How to find hidden videos on Xiaomi devices: from system folders to ADB-team

Have you ever encountered a situation where a video file was definitely recorded on Xiaomi but disappeared from the gallery? Or suspect that the device stores hidden videos left by the previous owner? Xiaomi smartphones and TVs (especially models on MIUI and HyperOS) actively use mechanisms for hiding content - both for privacy protection and for technical reasons. In this article, we will analyze 7 proven methods to find such files, including system folders, backups and even deleted videos.

It's important to understand that some of the hidden videos are not actually indexed by standard applications (Gallery, Google Photos). Others can be hidden in protected memory or encrypted. We'll look at both simple ways (available even to a beginner) and advanced ways using ADB and third-party utilities.

1. Checking standard “hidden” folders Xiaomi

To start with, the obvious is that Xiaomi creates several service directories that can store videos that are not available through a regular gallery, and these folders are not displayed in the default explorer, but they can be found manually.

The main ways that are worth checking:

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/ — here data of system applications, including recorded screenrecorder and backups are stored.
• 🔒 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ — Application folders (e.g. com.miui.gallery or com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile can contain cached videos).
• 📹 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails/ — Video miniatures, sometimes full-size copies remain here.
• 🗑️ /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/backup/AllBackup/ — backups created through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.

To see these folders:

1. Use a root-enabled conductor (such as FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings (the option to Show hidden files).
3. Android/data folders may require permission to access storage (issued through Settings → Applications → Special Access → Access to all files).

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from the folder Android/data manually, it can disrupt applications. Copy the video elsewhere before any manipulation.

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If you’re looking for video from Xiaomi’s surveillance camera (like Mi Home Security Camera), check the /storage/emulated/0/mihome/ folder – it stores local records from smart home devices.

2. Search through the system application "Files"

The standard File Manager app on Xiaomi can search for videos by extension, but often ignores the service directories to expand the search:

1. Open Files and go to the Category tab.
2. Select Video – all files with extensions.mp4,.mkv,.avi, etc. will be displayed here.
3. Click on the icon. 🔍 (search) in the upper right corner and enter:.mp4 OR.mkv OR.avi OR.mov OR *.3gp This will make the app search for all supported formats.

If no video is found:

• 🔄 Try to update the media base: go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the data. Once the device is rebooted, the gallery will re-index the files.
• 📱 Install an alternative explorer (such as Total Commander) and repeat the search with the option “Search in Hidden Folders” enabled.

3. Recover deleted videos with DiskDigger

If the videos have been deleted but not overwritten by the new data, they can be restored, as is the DiskDigger utility (available on Google Play), and the less you use the device after you delete, the better the chances of recovery.

Instructions:

1. Install DiskDigger and give access to the storage.
2. Select Full Scan (requires root) or Basic Scan (works without superuser rights, but less efficiently).
3. Mark the file types: MP4, MKV, MOV.
4. Wait until the scan is completed (it can take up to an hour).
5. Select the videos found and click Restore by selecting a folder to save (e.g. Downloads).

⚠️ Warning: Don't save recovered files to the same device you're recovering from! Use the cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) or connect Xiaomi to your PC via a computer. USB.

4.Use ADB to access system partitions

If the videos are hidden in protected sections (e.g. /data/media/0/ or /system/priv-app/), they can be retrieved using the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) method, which is suitable for power users.

Steps:

1. Enable USB Debugging on Xiaomi: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect the device to your PC and check the connection with the command: adb devices (should display the serial number of your Xiaomi).
3. Get a list of all video files on your device: adb shell find /storage /data /system -type f \( -name.mp4" -o -name.mkv" -o -name"*.avi" \) 2>/dev/null
4. Copy the found files on PC: adb pull /path /to / file /to /Xiaomi C:\folder /on / PC

Examples of ways in which hidden videos can be stored:

• 📱 /data/media/0/MIUI/camera/ — cameraback.
• 🎮 /data/data/com.xiaomi.gamecenter/ — Gameplay recordings from Game Turbo.
• 🔍 /system/priv-app/MiuiGallery/ — gallery-cash.

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC|Enable debugging on USB phone-on|Download ADB Platform Tools|Connect the phone to USB (file transfer)-->

5.Search video in Mi Cloud backups

If your Xiaomi has automatic backup enabled in the Mi Cloud, the videos could have been saved to the cloud.

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in with your Xiaomi account.
2. Select the Backup tab and find the latest copy of your device.
3. Download the archive and find folders in it: MIUI/backup/AllBackup/your IMEI/media/or MIUI/backup/AllBackup/your IMEI/DCIM/

Please note:

• 🔄 Backups in Mi Cloud are only stored for 30 days after a new copy is created.
• 📥 Videos in the cloud can be compressed (quality below the original).
• 🔒 If the device was reset, access to old copies may be lost.

6.Verify hidden videos on Mi TV and Mi Box

On Mi TVs and Mi Box consoles, videos can be hidden in service sections or app cache to find them:

Method 1: File Manager (for Mi TV):

1. Open the File Manager (Icon) 📁 menu).
2. Go to Local Vault. → Internal memory.
3. Check the folders: /storage/emulated/0/Download/ /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.mitv.tvhome/

Method 2: Through ADB (for advanced users):

1. Enable USB Debugging in the Mi TV settings (Settings → Device → About This → Android Version – Press 7 times, then go back to Settings → For Developers).
2. Connect to ADB and execute the command: adb shell ls -R /storage/ | grep -i"\.mp4\|\.mkv\|\.avi

⚠️ Attention: On Mi TV PatchWall firmware can block some of the video DRM (You can't copy them using standard methods, like Netflix or Prime Video.

7.Application cache analysis (for tech-savvy)

Some apps (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, YouTube) cache videos in their folders, and these files don't show up in the gallery, but take up space on the device to retrieve them:

Instructions:

1. Install Root Browser or FX File Explorer.
2. Go to /data/data/ and find the folder of the application you want (e.g. com.zhiliaoapp.musically for TikTok).
3. Inside, look for cache or files directories – you can find.mp4 video without extension.
4. Copy the files to the Download folder and rename by adding the.mp4 extension.

Examples of paths for popular applications:

• 🎵 TikTok: /data/data/com.zhiliaoapp.musically/cache/video/
• 📺 YouTube: /data/data/com.google.android.youtube/cache/
• 📷 Instagram: /data/data/com.instagram.android/cache/

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Cache videos often have distorted names (e.g. f834jf03.mp4). To view them, copy them to your PC and use the VLC player, which opens files even with corrupted metadata.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions