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How to Recover Tesla Dashcam & Sentry Mode Footage (2025)

Tesla stores dashcam clips on a USB drive in a specific folder structure. Here's how to recover deleted or overwritten footage.

Tesla’s Dashcam and Sentry Mode write footage directly to a FAT32-formatted USB drive in a fixed folder structure (/TeslaCam/). Because Tesla continuously overwrites older clips in a loop, recovery is time-sensitive — the sooner you act after an event, the better your chances.

  • Eject the USB Drive from Your Tesla Immediately

    Every time your Tesla writes a new dashcam clip, it potentially overwrites old footage. Remove the USB drive from the car before driving again.

  • Do Not Format or Write Anything to the Drive

    Even running a file system check (chkdsk) can alter the drive state. Plug it into your computer and go directly to recovery software — don't open File Explorer and click around first.

  • Scan for Deleted MP4 Files

    Tesla saves clips as .mp4 files in timestamped subfolders. Use EaseUS or Stellar to scan the USB drive. Filter results by .mp4 extension to find dashcam clips faster.

  • Check the RecentClips and SavedClips Folders

    Tesla organizes footage into RecentClips (rolling buffer), SavedClips (manually saved), and SentryClips (motion-triggered). Even if the folder structure is gone, recovery software can rebuild it by file signature.

  • Recover to a Different Drive

    Always save recovered footage to a different USB drive or your computer's internal SSD. Never recover back to the source drive.

Understanding Tesla’s Dashcam Storage

Tesla uses a loop recording system with three camera angles (front, left pillar, right pillar) saved as separate files per clip. A standard 1-hour Dashcam clip generates roughly 1–2GB of footage across all angles.

The drive must be formatted as FAT32 or exFAT. Tesla also requires a specific folder (/TeslaCam) to exist — without it, recording won’t start. This means a accidentally formatted drive may still have all footage recoverable via deep scan.

When EaseUS Wins Over Stellar Here

For Tesla dashcam recovery specifically, EaseUS’s quick scan is often sufficient because dashcam clips are rarely “deeply buried” — they’re recently written and not fragmented the way drone footage is. EaseUS is faster and simpler for this scenario.