This article is dedicated to helping you troubleshoot common reasons why your Reolink camera does not record to the SD card properly and ensure your camera records video to the SD card as expected.

Applies to: All Reolink cameras with SD card

Symptoms for Reolink Camera Stopped Recording

  • The Reolink camera has been able to record and play back normally, but suddenly you can't view the playback video or no new recordings are generated.
  • The Reolink camera has never been able to save videos normally and you fail to find any records when trying to playback the camera recordings.
  • The SD card is full and the overwrite feature is enabled, but old recordings are not being overwritten.
  • Some days have recordings available on the playback page, while others do not.

Troubleshooting for Reolink Camera Not Recording

Please double-check to confirm that the relevant settings are correct.

  • Proper SD card:

    Please make sure the SD card card meets the requirements. Here is a link to help you confirm it How to Choose microSD Card for Reolink Device

  • Recognized SD card:

    Please check if the SD card is properly recognized by the camera. 

  • Proper recording schedule:

    • Please ensure that the recording schedule is set properly. How to Set up Record Schedule for Reolink Cameras
      (Note: The video recorded manually will not be saved to the SD card. Please refer to How to Playback Different Types of Recordings)
    • If only the alarm recording schedule is set, for those cameras that support continuous recording, it suggests setting up the Timer recording schedule to see if it works.
      (Note: Reolink battery-free cameras without smart detection do not have a recording schedule setting.)

  • Detect the events successfully:

    Please check if you can receive the push notification/email alert, etc. Please also confirm that the alarm type and schedule are consistent with the recording schedule. This step can help us check whether the camera can detect alarm events normally.

  • Enable the Overwrite:

    Verify that the overwrite function is enabled. This ensures that when the SD is full, the oldest footage is overwritten. How to Enable/Disable Overwrite
    (Note: Reolink battery-powered cameras without smart detection do not have the overwrite option, please skip this step.)

  • Stable network: 

    Make sure that the network is stable or that the camera does not disconnect frequently.

  • Accurate system time:

    Please synchronize the time and make sure the playback video time is correct. How to Use NTP to Synchronize Time
    (Note: Reolink battery-powered cameras do not have the NTP feature as these cameras will synchronize date and time automatically once it is connected to the internet.)

  • Check the time-lapse overwrite:

    Confirm if there are many time-lapse files in the SD card and the time-lapse overwrite is disabled, causing insufficient capacity for recording. Here is a link to help you confirm the camera supported time-lapse: Which Reolink Products Support Time Lapse

  • Reinsert and format the SD card:

    Reinsert the SD card and check it again. (Note: Ensure the camera is powered off before inserting or removing the SD card.) Also, you can try to format the SD card via the Reolink software or using a PC. Please refer to
    How to Check/Format the microSD Card in Reolink Device
    How to Format a microSD card on PC

  • Change another SD card:

    Test the camera with another compatible SD card. If you use a large-capacity SD card, you can try to use an SD card with a smaller capacity to see whether it works.

  • Upgrade to the latest firmware version:

    Here is a link to help you determine if your camera has the latest firmware and help you upgrade the firmware: Reolink Firmware Update Guide

  • Restore or reset the camera:

    If the above steps don't help, please restore it How to Restore Reolink Products or reset it How to Hard Reset Device by Pressing the Reset Button

If you’ve tried all the above solutions and the issue persists, please contact the Reolink Support team.