Recover Deleted Reolink NVR FootageWhat Is on the Drive, What Reolink Says and How to Get the Clips Back
Reolink makes the recorder most people buy when they want cameras that work without an installer, and when a clip vanishes from the timeline the app offers nothing. Reolink's own writing says the video is still there until it is overwritten. This guide explains what sits on a Reolink NVR drive, why a PC cannot show it on its own and how the recordings come off it, password or no password.
Footage deleted or lost on a Reolink NVR is recoverable until the overwrite cycle reaches it. Reolink's own pages say deleted video is not erased at once and that formatting removes all recordings from the app's view, which is true for the NVR and the app. The drive is another matter: it holds the recordings in Reolink's own disk layout, which a Windows PC with the right software reads and exports as MP4, with or without the NVR password.
Reolink has a loyal DIY following because its cameras export plain MP4 and its app is easy to live with. The weak spot is the same as every other recorder: once a clip is gone from the timeline, the app and the NVR have no way to bring it back, and Reolink's advice at that point is to contact a recovery company. This page covers what is on the drive, what Reolink's error messages mean and how the recordings come off the drive on a PC.
Will a PC show the recordings on a Reolink NVR drive?
Not by Windows or by a Linux file browser, as owners keep discovering. An RLN8-410 owner who connected the drive to both Windows and Linux saw a few small folders and no video. A Reolink community moderator explained that the NVR disks use a proprietary file system and a proprietary block layout, and suggested asking support for a player. The same moderator has elsewhere described the drive as most likely ext4, so even the community is not of one mind, and Reolink has published no statement either way. What the owner reports agree on is the result: nothing you can play appears when the drive is mounted. That is the recorder's own layout at work, and reading it is the job of DVR recovery software rather than a file manager.
Does deleting footage on a Reolink NVR erase it?
Reolink's own support site answers this one. Individual recordings cannot be deleted from the HDD through the NVR at all; per-clip deletion exists only in the app for certain cameras working on their own, not when added to an NVR or Home Hub Pro. Removing everything means formatting the drive, and the format article states that once the HDD is formatted all recordings are erased. Reolink's blog, written for a different audience, adds that deleted CCTV video does not get erased permanently and stays on the drive unless overwritten, and that recovery companies can retrieve formatted and deleted data. Both are true. The format clears the NVR's view of the drive; the recordings remain in the blocks until the NVR records over them.
What are the steps to recover footage from a Reolink NVR?
- Turn the NVR off. Overwrite is on by default and replaces the oldest recordings as the drive fills. Older NVR firmware offers only on or off; newer firmware adds an interval. Either way, power off stops it.
- Remove the drive. Reolink NVRs take 3.5 inch drives, one or two internal plus an eSATA port on several models. Note which bay each drive came from on a two-drive unit.
- Dock it to a Windows PC. Windows will see no file system it knows and offer to initialise the disk. Cancel. A write blocker belongs in the chain if the clip is evidence.
- Read the Reolink layout. Load the drive in DVRXaminer, which parses the Reolink NVR disk layout, places each camera's recordings on a timeline and marks segments the NVR had deleted or formatted away.
- Export MP4 to another drive. Preview, select and save the clips to the PC or a USB drive with their timestamps.
What do HDD not formatted, HDD not detected and NVR not recording mean?
Reolink documents all three. HDD not formatted appears when the NVR cannot use the drive. Reolink lists the power adapter, firmware, an incompatible third-party drive and the SATA port as causes; its 8 and 16 channel PoE NVRs need 48 to 53 V adapters while the RLN12W and RLN36 run on 12 V, so a swapped adapter is a common trigger. HDD not detected comes with a dark drive light and the same checklist of adapter, cables and SATA port. An NVR that is not recording may have a drive that was never initialised, a full drive with overwrite off, a schedule problem or a camera that has dropped off. None of these messages means the recordings are gone. If the NVR offers to format the drive to clear one, read the drive on a PC first; the format prompt guide explains why.
What if the Reolink NVR password is forgotten?
It does not matter for the drive. For the NVR itself, Reolink's route is a hardware reset: open the casing, hold the reset button for about ten seconds until the unit buzzes and the setup wizard asks for a new password. If the NVR is still paired to the app or client, the password can be changed there instead. Reolink states that a restore resets configuration and keeps recordings, which is more than most brands offer, but it still leaves a deleted clip deleted. Recovery from the drive runs without any login.
