Where to look for deleted photos on Xiaomi smartphones: a complete guide to recovery

Losing photos on a smartphone is one of the most frustrating situations for a user, especially when it comes to valuable footage: family photos, documents or unique moments. Xiaomi owners (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models) often face the question: where do deleted photos go and can they be returned? Fortunately, MIUI devices have several data protection mechanisms that many do not know about.

In this article, we will look at all possible storage locations for deleted images, from the standard shopping cart to hidden system folders, and how to recover files using built-in tools and third-party applications. It is important to understand that the chances of success depend on how long it has been since you deleted and whether actions that overwrite memory (for example, taking new photos or installing applications) were performed.

If you've deleted photos recently (within 30 days), the probability of them returning is up to 95% with the right actions. Older photos will require more sophisticated methods — we'll look at them too.

1.The basket in the MIUI Gallery: the first step to recovery

Most Xiaomi users don’t even realize that the standard Gallery app has a built-in shopping cart, similar to the one used on computers. When you delete a photo through the gallery interface (not through the file manager!), it doesn’t disappear forever, but moves to this temporary folder. The default storage period is 30 days, after which the files are deleted irrevocably.

To check the basket:

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 basket item (dumpster icon).
4. Click on the desired file and select Restore.

Please note: the basket in MIUI It only works for photos deleted through the gallery itself, if you erase files through Explorer or third-party apps (like Google Photos), they won't get there, and the cart doesn't save photos deleted from the gallery. SD-Cards – Other rules apply to them.

⚠️ Note: If you manually cleaned the cart or used the Clean All feature, the files will be deleted immediately, bypassing the 30-day period.

2. Cloud services: Mi Cloud and Google Photos

If your Xiaomi has cloud sync enabled, the chances of returning deleted photos are greatly increased. The manufacturer offers two main cloud services: its own Mi Cloud and Google Photos (if installed).

Recovery through Mi Cloud:

• 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in with the same account as you do on your phone.
• 📁 Open the Gallery section → Recycle bin (available 30 days).
• 🔄 Select the files you need and click Restore.
• 📱 Synchronized photos will appear in the folder Mi Cloud on the phone.

Recovery via Google Photos:

• 🌐 Open photos.google.com or Google Photos app on your phone.
• 🗑️ Go to the basket (available for 60 days!).
• ⏳ Select a photo and click Restore.
• ☁️ If the basket is empty, check the archive: Library → Archives.

An important nuance: Google Photos defaults to save originals in the cloud only when the option Saving original quality is enabled. If you have High Quality mode activated, photos may have been compressed, making it harder to restore the original files.

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Before you delete important photos from your phone, check if you are syncing with the cloud. To do this, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud (or Google) and make sure that the Gallery switch is active.

3. Hidden folders:.thumbnails, DCIM/.trash and others

The Android system (and the MIUI shell in particular) creates several hidden folders where thumbnails or temporary copies of deleted photos can be stored. These directories are not usually displayed in a standard Explorer, but can be found using a file manager with support for showing hidden files (for example, Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).

Where to look:

To access these folders:

1. Open Explorer (or install Solid Explorer from Google Play).
2. Slip on three dots in the top right corner → Settings → turn on Show hidden files.
3. Follow one of the paths from the table above.
4. If you find the files you want, copy them to a secure location (for example, on a PC).

⚠️ Note: Do not move files from hidden folders directly to the gallery - this can cause the indexing of media files to fail. MTP-connection.

4. PC recovery: programs for deep scanning

If the photos were deleted long ago (over 30 days) or the cart was cleaned, you will have to resort to specialized programs for data recovery. These tools scan the physical memory of the device at the sector level and can find files even if they are not displayed in the system.

• 💻 DiskDigger – works without root rights, but with restrictions (restores only thumbnails).
• 🔧 Recuva – requires a phone connection to a PC in Mass Storage mode (on the new Xiaomi may not work).
• 🛠️ EaseUS MobiSaver – Supports MIUI, The paid version recovers more files.
• 📱 Dumpster – a shopping cart application that you need to install in advance (after removal will not help).

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger (without root):

Install DiskDigger from Google Play|Connect your phone to charge (energy-intensive process)|Launch the app and select Basic Scan|Select the photos found and press Recover|Save files to SD-map-->

Important: Do not save the recovered files to the same memory partition from which they were deleted! This can lead to overwriting of the remaining data fragments. SD-card.

