Having a dashcam in your Tesla Model Y is an excellent way to capture unexpected events on the road or protect your vehicle while parked with Sentry Mode. While your Tesla continuously records footage, saving specific clips requires a few steps to ensure you don't lose important moments. Let's dive into how to effectively manage and save your Tesla Dashcam footage.
Step 1: Getting Started - Do You Have the Right Setup?
Before you even think about saving footage, we need to ensure your Tesla Model Y is properly equipped. This is where many new owners might face a hurdle, so let's check it right now!
Sub-heading: Verifying Your USB Drive
Your Tesla's Dashcam and Sentry Mode rely on a USB flash drive to store recordings. While some Teslas manufactured after approximately 2020 come with a pre-formatted USB drive in the glovebox, it's always good to verify.
Check the Glovebox: Open your Model Y's glovebox and look for a USB drive inserted into the port.
USB Drive Requirements: If you need to purchase a new one or your existing one isn't working, here are the key specifications:
Minimum Storage Capacity: 64 GB. However, video footage can take up a lot of space, so a larger capacity (e.g., 128 GB or more) is highly recommended.
Sustained Write Speed: At least 4 MB/s. This is crucial! Note that "sustained" write speed is different from "peak" write speed, so check the specifications carefully.
USB Version: USB 2.0 compatible. If you use a USB 3.0 drive, it must also support USB 2.0.
USB Port: For Model Y, the glovebox USB-A port is generally recommended for Dashcam and Sentry Mode functionality, as some center console USB-C ports may only support charging.
Sub-heading: Formatting Your USB Drive
Your USB drive needs to be formatted correctly for your Tesla to recognize it. There are two primary ways to do this:
1. Formatting with Your Model Y (Easiest Method):
Insert the USB drive into the glovebox USB port.
On your Tesla's touchscreen, navigate to Controls > Safety > Format USB Drive.
Confirm the action. This will automatically format the drive as exFAT and create the necessary "TeslaCam" folder. Be aware that this will erase all existing data on the USB drive.
2. Formatting on a Computer (If in-car formatting fails):
Connect the USB drive to your computer.
For Windows: Right-click on the drive in File Explorer, select "Format," and choose exFAT as the file system.
For Mac: Open "Disk Utility," select the drive, click "Erase," and choose MS-DOS (FAT) or exFAT as the format.
Once formatted, create a new folder at the root of the drive and name it TeslaCam. Make sure the spelling and capitalization are exact!
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| How To Save Tesla Dashcam Footage Model Y |
Step 2: Enabling and Understanding Dashcam Modes
Once your USB drive is ready, you need to ensure Dashcam is enabled and understand how it captures footage.
Sub-heading: Enabling Dashcam
On your Tesla's touchscreen, go to Controls > Safety > Dashcam.
Select your preferred saving method:
Auto: Dashcam automatically saves a recording when your Model Y detects a safety-critical event (like a collision or airbag deployment). This is convenient, but don't solely rely on it as not all events may trigger an automatic save.
Manual: This requires you to manually touch the Dashcam icon 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. You can enable this along with Auto or Manual simultaneously.
QuickTip: Pay close attention to transitions.
Sub-heading: Dashcam Icon Statuses
The Dashcam icon on your touchscreen provides quick visual cues about its status:
RECORDING: Dashcam is actively recording. To save footage, touch the icon. To pause, press and hold it.
AVAILABLE: Dashcam is ready but not actively recording. Touch the icon to start recording.
PAUSED: Recording is paused. Touch to resume. Always pause before removing the USB drive to avoid data loss.
BUSY: Dashcam is loading, saving, or overwriting. Footage is not being captured during this time.
SAVED: Footage has been successfully saved.
Step 3: Saving Dashcam Footage - The Critical Moments
This is where you proactively save those moments you want to keep. Remember, unsaved footage is constantly overwritten as your Tesla continues recording in a loop (typically the last 60 minutes).
Sub-heading: Manual Saving Options
On-Screen Tap: The simplest method. While driving, if you witness an event you want to save, tap the Dashcam icon on your touchscreen. This will save the previous ten minutes of footage into the "SavedClips" folder on your USB drive.
Honking the Horn: If you have "On Honk" enabled, a quick honk will also save the last ten minutes of footage.
Voice Command: You can use a voice command like "Save Dashcam clip" to trigger a save.
Sub-heading: Sentry Mode Footage
Sentry Mode acts as a security system for your parked Tesla. If it detects a significant threat (e.g., someone bumping your car), it will pulse the headlights, sound the alarm, alert your mobile app, and automatically save a recording of the event to your USB drive in the "SentryClips" folder.
Step 4: Viewing Your Saved Footage
Once you've saved footage, you'll want to review it. You have a couple of convenient options:
Sub-heading: Viewing on the Tesla Touchscreen
Tip: Reading on mobile? Zoom in for better comfort.
Ensure your Model Y is in Park.
