How To Erase Security Camera Footage?

When security camera recordings are no longer being necessarily actively reviewed, there is no need to keep them. It should be a practice to destroy (erase) any tapes or footage beyond your retention period as soon as possible after the retention period has been met.

To erase is not too difficult as the guide below will help you understand how to erase security camera footage in detail.

The best way to erase security camera footage is by deleting the footage manually or formatting the SD of a security camera. However, there are other ways, such as erasing with DVR/NVR, PC, and cloud storage, depending on the type of your camera.

We will share each technique with you with several methods to erase security footage and ensure you find it easy to complete the task on your subsequent trial.

Can You Erase Security Camera Footage?

You can erase security camera footage through the camera settings and by removing the memory card. Some cameras automatically erase old snapshots or videos, while other cameras save them on a memory card.

Although it is not the right thing to do because deleting camera footage means losing your evidence, you can delete it for different reasons. It is simple to do once you follow the proper methods of deleting the footage.

There are many ways you can delete the camera footage, and from the information below, you will find ways to delete the footage.

What Are the Reasons for Erasing Security Camera Footage?

Many people want to know the reasons for erasing security camera footage. Here are some situations in which you might find that erasing security camera footage is a good option.

Hiding Tracks of A Crime Scene

Hiding tracks of a crime scene, hiding illegal behavior of an employer’s staff, and poor image quality are some of the reasons to erase security camera footage.

It is easy for the authorities to track down the criminal and arrest them even after weeks or years with the security camera footage. Due to this fact, most criminals aware of these security cameras often harm the camera on their way out.

Storage Limitation

The storage of security cameras is limited. In the case of not having adequate space to store a new video, the old ones need to be erased. Storage limitation causes many to erase content before using the footage.

Most security cameras are limited as to how much data they can hold, and thus, some need to be erased eventually. Data will be lost based on time and not on events; therefore, you must decide whether or not you need the footage before it is erased.

Corrupt Footage

Corrupt footage may be due to an SD or micro SD card error. The SD card may be too old or full. You can format the storage device to erase all data or replace the SD card with a new one.

Some DVRs have built-in disk defragmenters that you can use to optimize hard disk space usage and repair system errors. Also, you might have to reset the DVR / NVR to factory defaults; then, in that case, all your data will be lost.

How to Erase Security Camera Footage?

Security camera footage is conveniently saved digitally to a disk drive or other storage media. Because the footage is stored on a hard drive, it is easy to access and erase as needed. Erasing individual videos is excellent when you need to free up space on your security system’s hard drive or memory card.

While there are different reasons you might choose to erase your security camera footage, here are ways you can erase the footage.

Erasing Security Camera Footage from DVR/NVR

Security camera footage is stored in a hard disk drive (HDD), which is placed inside the digital video recorder (DVR), network video recorder (NVR), or hybrid video recorder (HVR).

To erase security camera footage from DVR/NVR, you should first connect your DVR/NVR to a monitor and log in.

Usually, there is a button on the front panel of DVR/NVR to initiate the process of formatting HDD. After formatting, all your data will be erased, and you can capture new footage for monitoring.

Erasing Security Camera Footage from SD Card

If you have Spy cameras for bedrooms and wish to delete them, you can erase them from your SD card. If you want to erase security camera footage from an SD card without leaving a trace, the easiest and most efficient way is to format this SD card.

Assuming you don’t want to reformat the SD card, there is an alternative. You can use an app or the camera OS itself to erase security camera footage from your security camera’s SD card.

If you reuse the SD card and erase the older videos stored in it, you should find the proper method to delete security camera footage so that you do not delete fresh or new footage.

Erasing Security Camera Footage from PC

To erase security camera footage from your PC or mobile phone, you can choose to delete them directly from the security camera SD card, your Android or iPhone phone, or your PC. The method you should use depends on what kind of files they are and whether they are stored on an internal/external storage device (SD card/USB flash drive).

Also, to delete footage using your PC, you need the security camera to be synced with your laptop.

Erasing Security Camera Footage from Cloud Storage

Erasing security camera footage from cloud storage is quite different from deleting it from a memory card or hard drive. To erase cloud footage, you’ll have to contact your security camera manufacturer.

Erasing security camera footage from cloud storage can be done by simply deleting folders or files after you must have logged in to the storage system. Also, you can erase by canceling your cloud storage plan with the manufacturer. If you don’t cancel the program, it will not get canceled automatically and can still come back to haunt you.

Conclusion

It is not common to hear that people erase security camera footage, but it happens for different reasons. We have discussed many reasons and a few ways how to erase security camera footage above. Nonetheless, if you’re afraid of falling short on disk space and are using the latest model, erasing footage just to free up space is no big reason!

Most camera setups come with an auto loop mechanism for deleting old footage and making space for new ones. Depending on how much disk space you have installed in the camera, the system will store footage anywhere between a month to a year in a span and start replacing the oldest ones.