Have you ever wondered how to effectively save those crucial moments captured by your Tesla's dashcam? Whether it's for insurance claims, documenting a scenic drive, or simply reliving a funny incident, knowing how to manage your Tesla's dashcam footage is essential for every Tesla owner. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from initial setup to viewing and managing your valuable recordings.
Step 1: Prepare Your USB Drive
The first and most crucial step is to ensure you have a properly prepared USB drive. Without it, your Tesla's dashcam and Sentry Mode features won't be able to save any footage!
Choosing the Right USB Drive
Minimum Capacity: You'll need a USB drive with a minimum storage capacity of 64 GB. However, video footage can quickly accumulate, so using a drive with as much available space as possible is highly recommended.
Sustained Write Speed: The drive must have a sustained write speed of at least 4 MB/s. This is different from peak write speed and is crucial for reliable recording. Many typical USB drives may advertise high speeds but fail to sustain them, leading to dropped frames or corrupted footage.
USB 2.0 Compatibility: While USB 3.0 drives are generally faster, ensure yours is also USB 2.0 compatible. Tesla systems are designed to work with this standard.
Port Location: For most newer Teslas (approximately 2020 and later), the glove box USB port is the preferred location for the dashcam USB drive as it's often the only port that supports data transfer for recording and viewing. The USB-C ports in the center console or below the rear touchscreen often only support charging.
Formatting Your USB Drive
You have two primary options for formatting your USB drive for your Tesla:
Option A: Formatting Directly in Your Tesla (Recommended)
This is the easiest method as your Tesla will automatically format the drive correctly.
Insert the USB Drive: Plug your USB drive into a front USB port that supports data transfer (ideally the glove box USB-A port if your car has one).
Navigate to Controls: On your Tesla's touchscreen, go to Controls.
Select Safety: Tap on Safety.
Format USB Drive: Scroll down and select the Format USB Drive option.
Confirm: Confirm the formatting process. Be aware that this will erase all existing content on the drive. Your Tesla will then format the drive as exFAT and create the necessary "TeslaCam" (and "TeslaTrackMode" if equipped) folders.
Option B: Formatting on a Computer
If you prefer to format the drive on your computer or if your Tesla isn't recognizing the drive, you can do it manually.
Supported Formats: Tesla supports the following file systems:
exFAT (recommended for cross-platform compatibility)
MS-DOS FAT (for Mac users, often referred to as FAT32)
ext3
ext4
NTFS is currently NOT supported.
For Windows Users:
Connect your USB drive to your computer.
Open File Explorer, right-click on your USB drive, and select Format.
Choose exFAT (or FAT32 for smaller drives) as the file system.
Ensure Quick Format is checked and click Start.
Once formatted, create a new folder at the root level of the drive named TeslaCam (case-sensitive, exactly as written). If you use Track Mode, also create a "TeslaTrackMode" folder.
For Mac Users:
Connect your USB drive to your Mac.
Open Disk Utility (found in Applications > Utilities).
Select your USB drive from the sidebar.
Click the Erase button.
For Scheme, choose GUID Partition Map.
For Format, choose MS-DOS (FAT) or ExFAT.
Click Erase.
Once formatted, create a new folder at the root level of the drive named TeslaCam (case-sensitive, exactly as written).
QuickTip: Read in order — context builds meaning.
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| How To Save Dashcam Footage Tesla |
Step 2: Enable Dashcam and Sentry Mode ️
Once your USB drive is ready, you need to enable the Dashcam and Sentry Mode features in your Tesla.
Insert the USB Drive: Plug the properly formatted USB drive into the designated USB port in your Tesla (again, preferably the glove box port). It might take a few seconds for your Tesla to recognize it.
Enable Dashcam: On your Tesla's touchscreen, navigate to Controls > Safety > Dashcam. Make sure it's set to On.
You can choose how and when footage is saved:
Auto: Dashcam automatically saves a recording when your Tesla detects a safety-critical event (e.g., a collision). Note: Do not solely rely on this for all critical events, as detection can vary.
Manual: You must manually tap the Dashcam icon on the touchscreen to save the most recent ten minutes of footage.
On Honk: When you press the horn, Dashcam saves the most recent ten minutes of footage. This can be enabled simultaneously with Auto or Manual.
Enable Sentry Mode (for parking surveillance): Sentry Mode acts as a security system.
With Dashcam enabled, go to Controls > Sentry Mode.
Toggle Sentry Mode to On. The Sentry Mode icon will turn red when active.
If a threat is detected, Sentry Mode will pulse the headlights, sound an alarm, display a message on the touchscreen, alert your mobile app, and save footage of the event to your USB drive.
Step 3: Saving Dashcam Footage
Now that your system is set up, here's how to actively save footage.
Manual Saving While Driving
The simplest way to ensure a specific event is saved is to do it manually.
Tap the Dashcam Icon: While driving, simply tap the Dashcam icon in the app launcher on your touchscreen. This will save the last 10 minutes of footage.
Use the Horn (if enabled): If you've enabled the "On Honk" setting, a quick honk will also save the last 10 minutes of footage.
Voice Command: You can also use a voice command like "Save Dashcam video" to save a clip.
Understanding Automatic Saving
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Dashcam (Auto): As mentioned, this mode automatically saves clips during detected safety-critical events. These clips are usually saved to the "SavedClips" folder on your USB drive and are not overwritten by continuous recording.
Sentry Mode: When Sentry Mode is active and detects a security event (e.g., someone leaning on the car, a break-in attempt), it will automatically save a 10-minute recording to the "SentryClips" folder on your USB drive.
