Can i download Hikvision recordings to a flash drive? Yes, you can!
Hikvision camera recordings stored on an NVR or DVR can be easily downloaded and saved to a flash drive. If you want to back up or retrieve recorded footage from your Hikvision NVR or DVR, the process is quite simple. You just need a flash drive with at least 8GB of storage. Keep in mind that the amount of storage you need depends on how much footage you want to save. The longer the recording, the more space you’ll need on your flash drive.
In this article, I’ve outlined the step-by-step guide I used to download Hikvision camera recordings
My Experience Downloading Hikvision Camera Footage and Saving it to a Flash Drive
It was a Sunday, and I got a call from someone at the police department
A police officer once asked me to help download some footage from a Hikvision DVR. After we agreed on a time and schedule, I went straight to the location that same day. The DVR was installed in a house that was also being used as the CCTV monitoring room for a nearby lodging facility. According to the officer, there were suspicions of drug trafficking in the area around the property.
To support the investigation, the CCTV footage needed to be downloaded and saved as soon as possible to make sure it wouldn’t be accidentally deleted or overwritten.
How to Download Hikvision Camera Footage to a USB Flash Drive (Newer DVR Models)
Since I can’t share the actual download process from that case, I’ll walk you through the steps using my own setup instead. For this guide, I’ll be using a 4-channel Hikvision DVR, specifically the iDS-7204HQHI-M1/E model.
First, I turned on the DVR.
I prepared a 16GB flash drive. In this case, I used a SanDisk flash drive, but you can use pretty much any brand you have available. For this guide, I won’t be downloading any lengthy videos, so a 16GB flash drive should be more than enough.
Plug the flash drive into the DVR.
Please go to the NVR or DVR menu and select the Search menu.
On the Hikvision DVR model I use, I can choose to download recordings based on search type: Video, Image, Event, Human, and Vehicle.
- Video – Search by video
- Image – Search by image
- Event – Search for videos by Event
- Human – Search for videos based on detected people
- Vehicle – Search for videos based on detected vehicles
1. Search by Video
On the search page, select “Video.”
- Video Type: All
- Start/End Time: Adjust the time and date of the video you want to search for.
- Channel: All
Select Channel. Use “A” as the code for analog cameras and “D” as the code for IP cameras. I selected “A1,” which means the analog camera on channel 1. Click the Search button.
The search results will appear as shown below.
You can select “Export All” to download all the videos, or select a specific video by checking the box next to it in the list.
Select “Video and Log” for export. Click OK.
Make sure the DVR detects your flash drive properly.
On the Export page, you’ll be able to see whether the flash drive is recognized or not. The example below shows what the page looks like when a flash drive is detected and when it isn’t.
Click the Save button to start the download.
2. Search by Image
Select “Image” on the search page.
- Start/End Time: Set the time and date
- Channel: All
Click the Search button
The image search results will appear as shown below. Click “Export All” to download all the images, or select a specific image.
Click Save to start the download.
3. Search by Event
Select the “Event” menu.
- Event Type: Select an option from the list; for example, I’m selecting “Event” based on “Motion.”
- Start/End Time: Set the time and date
- Channel: I’ll choose A1, for example
Click the Search button.
The results of a search based on events will appear as shown in the image below. There, you’ll see the “Event Type by Motion” description. Click the “Export All” button to download all the videos, or select one.
Click Save to start the download.
4. Search by Human
Select the “Human” menu.
- Start/End Time: Set the time and date
- Channel: Select a Channel
Click the Search button.
The search results for “Human” will appear as shown below. The videos listed are recordings from moments when the camera detected a person, making it easier to find the specific footage you’re looking for.
Click “Export All” to download all the videos and select one.
Click Save to start the download process.
5. Search by Vehicle
This is the final search mode available on the Hikvision iDS-7204HQHI-M1/E DVR: video search by vehicle. As the name suggests, this search will only display video footage containing detected vehicles.
Select the “Vehicle” menu.
- Start/End Time: Adjust the time and date of the video
- Channel: Select a Channel
If you want to search for a specific vehicle, you can enter the vehicle’s license plate number in this search.
Click the Search button.
Below is an example of video search results on a Hikvision DVR based on vehicle information. Click “Export All” to download all videos, or select a specific video and click the “Export” button.
Click Save to start the download process.
How to Download Hikvision Camera Footage to a USB Flash Drive (Older DVR Models)
An easy way to tell older Hikvision DVR models from newer ones is by looking at the menu layout. Older models have a red background, with the main menu displayed in the center of the screen. Newer models use a blue background, with menu options displayed along the top.
This is what the menu looks like on an older Hikvision DVR model:
Here’s how to download recorded footage from older Hikvision DVR models.
- Open the main menu.
- Select Export.
You’ll see two options:
- Normal
- Event
Normal downloads all recorded footage within the selected time range, while Event downloads only recordings triggered by motion detection.
In this guide, I’ll select Normal.
Here are the settings I used to download the footage:
- Camera Type: Analog – I don’t have any IP cameras connected to this DVR.
- Channel: Check the box next to the channel you want to download. For example, I selected A6, which corresponds to camera channel 6.
- Recording Mode: All
- File Type: All
- Start Time: The starting time of the footage.
- End Time: The ending time of the footage.
Once all the settings were configured, I clicked Search.
The DVR will display a list of recordings within your selected time range. Keep in mind that the footage is divided into separate clips, so you can’t download the entire recording as a single video file. This is a built-in limitation of the DVR and cannot be changed.
Check the boxes next to the video clips you want to download, then click Export. Make sure the DVR detects your USB flash drive.
Click Export again to start the download process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can Hikvision Camera Footage Be Downloaded?
Yes.
Can Hikvision Camera Footage Be Saved to a Flash Drive?
Yes, you can download and save recordings from a Hikvision camera to a flash drive.
Can Hikvision Camera Video Footage That Has Been Downloaded Be Played on a Laptop?
Yes, you can play video recordings from a Hikvision camera that you’ve successfully downloaded using the built-in media player on your laptop or computer. I usually use VLC Media Player to play video recordings downloaded from a Hikvision DVR.
Final Thougts
You can download recordings stored on an NVR or DVR and save them to a flash drive.
This can be especially useful if you need the footage as evidence for a crime or to present it in court. Finding the right footage is also much easier with the available search options, such as Video, Image, Event, Human, and Vehicle. These features can help you quickly locate the specific recording you need.
And that’s pretty much it for this guide on how to download video recordings from a Hikvision camera. I hope this guide helps you find and save the footage you need. Thanks for reading!