Procreate time lapse not recording or missing strokes: 5 causes and fixes
Procreate time lapse missing or too short? Check the 5 causes Procreate documents: paused, purged, disabled in Settings, Dreams, and undo. Fixes inside.
Published October 16, 2026. Last updated: October 16, 20266 min readDrawDog
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TL;DR: A Procreate time lapse goes missing or runs short when recording was paused, purged, or switched off in iPad Settings, or when you drew in Procreate Dreams, which has no time lapse. Undo actions are never recorded either, so some strokes will never show. Open Actions, Canvas, Canvas information to see your video length.
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This page is a follow-up to our main guide, Procreate time lapse: how to export it and what it shows a client. Start there if you only need the export steps.
DrawDog is a process-receipt app by Hive Asset Group, LLC that records how creative work was made without reading your files.
Check the video length first
Before you guess, look at what Procreate saved.
- Open your artwork.
- Tap Actions, then Canvas, then Canvas information.
- Scroll to Video settings.
You will see the video length, quality, resolution and file size. If the length is much shorter than the time you worked, part of the work was not recorded. Now match it to one of the causes below.
One more thing to rule out: if you exported 30 Seconds, Procreate cuts the video down by removing frames. That is on purpose. Export Full length to see everything that was recorded.
The 5 causes at a glance
| # | Cause | Where to check | Can you get the video back? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You paused recording | Actions, Video, Time-lapse Recording | No. The paused stretch was never recorded |
| 2 | You tapped Purge | You were asked when you paused | No. Procreate says it cannot be undone |
| 3 | Disable Time-lapse is on | Help, Advanced Settings, iPad Settings | Not for work already done. Old recordings are kept |
| 4 | You used Procreate Dreams | The app you were in | No. Dreams has no time lapse |
| 5 | Undo | Nothing to check | No. Undo actions are never recorded |
Cause 1: you paused it
Procreate lets you turn recording off. Tap Actions, then Video, and switch Time-lapse Recording off. Procreate calls this a way to make an edited time lapse.
That means the paused stretch is skipped. Anyone who plays the video is seeing an edited recording.
Fix: Turn the switch back on. From then on, new work is recorded again. The skipped part stays skipped.
Cause 2: you tapped Purge
When you pause, Procreate asks if you want to purge the video it already has. If you choose Purge, all the video recorded on that canvas so far is deleted. Procreate says this cannot be undone.
Fix: There is no fix for the deleted part. Next time, read the pop-up before you tap. If you only meant to take a break from recording, tap Don't Purge.
Cause 3: Disable Time-lapse is on in iPad Settings
There is also a master switch. Go to Help, then Advanced Settings, then open iPad Settings and look for Disable Time-lapse. When it is on, Procreate stops recording time lapse on all your artworks. Procreate keeps recordings you already made.
Fix: Turn it off before you start a new piece. It does not bring back anything you drew while it was on.
Cause 4: you are in Procreate Dreams
Procreate Dreams does not have time lapse recording. If you made the work there, no video exists. Procreate and Procreate Pocket do record a time lapse by default.
Fix: For work you want a time lapse of, use Procreate or Procreate Pocket.
Cause 5 and why strokes look missing: undo is not recorded
Procreate records every action on your canvas as a frame of the video, except undo actions. If you drew a line and then undid it, that line is not in the video. This is normal. It can look like "missing strokes" when you play it back.
Two other reasons a stroke can seem gone: you exported the 30 Seconds version, or the stroke happened during a paused stretch.
What you cannot fix, and what to do next time
Some losses are permanent, and it is better to know that now than to find out when a client asks.
- A purged or paused stretch cannot come back.
- Work that was never recorded cannot get a time lapse later.
- We could not find Procreate documentation about what happens to a time lapse after a crop, resize, duplicate, import, backup restore, low storage or a crash. If you need to know, test on a copy of a file.
Next time, build a short habit before every client piece:
- Check Time-lapse Recording is on before you start.
- Check Disable Time-lapse is off.
- Look at the video length in Canvas information when you finish.
- Keep your layered file.
- Make a second record that does not live only on your iPad.
The settings that decide quality and resolution are locked once you start drawing, so they belong in the same habit. They are covered in Procreate time lapse settings: set these before you draw.
A second record
A time lapse stays on your iPad and can be paused. A sealed record is different. DrawDog's Seal page locks your .procreate file with a signed, timestamped record at a moment in time. The file never leaves your device while it is sealed. Nothing to install.
It has limits. The result is called a "Sealed record". It cannot catch tracing over an imported image, and a Procreate file can be edited before it is sealed. DrawDog is not an AI detector. It records how work was made, not what the work is.
If a client already asked about a gap, this guide on sending a time lapse to a client who asks "is this AI?" shows how to say so plainly. Gap in the video? A sealed record is dated and checkable: drawdog.art/seal.
Questions
Why is my Procreate time lapse short?
Recording was probably off for part of the work. Open Canvas information to see the video length, then check the pause switch and the Disable Time-lapse setting.
Can I recover a purged time lapse?
No. Procreate says purging deletes the video recorded so far and cannot be undone.
Does Procreate record undo?
No. Procreate's help page says it records every action except undo actions.
Does Procreate Dreams have a time lapse?
No. Procreate Dreams does not have time lapse recording. Procreate and Procreate Pocket do.
Can I get a time lapse for work I already finished?
No. Procreate only records while recording is on.
How do I see how long my Procreate time lapse is?
Tap Actions, then Canvas, then Canvas information, and scroll to Video settings. It shows the video length, quality, resolution and file size. If the length is much shorter than the time you worked, part of the work was not recorded.
Does Procreate Pocket record a time lapse?
Yes. Procreate and Procreate Pocket both record a time lapse by default. Procreate Dreams does not have time lapse recording.
Why does my exported time lapse seem to skip parts?
You may have exported the 30 Seconds version, which Procreate makes by removing frames. Export Full length to see everything that was recorded. A stretch you paused is also skipped.
Drawing in Procreate on an iPad? Seal your .procreate file, nothing to install. On a Mac or PC too? 3 free certificates a month at drawdog.art/download.
Free covers 3 certificates a month. If you finish pieces for clients often and want every one recorded, Pro is $19 a month. See Pro