How to get deleted photos from Xiaomi Android smartphone: from the cart to deep scanning

Why are photos “disappearing” with Xiaomi and can they be returned?

Did you accidentally click "Delete" in the Xiaomi gallery, reset your phone to factory settings or lose your photos after the MIUI update? Don't panic: 80% of the time, photos can be restored - even if they don't show up in the standard gallery.

Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi, Poco and Mi series) store photos in two places: in internal memory (/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/) and on a microSD card (if used). When you delete files, the system simply marks them as “free space,” which means that with the right approach, the chances of recovery remain high.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods, from simple (checking the basket) to complex (using ADB and specialized utilities), separately focus on the nuances for devices with encrypted memory (starting with MIUI 12.5) and explain why some methods work only on non-rooted phones.

Method 1: Check the cart in the standard Xiaomi gallery

Modern versions of MIUI (starting with MIUI 10) automatically send deleted photos to the cart, where they are stored for 30 days before final deletion, the fastest method and requires no additional programs.

How to check:

• 📁 Open the Gallery app** (Icon with a flower or photo).
• 🗑️ In the bottom menu, tap on the "Basket" section** (or Albums). → Trash in English version).

If the cart is empty or not on the menu, it means:

• ❌ You deleted the photo a long time ago (more than 30 days ago).
• ❌ Used the function "Clean the basket"** manually.
• ❌ Remove photos via file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager) rather than gallery.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or Poco) X3 Pro) the basket can be disabled in the settings. To enable it, go to Gallery Settings → Basket → Turn it on.

Method 2: Restore through Google Photos (if synced)

If your Xiaomi had Google Photos enabled, the deleted images could have been saved to the cloud, and this method works even after the phone is reset to factory settings.

Instructions:

1. 🌐 Open your browser on a PC or other device and go to photos.google.com.
2. 🔑 Sign in with the same Google account used on Xiaomi.
3. 🗑️ From the side menu, select "Baskbasket"** (or Trash) and store photos for 60 days.

If the basket is empty:

• 🔍 Check the Archive folder * * Sometimes photos are moved there automatically.
• 📅 Use the filter by date: it is possible that the pictures were not deleted, but simply “lost” among thousands of files.

⚠️ Note: Google Photos compresses photos when uploading if you didn't have a Google One subscription.Recovered images may lose quality (resolution will decrease to a lower level of quality) 16 MP instead of the original 48/64/108 MPP).

Make sure that the synchronization is enabled|Check the shopping cart on the site|Try the filter by date|Exporting restored photos to PC-->

Method 3: Use a file manager (for "fresh" deletions)

If photos were recently deleted (in the last 1-2 days), you can try to find them through the file manager, which works because MIUI does not always clear the occupied space immediately.

Step-by-step:

1. 📂 Open Mi File Manager (or any other manager, such as Solid Explorer).
2. 🔍 Go to the folder. /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/ (for camera photos; or /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/ (downloadable).
3. ⚙️ Enable the display of hidden files (in Mi File Manager: Three dots) → Settings → Show hidden files).
4. 🔎 Look for files with the.jpg,.png, or.heic extension that have thumbs or random characters (e.g., thumbs) in their name, IMG_20230515_123456789.jpg).

If you find the "lost" photos:

• 📤 Copy them immediately to your PC or cloud (such as Mi Cloud or Yandex Drive).
• ❌ Do not move files inside your phone – it can cause damage.

💡

If the file manager can’t find deleted photos, try connecting Xiaomi to your PC via USB in file transfer (MTP) mode and using PhotoRec to scan internal memory.

Method 4: Recovery Programs (DiskDigger, EaseUS MobiSaver)

If previous methods have failed, it's time to plug in specialized utilities that scan the phone's memory at a low level and can find photos even after formatting, and let's take two options: non-rooted and rooted devices.

Option A: No root rights (DiskDigger)

DiskDigger works without superuser rights, but restores only thumbnails (resolution up to the maximum). 640×480). Suitable for Xiaomi on MIUI 12/13/14.

• 📥 Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
• 🔍 Run the “Full Scan”** (may take 1-2 hours).
• 🖼️ View the photos found and save them to SD-map.

Option B: With root rights (EaseUS MobiSaver)

If you have root on your Xiaomi, the chances of recovering full-size photos increase by up to 90%.

1. 🖥️ Install the program on a PC (Windows/Mac) EaseUS.
2. 🔌 Connect Xiaomi to the USB debugging USB (included in the settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers).
3. 🔍 Run the scan. It'll even find photos that were deleted a few months ago.

⚠️ Note: On devices with encrypted memory (starting with the MIUI 12.5) recovery ADB Or EaseUS might not work, and that's where backup or cloud storage will help.

Method 5: Recovery through ADB (for power users)

If you're familiar with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can try extracting deleted photos directly from memory, which works on unencrypted devices and requires debugging over USB.

Instructions:

1. 🖥️ Install. ADB on PC (download from the official website).
2. 🔌 Connect Xiaomi to your computer and allow debugging (the phone will be asked).
3. 📝 Open the command line (cmd) and enter:

adb shell


su




cd /data/media/0/DCIM/




ls -la

If you see files with the.jpg or.png extension but they don’t show up in the gallery, copy them to your PC:

adb pull /data/media/0/DCIM/IMG_20230515_123456.jpg C:\Backup\

⚠️ Warning: The wrong teams ADB If you're not sure, use the program in Method 4.

💡

ADB-This method is only suitable for devices without memory encryption. MIUI 12.5+) It works rarely, but can help with the recovery of thumbnails or metadata.

Method 6: Removal from damaged SD-map

If the photos were stored on a microSD card and it was no longer determined by the phone, don't rush to throw it away. Often, the data can be recovered using an adapter and a PC.

What to do:

• 💾 Remove the card from Xiaomi and connect it to your computer through a card reader.
• 🛠️ Use Recuva or TestDisk to scan:

testdisk /dev/sdX # where sdX is your card (e.g. sdB)

• 🔧 If the card is not defined, try formatting it into FAT32 (data is not completely erased and can be restored by specialized utilities).

💡 Tip: Don’t use a card after losing a photo – every new file reduces the chances of recovery.

Method 7: Contact Xiaomi Service Center

If all of the above methods have failed, and the photos are critically important (for example, they are the only copies of documents or family photos), you can contact the official service center Xiaomi.

What you need to know:

• 💰 Cost of service: from 3 000 to 10 000 rubles (depending on the model and complexity of the work).
• ⏳ Term: 3-7 days (in some cases up to 2 weeks).
• 🔒 Warranty: If the phone is warranty, data recovery can cancel it.

⚠️ Warning: Do not contact unofficial services with the suggestions “recover data in 5 minutes”, often such “masters” use fraudulent schemes or damage the phone permanently.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi