Why a GoPro file breaks when the recording stops early
A GoPro writes the video and sound to the card while you record, and writes the index, called the moov atom, when you press stop. The index lists where every frame sits and which settings the camera used. A battery that runs flat, a card pulled out or a camera that locks up stops the recording before that step. The footage is on the card; the map to it is missing, so Quik, your phone and your computer refuse the file.
Many GoPro cameras try to fix this themselves. The next time they power on, they show a repair or SOS screen and rebuild the file on the card. Let the camera try first. If it says the file can't be repaired, or the file still won't play afterwards, the checker on this page is the next step.
What we tested it on
We took GoPro's own published sample files, removed the index from each, and repaired them with the tool. Every picture and every sound frame came back identical to the original, compared frame by frame:
| Camera | Video | Result |
|---|---|---|
| HERO5 Black | H.264 | Picture and sound identical |
| HERO6 Black | H.264 | Picture and sound identical |
| HERO7 | H.264 | Picture and sound identical |
| HERO8 | H.264 | Picture and sound identical |
| HERO10 | H.265 (HEVC) | Picture and sound identical |
| MAX (HERO mode) | H.264 | Picture and sound identical |
| HERO5 on the Karma drone | H.264 | Picture and sound identical |
The repair re-encodes nothing. It writes a new index around the camera's own video and sound, so the quality is the quality you shot.
Find the broken file on the card
Put the card in a card reader and open DCIM > 100GOPRO. GoPro names its videos GX, GH or GOPR followed by numbers, for example GX010042.MP4. The camera also writes small .LRV and .THM files beside each video: those are a low-resolution preview and a thumbnail, not the video.
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| An MP4 with a size in megabytes | Footage reached the card. The file is worth checking. |
| 0 bytes | The camera saved no footage. There is nothing to rebuild. |
| Several files with the same number | A long recording split into chapters. Usually only the last chapter is broken. |
GoPro splits long recordings into chapters of about 4 GB: GX010042.MP4, GX020042.MP4 and so on. When the power goes, the chapters before the last one are already closed and play normally. Check the last chapter.
Copy the broken file and one normal video from the same camera to your computer. Work on the copies and leave the card alone until you have a repaired file that plays.
Repair it in your browser
- Open the broken copy in the checker on this page. Your browser reads the file from your disk and never uploads it.
- When the checker asks for a reference clip, give it a normal video from the same GoPro, recorded with the same resolution, frame rate and video format (High Efficiency or Most Compatible). GoPro keeps its encoder settings only in the index, so the tool borrows them from a healthy clip. If you have none, record ten seconds now with the same settings.
- Read the result. The checker tells you whether it found the footage and how much of the recording it can rebuild. This step is free.
- Watch the free 5-second preview. It plays at reduced quality with a watermark, enough to see that your footage is back.
- Download the full video with a paid plan: one video, 3 months or 1 year, and you can cancel anytime. If the repaired video doesn't play, you get a refund.
What it can't bring back
- GPS, speed and other sensor data. The repaired file has the picture and the sound; the telemetry GoPro stores beside them isn't rebuilt.
- 360 videos (
.360files from MAX in 360 mode, or from Fusion). The tool doesn't read that format yet. - A 0-byte file, or one filled with zeros. The footage never reached the card.
- Footage from a card that was formatted or overwritten after the failure.
- A file your computer can't copy off the card at all. That is damage to the card itself, not to the video.
If the checker says it can't rebuild your file, you haven't paid anything.