Where Xiaomi Stores Notes: Local Files, Cloud, and Data Recovery

Notes on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are one of the most popular tools for quickly capturing ideas, to-do lists or important information. But what if the Notes app suddenly resets and data is lost? Or how to transfer recordings to a new phone without loss? In this article, we will detail where the notes are physically stored on Xiaomi — from local files in the device’s memory to backups in the Mi Cloud.

It's important to understand that the path to note files depends on the MIUI version, the smartphone model, and even the firmware region. For example, on devices for the Chinese market (China ROM), the folder structure may differ from the global version (Global ROM).

If you're looking for a way to recover deleted notes, or just want to back up, here's a step-by-step guide to MIUI 12-14 and earlier, and let's start with the obvious: where to look for note files in your phone's memory.

Local Storage of Notes: The Path to Files in Xiaomi Memory

By default, the Notes app (com.miui.notes) stores data in a protected area of the smartphone's internal memory, and access to these files without Root rights is limited, but can be found through a file manager with superuser rights or ADB-Teams, main paths:

• 📁 Global ROM (MIUI 12–14): /data/data/com.miui.notes/databases/notes.db — main database with the text of notes, labels and dates of creation.
• 📁 China ROM: /data/data/com.miui.notes/files/notes/ — attachments (photo, audio) and cache can be stored here.
• 📁 Backup copies MIUI: /MIUI/backup/AllBackup/notes/ — Automatic backups created by the system (if the function is enabled).

Important: the /data/data/ folder is hidden from the user without Root, and you will need to either see it in a rooted device or use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), for example, a command to copy a database of notes to a PC:

adb pull /data/data/com.miui.notes/databases/notes.db C:\NotesBackup\

If you don’t have Root but USB debugging enabled, this method will allow you to extract the notes.db file for further viewing through third-party utilities (e.g. DB Browser for SQLite).

⚠️ Note: The note.db file contains not only text, but also service information (ID Do not rename it or move it manually, this may disrupt synchronization with the Mi Cloud.

Cloud Storage: How Notes Are Synced with Mi Cloud

Most Xiaomi users don’t even know that their notes are automatically backed up in the Mi Cloud, provided that:

• 🔄 Synchronization is enabled in account settings (Settings) → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Notes).
• 📶 Device connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or mobile network).
• 🔋 Mi Account is Authorized and Not Blocked.

To check if your notes are saved in the cloud:

1. Open the Notes app on another Xiaomi device (or after resetting your settings).
2. Sign in with the same Mi Account.
3. Wait for the synchronization to be completed (the cloud icon in the upper right corner should stop spinning).

If the notes do not appear, the reasons may be as follows:

Mi Cloud stores notes in encrypted form, and access to them is possible only through the official application. Attempts to extract data through APIs or third-party services violate Xiaomi's user agreement and can lead to the blocking of the account.

💡

If you plan to reset your phone to factory settings, pre-check synchronization of notes with Mi Cloud. to do this, create a test record and make sure it appears on another device with the same account.

How to export notes with Xiaomi manually

If you want to transfer notes to another phone (not Xiaomi) or save them as a file, you can use the built-in export function.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to Export and Import (or Backup in older versions of MIUI).
4. Select Export Notes and specify a folder to save (e.g. Downloads).

The file will be saved in either.zip or.txt format (depending on the version of MIUI).

• 📄 Text files with the contents of each note (file name – date of creation).
• 🖼️ Attachments (photo, audio) in a separate attachments folder.
• 📋 File. metadata.json with labels, colors and other attributes.

To import on another Xiaomi device, use the same feature in the app settings. If you want to transfer notes to another brand’s iPhone or Android, you’d better use third-party services like Google Keep or Evernote, where you can copy text manually.

⚠️ Note: Exported notes are not synced to Mi Cloud.If you delete them from the app after export, they will disappear from the cloud the next time you sync.

