Many security cameras record footage around the clock, but that doesn’t mean you need to keep everything that’s recorded.
Read Now
Best Security Setups
Share:
Key Takeaways
You can manually delete security footage from your Arlo device to protect privacy, clear unwanted recordings, or free storage space, especially if your camera uses a microSD card or captures nonessential clips.
Only administrative users can delete footage on Arlo devices, and the process varies depending on whether you’re using the Arlo Feed, Library, or local storage via microSD.
Deleted security footage can’t be recovered, so it’s important to review recordings before permanently deleting them.
Are you looking to delete footage from your home security camera? Explore the different ways you can erase footage from your security camera.
Why you might delete security camera footage
Most modern security cameras only keep security footage for 30 to 60 days. However, there are a few different reasons why you might want to manually erase security camera footage from your camera:
Privacy: If you share camera access with roommates or family members, you can protect your privacy by deleting footage that you wouldn’t want other people to see.
Save the surprise: Are you planning a surprise party or bringing home a gift for someone in your household? You can delete footage so they don’t see it in the cloud and ruin the surprise.
Unnecessary recordings: If you pointed your camera toward the wrong place, like at a wall, or simply have monotonous footage, you can delete it to focus on the footage that matters.
Free up storage: Some cameras, like the Go 2, support local recording via microSD. Cameras with microSD cards might run out of space for new recordings. You can delete footage from a microSD card to free up storage space.
Who can delete footage from an Arlo security camera?
If you want to delete footage from an Arlo device, you’ll need to be a registered administrative user. If you add someone as a friend in the Arlo Secure App, they still won’t be able to erase devices, even if they have been granted access. If, however, you give a friend Access Rights they will be able to delete footage.
How to delete security footage from the Arlo Feed
The Arlo Feed presents footage in a single, vertical list of recordings, alerts, and events. In the Arlo Secure App, you can delete video camera footage from a particular day or moment or delete multiple items at a time.
If you want to delete specific moments from the Arlo Feed:
Open the Arlo Secure App.
Tap Feed.
Find the feed item you want to delete and swipe left on it.
Tap Delete.
To delete multiple Arlo Feed items:
Open the Arlo Secure App.
Select Feed.
Tap .
Tap Select Events.
Select the items you want to delete.
Tap .
Tap Delete.
How to delete footage from the Arlo Library
There are a few different ways you can delete security camera footage from the Arlo Library. You can delete footage using:
The iOS app
The Android app
By visiting my.arlo.com
How to delete Arlo Library security camera footage in the iOS app
Follow these steps to delete security footage from your camera via the Arlo Secure iOS app:
Open the Arlo Secure App for iOS.
Tap Library.
Slide the row of days left or right and select a day that’s highlighted with a green circle to view all videos or snapshots recorded on that day.
Tap Select and choose the individual snapshots you want to delete, or tap Select All to select all videos and snapshots for the particular day that you’re viewing.
To save footage to your device before deleting it, tap Download.
Tap Delete to remove the footage from the app.
Tap Continue in the pop-up window to confirm you want to delete the selected files.
How to delete Arlo Library security camera footage in the Android app
Follow these steps to delete video security footage from your camera via the Arlo Secure app for Android:
Launch the Arlo Secure App.
Tap Library.
Slide the row of days left or right. Select a day that’s highlighted with a green circle to view all snapshots or videos recorded that day.
Press and hold on individual videos or snapshots you want to delete, or tap the Select All icon located at the top right of the screen to select all the videos and snapshots for the day that you’re viewing.
Tap the Delete icon.
Tap OK in the pop-up window to confirm you want to delete the selected files.
How to delete Arlo Library security footage using my.arlo.com
Slide left or right and select a day highlighted with a green circle to view all snapshots or videos recorded on that day.
Click Select to delete a specific video or snapshot, or click Select All to remove all videos and snapshots for that day.
If you want to save the footage on your computer before deleting it, click Download.
Click Delete.
Click Delete in the pop-up window to confirm you want to delete the files.
Click OK.
How to delete all security footage from an Arlo device
Wiping all footage from an Arlo device is easy. To erase all footage from an Arlo device:
Open the Arlo Secure App or log in to your account at arlo.com.
Open the Arlo Privacy Center by tapping or clicking Settings > Privacy.
Tap or click Content.
Select Erase & Reset Arlo Devices.
Tap or click Reset & Erase for the device you want to erase footage from, or click Reset & Erase All Devices to clear footage across all cameras.
In the next prompt, click Erase or Reset & Erase.
Locally stored content will be erased if you’ve chosen that option and the connected storage device allows it. You can’t use this method to erase local footage from the Privacy Center for Arlo Go, Arlo Go 2, Arlo Q, and Arlo Q Plus cameras—you’ll need to delete the footage manually.
How to manually delete local security footage
Follow these steps to delete footage that’s stored on a microSD card:
Open the Arlo Secure App or go to my.arlo.com and log in to your account.
Tap Settings, then My Devices, and select the device connected to your USB or Micro SD card.
Under Local Storage, tap Storage Settings.
Tap the USB device or microSD card that contains the videos you want to view. Note: Devices are labeled in the order they were connected (e.g., USB Device 1, USB Device 2), not by port number.
Tap Safely Eject USB Device.
Wait for the “Unmounting” message to disappear.
Remove the USB device or microSD card from the device.
Insert the USB or microSD card into your computer using a USB port or card reader.
Wait for the device to appear on your computer’s list of drives, then open it.
Open the Arlo folder.
Find your recorded videos in MP4 format. Video files are named according to this system: camera serial number_video number_date_video clip tag. Dates are in the format YYYYMMDD.
Right-click the video you want to delete, then click Delete.
Can I recover deleted security footage?
Once you delete footage, it can’t be recovered. You might want to review security videos before deleting them to ensure you’re removing the right footage or that nothing important was caught on camera.
Choosing the right security camera can help protect your home. Browse our collection of security cameras today, whether you’re looking for a wireless or wired camera.