For the maximum chance of success:

• 🛑 Stop using your phone immediately after you delete your photo (do not shoot new footage, do not install apps).
• 🔋 Charge your phone to 100% – scanning can take hours.
• 📵 Turn on Flight Mode to avoid background processes.

5. MIUI backups: how to return a photo from the backup

Xiaomi offers a built-in backup feature that can save your photos when you reset or upgrade your system.If you’ve ever created a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset, there’s a chance that deleted photos are saved in the archive.

How to recover from the backup:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Choose Local Backups (if the backup is saved to your phone) or Cloud Backups (if in Mi Cloud).
3. Find the backup with the desired date (before deleting the photo) and tap on it.
4. Select Restore and tick the Gallery.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (the phone will restart).

Note that recovery from the backup will overwrite the current data in the gallery. If you add new photos after you create a backup, they will be lost. So copy the current pictures to the PC or the cloud before the procedure.

An alternative way is to export manually from the backup:

• Connect your phone to your PC and find the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder.
• The archives are.mbk format and can be opened using the Mi PC Suite.
• Remove only the DCIM folder from the backup to avoid conflicts.

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MIUI backups save the photos in their original quality, but take up a lot of space. Regularly check the backup settings in Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud → Backup and enable the Auto Backup Gallery option.

6. Features of recovery on different models Xiaomi

Algorithms for storing and deleting photos may differ depending on the smartphone model and MIUI version. For example, on the flagships of the Xiaomi 13/14 series with MIUI 14+, the gallery basket works differently than on the budget Redmi 10A with MIUI 12.

On devices with MIUI 12 and older (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO M3), the basket may not be available at all, in which case the only way to restore is through cloud services or PC software. Also note regional restrictions: some Mi Cloud features may be blocked in China ROM firmware.

To check the version of MIUI, go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI. If you have an outdated version (below MIUI 13), consider upgrading – this will add cart support and improve compatibility with cloud services.

7.Losses prevention: how to protect photos on Xiaomi

The best way to combat data loss is prevention, and even if you've managed to recover deleted photos now, no one can guarantee that the situation won't happen again. Here are the proven methods to protect your photos on Xiaomi:

• ☁️ Automatic Sync: Enable photo uploads to Mi Cloud and Google Photos at the same time. To do this, go to: Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Mi Cloud → gallery → Autoboot and Repeat the Steps for Google Account.
• 💾 Local Backups: Copy the folder once a month DCIM on a PC or external drive. Use a conductor or an adb pull command /sdcard/DCIM.
• 📁 SD-Map: Configure photo saving to removable drive: Camera → Settings → Preservation site → Memory. SD-map
• 🔒 Delete Protection: Install the Dumpster app (Android cart) or ES File Explorer with File Protection.

Additional precautions:

• 🚫 Avoid using functions such as garbage cleaning in the MIUI Security – They can delete temporary gallery files.
• 🔄 Check the folder regularly DCIM/.thumbnails duplicate.
• 📱 For critical photos, use hidden albums in the gallery (password protected).

If you often work with a lot of photos (like a photographer or blogger), consider buying Xiaomi with RAW support (like the Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) and set up automatic upload in Lightroom or Dropbox.

8 When restoration is not possible: alternative solutions

Unfortunately, there are situations when it is no longer possible to return deleted photos:

• 🗑️ Files were deleted more than 60 days ago (storage period in cloud bins).
• 🔄 Memory phone repeatedly overwritten (new photos, applications, updates).
• 📱 The device was reset to factory settings.
• 💽 Data encryption is enabled on the phone (without a password recovery is impossible).

In such cases, two options remain:

1. Contact Xiaomi Service Center: If the photos were of critical importance (for example, documents), specialists can Attempt extract data using professional equipment (for example, Chip-Off).
2. Use lab services: Companies like Data Recovery Lab or HddSurgery work with physically damaged storage drives. For Xiaomi, this is true if the phone is not turned on or memory is damaged.

Before you spend money on recovery, evaluate the value of lost photos. In most cases, it is easier to prevent loss than to try to recover the data after the fact. If the images had only emotional value, try to find alternative sources of their data:

• 📧 Check the correspondence in messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), where you could send these photos.
• 🌍 Search on social media (VK, Instagram – you may have posted them before.
• 🖥️ Check other devices (tablet, old phone) where copies may have been saved.

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If the photos were deleted from a phone that was later stolen or lost, the chances of recovery tend to zero, in which case there is only hope for cloud copies or backups on other devices.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi