Where to store "Favorites" on Xiaomi: detailed instructions for all models

Have you ever lost important files, contacts or apps that you added to your Favorites on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO?This is a situation that many users are familiar with, especially after a MIUI update or settings reset. The fact is that the system stores favorite items in different places - depending on their type (photos, videos, contacts, web pages) and firmware version.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible locations where Xiaomi saves favorite data, including hidden folders and system settings. You’ll learn how to find saved items on MIUI 12/13/14, where you store bookmarks from your browser, how to recover lost files from your favorites, and why they sometimes disappear after updates.

If you are looking for specific information, use the table of contents below. For those who want to understand the problem in a comprehensive manner, we recommend that you read the entire article: there is unique data about hidden MIUI folders that are not documented in the official instructions.

1.Where "Favorites" is stored in the Xiaomi Gallery

The most common question users ask is where to find photos and videos added to favorites through the standard MIUI Gallery. Unlike other manufacturers, Xiaomi does not create a separate folder for such files in the device's memory.

To see all the selected media files:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) lower-right.
3. Select the "Albums" section → "Favorites".

If this section is empty but you are sure you have added files to your favorites, the problem may be:

• 🔄 Reset the Gallery cache (try restarting the app).
• 📁 Hidden folders – some files may be in /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.nomedia.
• 🔧 Display settings - check the filters in the Albums.

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If your favorite photos disappeared after the MIUI update, try rolling back the Gallery version through Settings → Apps → Application Management → Gallery → Remove the updates.

Important: Favorites files are not duplicated — they remain in the original folders (e.g., DCIM/Camera), and in the section they are simply displayed with a note. If you delete the original, the file will disappear from the favorites.

2. Selected contacts: where and how to manage

Contacts added to favorites are stored separately from media files, and MIUI has two ways to access them:

Method 1. Through the "Contacts" application:

1. Open Contacts (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Go to the "Favorites" tab** (star in the bottom menu).
3. All contacts marked “⭐” will be displayed here.

Method 2: Through the telephone book:

• 📞 Dial ##4636## in the dialer.
• 🔍 Select "Phone Information" → "Contacts."
• 📌 System data, including selected contacts, can be seen here.

⚠️ Warning: If you use Dual Apps (MIUI to clone messengers), selected contacts may be duplicated or displayed incorrectly. To fix this, go to Settings → Applications → Dual Apps and reset the settings for the Contacts app.

3. Selected web pages in the Xiaomi browser

The Mi Browser (or Xiaomi Browser) stores bookmarks in the cloud, but you can find them locally.

Local bookmarks:

• 🌐 Open Mi Browser.
• 📌 Tap three dots (⋮) → "Bookmarks" (or "Favorites" in older versions).

Cloud bookmarks (if synchronization is enabled):

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account.
2. Make sure that the synchronization of the “Browser” is enabled.
3. Bookmarks will be available on all devices under your account.

⚠️ Warning: If you use Google Chrome instead of Mi Browser, your favorite pages are stored in your Google account. To see them, open Chrome → ⋮ → Bookmarks. Once you reset your phone, these bookmarks will be restored automatically when you log in.

4.Selected apps and games in MIUI

Xiaomi allows you to add apps to your favorites for quick access, and this data is stored in Launche (MIUI shell) and is not associated with Android system settings.

Method 1. Through the main screen:

• 📱 Hold your finger on the empty seat of the main screen.
• 🔧 Select "Screen settings."
• 📌 Go to the Favorite Apps tab** (or Quick Access in newer versions).

Method 2. Through Launche settings:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launche (or System Launcher)

⚠️ Warning: If the icons of selected applications are missing after the MIUI update, it may be due to an automatic launcher reset.

1. Reboot the phone. 2. Hold your finger on the home screen → “Reset screen settings.” 3. If it didn’t help, clear the Launche cache in Settings → Apps.

Remove updates for Launche| Clear launcher cache |Reboot phone |Reset home screen settings-->

5. Hidden folders with the favorites: where else to look

MIUI creates several hidden folders where data from Favorites can be stored. These locations are not displayed in a standard file manager, but can be accessed through a Root Explorer or ADB. Here are the key paths:

• 📁 Media files: /data/media/0/Pictures/.thumbnails (miniatures of selected photos).
• 📁 Contact: /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db.
• 📁 Browser bookmarks: /data/data/com.mi.globalbrowser/databases/webview.db.
• 📁 System selectors: /data/system/users/0/favorites.xml.

To view these folders:

1. Install Root Explorer or FX File Explorer.
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings.
3. Follow these paths (root access may be required).

⚠️ Warning: Deleting or modifying files in these folders may cause system failure.We recommend backing up first via adb backup:

adb backup -f backup.ab -apk -obb -shared -all -system

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Hidden MIUI folders contain service data that is not meant for manual editing. Only change it if you know exactly what you're doing!

6.Why the Chosen Ones are Losing and How to Fix It

Xiaomi users often face the problem of disappearing favorite files, contacts or bookmarks.

If the problem is not solved, try to restore the data from the backup:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select “Local Backup”** (if any).
3. Find the file with the date when the favorite was still in place, and restore it.

⚠️ Warning: Restore from backup will replace the current data with the data that was created at the time of backup, and this applies not only to favorites, but also to messages, calls and other settings.

7. Features on different Xiaomi models

The location of the selected data may vary depending on the model and version of MIUI. Here are the key differences:

To determine the exact location on your model:

1. Find out the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
2. Check if syncing with Mi Account or Google is enabled.
3. Use the compatibility table below.

Frequently asked questions