Thinking about setting up a security camera system to keep an eye on your property? A common question pops up right away: “How long do security cameras keep footage?” The truth is, it depends. Some setups only hang on to recordings for a few days, while others can store weeks or even months of video.
Knowing what to expect helps you avoid losing important evidence and gives you control over how your system works. This guide breaks down the average retention times, what affects them, and simple ways to make your security videos last longer.
How Long Do Security Cameras Keep Footage on Average?
Security cameras don’t hold onto video forever. Instead, they work in a rolling loop: once storage fills, the oldest clips get erased to make room for new ones. How long that loop lasts depends on how the system is set up and where the footage is stored.
For a quick answer to “How long do most security cameras keep footage?” most home setups keep recordings for about 7 to 30 days. Business systems often aim for 30 days as a baseline, with some stretching to six months or more
Now let’s break that down further:
- Cloud storage(home use): Free plans often save only a few hours to a few days of clips. Paid subscriptions usually extend this to two weeks (14 days), a month (30 days), or sometimes two months (60 days). If continuous recording is offered, it tends to cover a shorter span, often about a week (7-10 days), because it eats up more space.
- Local storage on an SD card (single camera): A small card might only hold a couple of daysof recordings at standard settings. Larger cards can stretch that to a week or two, and sometimes longer if you record only on motion. The camera automatically overwrites the oldest files once the card is full.
- Local DVR or NVR with a hard drive (multi-camera):A modest system with a 1–2 TB drive often stores one to six weeks of continuous video, depending on the number of cameras and their settings. Larger drives, 4 TB or more, can keep several months if you use motion-triggered recording instead of 24/7 capture.
- Workplaces and institutions:Many organizations standardize on about 30 days of retention. Some stretch this to 60, 90, or even 180 days if regulations or security policies require it, but that usually means investing in bigger drives or higher-tier cloud plans.
Factors Affecting Security Camera Storage Capacity
You see, when we ask, “How long do home security cameras keep footage?” two setups with identical hard drives can hold very different amounts of video.
Why? Because storage depends on more than just drive size. The way your cameras record, compress, and manage video plays a huge role in how long the footage lasts before it gets overwritten.
Let’s take a closer look:
Resolution and frame rate
The higher the resolution, the bigger the file. A 4K camera produces far more data than a 1080p one, and a 30-frame-per-second stream takes up more space than 15 fps. If you raise both resolution and frame rate, storage time drops quickly.
The trick is finding the right balance: enough detail to capture what matters without chewing through space too quickly.
This is where the eufyCam S4 makes the trade-off easier. It combines a 4K bullet lens with dual 2K PTZ lenses, so you get both sweeping coverage and sharp close-ups. Features like bullet-to-PTZ tracking and intelligent auto-framing up to 164 ft mean the camera only zooms in when it needs to, keeping storage use more efficient.
Add in radar + PIR dual detection to reduce false alerts, and you can lean on motion triggers instead of recording empty scenes. With expandable local storage (up to 256GB via microSD or up to 16 TB via HomeBase S380), you can adjust resolution and frame rate based on your needs.
Video compression (codec)
Cameras don’t store raw video; they compress it. The codec you use makes a big difference.
- 264is the older standard, widely supported but less efficient.
- 265 (also called HEVC)is newer and can cut file sizes by about half while keeping the same quality.
Some manufacturers layer on their own “smart compression” to save even more space. Switching to H.265 or a similar optimized format can stretch your storage noticeably.
Recording mode (24/7 vs motion-based)
Whether a camera records around the clock or only when something moves has a big effect on storage. Continuous recording gives you a complete picture, but it fills up your card or drive quickly. Event-based recording stretches the same space much longer by saving only the important parts.
Take the eufy Indoor Cam S350 as an example. It’s a wired camera built for 24/7 operation, with a 4K wide-angle lens paired with a 2K telephoto lens. When set to continuous mode at the highest quality, a 128 GB microSD card holds about 120 hours (roughly five days) of nonstop video.
If you’d rather go longer, you can connect it to HomeBase S380, which supports expandable storage up to 16 TB for months, or even years, of recordings. Because the S350 saves clips locally, you get motion alerts and recorded footage without paying a monthly subscription, making it easier to balance full-time coverage with long-term retention.
The same idea applies outdoors with the eufy Floodlight Cam E340. It combines a 3K wide-angle view with a 2K telephoto lens on a pan-and-tilt mount, and it too supports continuous 24/7 recording.
On a 128 GB card, you can expect about 144 hours (six days) of high-quality video before the loop begins. Pairing it with HomeBase opens the door to much larger storage, so you don’t have to worry about losing older clips too soon.
