What Are LRV and THM Files on Your GoPro? (And Can You Delete Them?)

If you've ever looked at the files on a GoPro SD card, you've probably noticed something strange: for every video you recorded, there are two or three extra files with weird extensions. Your actual footage is an .MP4 file. But sitting right next to it, you'll see files ending in .LRV and .THM.

What are these? Are they important? Can you delete them? Here's the straightforward answer.

What is an LRV file?

LRV stands for Low Resolution Video. It's a smaller, lower-quality copy of your video that GoPro creates automatically every time you record.

GoPro uses LRV files for two things:

• Preview playback in the GoPro app — When you connect your GoPro to your phone and browse footage in the GoPro app, it plays the LRV file instead of the full-resolution MP4. This is much faster over a wireless connection because the file is smaller.
• In-camera playback — When you play a video back on the GoPro's screen, it uses the LRV for smoother scrolling and scrubbing.

LRV files are typically 240p or 360p resolution — way lower than your actual footage. They can still be 10-50MB each, and if you have dozens of videos on a card, the LRV files add up fast.

What is a THM file?

THM stands for Thumbnail. It's a tiny JPEG image — usually around 40-60KB — that GoPro uses as a preview thumbnail for each video.

When you browse videos on the GoPro screen or in the app, the THM file is the still image you see before you hit play. It's just a single frame from the beginning of the video, saved as a tiny JPG.

Can you delete LRV and THM files?

Yes — deleting them will not affect your actual footage. Your real video is the .MP4 file. The LRV and THM files are just helpers used by GoPro for previews. If you delete them:

• Your actual video footage is completely unaffected
• The GoPro app might take slightly longer to generate previews (it will recreate them if needed)
• You'll free up space on your SD card

Most people delete LRV and THM files once they've transferred their actual footage to a computer. There's no reason to keep them around — they're purely for the camera and app's convenience.

Why are there so many files on my GoPro card?

This is the part that catches people off guard. If you record 20 video clips on your GoPro, your card doesn't have 20 files — it has 60 files (20 MP4s + 20 LRVs + 20 THMs). If you also shot RAW photos using GoPro's GPR format, add those to the pile too.

This is why GoPro cards look so messy when you open them on a computer. You're wading through three times as many files as you actually recorded, and the useful ones are mixed in with the junk.

The easy way to sort GoPro files

Instead of manually scrolling through the card and picking out MP4 files while ignoring LRV and THM files, you can use PickRAW to do it automatically.

Drag your GoPro card folder into PickRAW, and it instantly categorizes everything:

• Video — your actual MP4 footage
• RAW — any GPR (GoPro RAW) photos
• Proxy/Junk — LRV and THM files, separated from your real footage

You pick a destination for your actual videos, and either skip the proxy files entirely or dump them in a separate folder. One click, and the sorting is done. Your originals on the card are never touched — PickRAW only copies.

Quick reference

• .MP4 — Your actual video footage. Keep this.
• .LRV — Low Resolution Video proxy. Safe to delete after transferring your MP4s.
• .THM — Thumbnail preview image. Safe to delete after transferring your MP4s.
• .GPR — GoPro RAW photo. Keep this if you shoot RAW on your GoPro.
• .JPG — Standard photo. Keep this.

Now you know what those mystery files are — and you never have to sort through them by hand again.