Dashcam file names explained, brand by brand

Dashcam file names look like noise, but nearly all of them contain the same four things: the date, the time, the camera and often the type of recording. Once you know where to look, you can find any moment.

The codes, brand by brand

Brand	Example	Date	Time	Camera	Type
Viofo (Novatek)	2024_0315_143022_000123F.MP4	2024_0315	143022	F R I	P parking, E event before the camera letter
BlackVue	20240315_143022_NF.mp4	20240315	143022	second letter F R I	first letter N normal, E event, P parking, M manual
Thinkware	REC_2024_03_15_14_30_22_F.MP4	2024_03_15	14_30_22	F R	prefix REC, EVT, MAN, MOT
70mai	NO20240315-143022-000123F.mp4	20240315	143022	F R	prefix NO normal, EV event, PA parking
Nextbase	240315_143022_001_FH.MP4	240315 (two-digit year)	143022	F R	protected clips in their own folder
Tesla	2024-03-15_14-28-10-front.mp4	2024-03-15	14-28-10	front, back, left_repeater…	folder: SavedClips, SentryClips
Garmin	GRMN0045.MP4	none	none	per camera	by folder

Things that catch people out

• The time is when the clip started, usually in the time zone set in the camera. If the clock was never set, or your camera does not adjust for daylight saving, the time can be off by an hour. Check it against something you know.
• Clips are 1 to 3 minutes long. The moment you are looking for is often near the end of one clip and the start of the next.
• Front and rear are separate files with the same time and a different camera letter.
• Event folders such as RO, Event, evt_rec or Protected hold clips the camera locked after a bump. They are not overwritten.

Let software read it for you

Tripframe reads all of these schemes and shows each clip as a readable date and time, with the cameras of the same moment paired together. Names without a date, like Garmin's, are sorted by the time the file was written.

You can see the decoding live on the Tripframe homepage.