Touch the Dashcam icon in the app launcher (you can add it to your bottom bar for easy access).
The Dashcam Viewer will appear, showing a list of your video clips organized by location and timestamp.
You can then pause, rewind, fast forward, or delete clips directly from the touchscreen.
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Sub-heading: Viewing on a Computer
For a more detailed review or to back up your footage, transferring it to a computer is ideal.
Safely Remove USB: Always pause Dashcam recording on your touchscreen before removing the USB drive from your Tesla.
Insert into Computer: Plug the USB drive into your computer.
Locate Folders: Navigate to the "TeslaCam" folder. Inside, you'll find sub-folders:
RecentClips: Contains the continuously recorded footage (up to 60 minutes) that hasn't been manually saved.
SavedClips: Contains all the recordings you manually saved using the Dashcam icon or honk.
SentryClips: Contains recordings triggered by Sentry Mode events.
Play Videos: Open the video files using your preferred media player. Note that newer Teslas with HW3 may use HEVC H.265 video encoding, which might require specific codecs or players (like Firefox or Safari browsers, or a Microsoft HEVC Video Extensions download for Windows).
Sub-heading: Viewing on the Mobile App (Premium Connectivity Required)
For those with Premium Connectivity and a compatible mobile app version (4.39.5 or newer, primarily iOS), you can also view and share footage remotely:
On your Tesla touchscreen, ensure "View Live Camera from Mobile App" is enabled.
In the Tesla mobile app, navigate to Security > Dashcam Viewer.
From here, you can select and view clips. You may also have an option to save 30-second clips from the continuous recording.
Step 5: Managing Storage and Best Practices
To ensure your Dashcam and Sentry Mode are always ready to capture footage, proper storage management is key.
Sub-heading: Dealing with Full Storage
When your USB drive runs out of space, the oldest unsaved video footage will be overwritten. For Sentry Mode clips, the oldest Sentry Clips will be deleted to make space.
To prevent this and retain important clips, regularly move your saved videos to another device (like a computer or external hard drive) and then delete them from the Tesla USB drive.
Sub-heading: Tips for Optimal Use
Dedicated USB Drive: Consider using a USB drive solely for Dashcam and Sentry Mode to avoid clutter and potential conflicts with other files.
High-Endurance Drives: Dashcam recording involves continuous writing, which can wear out standard USB drives. Look for "high endurance" microSD cards (with an adapter) or SSDs (Solid State Drives) that are designed for continuous recording, as they tend to last longer.
Check Drive Health: If you notice issues with recording or saving, check the health of your USB drive. Sometimes, a reformat or a new drive is needed.
Saving Dashcam footage in your Tesla Model Y is a straightforward process once you understand the various methods and the importance of a properly configured USB drive. By following these steps, you can confidently capture and preserve crucial events.
Tip: Don’t just scroll to the end — the middle counts too.
10 Related FAQ Questions
How to format a USB drive for Tesla Dashcam?
You can format it directly in your Tesla by going to Controls > Safety > Format USB Drive, or on a computer as exFAT (or MS-DOS FAT for Mac) and creating a folder named "TeslaCam".
How to check if Tesla Dashcam is recording?
The Dashcam icon on your Tesla's touchscreen will show "RECORDING" when it's actively capturing footage.
How to manually save a Tesla Dashcam clip?
Simply tap the Dashcam icon on your touchscreen, or if enabled, press your horn. This saves the preceding 10 minutes of footage.
How to view Tesla Dashcam footage on a computer?
Remove the USB drive from your Tesla (after pausing Dashcam), plug it into your computer, and navigate to the "TeslaCam" folder where you'll find "RecentClips," "SavedClips," and "SentryClips."
How to delete Dashcam footage from my Tesla?
Tip: Patience makes reading smoother.
You can delete clips from the Dashcam Viewer on your Tesla's touchscreen. Alternatively, you can plug the USB drive into a computer and manually delete files from the TeslaCam folders.
How to ensure my Tesla always records Dashcam footage?
Ensure you have a compatible USB drive inserted, Dashcam is enabled (set to Auto, Manual, or On Honk), and the USB drive has sufficient free space.
How to set up Sentry Mode on Tesla Model Y?
Insert a formatted USB drive, enable Dashcam, then go to Controls > Sentry Mode > On.
How to retrieve Sentry Mode events from my Tesla?
Sentry Mode events are automatically saved to the "SentryClips" folder on your USB drive when triggered. You can view them via the in-car viewer or by connecting the USB to a computer.
How to increase Tesla Dashcam storage capacity?
Replace your current USB drive with one of a larger capacity, ensuring it meets the minimum speed and formatting requirements.
How to view Tesla Dashcam footage remotely?
With Premium Connectivity and the latest Tesla mobile app (version 4.39.5 or newer, primarily iOS), you can access the Dashcam Viewer in the app under Security > Dashcam Viewer.
To learn more about increasing your Tesla's Dashcam storage, you can watch this video:
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