Where are files saved on my machine?

Videos and associated metadata are stored on your hard drive here:

macOS:

/Users/{username}/Movies/Dashcam

Windows:

C:\Users\{username}\Videos\Dashcam

Note that this directory is maintained by Dashcam.

If you’re using a Mac, you can also type Dashcam into Finder to locate this folder. There are two folders inside, Buffer and Replays.

The Buffer directory stores the raw recordings along with two data files:

• dashcam.json

• dashcam.jsonl

These files both contain metadata regarding the buffer in the same directory.

dashcam.json allows Dashcam to show the buffer videos in the feed of the app, including the preview image, the timestamp, and some other data.

dashcam.json allows Dashcam to show what programs were in use during the video when you create a clip.

How long are these files stored?

Buffer directories are stored similar to a circular buffer. By default, once the total duration of all buffers exceeds the configured buffer duration, the app deletes the oldest directories automatically. This cycle of new buffers being saved and old buffers being deleted happens as long as the app is installed and running.

Replay files are ephemeral. When you hit Upload in the Edit window, the application creates a video clip along with a preview .gif and .png. These are all deleted as soon as the Upload step is complete, cancelled or encounters an error.

Are my files encrypted?

Yes and no.

On the cloud, we follow AWS recommended security protocols including encrypting the S3 storage your files are uploaded to.

Locally, no*.

The buffer files use standard file formats and video encodings that any modern video player/editor or text editor will recognize. Dashcam is a convenience tool. We have no interest in obfuscating/hiding your recordings from you. If you want to navigate to the Replay buffer directory and manually edit or share the video files, more power to you!**

* While not logged in, many computers, especially enterprise machines, are entirely encrypted at the filesystem level. Dashcam files are no exception

** The Dashcam app writes and reads from these directories, so if you modify Buffer files in-place, the Dashcam app may encounter issues