Continuous Recording and Overwriting
Tesla dashcams continuously record in one-minute increments. By default, this footage is part of a one-hour loop. This means that after an hour, the oldest clips are overwritten by new footage unless you explicitly save them. Manually saved videos (from tapping the icon or honking) and Sentry Mode clips are moved to a separate "SavedClips" or "SentryClips" folder and are not overwritten until the USB drive is full or you delete them.
Step 4: Viewing and Managing Your Footage ️
QuickTip: The more attention, the more retention.
Once you've saved footage, you'll want to view and manage it.
Viewing in Your Tesla
Park Your Vehicle: Ensure your Tesla is in Park.
Access the Dashcam Viewer: Tap the Dashcam icon in your Tesla's app launcher.
Browse Clips: Videos are organized by timestamp and location. You can navigate through
RecentClips,SavedClips, andSentryClipsfolders.Playback Controls: You can pause, rewind, fast forward, and delete clips directly from the touchscreen. Some updates also allow for playback speed adjustments.
Viewing on a Computer
For higher quality footage, easier management, and the ability to transfer files, viewing on a computer is recommended.
Safely Remove USB Drive: Before removing the USB drive from your Tesla, it's good practice to pause Dashcam recording by pressing and holding the Dashcam icon until it shows "PAUSED" or "AVAILABLE." This prevents data corruption.
Connect to Computer: Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your computer.
Locate the TeslaCam Folder: Open the USB drive. You'll find a folder named TeslaCam.
Explore Subfolders: Inside "TeslaCam," you'll typically see three subfolders:
RecentClips: Contains the last hour of continuous recordings (which are overwritten).
SavedClips: Contains videos you manually saved.
SentryClips: Contains recordings from Sentry Mode events.
View Videos: The videos are typically MP4 files, organized by timestamp, and usually include footage from the front, rear, and side cameras (left and right repeaters). For vehicles with HW3 and newer, the video format might be HEVC (H.265), which might require a specific codec or a browser like Firefox or Safari for playback on some systems.
Backup and Delete: Regularly move saved videos to another device (like your computer's hard drive or cloud storage) and then delete them from the USB drive to free up space. If the USB drive fills up, new footage cannot be saved, and older Sentry Clips may be automatically deleted.
Viewing on Your Mobile Device (Tesla App)
Tesla has introduced a Dashcam Viewer within the official Tesla app for both iOS and Android (as of app update 4.43.5 and later, for vehicles with MCU2 Intel or higher).
Ensure Connectivity: Your Tesla must be connected to cellular data or Wi-Fi for this feature to work as the videos are streamed directly from your vehicle to your phone.
Access Viewer: Open the Tesla app and navigate to Security & Drivers > Dashcam Viewer.
View, Save, or Delete: From here, you can view, save, or delete clips directly from your device. Note that there might be viewing limits (e.g., 15 minutes or 1 hour depending on your region) to prevent excessive data usage.
FAQ: Your Top Tesla Dashcam Questions Answered ❓
Here are 10 common questions about saving Tesla dashcam footage:
How to ensure my USB drive is compatible with Tesla Dashcam?
Ensure your USB drive has a minimum of 64GB, a sustained write speed of at least 4 MB/s, is USB 2.0 compatible, and is formatted to exFAT, MS-DOS FAT, ext3, or ext4.
QuickTip: Break reading into digestible chunks.
How to format a USB drive for Tesla Dashcam using the car's touchscreen?
Insert the USB drive into the glove box port, then go to Controls > Safety > Format USB Drive on your Tesla's touchscreen and confirm.
How to manually save a Dashcam clip while driving?
Simply tap the Dashcam icon in your Tesla's app launcher on the touchscreen while driving, or if enabled, briefly press the horn.
How to view Dashcam footage directly in my Tesla?
Park your vehicle, then tap the Dashcam icon in the app launcher on your touchscreen to access the viewer, organized by clip type and timestamp.
How to view Dashcam footage on a computer?
Safely remove the USB drive from your Tesla (pause Dashcam first), connect it to your computer, and navigate to the TeslaCam folder to access the RecentClips, SavedClips, and SentryClips subfolders.
How to differentiate between Dashcam and Sentry Mode footage?
Dashcam footage (manual or auto-saved) is generally in the SavedClips or RecentClips folder, while Sentry Mode recordings are found in the SentryClips folder.
Tip: Every word counts — don’t skip too much.
How to ensure Sentry Mode recordings are saved?
Sentry Mode requires a properly formatted USB drive to be inserted into the designated port. When a security event is detected, Sentry Mode will automatically save footage to the SentryClips folder.
How to transfer Tesla Dashcam footage to my phone?
You can use the built-in Dashcam Viewer in the official Tesla app (requires cellular data or Wi-Fi connectivity to the car), or use a USB-to-phone adapter with a third-party viewer app if available for your device.
How to prevent my Dashcam footage from being overwritten?
Manually save clips by tapping the Dashcam icon or honking. These "saved" clips are moved to the SavedClips folder and are not overwritten by the continuous one-hour loop until the USB drive is full.
How to troubleshoot if my Tesla isn't saving Dashcam footage?
First, ensure your USB drive is properly formatted and inserted into the correct port (glove box). Check Controls > Safety > Dashcam to confirm it's enabled. If issues persist, try a different USB drive that meets the requirements.
For more visual guidance on quickly saving your dashcam footage, you might find this video helpful:
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