Question 1

Can I recover footage I deleted from the drone's gallery (DJI Fly album view)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When you delete from DJI Fly's album, it just unlinks the file in the exFAT table — the H.265 data sits on the card untouched until something writes over it. As long as you stop flying immediately, recovery odds are very high.

Question 2

I formatted the card in DJI Fly. Is it gone?

Accepted Answer

Not gone. DJI Fly's 'Format' is a quick format — it wipes the file allocation table but doesn't zero the card. Your H.265 streams are still on the card sector-by-sector. AerialRestore's signature carver finds them by their MP4 / MOV / H.265 NAL headers.

Question 3

I formatted in Windows / Mac, not in the drone. Different?

Accepted Answer

Slightly different result, same recovery. Windows Quick Format and Mac Erase (default) also leave the data alone — only the metadata is wiped. Full Format / Secure Erase actually overwrites — that one's harder to recover from.

Question 4

What if I deleted clips weeks ago and have flown the card since?

Accepted Answer

Honest answer: depends how much you've flown. If the card is half-full, your old clips may have been overwritten. If it's nearly empty, they're probably still there. Scan it — the preview will tell you exactly what's recoverable in 20 minutes, free.

Question 5

Do I need a new microSD card to recover to?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AerialRestore won't recover files back onto the same card — that's a recipe for corruption. Have any second drive ready: another microSD, a USB stick, or your computer's internal drive.

How to Recover Deleted Drone Footage (2026 Guide)

Protect the footage before scanning

Supported aerial and action-camera media

Start with a non-destructive scan