Where to search for deleted photos on Xiaomi: all ways to search and restore

You accidentally deleted important photos on a Xiaomi smartphone and don't know where to look for them? Or just want to understand how the system works for storing deleted files on devices of this brand? Unlike computers where deleted files immediately go to the trash, Xiaomi (as well as other Android devices) the mechanism for storing temporarily erased data is different. In this article, we will analyze all possible places where your "deleted" photos can be located, from the standard shopping cart in the gallery to the hidden folders of the system, and also tell you how to restore them depending on the method of deleting.

It's important to understand that the term "deleted photos" on Xiaomi is often misleading. In fact, files don't disappear instantly — they're moved to temporary storage or marked as unused until new information is overwritten. It's this time span (from days to months) that gives you a chance to recover. But you need to act quickly: the longer you delay your search, the greater the risk that the system will irretrievably wipe the data.

We have analyzed the work of standard Xiaomi applications (Gallery, Files, Mi Cloud) and third-party recovery tools to collect the most complete guide. In this article, you will find not only a database, but also step-by-step instructions with illustrations (in text format) that will help you recover lost photos even if you have never done such tasks before.

1.Basket in Xiaomi's Standard Gallery: First Place to Search

The most obvious and simple place to store deleted photos on Xiaomi is the built-in Recycle Bin in the Mi Gallery app, which is activated by default on all modern devices of the brand (starting with MIUI 12), and the files remain there for 30 days before final deletion.

Open the Gallery app → tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner → select Recycle Bin. Here you will see all recently deleted photos and videos grouped by date. To recover a file, just click on it, then select the Recover icon (arrow up) in the bottom menu. For mass recovery, use a long press on the file and then select other elements.

• 📅 Storage period: 30 days (configurable in gallery settings).
• 🔄 Autoclean: If the cart is overflowing (usually over 500MB), the old files are automatically deleted.
• ⚙️ Customization: Path to basket options: Gallery settings → Basket → Storage time.

If you don’t find a basket on the menu, it could mean:

1. Your device has an older version of MIUI (up to 12th) that didn’t have a basket.
2. You use a third-party gallery (such as Google Photos) that has its own mechanism for storing deleted files.
3. The basket was manually disabled in the settings.

2.Mi Cloud Cloud Storage: Backups and Synchronization

If your Xiaomi enabled sync with Mi Cloud, deleted photos could be saved to the cloud — even if they are not in the local cart. The service automatically backs up media files if this feature is enabled.

Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery. This displays a list of all synced photos, including those that have been deleted from the device. Note: Mi Cloud stores deleted files for 60 days (as opposed to 30 days in the local cart), which increases the chances of recovery. To return the photos to your phone, highlight them and click Download.

• ☁️ Storage volume: free 5 GB, then - by subscription.
• 🔗 Synchronization: only works when connected to Wi-Fi (by default).
• 📱 Devices: photos are available on all devices linked to the account.

If you don’t have the right pictures in Mi Cloud, check your sync settings:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure the switch in front of the Gallery is active.
3. Slip on the gallery and see the date of the last synchronization.

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If Mi Cloud didn’t save a photo, check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder in internal memory – sometimes thumbnails remain even after the originals are deleted.

3. folder.thumbnails and hidden system directories

Android (including MIUI) creates hidden folders to caching thumbnails and temporary files, one of which,.thumbnails, can contain smaller copies of deleted photos, which won't replace the originals, but will help you recover at least a preview of important images, so you can access them:

Use any file manager that supports hidden folder display (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer). Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings, then go along the way:

/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails

Here you'll find files with the.thumbdata3 extension or.thumbdata4 extension, which are binary thumbnail data, and you'll need special applications like Thumbnail Extractor or DiskDigger to view them.

• 🔍 Miniatures have low resolution (usually 96×96 or 256×256 pixel).
• 🗑️ The folder is automatically cleaned by the system when there is a lack of memory.
• ⚠️ Not all photos can be saved in cache.

