How to return deleted photos on Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Why photos “disappear” and can they be returned

Deleting photos on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most common problems that users face. The reasons for losing photos are different: accidentally clicking “Delete”, resetting to factory settings, damage to the memory card or even a virus attack. Fortunately, in 90% of cases, files can be restored — if you act quickly and correctly.

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) use standard media storage mechanisms similar to other Android devices, which means that deleted photos don’t disappear instantly — they’re labeled as “free space” and can be overwritten with new data. The less you use your phone after deleting, the better the chances of a successful recovery.

In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to recover lost images, from built-in MIUI functions to third-party utilities, focusing on hidden folders, cloud services and backups that users often ignore, and learn how to prevent data loss in the future.

Method 1: Checking the basket in the MIUI Gallery

The easiest and fastest method is to search for photos in the shopping cart of the standard Gallery app, where deleted files are stored for up to 30 days (by default) in MIUI, after which they are permanently erased, which works on all modern Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Xiaomi 13.

To check the basket:

1. Open the Gallery app (a icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
3. Select Recycle Bin (or recently deleted in some versions of MIUI).
4. Find the right photos, highlight them and click Restore.

If the cart is empty or there are no photos, move on to the next method. Note: files in the cart take up space in the memory of the device. If there is little space, the system can automatically clear the cart ahead of time.

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In the gallery settings (Gallery → Settings → Recycle Bin), you can extend the storage period of deleted files to 60 days or turn off autocleaning.

Method 2: Search in hidden folders and system directories

Sometimes photos are not deleted, but simply moved to hidden folders, which can occur due to a failure in the Gallery application, a MIUI update, or third-party programs, and to find such files, you will need a file manager with access to system folders (for example, Files from Google or Mi File Manager).

Where to look:

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — Photo miniatures (sometimes retained even after the originals have been deleted).
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots — Screenshots that may have been moved.
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery — Gallery cache (sometimes containing temporary copies).
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Camera — backup copies created by the system during the update.

To see hidden folders, in the file manager, enable the display of hidden files (in Mi File Manager: Settings → Show hidden files). If you find the right photos, copy them to a safe place (for example, to a computer or the cloud).

Method 3: Restore via Google Photos (if synced)

If your Xiaomi had Google Photos enabled, the deleted photos could be saved to the cloud, which works even if the photos were deleted months ago, provided they were uploaded to the service before being deleted.

Instructions:

1. Open the Google Photos app (if not, install it from the Play Market).
2. Sign in with the same Google account that was linked to your phone.
3. Go to the Library → Cart section (photos are stored there for 60 days).
4. If there is nothing in the cart, check the Archive or use the date search.

If the photos are found, you can:

• 🔄 Restore them back to the gallery (Select them) → Restore).
• 📥 Download to the device (Save to the device).
• 🖥️ Export to your computer via the web version of photos.google.com.

Yes, Google Photo| Yes, Mi Cloud| Yes, another service | No, I don't use | I don't know what that-->

Important: Google Photos stores photos in "high quality" (compressed) for free, but the originals (without compression) take up space in cloud storage. If you had little space, old photos could be deleted automatically.

Method 4: Using Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically backs up photos, contacts and notes. If sync is enabled, chances of returning deleted images are high. However, there is a caveat: Mi Cloud only stores deleted files for 30 days (as opposed to 60 days in Google Photos).

How to check:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Select the Gallery section (or Photos in new versions).
3. Check the basket folder - there may be deleted photos.
4. If the cart is empty, try searching by date or album.

If you find photos, download them to your computer or phone, note: Mi Cloud has a volume limit (5-10 GB depending on your account), and if the space is over, old backups may have been deleted.

Log in to i.mi.com under your account | Check the Gallery section |Look in the cloud cart | Download the photos found on PC | Turn off autodelete old copies in the settings-->

Mi Cloud may not show all photos if sync has been disabled in your phone settings. To avoid this in the future, check your backup options: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery.

Method 5: Data recovery programs (without root)

If previous methods didn't work, you'll need to use special file recovery tools to scan the device's memory and look for fragments of deleted data.

• 🛠️ DiskDigger is a simple utility with support for photos and videos (there is a free version).
• 🔍 Recuva (for PC) – requires a phone connection USB file transfer.
• 📱 EaseUS MobiSaver – a paid solution with a high recovery rate.
• 🖥️ 7-Data Recovery – works with internal memory and microSD cards.

Instructions for DiskDigger (based on the example of Redmi Note 11):

1. Install an app from the Play Market.
2. Run and select Full Scan (it takes longer, but more efficiently).
3. Wait for the analysis to be completed (it can take 10 minutes to an hour).
4. View the files found, select the ones you need and click Restore.

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Without root rights, programs will restore only thumbnails or highly compressed versions.
• ⚠️ The more you use your phone after you delete it, the less chance you have of success.
• ⚠️ Some utilities require a PC connection (e.g. Recuva).

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The data recovery scanner works by searching for file signatures, and the less fragmented the memory, the better the chances of finding entire photos.

Method 6: Connect to a PC and Manual Search

If the photos were stored on a memory card, you can plug it into a computer and scan it with desktop software.

1. Remove the microSD from your phone and insert it into the card reader.
2. Connect to the PC and wait for the device definition.
3. Use Recuva, PhotoRec, or TestDisk to scan.

For internal memory:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB (select File Transfer (MTP) mode).
2. Start the recovery program and specify the phone disk.
3. Set up the search formats (.jpg,.png,.heic).

If the PC can't see the phone:

• 🔌 Check the cable (use the original from Xiaomi).
• 🔄 Reboot both devices.
• 🛠️ Install Mi drivers PC Suite from the official website.
• 🔒 Unlock the phone screen when connecting.

Important: Don't save the recovered files to the same drive that you're scanning from! Use a different drive (like a PC hard drive).

Method 7: Contacting a service center (extreme case)

If the photos are critical (for example, they are the only copies of documents or memorable images), and self-recovery did not help, you can contact the Xiaomi service center.

What you need to know:

• 💰 The cost of the service varies from 1,500 to 10,000 rubles depending on the complexity of the.
• ⏳ The process can take from 1 to 5 days.
• 🔒 Recovery warranty not 100% (depending on the extent of memory damage).
• 📋 A passport will be required to confirm ownership of the device.

Before the service visit:

• 📱 Don’t use your phone to take new photos.
• 🔋 Charge the device to at least 50%.
• 📝 Write down approximate dates for the creation of lost photos.

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Official Xiaomi service centers in Russia can be found on the website mi.com/ru/service. Avoid uncertified workshops – they can damage data irrevocably.

How to Prevent Loss of Photos in the Future

The best way to combat data loss is to prevent it, and here are the proven methods of protecting photos on Xiaomi:

Additional advice:

• 📅 Set up automatic upload of photos to the cloud when connecting to Wi-Fi.
• 🔄 Periodically check the shopping cart in the gallery and manually clean it (so that important files do not automatically delete).
• 🛡️ Install an antivirus (such as Mi Security) to avoid data loss due to malware.
• 📦 Use two memory cards: one for current pictures, the other for backups.

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The most reliable strategy is a combination of cloud redundancy (Google Photos or Mi Cloud) + It's locally backed to your PC, and it'll protect your photos even if your phone breaks.

Frequent Questions (FAQ)