How to Fix and Recover Missing SD Card Videos on Computer

Eleanor Reed

Jan 24, 2024 • Filed to: SD Card Solutions • Proven solutions

As surprising as it might sound, this SD card issue is often faced by a lot of users out there. A while back, when I thought of taking a backup of my videos, I encountered the same problem. Mostly, it is a logical error, but it can also happen due to a corrupt SD card or damaged video files. In this guide, I will let you know what I did when I could view videos on my SD card on the camera but not the computer.

Part 1: Some Basic Checks to View Unavailable Videos on Your Computer

Before you take any drastic measures, make sure that you do some preliminary checks to access your videos. If there is only a logical error causing the unavailability of your videos, then these suggestions would fix it.

Fix 1: Check the Location of the Video

If you can view videos on the SD card on the camera but not on the computer, then you could be looking at the wrong place. When you connect your SD card, go to the DCIM folder on it, as this is where most of the photos and videos are stored. In some cases, they are stored in "Videos" or any other folder as well. You can also go to the search bar and enter the name of the video to look for it.

Fix 2: Verify if the Video has been Split into Segments

If you have recorded a long video on your camera, then chances are that it could have been split into different segments/chapters instead. Sometimes, the camera saves these chapters in different formats that could be hidden on the Explorer.

For instance, if it is an MP4 file, then your camera could have saved it as multiple segment files of .m4s format instead. You can just take the assistance of the search bar on the Explorer and look for ".m4s" files to view any segment files of your main video.

Once you have found the segments of your video, you can change their format to a compatible one and copy them to a safe location.

Fix 3: Make sure that the Video Format is supported by your PC

This might be a rare scenario, but if your camera has recorded the video in a format that is not supported by your system, then it can also cause this issue. Most of the video formats that are supported by Windows are MP4, AVI, FLV, MOV, and so on.

To fix this, you can go to the settings on your camera and change its recording format. Almost every latest camera model lets us change the video format, codec, bit rate, and resolution via its settings.

Fix 4: Check if the SD Card has Been Corrupted

If you can view videos on the SD card on the camera but not on the computer, then your memory card could be corrupted as well. The easiest way to fix this is by using the native Windows repairing utility tool.

For this, you can connect your SD card to your system, go to the Explorer, and select it. Now, right-click to visit its Properties and browse to Tools > Error Checking feature. From here, you can click on the "Check" button to automatically repair the card's storage.

Besides that, you can also launch the Command Prompt and use the CHKDSK command to fix a corrupt SD Card. If you are using a Mac, then you can try the Disk Utility application to do the same.

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Pro Tip: Check your Camera Type

Some types and brands of cameras can encounter more issues than others. For instance, some point-and-shoot cameras are more likely to have these problems than DSLR models. A few prominent models that can lead to these issues are Sea Life DC500, Kodak EasyShare, Canon PowerShot A70, Polaroid PDC-5080, and Pentax Optio E10.

Part 2: Specific Ways When You Can't View SD Card Videos on Computer

If even after following the above-listed preliminary checks, you still can't access videos on your computer, then there could be a severe problem. Therefore, I would recommend the following solutions that can fix this issue in a better way.

Scenario 1: Can't Find Hidden SD Card Videos on File Explorer

Sometimes, even after connecting the SD card, we can't view our videos that are stored in it. One of the reasons for this is that your videos files could be hidden and that's why you can't view them on File Explorer. Thankfully, you can easily make your videos visible by following these steps:

1. Firstly, just launch File Explorer on your Windows and go to This PC or My Computer. Under the External Devices section on the Explorer, you can check your connected SD card.
2. Access the SD card storage and try to find your videos. If you can't access them, then go to the View section from the main navigation bar.
3. Under the Show/Hide option here, simply turn on the feature to "View Hidden Items". Now, your hidden videos would be displayed that you can later copy to any other location or unhide.

More details about showing hidden files on SD card.

