Frequently Asked Question
Why are UniFi Protect recordings missing, shorter than expected, or showing 'Video not found'?
ACE SUPPORT · UBIQUITI
Check the selected timeline, recording policy and storage health before changing retention or rebuilding storage. Protecting remaining footage comes first.
Applies to
UniFi Protect hosts including UCG-Fiber with suitable installed storage and ENVR. Recording settings and available options depend on host and Protect version. Enhanced Retention is documented for Protect 5.1 or later.
Before you begin
Export any accessible important footage before changing storage or retention. Formatting, resetting or rebuilding storage can erase recordings; do not use these as routine troubleshooting steps.
Enhanced Retention can downgrade older video. Ubiquiti states that downgraded footage cannot be restored to its original high quality.
Work through these checks
- Note the affected camera, date/time and error, then compare another camera and another client app or browser. Make sure you are reviewing the correct host and date. An event marker, thumbnail or working live view does not by itself prove that the corresponding recording is available.
- Open Protect > Settings > Storage Manager and inspect the available storage and status. Record any warning. Compare the storage type with Ubiquiti's requirements for that exact host; an unsupported or worn drive needs a separate assessment.
- Review the camera's Recording Settings from its device panel and the configured retention. For several cameras, review Settings > Recording Manager. Determine whether the expected period was scheduled to record, rather than assuming every live camera records continuously.
- If Enhanced Retention is enabled, compare the high-quality period and final retention settings with the age of the footage. Reducing quality or deleting older footage can be intended policy behaviour; changing the policy now cannot recreate video already removed.
- Export a short accessible clip and make a new controlled recording. Check the new clip after a few minutes without resetting storage. If only older periods fail, preserve the errors and seek support; if new recordings also fail, treat it as an active recording/storage problem.
Confirm the result
Play and export the new test clip, and confirm its actual timestamp and duration. Monitor the required retention period over time. A successful new recording does not establish recovery of missing historical footage.
When to contact us
Contact our Support Specialist promptly for important or unexplained loss. Supply host/storage models, versions, warning text, affected intervals and whether live, recent and older playback work. Do not approve a destructive repair until the preservation options are reviewed.
Related ACE guides
Updated 261105