Like the Indoor Cam, the E340 works without subscription fees, while its floodlights and pan/tilt design add security coverage where you need it most.
In both cases, the choice between continuous vs. motion-based recording is yours. Continuous mode delivers a full record of everything that happens, while motion-triggered mode can extend storage many times over by saving only the moments that matter.
Scene activity and complexity
Storage use changes with what the camera sees. A quiet office after hours barely moves the meter, while a busy street or leafy backyard can spike data use. More motion and more visual detail equals a higher bitrate and shorter retention.
Number of cameras
Want a multi-cam setup for better coverage? Every additional camera adds another stream to your system, and the storage math scales quickly. Four cameras at the same settings will take roughly four times the space of one. That’s why systems built around an NVR (network video recorder) are useful. They let you see up front how much capacity you have, and how long it will last with multiple streams.
The eufy Network Video Recorder S4 is one such hub. Out of the box, it provides 2 TB of storage and supports 24/7 recording on up to 8 channels, expandable to 16. It’s designed for scaling. If you add more cameras later, you can also expand storage up to 16 TB, giving you the flexibility to grow without starting over.
For a ready-made bundle, the eufy PoE NVR Security System S4 Max includes the NVR S4 plus four 16MP triple-lens Bullet-PTZ S4 cameras. At high resolution, continuous recording from all four cameras will fill the built-in 2 TB drive in about 3–4 days before looping.
That’s expected with multiple 4K/2K streams running nonstop. You can extend that window by switching to motion-based recording or upgrading storage.
Retention settings and policies
Storage isn’t only about physical space. Many systems let you set retention rules. Say, keep video for 30 days, then delete. In workplaces, policies often mandate these timeframes regardless of how much storage you have.
How to Keep Security Camera Footage Last Longer?
Want your cameras to hold onto video for more than just a few days? You just need to manage how your system records and stores footage.
Adjust quality settings
Running every camera at maximum resolution and frame rate isn’t always necessary. Dropping from 4K to 2K, or trimming frame rate from 30 fps to 15 fps, can free up a surprising amount of space without making your video unusable. If you need detail for faces or license plates, save the highest settings for those cameras at critical spots and run the rest at moderate levels.
Use motion-based recording
Continuous recording captures everything, but it also fills drives quickly. Switching to motion-triggered recording means you save the moments that matter while stretching the same storage for weeks instead of days.
Many modern systems, like eufy’s outdoor security cameras, add AI detection, like person, vehicle, or pet filtering, to avoid wasting space on empty scenes or swaying trees.
Expand your storage
If you rely on local storage, adding a larger microSD card or upgrading your NVR’s hard drive extends how long footage can be kept before looping. For cloud-based setups, higher-tier plans often come with longer retention windows. Just be sure to weigh cost against how much history you actually need.
Offload important clips
Even with bigger storage, security systems are designed to overwrite old files. Exporting critical clips to a computer, external drive, or cloud backup ensures they’re safe long after your normal retention window has passed. This is especially important for footage tied to incidents or insurance claims.
Conclusion
So, how long do security cameras keep footage? The answer depends on resolution, frame rate, number of cameras, and whether you record nonstop or only on motion. On average, most systems keep anywhere from a few days to a few months before looping over old files. The key is matching your storage capacity to your needs, expanding when necessary and saving important clips before they’re gone. With the right setup, you can strike a balance between detail, coverage, and retention that keeps your security system reliable and practical.
FAQs
Do security cameras keep footage forever?
No, security cameras don’t keep footage forever. Most systems run on a loop. Once storage is full, the oldest files are overwritten by new ones. How long the footage lasts depends on settings, storage size, and policies in place. You can always save important clips to another device or backup location if you want to keep them beyond the normal retention window.
Can I get CCTV footage from 2 years ago?
In most cases, you can’t retrieve CCTV footage from two years ago unless it was deliberately saved or archived. Standard retention periods are measured in days or months, not years. If the footage wasn’t exported before the system overwrote it, it’s usually gone. To keep long-term records, you need to back them up manually or use extended storage solutions.
How often is security camera footage deleted?
Footage is usually deleted automatically when storage fills or when it reaches the system’s retention limit. For many setups, that’s anywhere from a few days to a few months. The system simply overwrites the oldest files with new recordings. You can change how often this happens by adjusting resolution, recording mode, or expanding your storage.
Can camera footage be recovered?
Sometimes, deleted footage can be recovered if the storage hasn’t been overwritten yet. This is more likely with hard drives or NVRs, where recovery tools may restore data. Once the space has been reused, though, recovery is very difficult or impossible. The safest approach is to export and back up important video clips right away, before they’re lost.