Scenario 2: Can't Find Missing SD Card Videos on a Computer

Another situation could be the loss or deletion of your videos from your SD card as well. For instance, you would have deleted the videos by mistake, the SD card could have been corrupted, or any other issue might lead to the loss of your data. In this scenario, you can take the assistance of Recoverit Data Recovery to get your deleted or lost videos back from your SD card.

Developed by Wondershare, it is a professional DIY application that can recover your videos deleted under different scenarios. You can recover videos of almost every format like MP4, MOV, FLV, WMV, and more. Also, it supports every popular brand and type of SD card out there. Therefore, by following a simple click-through process, you can scan your SD card, and can even preview your data to select the files to recover.

Step 1: Select the connected SD card to scan

At first, you can just connect your SD card to your computer and launch Recoverit Data Recovery on it. Now, once the SD card is detected by the application, you can select it (under the External Devices section) and start the recovery process.

Step 2: Wait for the scan to be over

Once the scan is started, you can just wait for a while and let Recoverit extract your lost videos. The application has a patented recovery algorithm for videos that would extract all the unavailable segments of the file and would later merge them. Since it might take a while, you are recommended to wait, but you can halt/stop the process in between as well.

Step 3: Preview and save your videos

After when the recovery process is finished, you can view the results on the native interface of Recoverit. Now, you can just preview your videos, select what you wish to get back, and click on the "Recover" button. You can now save your videos to a secure location on your computer instead of the SD card again.

Scenario 3: Can't Play and View Videos on Media Player

Lastly, some users can transfer the videos from their SD card of the camera to their computer, but can't view these videos. In this case, you can consider using any other media player to view your videos or can repair your files as well.

Fix 1: Repair your Corrupt Videos

While transferring your videos from the SD card to your computer, your data could have been corrupted. The simplest way to fix this is by using a dedicated application like Recoverit. It can help you recover lost data, but also fix corrupted videos.

This user-friendly application can easily fix all kinds of issues like logical errors, missing fragments, corrupt videos, audio-video sync, and so much more.

You can simply launch the application and upload your corrupt video to it. It will automatically scan it and would repair any minor or major issue. In case the issue is severe, then you can perform an Advanced Repair instead. Although it would take more time than a standard scan, its results would also be far better.

Fix 2: Try Playing the Video on another Media Player

Chances are that the video that you are trying to play might not be compatible with the respective media player. These days, some videos have unique formats that are not supported by every media player.

In this case, you can use any other media player that would be compatible with it. For instance, if it is an MKV file, then you can take the assistance of the Matroska Video Player to load it.

Fix 3: Update your Media Player

Another possible reason for this problem is the use of an outdated media player. To fix this, you can just go to your media player's settings and try to update it. If you are using VLC Media Player, then you can go to its Menu > Check for Updates. The process to update the application is pretty same for other players. Besides that, you can check for their latest version on the Windows App Store as well.

Part 3: How to Prevent the Loss or Damage of SD Card Videos

After reading this post, you would be able to fix the issue for camera videos not being accessible on your computer. Furthermore, I would recommend the following tips to make sure your videos won't be lost or damaged.

• Try to keep a dedicated card solely for your camera and don't change it frequently (by inserting it on other devices).
• It is recommended to format your SD card in every 6-12 months and check its status using an anti-virus tool to keep it secure.
• Only get an SD card for your camera that is compatible with it and from a trusted brand.
• Don't store too many photos and videos on your SD card and make sure that at least 20% of its storage is available.
• If you don't want to lose your files by mistake, then consider locking your SD card. You can find a write protection switch on the side of most of the SD cards. Just swipe it down to lock the card and slide it upward whenever you wish to write anything on it (or delete something).

That's a wrap, everyone! I'm sure that after reading this guide, you would be able to fix this common SD card issue. I tried to list what I did when I could view videos on my SD card on the camera but not on the computer. I have also included all the essential and significant things in the post so that you can resolve this issue on your own.

Though, if you are still encountering these problems, then you can get in touch with the company's customer support or visit an expert.

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