Where to find deleted photos on Xiaomi: from shopping cart to deep scanning

Have you deleted valuable photos on Xiaomi and you don't know how to get them back? Don't panic -- even after cleaning the gallery or formatting the memory card, the chances of recovery remain. In this article, we'll look at all the possible places where "deleted" images can be stored, from the standard cart to system folders and specialized utilities. It's important to act quickly: the less time has passed since the removal, the higher the probability of success.

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) use their own MIUI shell, which handles file deletion differently depending on the firmware version and settings. For example, in MIUI 12-14, photos first enter the basket, and in earlier versions can be deleted immediately.

Before you start recovery, check the obvious places: it is possible that the images are simply hidden or moved to another storage. If the photos are permanently deleted, special tools will be required - but there are nuances for Xiaomi devices.

1. Checking the basket in the standard MIUI gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look at the Gallery app shopping cart (or Google Photos if you use it), and in MIUI, deleted photos are stored there for up to 30 days, after which they are automatically cleaned. Here's how to get there:

1. Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
3. Select the Recycle Bin (or Remote in some versions).
4. Find the right photos, highlight them and click Restore.

If the basket is empty, check the storage settings:

• 📱 MIUI 14+: The cart is enabled by default, but it can be turned off in the Gallery Settings → Basket.
• 🗑️ MIUI 12–13: Sometimes you need to manually activate the function in Settings → Memory. → Basket.
• 🔄 Google Photos: the cart here is separate - open the application, tap on the avatar → Basket.

⚠️ Note: If you were manually cleaning the cart or using features like Memory Optimization in the Recycle Bin MIUI, The photos could have been deleted permanently.

2. Search in hidden folders and backups

Xiaomi creates hidden folders for temporary files and backups, where sometimes copies of deleted photos remain. These directories do not appear in the standard Explorer, but they can be accessed through the root file manager or ADB.

To see the hidden folders:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. In the manager settings, enable the display of hidden files (Show hidden files).
3. Follow these paths and check the contents.

If you don't have root permissions, try connecting your phone to your PC and using ADB (instruction below).

• 🌥️ Mi Cloud: Get on to i.mi.com → gallery → Basket.
• 📁 Google Drive: If sync is enabled, check the Backups section.
• ☁️ Other clouds: Yandex Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive (if used for autoloading).

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If the photos were taken in instant messengers (such as Telegram or WhatsApp), check the folders of these applications: /storage/emulated/0/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Media/ or similar for other services.

3. Recovery through ADB (no root)

If photos are deleted from the cart but not yet overwritten with new files, you can try to restore them via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which works without root rights, but requires enabled debugging over USB.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers. Activate Debugging on USB.

Connect your phone to your PC and confirm access to the data.

ADB Tools

Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.

adb shell


su -c "find /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/ -type f -name '.jpg' -o -name '.png' > /sdcard/recovered_files.txt"

It'll create a file. recovered_files.txt listing all the photos in the folder DCIM, including deleted (unless they are already overwritten).

adb pull /sdcard/recovered_files.txt

If the commands return the permission denied error, you have no root access on your device, and then try the methods in the following sections.

⚠️ Warning: Do not save new files to your phone after deleting the photo, which reduces the chances of recovery. Each new photo or video can overwrite deleted data.

4. Deep scanning programs (with and without root)

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to use specialized tools. Xiaomi can use both PC and mobile apps. It's important to choose a tool that's compatible with MIUI and your smartphone model.

Best options:

• 💻 DiskDigger (Android/PK): It scans internal memory and microSD card, supports root-free recovery (but with limitations.
• 🖥️ Recuva (Windows): works by connecting your phone as a drive (mode is needed) MTP). The free version recovers a limited number of files.
• 📱 Dumpster (Android): An analog of the basket that intercepts deleted files. Must be installed before deleting the photo.
• 🔧 EaseUS MobiSaver (PC): paid solution with high recovery rate, but requires root for full scanning.

Instructions for DiskDigger (without root):

1. Install the application and give access to the memory.
2. Choose a full scan (it will take longer but increase the odds).
3. Wait for the process to be completed – the program will show all the photos found, including deleted ones.
4. Select the files you want and click Restore. Save them to your PC or cloud (not your phone!).

For Recuva (on PC):

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Run Recuva and select the type of Image files.
3. Specify the path to the phone’s internal memory (usually a Xiaomi drive). [Letter]).
4. Start the scan and wait for the results.

Disable synchronization with clouds|Charge your phone at least 50 times%|Use the original USB-cable|Do not interrupt the scanning process-->

5. Recovery from a microSD card

If the photos were stored on a memory card, the chances of recovery are higher - flash drives are less likely to overwrite data.

• 📷 Card Formatting: If you format a microSD via your phone, MIUI It can be used to format quickly (the data remains but becomes inaccessible).
• 🔒 Record protection: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) encrypt data on the card – in this case, you can only recover photos through the original device.
• 🔄 Adoptable Storage: If the card was used as an extension of internal memory, it cannot be read on another device without formatting.

For recovery from microSD:

1. Remove the card from your phone and connect it to your PC via a card reader.
2. Use programs like PhotoRec (free, works through the command line) or R-Studio (paid, with a graphical interface).
3. In PhotoRec, select the map as your target drive and start the scan in Whole disk mode.
4. After the program is completed, save the recovered files to the hard drive of the PC.

If the card is defined as RAW (not readable):

• 🛠️ Try TestDisk utility to restore partition.
• 💾 Don’t format the map – it will destroy the data.
• 📥 If nothing helps, contact the data recovery lab (e.g, HDD Recovery).

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all the independent attempts failed, the last option is to contact the official service center. Xiaomi does not provide data recovery services, but in some cases engineers can help:

• 📞 Warranty cases: If photos are deleted due to a firmware failure (for example, after updating) MIUI), The service can return the phone to a factory state with the preservation of some data.
• 🔧 Hardware malfunctions: If the memory controller is a problem, specialists can transfer the chip to another reading device.
• 📄 Documentary confirmation: To work with your data, you will need a passport and a check for your phone.

The cost of services varies from 1,500 to 10,000 rubles depending on the complexity.

• 📍 Moscow: list of addresses.
• 📍 St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and other cities.

⚠️ Attention: Do not contact informal workshops with suggestions to “recover data in 5 minutes.” Often such “specialists” simply search the phone, permanently erasing your photos. Xiaomi’s official service does not guarantee 100% result, but at least will not aggravate the situation.

7. How to prevent future photo loss

To avoid losing important photos, set up automatic backup and follow the simple rules:

Additional advice:

• 🔄 Check the gallery basket regularly and clean it manually (autocleaning can remove the photos you need).
• 📁 Use photo sorting apps like Google Photos or Gallery Doctor (helps you find duplicates).
• 🔒 Set up the lock of important folders through Settings → Privacy → Folder protection (available in MIUI 13+).

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The most reliable way to avoid losing a photo is a combination of cloud reserve (Google Photos or Mi Cloud) + It's a local copy on your PC, and even if your phone breaks, you don't lose your photos.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi