How to Repair Corrupt Video File due to File Transfer Error

 ‘Recently, after a tedious long video files transfer from my Canon DSLR to Windows 10 laptop, I noticed some of my videos are not playing. I am in a frenzy! Those were precious videos from my sister’s wedding. I don’t understand what went wrong. All the videos were playing well on the camera. Now they don’t open, throw errors, or play with distortions. It seems my videos have corrupted during file transfer. Please help!’ —Nick, Florida. 

Although video file transfer from camera, Android, iPhone, SD card, or USB, etc., is a simple task, sometimes, a small glitch can result in a greater loss, like in the above case.

Sometimes, the otherwise healthy files don’t open in any media player, be it VLC Player, Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or others. This directly points towards a video file transfer error that resulted in damaged or corrupt videos.

Addressing the common problem, we will share how you can repair corrupt videos after a file transfer. Also, learn the best practices to avoid video corruption due to file transfer errors.

Why your videos got corrupted after transfer to PC, SD Card, mobile phone, or other devices? 

Here are some of the possible causes of video corruption during file transfer:

• Virus or corruption in the drive or media to which you transferred the video
• Sudden power cut or system shutdown during video transfer
• Sudden device disconnect. Ejecting the memory card or USB drive before completing the file transfer process
• Faulty USB cable
• Trying to transfer multiple large-sized videos in one go

 Also Read: Best Ways Fix Common Video Errors

Fix video file transfer error using the Best Video 

Fix corrupt videos not playing due to improper file transfer with the help of video repair software. Although there are several video repair tools, we recommend an advanced software— Stellar Repair for Video. It can fix simple to complex corruption issues in a video file, irrespective of the cause.

If you are looking for a free video repair solution, go for VLC Media Player with additional features to fix video file corruption.

Quickly repair file corruption using Stellar Repair for Video

Stellar Repair for Video is an advanced video file repair tool equipped to fix corruption issues that occur because of file transfer errors. Usually, an improper file transfer leads to header or data corruption. The software can fix both. Just in case there’s damage in the slider movement or sound section, Stellar Repair for Video can repair it easily.

Further, you can repair unlimited videos and movies of any file size. Stellar Repair for Video supports popular formats like MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, FLV, MTS, 3GP, etc.

Steps to repair video file with Stellar Repair for Video:

1. Launch Stellar Repair for Video on PC or Mac.
2. Click Add file and upload corrupt videos. You can also add multiple videos of different formats to repair in one go.                                                     
3. Click Repair.                                 
4. Preview the repaired video. Click Save Repaired Files.

You can save the repaired video files at any location on your computer or external media.

VLC Media Player — Free method to fix corrupted video

If the file index has corrupted during transfer, VLC Media Player can fix it. The player has a built-in repair feature to fix video file index. So you can try this free video repair once and see if the video becomes playable again.

Steps to repair corrupt MP4 video in VLC Media Player:

1. Rename and change the file extension name of the corrupt video to .AVI extension. If it’s already an AVI video, then skip this step.
2. Open the AVI file in the VLC Player.
3. From menu bar, go to Tools > Preferences > Input or Codecs.
   

4. Across Damaged or incomplete AVI Files, select Always Fix.

5. Click Save.

Access the repaired video from its saved location and see the problem is fixed or not.

TIPS to avoid video corruption due to file transfer

There are some common signs of video file transfer errors. Videos may take longer than expected to transfer between PC, Mac, pen drive, SD card, smartphone, etc. You might receive an error message of delayed write failure or a ‘USB device disconnected or reconnected’ message. However, you can avoid such file transfer issues and protect your videos from corruption. Here are some of the best practices to follow while transferring videos across devices:

1. Carefully insert and eject USB, pen drive, or SD card, etc., to/ from the computer.
2. Don’t stop or disconnect devices during the video file transfer.
3. Remove the storage media only after the video files are completely transferred.
4. Consider cloud-sharing platforms like Google Drive, OneDrive, SHAREit to share large video files.
5. Make sure your device is fully charged when transferring video files.
6. Install and keep updating anti-virus on your computer.

Conclusion

Your videos are precious. If they don’t play or get damaged after file transfer, it is frustrating. But the good news is that you can easily repair corrupt video files using efficient video repair software.

The free VLC Player can repair only file index corruption. On the other hand, a powerful video repair tool like Stellar Repair for Video can fix damaged, corrupted, or inaccessible videos of any size after transfer.

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About The Author

Nishat Paiker

Nishat Paiker is an expert technical writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. She has deep knowledge about data recovery and loves to explore new technology and DIY tools. Nishat has keen interest in photography. You will often find her giving photography tips and hacks.