Where to look for records of a voice recorder on Xiaomi: hidden folders, cloud and backups

Have you recorded an important conversation or lecture on Xiaomi but can't find the file? Or accidentally deleted the audio and want to restore it? The problem is that the standard Dictaphone app on Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones doesn't save files where users expect, and in this article, we'll look at all the possible storage locations of records, from obvious folders to hidden system directories, and also tell you how to return deleted audio files.

Let me warn you right away: the location of the records depends on the version of MIUI and the phone model. For example, on Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 15, the path to the files is different from the Redmi Note 10 with MIUI 12.5. We collected current data for 2026, including features of new firmware. If you did not find the record in the standard folder, do not panic, it is definitely somewhere preserved!

1. Standard storage location: Recorder folder

In 90% of cases, the recorder is in the Recorder folder (or the Recorder notes on Russian firmware), which is in the root directory of the phone's internal memory.

• 📁 Open the Files app (yellow folder icon).
• 🔍 In the Categories section, select Audio → Find the Recorder folder.
• 📱 Or go to the Device. → Internal storage → Recorder.
• 🔊 Files usually have a format.m4a or.mp3 and named by date (e.g, REC_20260515_123022.m4a).

If you don't have a Recorder folder, check the hidden directories.

1. In the Files app, click on three dots (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Settings → turn on Show hidden files.
3. Go back to the root directory and find the.Recorder folder (with a dot at the beginning).

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If you connect your phone to your computer but don't see the Recorder folder, check the connection mode. In the notification curtain, select File Transfer (MTP) rather than Just Charging.

2. Alternative pathways: Where else can audio be stored

On some Xiaomi models (especially custom firmware or older MIUI versions), records are stored in non-standard locations.

If you have used a third-party recorder (such as Easy Voice Recorder or Hi-Q MP3 Recorder), check:

• 🎤 Application folder in /Android/data/ (for example, /Android/data/com.digipom.easyvoicerecorder/).
• 📁 Download section – some programs save it by default.
• ☁️ Cloud services (if sync with Google Drive or Mi Cloud was enabled in the voice recorder settings).

3. How to find records through phone search

If you manually search for files laziness, use built-in search, which works even for hidden folders:

1. Open the Files app.
2. Put it on the magnifying glass (🔍) top-down.
3. Enter the request: rec – will find all files with REC_ titled..m4a or.mp3 — search by extension. date of entry (e.g, 202605 may 2026).

On newer versions of MIUI, search supports filters by date and file size, for example, you can sort results by Change Date to find fresh entries.

4. Recovery of deleted records

If you accidentally delete an audio file, it can be returned within 30 days (provided that the disk space has not been overwritten).

Method 1: Recycle bin in the Files app

On MIUI 12 and later, deleted files fall into the basket:

1. Open the files. → tap on the basket icon (🗑️) bottom-line.
2. Find the audio file (sort by date of deletion).
3. Select the file → press Restore.

Method 2: Recovery programs

If the basket is empty, use utilities like DiskDigger or Recuva (for PC).

Install the app from Google Play|Select the full scan.|Check Audio in the file types|Wait for the scan to finish (may take up to 1 hour)|Save the recovered files to SD-map-->

Important: Don’t save recovered files back to the phone’s internal memory – this can overwrite the remaining data!

Method 3: Backup copies of the Mi Cloud

If you have Mi Cloud sync enabled, check backups:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Select the backup of the device.
3. Check the date of the last copy – if the record was made before it, restore the data.

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The faster you start recovering from deletion, the better the chances of returning the entire file, and each new record or application installation reduces the likelihood of success.

5. Transfer of records to a computer or cloud

To avoid losing important audio files, transfer them to your PC or cloud storage, here's how to do it as quickly as possible:

To the computer (via USB)

1. Connect your phone to your PC with a USB-C cable.
2. In the phone notification curtain, select File Transfer.
3. On your computer, open the folder This computer → [Name of your Xiaomi].
4. Go to the Internal Drive → Recorder and copy the files.

To the cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud, Yandex.Disk)

For automatic synchronization:

• ☁️ Mi Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Recorder (turn on the switch).
• 📁 Google Drive: Install the app, in the voice recorder settings, select Autoboot in Drive.
• 💾 Yandex.Disk: In the dictaphone application, click Share → Save to Yandex.Disk.

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If you record lectures or interviews frequently, set up automatic upload to the cloud. Go to Settings → Autoboot and select the service in a standard voice recorder.

6.Recording problems: why the recorder doesn't save files

Sometimes users are faced with the fact that the recorder does not save records or they disappear after a reboot.

If none of the methods helped, try resetting the settings of the recorder:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the recorder → Storage → Clear the data.
3. ⚠️ Note: This will delete all settings, but will not affect the records themselves.

7. setting up a voice recorder for convenient work

To avoid problems with finding records in the future, optimize the settings of the recorder:

• 📍 Change the save folder: In the voice recorder settings, select the save folder → Internal storage/Recorder (Don't leave it by default).
• 🔄 Enable autosave: Activate Automatically save after recording to avoid losing files when crashing.
• 🎙️ Improve Quality: In Settings → Select High (192 kbps) instead of Standard.
• 🔔 Set up notifications: Turn on the option to Show notification during recording so you don’t forget to stop recording.

On models with MIUI 14+, we have a voice recognition feature, and we can use it to:

1. Open the tape recorder.
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) → Text.
3. Wait until the system converts speech into text (internet connection required).

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If you're recording long lectures, use the pause function in the recorder instead of stopping the recording, which will save everything in one file, rather than breaking it down into many small ones.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the recorder on Xiaomi