Which drives do Reolink NVRs take?
| Model | Bays | Per-drive limit |
|---|---|---|
| RLN8-410 (current N7MB01) | 1 internal + 1 eSATA | 8 TB each |
| RLN8-410 (H3MB16, H3MB02) | 1 internal | 4 TB |
| RLN16-410 (N6MB01) | 2 internal | 8 TB each |
| RLN12W | 1 | 8 TB |
| RLN36 | 3 | 16 TB each |
| RLN4E | 1 | 8 TB |
| Home Hub Pro | 1 x 3.5 inch + microSD | 16 TB, AES-128 encrypted storage |
Reolink's recommended list runs from the Seagate SkyHawk ST2000VX016 up to the 20 TB ST20000VE002 and Toshiba's DT02 surveillance drives. The Home Hub Pro is the one to watch: its storage is encrypted with AES-128, so a drive from a Home Hub Pro does not read like an NVR drive. The Home Hub without Pro has no hard drive at all.
Will recovered Reolink clips play?
Yes. Reolink itself records in MP4 with H.264 or H.265 inside, and recovery exports the same. Reolink's USB backup also writes MP4 when the MP4 box is ticked and the raw stream when it is not, and old FTP recordings came out as .264 files that needed transcoding. Clips recovered from the drive come out wrapped and ready, and the DVR file player lookup covers the raw cases.
In short
- A Reolink NVR drive is not readable by Windows or a Linux file browser; it carries Reolink's own disk layout.
- Reolink states deleted video stays on the drive until overwritten and that formatting erases the NVR's view of it.
- Power off, dock the drive, refuse the initialise prompt and let software that knows the layout read it.
- HDD not formatted, HDD not detected and a lost password do not touch the recordings. Home Hub Pro storage is encrypted and is a separate case.
Common questions
Is deleted Reolink NVR footage recoverable?
Yes, until the overwrite cycle reaches it. Reolink's own blog says deleted CCTV video is not erased at once and stays on the drive unless overwritten. Power the NVR off, remove the drive, attach it to a Windows PC, dismiss the initialise prompt and load it in software that reads the Reolink disk layout, which lists the recordings and exports MP4.
Why does the Reolink NVR drive look empty on my computer?
Because Windows and Linux file browsers cannot read it. Owners who try see a few small folders and no video, and a Reolink community moderator describes the disk as a proprietary file system with a proprietary block layout. Reolink has published no official statement. DVR recovery software reads the layout directly and shows the recordings.
Does formatting the Reolink HDD delete the footage permanently?
Reolink's format article says all recordings are erased once the HDD is formatted, which describes the NVR's view. The recordings remain in the drive blocks until new recording covers them. Stop the NVR after an accidental format and scan the drive on a PC.
What does HDD not formatted mean on a Reolink NVR?
The NVR cannot use the drive. Reolink lists the power adapter, firmware, an incompatible third-party drive and the SATA port as causes. It notes that 8 and 16 channel PoE NVRs need 48 to 53 V adapters. Check those before formatting, and scan the drive on a PC beforehand if it holds footage you need.
How do I reset a Reolink NVR password?
Open the casing, hold the reset button for about ten seconds until the NVR buzzes, then set a new password in the setup wizard. If the NVR is still in the app or client, change the password there. Reolink states a restore keeps recordings and resets configuration only. Footage recovery from the drive does not need the password.
Can footage be recovered from a Reolink Home Hub Pro?
The Home Hub Pro encrypts its storage with AES-128, so its drive does not read like an NVR drive and this guide does not cover it. The Home Hub without Pro has no hard drive at all. For RLN series NVRs the drive reads normally.
See what the Reolink drive still holds
DVRXaminer parses the Reolink NVR disk layout on a Windows PC, places each camera's recordings on a timeline, marks deleted segments and exports MP4 with original timestamps. Scan and preview are unlimited in the trial, so nothing is paid until the clip is on screen.
Sources
- Reolink support: Request to Format HDD Frequently (900002167226), Troubleshooting HDD Not Detected (22261913437721), NVR HDD Cannot Record (900002122343), How to Format HDD (360007166934), How to Enable/Disable Overwrite (900000639986), deleting recordings (360035930074), forgot NVR password (360003567333), HDD compatible list and NVR HDD count table (900004550003)
- Reolink support: Introduction to the Video Format of Reolink Cameras (900000652683); Home Hub Pro specifications
- Reolink blog posts on deleting and recovering CCTV footage
- Reolink community: RLN8-410 drive mounted on Windows and Linux (post 40953) and moderator comments on the disk format; 2016 thread on .264 FTP files