When you are involved in an accident or other road traffic incident, it is useful to share your dashcam footage. The police, the insurance companies, maybe even the news networks might want to take a look. Or you might just want to share it on social media or upload it to YouTube.
But how do you view the footage recorded on your dashcam? Is special software needed to watch and download dashcam video?
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch, upload, edit, and download dashcam footage.
Most of the time, the video recorded by your dashcam is automatically deleted. Whether your camera is capable of 4K, 2K, standard HD or even time-lapse, storage space is finite. Therefore, the images are overwritten.
Fortunately, recordings of emergency events (usually initiated by gyro sensors) are saved in a separate folder, and it is usually these that require review.
But viewing dashcam footage is tricky. In some cases, it can take hours, especially if the event you are looking for has not been recorded in the emergency file.
The first thing you should try is replaying the video on the dashcam screen. Most devices have a built-in screen (although some don’t) and controls to help you navigate through recordings.
In many cases this should be enough to find what you’re looking for, although as long as the footage is on your dashcam you can’t do anything else with it. However, reviewing the recording in this way at least allows you to establish whether the footage exists.
A downside to viewing dashcam footage on the device screen is that dashcam screens are typically tiny. Small screens lack the detail needed to investigate a traffic incident.
Note that you may need to run your vehicle’s engine (depending on how the dashcam is wired) when viewing the video.
Many dashcams have companion apps that sync via Bluetooth or an ad hoc Wi-Fi connection. Such an app can be used to review dashcam footage and upload it for sharing.
As with the dashcam review on the device itself, this will require the car’s engine to be running.
Does your dashcam have a companion app? To find out, consult the documentation for the device. You should also check the manufacturer’s website and even your smartphone’s app store. With an app, viewing footage is much easier than squinting at a small screen.
Depending on the other apps you use on your device, you may be able to edit the footage and share it. (More on that later.)
Copy Dashcam Video to Your Computer
If no companion app is available, you will need to copy the video from your dashcam to your computer. You have two options here:
Let’s look at the two in turn.
Probably the easiest option you have for copying footage from a dashcam to your computer is to use a USB cable. Dashcams have a micro-USB or USB Type-C data port which can be used to connect the device to a computer. All you need is a suitable USB cable.
Once you’ve copied the video to your computer, you should be able to watch it again using the native video player. Otherwise, consider a universal video player like VLC Player.
To view the images:
- Detach the dashcam from its support
- Connect the dashcam to the computer using a suitable USB cable
- In your computer’s file manager, look for a new USB flash drive
- Open it to browse the videos stored on the dashcam
When you are done playing or copying the video to your computer, remember to safely remove the USB device (i.e. your dashcam).
If detaching the dashcam isn’t practical or you don’t have a suitable USB cable, ejecting the SD card is your last option. This is perhaps the most convenient way to view dashcam videos, besides using a mobile app.
To watch dashcam footage on your computer:
- With the dashcam off, eject the SD card
- Insert the SD card into your computer’s card reader
- Open your computer’s file manager to find the SD card
- Browse dashcam videos
If you find the relevant images, copy them to your computer.
See Dashcam video with GPS data
Some dashcams have built-in GPS units. Others support adding a GPS module. The result is that the GPS data is recorded with the video; when timestamped, it is possible to match the location with the images.
To do this, however, you need a dedicated app that can both play back dashcam footage and present GPS data in a user-friendly way. It would usually be like a map.
If your dashcam has a recommended companion app (probably developed by or for the manufacturer) for this purpose, you should use it. It’s probably free and designed to read video and GPS data from your specific camera.
If you use several dashcams from different manufacturers or if no GPS player is available, consider Dashcam Viewer. This is a paid app for Windows 10 and macOS that comes with a free trial and a base price of $35 (other options are available).
In the event of an accident, the police will want to see dashcam footage. However, if you are unable to copy data from the dashcam, it may mean putting the device or microSD card back.
Rather than rendering your dashcam useless (or driving without it), you’ll need to know how to share it.
After identifying the file where the incident is saved, decide if it needs to be edited. This will take longer, but will also result in a smaller file. An edited video should show the events leading up to the incident and its aftermath. If editing isn’t an option, note the timestamp and share it with the video.
Police officers need to send you a special email or website to download the dashcam video. Insurers offer a similar arrangement.
Some police departments and law enforcement agencies actively encourage you to submit images. To find out if this is applicable in your territory, check the corresponding agency’s website.
Can you upload a Dashcam video to YouTube?
Suppose you captured something amazing with your dashcam, like a stunning RTA in which everyone miraculously survived. You would like to share it widely, wouldn’t you?
Although you can easily upload a video to Facebook, shorter clips are necessary if you plan to share images on Twitter. Other networks have similar limitations. But if you have a YouTube account, you can upload your dashcam video. Just be careful not to reveal any identifiable information in the video, such as faces or license plates.
Our guide to upload video to YouTube will help you here. You can upload dashcam video to YouTube from desktop or mobile device.
You can watch it on the dashcam, maybe sync it to an app. Dashcam footage can be opened on a PC, viewed in a standard media player, or even in an app that displays GPS information (if available).
Whether or not you edit the footage, you can also share it with the police, your insurer, and even upload it to YouTube.
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