What to do right now
- Stop recording on the card and do not let the camcorder rebuild or repair its database.
- Read the card in a USB card reader on a Windows PC rather than through the camcorder.
- Scan it with Deleted file recovery and save the MTS, M2TS or MP4 clips to a different disk.
- If a newer MP4 or MOV camcorder clip was cut off by a dead battery, repair it with a reference clip from the same camera.
Step by step
Stop using the card
Switch the camcorder off as soon as you notice the loss. Every new clip is written into free space, which is exactly where the deleted clips are. Decline any prompt on the camcorder to repair, recover or rebuild the management file, because that writes to the card.
Connect the card with a reader
Put the SD card into a USB card reader or a laptop slot. Many camcorders connected over USB appear only as a media device, which recovery tools cannot scan sector by sector. If your model records to built-in memory, check whether it shows up as a drive letter in File Explorer; if it does not, that memory may not be scannable.
Start a Balanced scan
Open FileFix Ultimate, choose Deleted file recovery and select the card. The Balanced scan reads the FAT32 or exFAT records first, so recently deleted clips can return with their original names, then searches free space for MPEG transport stream and MP4 signatures.
Use the Deep signature scan if needed
If the card was formatted in the camcorder or the Balanced scan finds little, run the Deep signature scan. It reads the whole card and recognises MTS, M2TS, MP4, MOV and JPEG content by its structure. Clips found this way have no original names and are given numbered names.
Filter, preview and save elsewhere
Filter by video type, sort by size and preview where possible. Save the selected clips to the PC's internal drive or an external disk, never back to the card. Check the status of each clip in the report: validated, partial or extracted but not validated.
Play the clips on the PC
Open the recovered MTS files directly in a player such as VLC or the Windows Media Player app. Do not copy them back into the AVCHD folder expecting the camcorder to show them; the camcorder relies on its own playlist files, which no longer list the deleted clips.
How an AVCHD card is organised
An AVCHD camcorder does not just drop video files on the card. It creates a folder tree, usually PRIVATE, AVCHD, BDMV, with the clips as numbered files such as 00012.MTS in the STREAM folder. Next to them it keeps clip information files in CLIPINF and playlists in PLAYLIST. The camcorder uses those small files to show thumbnails and the clip list, while the actual picture and sound are only in the MTS files.
That is why the camcorder may say there are no clips even though the MTS files survived, and why a recovered clip can play perfectly on a PC but never appear on the camcorder screen again. For recovery, the MTS files are what matter. Computer software that imports AVCHD usually also accepts loose MTS files.
Why transport streams recover well, and where they do not
An MTS or M2TS file is a long series of small fixed-size packets, each starting with the same sync byte. A signature search can lock onto that rhythm and find where a stream starts and where it stops, even without any file system record. Because a transport stream has no central index at the end, a partial clip often still plays up to the point where the data stops.
The weak spot is fragmentation. When a card has been filled, cleared and filled again, a long clip may be stored in several separate pieces. Without the FAT32 or exFAT record, the order of those pieces is not known, so a carved clip can jump, freeze or contain a few seconds from another recording. On exFAT and FAT32 the app checks the content to choose the most plausible piece order, but very long fragmented clips may only come back in part.
Newer camcorders that record MP4
Many recent camcorders record XAVC S or plain MP4 instead of AVCHD. Deleted MP4 clips are recovered the same way, but an MP4 cut off by a dead battery or a card pulled out mid-recording is different: the index that players need is written at the end, so the file is large yet will not open. Damaged file repair can rebuild such a clip using a normal clip recorded on the same camcorder with the same resolution, frame rate and codec as a reference. This reference repair is for MP4 and MOV; an interrupted MTS usually plays without it.
When it won't work
- Clips that were recorded over by new footage are gone; the new recording occupies the same space.
- A full format or a camcorder function that overwrites the whole card leaves nothing to find.
- Built-in camcorder memory that does not appear as a drive in Windows cannot be scanned directly.
- Tape camcorders such as MiniDV and HDV have no deleted files to recover; only the tape itself holds the footage.
- A card that is not detected at all, or shows the wrong size, may be physically damaged and needs a recovery lab.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Reads the card read-only and refuses to save recovered clips back to it.
- Recognises MPEG transport streams, M2TS, MP4, MOV, AVI and JPEG by content, so clips can be found after a quick format.
- Recovers original names and folders from FAT32 and exFAT records where they still exist.
- Rebuilds interrupted MP4 or MOV recordings from a reference clip, saved as a new file.
- Also reads DVD camcorder discs in the ISO 9660 and UDF formats, read-only. The app is free for personal use, with no recovery limit.
FileFix Ultimate is free for personal use, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Business use needs a one-year licence per PC. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Where are AVCHD videos stored on the SD card?
Usually in PRIVATE, AVCHD, BDMV, STREAM as numbered MTS files. If that folder is empty or missing after deletion, a scan of the whole card can still find the stream data.
Why do recovered MTS clips have numbered names?
Clips found by signature search have no file system record, so the original name and date are unknown. Sort them by size and preview them; the recording date may still be visible inside a player's information panel.
Can I put recovered clips back so the camcorder shows them?
Usually not. The camcorder depends on its own playlist and clip information files. Keep the clips on the PC and edit or archive them there.
The camcorder asked to repair its management file. Should I accept?
Not before recovery. Repairing rewrites files on the card and may discard entries for damaged clips. Scan the card from a PC first, then let the camcorder repair or format it.
Can a DVD camcorder disc be recovered?
Finalised discs can usually be read as UDF or ISO 9660. An unfinalised disc may not open on a PC at all, and whether finalising it in the camcorder helps depends on the model. Deep scratches that stop the drive from reading are beyond software.