How to recover deleted photos on Xiaomi smartphones: from the cart to deep scanning

Deleting photos from a Xiaomi smartphone is one of the most painful mistakes a user can make, especially when it comes to valuable footage, such as family photos, documents or unique moments that cannot be recreated. Fortunately, the manufacturer has several mechanisms to protect against irretrievable data loss, and third-party tools allow you to restore files even in the most difficult cases.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can return deleted photos on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from standard MIUI features to professional PC utilities. You’ll learn how the gallery cart works, how to recover images from cloud storage, and what to do if files were deleted long ago or after resetting. Importantly, the effectiveness of each method depends on the time since you deleted and the actions you took with your phone after that.

Before you start recovering, remember a key rule: the less you use your smartphone after deleting your photos, the better the chances of their successful return. Every new photo, installed application or system update can overwrite the memory sectors where the deleted files were stored.

1. Checking the basket in the standard Xiaomi gallery

The easiest and fastest way to return deleted photos is to use the built-in shopping cart in the Gallery app. The feature is available on all devices with MIUI 12 and later, including the Xiaomi 11/12/13 series, Redmi Note 10/11/12 and POCO F/X/M series. By default, files are stored in the basket for 30 days, after which they are deleted irrevocably.

To check the basket:

Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
Slip on three horizontal lines in the lower right corner (menu).
Select the basket item (dumpster icon).
Find the right photos, highlight them with a long tap and click Restore.

If the cart is empty or there are no images, move on to the next method. Note: some users confuse the gallery basket with the Google Photos basket - these are different storages! Also, the cart may not appear if you deleted the photo through a file manager or third-party applications.

💡

If the cart doesn’t appear in the gallery menu, try updating the app via Google Play or clearing its cache in your phone’s settings (Settings → Apps → Gallery → Storage → Clear Cache).

2. Recovery through cloud services

If your Xiaomi has been enabled to sync with cloud services, the chances of returning photos are much higher.

📁 Mi Cloud – Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud (5 GB free).
📷 Google Photos – service from Google (15 GB is free attached to your account).

To recover photos from Mi Cloud:

Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
Make sure that the synchronization of the gallery is enabled.
Go to the gallery. → Albums. → Mi Cloud.
Find the Remove or Archive folder (depending on the MIUI version).

For Google Photos:

Open the Google Photos app.
Tap on the profile avatar. → Basket.
Select a photo and click Restore (saving period – 60 days).

If the sync wasn't set up in advance, the cloud won't help, so move on to recovery methods from internal memory.

Mi Cloud|Google Photo|Yandex Disc.|Other|Not using.-->

3.Use of file managers to find hidden files

Sometimes deleted photos don’t make it to the cart, but they remain in the phone’s memory as temporary or hidden files. To find them, you will need a file manager with root rights or access to system folders. We recommend using Mi File Manager (embedded) or FX File Explorer (from Google Play).

Search instructions:

Open the file manager and enable the display of hidden files (in the settings).
Go to /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/, where all the photos taken by the camera are stored.
Check subfolders:.thumbnails – thumbnails (sometimes contain reduced copies of deleted photos)..picassa or.cache – temporary files.

.jpg

.png

*.heic

If you find files with names like IMG_20230515_123456(1).jpg, but they don't open -- try renaming them by removing the extra characters.

What to do if files are found but not opened?

If the file manager finds deleted photos but they don’t open in the gallery, try the following: 1. Copy files on your PC and open them via Paint or Photoshop – sometimes programs repair damaged headers. 2. Use online services like Online Image Editor to try to recover. 3. Rename the file by adding recovered at the end (e.g, photo_recovered.jpg).

4.Recovery via PC with specialized programs

If previous methods have failed, it's time to put in heavy artillery, which is a deep memory scanner that analyzes storage sectors and recovers files even if they were deleted months ago.

💻 Recuva (free, easy to use).
💻 DiskDigger (there is a version for Android, but with root rights more efficient).
💻 EaseUS MobiSaver (paid but with high recovery percentage).

Step-by-step instructions for Recuva:

Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode).
Install and run Recuva.
Select the type of Image files and specify your phone’s drive.
Start a deep scan (may take several hours).
After completion, mark the desired photos and click Restore.

Important: Don't save recovered files to the same drive from which the scan is being done! Use a different drive (like a PC hard drive) to avoid overwriting data.

