is from SanDisk, there’s a chance you got a license key with it (often printed on the packaging or included as a code). If that’s the case, it’s definitely worth trying.
Quote from agustd_lover on April 13, 2026, 2:07 pmI had a similar situation once. My GoPro SD card suddenly asked to be formatted, but I wanted to recover files without formatting the SD card, so I tried a bunch of free recovery tools. None of them managed to bring back the videos. In the end, I gave up and formatted the card, so I lost everything. At the time, I had no idea about fragmented video files, this is actually the first time I’ve seen it explained here. Thanks for that, I’ll keep it in mind for the future!
I had a similar situation once. My GoPro SD card suddenly asked to be formatted, but I wanted to recover files without formatting the SD card, so I tried a bunch of free recovery tools. None of them managed to bring back the videos. In the end, I gave up and formatted the card, so I lost everything. At the time, I had no idea about fragmented video files, this is actually the first time I’ve seen it explained here. Thanks for that, I’ll keep it in mind for the future!
Quote from kimheyon on April 13, 2026, 2:17 pmThanks everyone for taking the time to reply here! I followed your advice, went through the extra materials you shared, and ended up getting Disk Drill. The SD card is still scanning, but even at the preview panel I can already see that the videos are playing. So I think everything should be fine once the scan finishes and I recover them. Thanks again!
Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply here! I followed your advice, went through the extra materials you shared, and ended up getting Disk Drill. The SD card is still scanning, but even at the preview panel I can already see that the videos are playing. So I think everything should be fine once the scan finishes and I recover them. Thanks again!
Quote from DataRecoverExpert on April 13, 2026, 3:08 pmYou’re welcome. Now that you have a data recovery tool, future issues like memory card data loss won’t feel as scary. But I’d still recommend being careful going forward, both with your footage and the SD card itself. Never delete anything until you’re 100% sure you’ve copied all files somewhere else (your desktop, external drive, or cloud. Ideally, keep more than one copy). Even better, set up backups like File History on Windows or Time Machine on macOS. That way you’re not relying on GoPro footage recovery every time something goes wrong.
You’re welcome. Now that you have a data recovery tool, future issues like memory card data loss won’t feel as scary. But I’d still recommend being careful going forward, both with your footage and the SD card itself. Never delete anything until you’re 100% sure you’ve copied all files somewhere else (your desktop, external drive, or cloud. Ideally, keep more than one copy). Even better, set up backups like File History on Windows or Time Machine on macOS. That way you’re not relying on GoPro footage recovery every time something goes wrong.