Where to look for deleted photos on Xiaomi: a step-by-step recovery guide

You accidentally deleted important photos from your Xiaomi smartphone and now you don't know how to return them? Don't panic - even after clicking the "Delete" button, files do not disappear from the device instantly. In most cases, they can be restored if you act quickly and correctly. In this article, we will discuss in detail where deleted photos are stored on Xiaomi Android devices, how the mechanisms for protecting against accidental deletion work and what tools will help to return lost photos.

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones (including Redmi models, POCO And flagship series, which use multiple levels of storage, can be stored in internal memory, in the Gallery Recycle Bin, in the Mi Cloud cloud storage, or even in the cloud. SD-The key is not to write new files to the device after deletion, so as not to overwrite lost data.

We’ll cover all possible scenarios, from simple recovery from the cart to using professional deep memory scanning tools, and learn how to set up automatic photo backups on Xiaomi to avoid similar situations in the future. If you act quickly (within 30 days of deletion), the chances of a successful recovery are up to 90%.

1.The basket in the Gallery app is the first place to search

The easiest way to return deleted photos to Xiaomi is to check the built-in shopping cart in the standard Gallery app, which works similarly to the shopping cart on a computer: files are not deleted immediately, but moved to temporary storage, where they remain for up to 30 days (on some models – up to 15 days).

To find the basket:

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with colorful photos).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the upper left corner.
3. Select the Recycle Bin (on some firmware - Recently deleted).
4. Hold your finger on the photos you want, then click Restore.

Important: If you don't see the Recycle Bin item on the menu, your version of the Gallery app may be outdated. Update it via Google Play or Mi App Store. On some models (like the POCO F3 or Redmi Note 10 Pro), the Recycle Bin may be hidden — try swiping left in the gallery's main menu.

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If the shopping cart is empty but you are sure that the photos were recently deleted, check the settings of the Gallery app. Sometimes the Recycle Bin function is disabled by default. Go to Gallery Settings → Recycle Bin and activate the Save Deleted Files option.

• 📁 Where is the basket physically stored? Files from the basket are in a hidden folder /storage/emulated/0/.Trash or /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Trash. Access is only possible through a root file manager.
• ⏳ Storage period: 15-30 days (depending on model and version) MIUI). After the expiration of the period, the files are deleted irrevocably.
• 🔄 Recovery: You can return individual photos or the entire folder.

2.Mi Cloud Cloud Storage – Backup of your photos

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, the deleted photos could be saved to the cloud, which works even if you reset your phone to factory settings or lost your device.

1. Open the Mi Cloud app (or visit i.mi.com from your computer).
2. Sign in with the same Xiaomi account that was used on your phone.
3. Go to the Gallery or Photos section.
4. Check the folder Recently deleted (analog of the basket) or use the search.

Mi Cloud stores deleted photos for up to 60 days, but there are nuances:

• 📱 Automatic Synchronization: Must be included in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Synchronization of the gallery.
• 💾 Storage volume: Free 5GB. If the space is over, new photos will not sync.
• 🔗 Related Devices: Photos will only be available if you’ve logged in to one Xiaomi account on all gadgets.

If you don't have photos in the cloud, but you've been synced, try to restore an older version of the gallery.

1. In the web version of Mi Cloud, go to Settings → Data Management.
2. Select Recover Data and specify the date when the photo was still on the device.

3. Restore via Google Photos (if used)

Many Xiaomi users are using Google Photos to back up their Mi Cloud, and if you have automatic photo saving enabled in your Google account, the chances of recovery are very high.

1. Open the Google Photos app or go to photos.google.com.
2. In the menu (three lines), select the basket.
3. Deleted photos are stored here for 60 days. Select the ones you need and click Restore.

If the basket is empty, try:

• 🔍 Search by date: Enter the date of the shooting in Google Photo (for example, May 2023).
• 📂 Archive: Check the Archive folder - sometimes photos move there instead of a basket.
• 💽 Backups: If Google Photos were set to save in High Quality, the originals could stay in the cloud even after being deleted from the phone.

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Google Photos stores deleted files longer than Mi Cloud (60 days vs 30-60 days), but requires a separate backup setup.

If you don’t remember if synchronization was enabled, check:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Make sure that the Google Photo Backup option is active.

4. Search for SD-card or internal memory via file manager

If the photos are stored on SD-You can try to find them manually, either in a card or in internal memory, but they weren't synced to the cloud, and use a file manager (e.g., Google Files or Xiaomi's standard Explorer).

Where to look:

• 📁 Standard folders: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera — camera; /storage/emulated/0/Pictures — downloaded or edited images; /storage/emulated/0/Download — downloaded.
• 🔍 Hidden folders: Enable hidden files in the file manager settings. Look for folders with a dot at the beginning (e.g..thumbnails - there may be thumbnails here).
• 💾 SD-Map: If the photo was on the memory card, check the paths /storage/XXXX-XXXX/DCIM or /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Pictures (where XXXX-XXXX — card).

