Where are deleted photos on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and how to return them

You accidentally deleted important photos on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and now you don't know where to look for them? Many users mistakenly think that after clicking "Delete" the pictures disappear forever. In fact, MIUI saves them in hidden memory areas - but only if you act quickly. In this article, we will analyze all possible storage places for deleted photos on your smartphone, from the standard basket to system folders that are not visible in the conductor.

The Redmi Note 5 (codenamed whyred) is a MIUI-based, modified media storage system, which means that even after cleaning the recycle bin, files can remain in cache or backups — but access to them requires special actions. We will also explain how to recover images if they are not displayed in the gallery, and what unique nuances of MIUI 9/10/11/12 affect the process (for example, automatic synchronization with Mi Cloud even when the cloud is disabled).

1.Basket in the standard MIUI gallery: first place to search

The most obvious place to store deleted photos on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is the built-in Recycle Bin in the Gallery app, where MIUI saves files for 30 days (some firmware 15 days) by default to check:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
3. Select Recycle Bin (or recently deleted in new MIUI versions).
4. Hold your finger on the desired photo and click Restore.

If the shopping cart is empty, it doesn't mean that the photos are lost forever. MIUI can hide some files if they were deleted through third-party apps (such as Google Photos or file managers).

• 📁.trash folder at the root of internal memory (requires to enable the display of hidden files).
• 🔍 System cache of the gallery – sometimes thumbnails are saved in the /data/data/com.miui.gallery (root-only).
• ☁️ Mi Cloud – even if sync is disabled, some versions MIUI Create backups when you first connect to your Xiaomi account.

An important nuance: Redmi Note 5 with MIUI 9 may not have a shopping cart if the gallery has been updated through Google Play. In this case, deleted photos immediately fall into the system section /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/cache, but access to it requires root rights or ADB.

2. System folders: where MIUI hides deleted files

If the photos were not in the cart, MIUI could move them to hidden system directories. On the Redmi Note 5, such files are often stored in the following places:

To see these folders:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and enable File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. In Windows/Linux Explorer, enable the display of hidden files (View → Hidden Items).
3. Use a root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).

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If you don’t see the.thumbnails folder, try creating a new snapshot – MIUI will automatically recreate that directory and old thumbnails may pop up.

Warning: Do not delete files from /data/data/com.miui.gallery manually, this can cause the gallery to crash. If you need originals, use specialized recovery software (for more on this in the next section).

3. Recovery through third-party programs (without root)

If the system folders did not help, you can use data recovery software. For Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, you can use:

• 📱 DiskDigger – Searches for photos directly on the phone, supports root-free recovery (but with limitations).

Instructions for DiskDigger (free version):

Download the app from Google Play|Start and select Start basic scanning|Check the box for Images and Videos|Wait until it is completed (may take a while). 10-30 minute)|Select the desired photo and click Restore.|Save files to SD-map-->

Restrictions without root: software can only find photos that have not been overwritten by new data, and if you take a lot of new photos or install apps after deleting, the chances of recovery drop dramatically.

4. Cloud Storage: Mi Cloud, Google Photos and more

Many users forget that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 automatically syncs photos with the cloud - even if you did not enable this feature explicitly.

• ☁️ Mi Cloud: Go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Gallery. Check the Remote folder (stores files for up to 60 days).
• 🔗 Other Clouds: Yandex Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive – If you have these apps installed, check their carts.

Important: On the Redmi Note 5 with MIUI 9/10, the Mi Cloud can sync photos in the background, even if the settings are “off.” This is due to a firmware bug that is only fixed in MIUI 12+.

Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Gallery

If the slider is gray, but next to it there is the inscription “X files synchronized” – it means that the photos could have gone to the cloud.

5. Hidden MIUI capabilities: backups and logs

MIUI automatically backs up media in the background. On the Redmi Note 5, these copies are stored in:

• 📦 /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/media — archives with photos (format.bak).
• 📜 /data/com.miui.backup — System Logs of Reservation (Root Requires).
• 🔄 /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/com.miui.backup — temporary backup files.

To retrieve the photo from the backup:

1. Copy the AllBackup folder on your PC.
2. Rename the media.bak file to media.zip.
3. Unclose and find the DCIM folder inside.

Note: If you did a Hard Reset, the MIUI backups could have been deleted, in which case only PC recovery remains (see Section 3).

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MIUI only backs up photos if you have backup option enabled in Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. If it has been disabled, this method will not work.

6 What to do if nothing has worked: extreme measures

If all of the above methods do not work, radical methods remain:

• 🔧 Getting root rights: Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool. Install Magisk or SuperSU. Use Root Explorer to access /data.
• 💽 Memory chip extraction: Contact the service center to remove the memory dump via Chip-Off. The method is expensive (from 5000). ₽), But it recovers up to 90 percent of the data.
• 📡 ADB-Connect your phone to your PC and do: Adb pull /data/data/com.miui.gallery/databases/. The resulting databases (.db) can store paths to deleted photos.

Warning: Getting rooted on a Redmi Note 5 with MIUI 11+ can block Mi Account (requires a link to an account to unlock).If the phone is bought with hands, this method is dangerous - the previous owner may not have untie the device.

If the photos are critical (such as documents or unique footage), don't experiment with your phone - contact the data recovery lab. ₽, The chances of success are higher than with independent actions.

7. How to prevent future photo loss

To avoid losing photos on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, follow these rules:

• ☁️ Enable automatic sync with Google Photos or Mi Cloud (even if storage is limited, this will save thumbnails).
• 📁 Regularly copy your photo to PC via MTP or FTP-server, FX File Explorer).
• 🔄 Use backups. MIUI: Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backup
• 🚫 Don't just keep your photos on SD-card – it is more often broken than the built-in memory.

Tip for Redmi Note 5: If you delete photos often, install an alternative gallery (like Simple Gallery or QuickPic) that has its own shopping cart with a customizable shelf life (up to 1 year).

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5