Enable the display of hidden files in the file manager

Check the free space in the phone memory

Create a test note for export verification

Save the file to the cloud (Google Drive, Yandex Disk) for reliability-->

Recovery of deleted notes: possible ways

If you accidentally delete a note, don't despair, it can be returned. Here are all the methods available, from the simplest to the most complex:

1. Recycle Bin in Notes: Deleted records are stored in the Recycle Bin for 30 days. To recover: Open Notes app. Click on the Recycle Bin icon (🗑️) In the bottom menu, select the note you want and click Restore.
2. Recovery from Mi Cloud: If the note was synced to the cloud, it will return after reinstalling the app or resetting the phone (subject to logging in to the same account).
3. Use MIUI backup: If you have backups through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset, you can recover notes from the archive. 1. Reset your phone to factory settings. 2. When you first setup, select Restore from backup. 3. Specify the backup file (it should lie in /MIUI/backup/AllBackup/).
4. Analysis of notes.db file via SQLite (for advanced users): If you have a Root or backup of the notes.db file, you can try extracting deleted entries using the utility DB Browser for SQLite: Deleted notes can remain in the database as "softly deleted" entries (marked with a flag). is_deleted=1).

If none of these methods worked, the last chance is to ask Xiaomi to help restore data from the cloud.

• 📌 Exact date of deletion of note.
• 📌 IMEI Devices (can be found by command *#06#).
• 📌 Proof of ownership of the Mi Account.

Please note: Support does not guarantee recovery, especially if more than 30 days have passed since the removal.

Transfer notes to the new phone Xiaomi

When buying a new smartphone Xiaomi can transfer notes in several ways, the most reliable is synchronization through the Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, check that notes are synchronized (Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Notes).
2. Sign in to the new phone under the same Mi Account.
3. Open the Notes app and wait for the sync to complete (the cloud icon should turn green).

If synchronization is not working or you want to transfer notes selectively, use manual export:

• 📤 On an old phone, export notes to a file (as described in the previous section).
• 📥 Flip the file to a new phone (e.g., via Bluetooth, Google Drive, or cable) USB).
• 📥 On a new phone, import the file through Settings → Exports and imports → Import notes.

For users who switch from Xiaomi to another brand’s Android (such as Samsung or Google Pixel), it’s easiest to copy the text of notes manually or use third-party apps like Google Keep that support imports from.txt.

If you use China ROM, note that some features (e.g. export to.zip) may not be available, in which case ADB or manual database copying, as described in the first section, will help.

💡

When transferring notes to a new Xiaomi, always check the MIUI version. If the old phone had MIUI 12 and the new one had MIUI 14, you may need to update the Notes app to properly sync.

Frequent Note Problems on Xiaomi and Their Solutions

Xiaomi users often encounter common errors in the Notes app, and consider the most common ones and how to fix them:

If none of the solutions worked, try resetting the Notes app to the factory settings.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Notes (com.miui.notes) and select Warehouse.
3. Click Reset (or Clear Data), but remember that this will delete all local notes that are not synced to the cloud!

After the reset, restart the phone and check the app. If the problem persists, you may need to refashion the device or contact a service center.

Alternative app for notes on Xiaomi

If the standard Notes app doesn’t suit you (for example, due to lack of sync with Google Drive or limited functionality), you can use third-party alternatives.

• 📝 Google Keep is a simple and convenient service with sync through Google Account. Supports voice notes and reminders.
• 📒 Evernote is a powerful tool for structuring notes with support for tags, notebooks and text search.
• 📌 Microsoft OneNote is ideal for creating complex notes with tables, drawings and attachments.
• 🔐 Simplenote – a minimalist application with a focus on privacy (encryption, no advertising).
• 📱 ColorNote – a popular solution with support for widgets on the main screen.

To transfer notes from the standard Xiaomi app to one of the alternatives:

1. Export notes to.txt or.zip (as described above).
2. Import the file to a new application (most of them support importing from a text format).
3. Set up sync with the cloud of the selected service (e.g. Google Drive for Google Keep).

Third-party apps have the advantage of being cross-platform, such as Google Keep on Android, iOS and a web browser, making it easier to access notes from any device, but keep in mind that when you switch to third-party software, you will lose integration with Mi Cloud.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party note-taking apps, turn off autosynchronization in the standard Notes app (Settings) → Synchronization to avoid data duplication and conflict.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi notes