Besides.thumbnails, check out the following hidden directories:

4. Recovery through third-party applications: DiskDigger, Dumpster and others

If the photos aren't found in the cart, cloud or hidden folders, the next solution is to use specialized data recovery software that scans the device's internal memory for "invisible" files that haven't been overwritten by new information.

• 🛠️ DiskDigger – scans memory at a deep level, supports the recovery of photos and videos without root rights (with restrictions).
• 🗑️ Dumpster is a basket-like device, but it works independently of the system gallery.
• 🔍 Recuva (for PC) – if you connect Xiaomi to your computer as a drive.

Instructions for DiskDigger (the most popular option):

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Start and select the type of files to search (Photos).
3. Click Start basic scan (without root) or full scan (with root).
4. After the scan is completed, select the desired files and click Restore.

Important nuances:

⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery software on the same memory partition where deleted photos were stored! This can overwrite them irrevocably. Use a memory card or other device.

If you are planning to use Recuva on PC:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Start Recuva and select the removable disk scan.
3. Specify the file types (Images) and wait until the process is complete.

Disable automatic update of applications

Not to install new programs

Connect charging (the process can take an hour or more)

Use a memory card to save recovered files-->

5. Google Photos Backups and Other Cloud Services

Many Xiaomi users are using Google Photos to back up photos in parallel, and if you have autosynchronization enabled, the deleted images from the device could be saved in the Google Photos Recycle Bin, where they are stored for 60 days.

Open the Google Photos → → Go to Library → Recycle Bin, which will show all deleted files from the past two months. To restore, select a photo and click Restore. Note that the recovered images will return to the same folder where they were originally (such as Camera or Screenshots).

If you use other cloud services, check their carts:

• 📁 Yandex Disk: Recycle Bin partition (stores files for 30 days).
• 🌍 OneDrive: Recycle Bin folder (up to 93 days for personal accounts).
• 🍎 iCloud: if sync was configured via iCloud for Windows.

Tip: If you regularly lose photos, set up instant sync in Google Photos:

1. Open Google Photos → Settings → Backup and Sync.
2. Activate the switch and select High Quality (unlimited storage) or Original Quality.
3. In the Backup Settings section, specify which folders to sync.

6. Physical recovery: when software methods do not help

If all of these methods fail, the last chance is physical recovery with specialized services.

• 💥 The photos were deleted a long time ago (more than 2-3 months ago).
• 🔧 The device was performed operations that overwrite memory (for example, reset to factory settings).
• 📱 The phone is not turned on or has physical damage to the drive.

This will require:

1. Contact a service center with a data recovery function (for example, LabData, Hetman Recovery).
2. Provide a device describing the problem (it is desirable to specify the date of deletion of the photo).
3. Be prepared for the fact that the cost of the service can reach 5-15 thousand rubles, depending on the complexity.

Warning:

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to disassemble the phone yourself to retrieve the memory chip! this can lead to complete data loss.Modern Xiaomi smartphones use soldered chips eMMC/UFS, Which require professional equipment to be removed.

The alternative is to use chip-off recovery (removing the memory chip and then reading the data on the hardware and software complex), which offers up to 90% of the chance of success, but is only suitable for phones with damaged logic structure, but the entire drive.

7 How to prevent future loss of photos: preventive measures

To avoid the problem of lost photos, follow these guidelines:

• ☁️ Set up automatic backups in Mi Cloud and Google Photos. Use both services for duplication.
• 📁 Regularly transfer the photo to a PC or external drive (once every 1-2 months).
• 🔄 Check the gallery basket before cleaning it – sometimes the right files get there by mistake.
• 📱 Install a shopping cart app (like Dumpster) for extra protection.
• 🔧 Turn off automatic cleaning in memory settings (Settings) → Memory. → Autocleaning).

Additional advice:

• Use A1 or A2 memory cards to store your photos, which are less likely to fail.
• Before resetting your phone to factory settings, remove the memory card and copy the data from the internal drive.
• For important photos, export to the archive (for example, in.zip format) and store it in the cloud.

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Even if photos are removed from all the shopping carts, they can remain on the device as ghost files until new information overwrites them, and the faster you start recovering, the better the chances of success.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi