Your recorder lost power mid-take and the WAV shows 0:00 or won't open. Here is how to fix it for free.
Audio recorders write sound to the card as they go, then fill in the WAV file's header when you press stop. If the batteries die or the card is removed first, the header still says the file is empty. Players and editors show it as 0:00 long, silent, or refuse to open it, even though the audio is all there.
Copy the WAV from the card before recording anything else. Don't format the card.
Open the WAV repair tool on the home page and drop the file. It reads the format your recorder used, measures the audio that actually reached the card and writes a correct header. It's free and the file stays on your computer.
You hear the first seconds before saving. If it sounds right, save the repaired copy. It keeps the BWF timecode and iXML metadata, so it still syncs in your editor. Files over 4 GB are saved as RF64.
Sometimes the header is wiped completely. The tool then asks for the recorder's settings: sample rate, bit depth and number of channels. You'll find them in the recorder's menu, or on another file from the same session. If the preview sounds like loud noise, one of those settings is wrong.
Zoom (H1n, H4n, H5, H6, H8, F3, F6, F8 and others), Tascam, Rode, Sound Devices, and any recorder that writes PCM or BWF WAV, including 32-bit float.
Need help with a specific file? Write to hello@footagerescue.com with the camera model and what happened.