If the files aren’t displayed but you’re sure they were on the device, try:

1. Connect your phone to your computer via USB and scan the memory with programs like Recuva or DiskDigger.
2. Use recovery apps directly on your phone (more on this in the next section).

Enable the display of hidden folders in the file manager

Check all internal memory partitions (/storage/emulated/0/)

Connect SD-The card to the computer, if the photo was on it

Do not save new files to the device until the search is completed

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Important: If you used the Clear Space function in a gallery or file manager, the photos could have been permanently deleted, in which case only professional recovery software will help.

5. Software for Recovering Deleted Photos on Xiaomi

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to use specialized tools that scan the device's memory at a low level and can find files even if they're not displayed in the gallery.

To recover directly on the phone without a computer, DiskDigger is suitable:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Run a full scan (requires root rights for maximum results).
3. Select the file types: JPG, PNG, HEIC (for iPhone photos).
4. Wait for the scan to be completed and save the files found to another medium.

If you have a computer, it is better to use Recuva or EaseUS MobiSaver:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB in File Transfer mode.
2. Select the phone disc in the program and start the scan.
3. Mark the photos found and restore them to the hard drive of the computer.

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If the program requires root rights, but you do not want to unlock the bootloader, try scanning. SD-The chances of recovery are higher, because the memory cards overwrite data less often.

⚠️ Note: Do not save recovered files back to your phone or SD-The map from which they were deleted, which can lead to the overwriting of the remaining data and the permanent loss of other photos.

6.Recovery through MIUI backups

If you regularly back up your phone through the built-in MIUI Backup, you have a chance to get your photos back from the archive, and this method works even if you reset your phone to factory settings.

1. Open Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Local Backups (if a copy is saved to your phone) or Cloud Backups (if in Mi Cloud).
3. Find the desired copy by date and click Restore.
4. Select only the Gallery item so as not to overwrite other data.

Important nuances:

• 📅 Creation Date: Only photos that were on your phone at the time of backup can be restored.
• 📱 Supported models: The feature is available on all Xiaomi MIUI 10 and newer (including Redmi Note 9, Mi 11, POCO X3 etc.).
• ⚠️ Limitation: Local copies can take up a lot of space – check the free space before restoring.

If there is no local copy, but you are synced with Mi Cloud, try to restore data via the web version:

1. Go to i.mi.com.
2. Go to the Cloud. → Backup copies.
3. Select the device and date, then download the archive from the photo.

7.Calling to a service center is a last resort

If all of these methods have failed and the photos are critical (for example, they are the only shots from a major event), you can contact Xiaomi’s service center or a dedicated data recovery lab, and they use professional memory reading equipment at the physical level.

What you need to know before applying:

• 💰 Cost: From 3 000 to 15 000 rubles depending on the complexity (prices 2026).
• ⏳ Timeframe: 1 to 5 working days.
• 📱 Warranty: Data recovery does not affect the phone warranty unless disassembly is required.
• 🔧 Conditions: The device must be enabled or at least determined by the computer.

List of official Xiaomi service centers in Russia:

• 📍 Moscow: Letnikovsky str., 10 (SC "Mi-service");
• 📍 St. Petersburg: Marshal Govorov str., 35;
• 📍 Yekaterinburg: 8 March, 202.

⚠️ Note: If the phone is not turned on or has physical damage (for example, after falling into the water), the chances of recovery are dramatically reduced.

Before the visit to the SC:

1. Do not try to disassemble the phone yourself.
2. Do not connect it to the charger if it is wet or damaged.
3. Check by phone if they are engaged in data recovery (not all SCs provide this service).

8 How to Prevent Photo Loss in the Future

To avoid the problem of lost photos, set up automatic backup on your Xiaomi.

1. Mi Cloud: Enable gallery sync in Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud. Set up automatic photo upload when you connect to Wi-Fi.
2. Google Photos: Install the app and activate Backup and Sync. Choose High (unlimited storage) or Original (with space on Google Drive).

Local copies:

• Regularly copy the photo to your computer or external hard drive.
• Use the Export function in the gallery to save important photos to a separate folder.

Additional precautions:

• 🔒 Blocking the basket: In the settings of the gallery, you can set a password to the basket so as not to accidentally clear it.
• 📤 Export before reset: Always save the photo to another media before resetting your phone to factory settings.
• 🔄 Sync Check: Open Mi Cloud or Google Photos once a month to make sure backups are being created.

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Use the 3-2-1 rule to securely store your photos: 3 copies of data on 2 different types of media, 1 of which is located outside the home (for example, in the cloud).

If you take pictures often, consider buying a cloud storage with a large volume:

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi