How to return deleted files on Xiaomi phone: from the basket to deep scanning

Deleting important files from a smartphone is a familiar situation for many Xiaomi users. Vacation photos, work documents or videos from memorable events can disappear in a single click due to accidental pressing, a system failure or even a virus attack. Fortunately, it is often possible to restore deleted data on Xiaomi devices (be it Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or Mi 11) – the main thing is to act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we will look at all the file return options available, from standard MIUI features to professional tools, how the Xiaomi Recycle Bin works, where to look for backups in the Mi Cloud, and when it makes sense to connect your phone to your computer, and how to prevent permanent data loss in the future.

⚠️ Critical: the longer you use your phone after deleting files, the lower your chances of recovering them. New data overwrites old data, so start searching right away!

1. Check the cart in standard Xiaomi apps

Many users don't know that MIUI has a built-in trash bin, the equivalent of a PC junk bin, which saves deleted files for 30 days (by default), then cleans them automatically.

• 📷 Gallery: Open the Gallery app → tap three points in the upper right corner → Choose the Recycle Bin. This is where you store deleted photos and videos.
• 📄 File Manager: Launch Files → Go to the Category tab → Scroll down to the basket section.
• 🎵 Music: In the app Music cart hidden: click on the profile icon → Settings → Basket.

To recover files, tick them off and click Restore. They will go back to the original folders. Note: the Recycle Bin in MIUI only works for files deleted through standard applications. If you have used third-party programs (like Google Photos), search for them in the relevant services.

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If the shopping cart is empty but you are sure that the files were deleted recently, check the storage settings: in Gallery → Settings → Recycle bin you can extend the storage period to 60 days.

2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud Storage)

Mi Cloud is a cloud service from Xiaomi that automatically syncs photos, contacts, notes and even call recordings (if enabled).If you are logged in to your Mi Account account and have previously activated backup, the chances of returning files are high.

How to check backup copies:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Check if synchronization is enabled for the desired data types (e.g. Gallery or Notes).
3. If you have copies, click on the category (such as Photos) and select Restore.

⚠️ Note: Mi Cloud only provides 5GB of free space. If the backup was not created due to space constraints, there are no files in the cloud. Also note that recovery from the cloud will overwrite the current data on the phone - backup before the process!

3. Connection to a computer and scanning with specialized programs

If the files aren’t found in the bin and cloud, it’s time to move to “heavy artillery” – data recovery software that scans the phone’s internal memory at the file system level and can even find files that have been deleted long ago (provided they haven’t been overwritten by new data).

Top.-3 program Windows/macOS:

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the phone Developer Mode (click 7 times on the MIUI version in Settings → About phone).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
4. Run the program and follow the recovery wizard (select file types: photos, videos, documents).

Enable the developer mode

Activate debugging over USB

Connect the original USB-cable

Charge your phone at least 50%

Disable screen locking (if required)-->

⚠️ Note: Recovery programs may not see files if:

• 🔒 Data encryption is enabled on the phone (you need to unlock the bootloader).
• 📱 The phone's memory is highly fragmented (often found on Redmi's budget models).
• 🔄 It has been more than 3 months since the deletion (the data is most likely overwritten).

4.Use of ADB-Commands for manual file search

For power users, there’s a way to recover files via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for debugging Android devices that works even if the phone isn’t rooted, but requires command line knowledge.

How it works:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Connect the phone to the computer and confirm the debugging.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell


su




cd /sdcard/




ls -la

This command will show all the files and folders in the internal memory, and to find deleted data, you can scan folders like /DCIM (photo) or /Downloads using:

find /sdcard/ -name ".jpg" -o -name ".png"

If files are found, copy them to the PC:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/photo.jpg C:\Backup\

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ADB-It's a method that's good for recovering files that haven't been overwritten by the system, and it's free, but it requires technical skills, and it doesn't guarantee 100% results.

5. Restore via Google backups (if sync was enabled)

Many Xiaomi users are setting up sync with Google Account without knowing it could save their data.If the phone has backup enabled in Google Drive, check:

• 📁 Google Photos: Open photos.google.com → Recycle bin (files are stored for 60 days).
• 📄 Google Drive: Go to drive.google.com → Basket (30 days).
• 🔄 Backups of Android: in Settings → Google → Backup Check the date of the last copy.

To recover data from Google Backup:

1. Reset your phone to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Resetting).
2. When you first set up, select Restore from Google backup.
3. Log in to the same account that was used for backup.

⚠️ Warning: Resetting will delete all current data on the phone, a method that is only justified if there are no other recovery options available and the backup contains critical files.

Never.

Once a month

Just before the MIUI update

Automatically (configured in Mi Cloud/Google)

I don't know what it is.-->

6. Contacting a service center: when nothing helps

If all of these methods failed and the files are critical (for example, they are the only photos from an important event or working documents), you should consider contacting a Xiaomi service center or a specialized data recovery laboratory.

What professionals can do:

• 🔧 Chip-off analysis: extracting data directly from a memory chip (expensive but effective even after formatting).
• 🛠️ JTAG-recovery: Connecting to test contacts of the board to access raw data.
• 📊 File System Analysis: Recovering the Directory Structure from Damaged Partitions.

Cost and risk:

• The price varies from 5 000 to 30 000 rubles depending on the complexity.
• There is no guarantee of 100% recovery (especially if the memory is physically damaged).
• In some cases, the phone may remain inoperable after the chip is removed.

Before contacting the service, specify:

• 📌 Do they have experience with Xiaomi models (not all centers are taken for Chinese smartphones).
• 💰 Do they provide free diagnostics before recovery.
• 🔒 Whether they guarantee the confidentiality of your data.

7. How to prevent future data loss

The best way to combat file loss is to prevent it, and here are proven methods to avoid repeat incidents:

• ☁️ Automatic backup: set up sync with Mi Cloud and Google Photos. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud Enable Reservations for Gallery, Contacts and Notes.
• 📂 Regular export to PC: once a month connect your phone to your computer and copy important files to a separate folder.
• 🔄 Use two clouds: duplicate the most valuable data in Google Drive and Yandex Drive (in case of a service failure).
• 📱 Install a file manager with a basket: applications like Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer has advanced recovery features.

Also avoid:

• 🚫 Rooting your phone unnecessarily (this increases the risk of data loss in crashes).
• 🚫 Use of questionable cleaners (such as Clean Master) that can delete files without warning.
• 🚫 Formatting a memory card at the first sign of errors – try copying data first.

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Even if you’re not a specialist, setting up an automatic backup will take no more than 10 minutes, but it will save you nerves and time in the future.

FAQ: Frequent questions about file recovery on Xiaomi