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How to delete LRV, THM and other unwanted files from camera cards

By Suraj, Unloop Studio · Updated

Short answer

LRV files are low-resolution proxy videos and THM files are thumbnails, created by cameras such as GoPro (DJI uses LRF for proxies). Once your main video files are safely copied, most editors don’t need them. You can find and delete them across all subfolders with Finder search or one Terminal command.

What these files are

LRV — low-resolution preview video. THM — small thumbnail image. XML — metadata sidecar written by some cameras (for example Sony). Your editing software uses the main MP4/MOV files.

Find them with Finder

  1. 1Open the card or footage folder.
  2. 2Press ⌘F, set the search to “This folder”.
  3. 3Search for .LRV (then .THM).
  4. 4Select all results and move them to the Trash.

Find and delete with Terminal (all subfolders)

First list what will be removed:

find /path/to/footage -type f \( -iname "*.lrv" -o -iname "*.thm" \) -print

# If the list looks right, replace -print with -delete
find /path/to/footage -type f \( -iname "*.lrv" -o -iname "*.thm" \) -delete

Be careful

-delete skips the Trash. Always check the -print list first, and only clean copies you have backed up.

FAQ

Is it safe to delete LRV files?

Generally yes, once the main video files are copied and backed up. Some mobile apps use LRV files for quick previews, so keep them if you rely on that.

Do LRV files affect editing in Premiere or Resolve?

No. Editors work with the main MP4/MOV files; the LRV and THM files just take up space.