Disable Wi-Fi and Mobile Data on Xiaomi|Charge your phone at least 50 times%|Use the original USB-cable|Do not connect your phone to other devices during scanning|Select the "File Transfer" mode" (MTP)-->

5. Recovery after resetting or system damage

If the photos were deleted after a hard reset or a firmware failure, the chances of them being returned are minimal, but there is still a chance, in which case only professional software that supports raw-recovery will help.

🛠️ R-Studio (paid, but most powerful solution).
🛠️ PhotoRec (free, working via command line).

For PhotoRec (part of the TestDisk package):

1. Connect Xiaomi to the PC in the "File Transfer" mode.


2 Launch photorec_win.exe (for Windows).




3. Select the phone drive → [Proceed] → [Intel] → [Free] (unless the memory is partitioned).




4 Specify the file system (usually FAT/exFAT/NTFS).




5. Select a folder to save recovered files (NOT on your phone!).




6. Press Y to start scanning.

The process can take anywhere from 2 to 10 hours depending on the amount of memory. PhotoRec recovers files without the original names, so you have to manually sort thousands of images after completion, but this method works even if the phone does not turn on (provided that the PC recognizes it as a drive).

💡

After resetting, never write new data to your phone before you try to recover! every new photo or app reduces the chances of a successful return of old files.

6. Contacting a service center: when nothing helps

If all of these methods failed, and the photos are critical (for example, they are single copies of documents or unique images), the last option is to contact the Xiaomi service center or data recovery laboratory.

The cost of such a service starts from 5 000 rubles and depends on:

📱 Phone models (new flagships are more difficult due to encryption).
🔧 Type of damage (logical or physical).
📊 Data volume for recovery.

Before the service visit:

Do not turn on the phone and do not try to reflash it.
Do not disassemble the device yourself (risk of damage to the board).
Check if the center provides a guarantee for recovery.

💡

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, they specialize in data recovery with Xiaomi Data Recovery and HDD Recovery laboratories. Before visiting, check reviews and ask for an approximate cost by phone.

7. How to prevent future photo loss

The best way to combat data loss is to back it up regularly, and on Xiaomi devices, there are several ways to do this:

Method	How to set up	Pluses	Cons
Mi Cloud	Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery → Included.	Automatic synchronization, 5GB free	Limited space, dependence on the Internet
Google Photo	Install the application, log in to the account, enable Backup and Synchronization	15 GB free, easy search by photo	Compression of photos at a free tariff
Local Copying on PC	Connect your phone to your PC and manually copy the DCIM folder	Full control of files, no limits on size	Requires discipline (remember to do it regularly)
External drive	Use it. OTG-cable SSD	Fast access, no dependence on the Internet	Risk of loss or damage to the storage device

We further recommend:

🔄 Configure automatic copying to NAS-server (if any).
📦 Use apps like FolderSync to sync with Dropbox or Yandex Drive.
📅 Check the integrity of backups once a month.

💡

Even if you’re using the cloud, store your most important photos in two places at once (e.g. Mi Cloud + Google Photos) and this insures against a crash in one of the services.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi

Can I recover photos that were deleted a year ago?

Theoretically, yes, but the odds are extremely low: after a year, the memory sectors are repeatedly overwritten with new data; if the phone is actively used, it is almost impossible to recover old photos; the only chance is if you did not use the device after deleting (for example, it was lying off).

Will root access help with recovery?

Root rights increase the odds by allowing access to system partitions where temporary copies of files can be stored. However, on new Xiaomi models (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+), unlocking the bootloader erases all data. Consider whether to risk it.

What to do if the phone is not turned on, but you need a photo urgently?

If the screen is unresponsive, but the phone is defined by the PC as a drive, use programs like DiskDigger or EaseUS MobiSaver. If the device does not recognize, contact the service center - you may need soldering equipment to directly access the memory.

Can I recover my photo after the MIUI update?

A firmware update rarely affects user data, but if it is misspelled or interrupted, there is a risk of losing photos. In this case, try recovery methods via PC. If the update was regular, check the cart and cloud copies.

Why are restored photos opened with artifacts?

This is a sign of partial overwriting of a file. It's impossible to recover these photos completely, but you can try to improve them through Photoshop (Spot Healing Brush tool) or online services like Remini.

If none of these methods worked, don't despair: technology labs are constantly improving recovery methods, the main thing is not to use the phone after removal and as soon as possible to start looking for solutions. In most cases, the photo can be returned, especially if you act on the first day after the incident.