Where to look for deleted files on Xiaomi phone: a complete recovery guide

Have you accidentally deleted important photos, documents or videos on your Xiaomi smartphone and now you don’t know how to return them? Don’t panic – in most cases, files do not disappear irrevocably immediately after clicking the “Delete” button. In this article, we will analyze all possible places where deleted data can be stored on Redmi, Poco and Mi devices running MIUI 14/15, as well as talk about hidden system functions and third-party recovery tools.

Xiaomi’s file system design has its own peculiarities: it has a standard shopping cart (but not in all applications), Mi Cloud backups, and even temporary cached versions of files. The key is to act quickly: the less time has passed since deleting, the better the chances of successful recovery. In this article, you will find step-by-step instructions with illustrations (for key steps), a method table and answers to frequent user questions.

1.Basket in standard Xiaomi apps: where to look and how to recover

The first place to look is the built-in shopping cart in standard Xiaomi apps, which works on the principle of "soft removal": files are not erased from memory immediately, but moved to a special folder where they are stored from 7 to 30 days (depending on the settings).

• 📷 Gallery (photo and video)
• 📄 Files (file manager) MIUI)
• 🎵 Music (only in some versions) MIUI)

To check the basket in the Gallery:

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → select the basket.
3. Click on the file and select Restore (or hold for multiple selection).

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If the cart does not have the necessary files, check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder - sometimes there are thumbnails of deleted photos that can be restored via PC.

The Files app path is a little different:

1. Launch Files (Folder Icon)
2. Go to the Category section → Basket.
3. Select files and click Restore in the lower menu.

⚠️ Note: Recycle bin files are automatically deleted after 30 days (or sooner if the phone's memory is full) and can only be restored through specialized programs.

2.Mi Cloud Cloud Storage: How to Return Deleted Files

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, the chances of recovery are much higher, and the cloud keeps backups of photos, contacts, notes, and even some documents to check:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Select the Gallery, Files or Notes section (depending on the type of deleted data).
3. Scroll down to the Recycle Block (if any) or check the Recent folder.

In Mi Cloud, files are stored for up to 60 days after deletion (for free accounts).

• 📲 On the phone: Hold the file → Restore.
• 💻 On PC: Go to i.mi.com, log in and go to the Recycle Bin section.

If there are no files in the cloud cart, try using the versioning function (available for documents and photos in premium rates).

1. Open the file in Mi Cloud.
2. Press three points. → Version journal.
3. Select the correct version and save it.

3.Temporary files and cache: where to look for "shadow" copies

Even if a file is removed from the recycle bin, a copy of it can remain in the cache of applications or temporary folders of the system, a method that is suitable for recovering photos, videos and documents that have recently been viewed or edited.

Where to look:

• 🗃️ folder /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ — here are stored cached application data (for example, thumbnails from the Gallery or drafts from Notes).
• 📁 folder /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.thumbnails — Photo miniatures, sometimes saved even after the original is deleted.
• 🔍 folder /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Backup/ — backups of system files (if automatic backup is enabled).

To access these folders:

1. Use any file manager with root rights (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Follow these paths and look for files with.tmp,.bak or no extensions.

⚠️ Note: Not all temporary files can be opened directly, for example, thumbnails from the.thumbnails folder will need to be renamed.jpg or converted through special programs.

4. Special programs for data recovery

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to use a side utility that scans your phone's memory at a low level and finds fragments of deleted files, and the more you use your phone after you delete it, the better the chances of success.

The best programs for Xiaomi:

Instructions for DiskDigger (the easiest option without root):

Download DiskDigger from Google Play

Start the scan (select "Basic scan")

Select file types (e.g. JPG, PNG)

Wait for the scan to be completed (5-30 minutes)

Mark the files and press "Recover"

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For deep scanning (with root rights) EaseUS MobiSaver is suitable:

1. Install the program on your PC and connect your phone via USB (in File Transfer mode).
2. Select the type of scan: Fast or Deep (the second requires root).
3. After scanning, mark the files and click Restore.

⚠️ Warning: Do not save recovered files to the same phone – use a PC or cloud. otherwise, new data may overwrite deleted fragments.

5.Recovery through MIUI backups

If you've ever backed up your files through MIUI Local Reservation or Mi Cloud, there's a chance you can get your files back from the archive, a method that's good for restoring contacts, messages, notes, and some documents.

How to check local backups:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Check out the list of available backups. These are usually named by date (e.g., by date, Backup_20260515).
3. Select the backup and click Restore (you can select individual items, for example, only Gallery).

For backups in Mi Cloud:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup of the device.
2. Select the device and backup date.
3. Click Restore and select the data you want (such as Multimedia or Documents).

Important: Recovery from the backup will overwrite the current data on the phone. If you are not sure what files are in the archive, first extract it to the PC via Mi PC Suite.

6.Recovering deleted messages and contacts

Messages from SMS, WhatsApp or Telegram, as well as contacts are restored according to different rules.

• 💬 SMS/MMS: Use the app SMS Backup & Restore (if you have previously done a backup) or check the folder /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db root-wire.
• 📱 Contacts: Restore your Google Account (if sync is enabled) or through Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Contacts → Basket.
• 💡 WhatsApp: Deleted messages can be returned if you have a backup in Google Drive (set it up on WhatsApp) → Three points. → Settings → chat → Backup copy).

To recover WhatsApp without backup:

1. Remove and reinstall the application.
2. When you first start up, the system will offer to restore chats from a local copy (it is created daily in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases).
3. Select the file with the latest date (e.g. msgstore.db.crypt14).

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If you haven’t made WhatsApp backups, it’s impossible to recover deleted messages older than 7 days – they’re erased from servers forever.

7 What to do if nothing has worked: extreme measures

If all of these methods fail, there are two options:

1. Contact Xiaomi Service Center, they have specialized equipment to retrieve data from damaged drives (relevant if the phone is not turned on or memory is damaged). ₽.
2. Use professional tools like UFS Explorer or R-Studio, which require you to connect your phone to your PC in EDL mode and have low-level utilities skills.

Before you take your phone for repair:

• 🛑 Do not write new data to your device (this reduces the chances of recovery).
• 📴 Turn off the phone and remove it. SIM-card (if there is a memory problem).
• 💾 Make a memory image through ADB (If the phone is still on: Adb pull /dev/block/mmcblk0 mmcblk0.img Then scan the image on PC with PhotoRec.

⚠️ Attention: Methods using EDL Or Fastboot can cause total data loss if executed incorrectly.

FAQ: Frequent questions about file recovery on Xiaomi