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Repair a corrupted DJI Phantom 4 video
When a Phantom 4 loses power in the air, crashes or has its card removed while recording, the last clip on the microSD card usually won’t play. The footage is often still on the card; the file just never received its index.
What to do first
- Take the microSD card out and don’t record anything else on it.
- Copy the entire card to a computer with a card reader, including the damaged clip, exactly as it is.
- Keep the app cache from DJI GO 4 on your phone or tablet as a low-resolution fallback.
- Note the recording settings: resolution, frame rate, MOV or MP4, H.264 or H.265, color profile.
Why the last clip won’t play
The Phantom 4 camera writes video continuously while recording and writes the file’s index when recording stops. A crash or sudden power loss skips that last step. Players then see a large file without duration, and tools like FFmpeg report “moov atom not found”.
Record a matching reference
If the drone still works, record 10–20 seconds with exactly the same settings as the damaged clip. The reference shows how this camera describes its streams, which makes the rebuilt index more reliable. It does not add any picture from the reference to your video.
How FrameRescue handles DJI Phantom 4 files
Eligibility is decided from the structure of the damaged file, not from its name. FrameRescue rebuilds the index around the video that survived and checks the result before offering it. You pay €5.00 only if a repaired file is ready.
The Phantom 4 has no microphone, so its clips have no audio track and a repaired file without sound is expected.
DJI Phantom 4 repair questions
Is the cached video in the DJI app enough?
The DJI GO 4 app can keep a low-resolution cache of the live view on your phone or tablet. Keep it as a fallback, but it is not the original recording; repair the file from the drone’s microSD card for full quality.
Can a video from a crashed drone be repaired?
Often, if the microSD card survived and the drone had written the video before the crash. The last seconds before the power loss may be missing. A physically damaged card needs a data recovery lab first.
Do I need a reference clip?
It is optional but helps: record a short clip with the same Phantom 4, the same resolution, frame rate and format (MOV or MP4, H.264 or H.265).
Related repair guides
- Repair a corrupted MP4
Phones, action cameras, drones and dashcams: what “corrupted” usually means and what can be recovered.
- Repair a corrupted MOV file
Symptoms, safe first steps and the structural repair path for unplayable MOV recordings.
- Fix “moov atom not found”
What the missing movie index means and why copy or faststart commands don’t rebuild it.
- Repair a DJI Osmo Action video
Battery loss or shutdown: what to keep with the clip and how to repair the Osmo Action MP4.
Repair your Phantom 4 video
Upload the original damaged file. A healthy clip from the same device is optional. FrameRescue checks the result before offering it, and you pay €5.00 only if a repaired file is ready.