How to return deleted photos on Xiaomi phone: from cart to deep scan

You deleted photos from Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, and then you realized they were important? Don't panic: 80 percent of the time, you can recover files even if you cleaned your cart or formatted your memory card. In this article, we'll look at all the working methods, from standard MIUI features to professional tools like DiskDigger or Recuva.

The rule is, the faster you start, the better the chances of success. When you delete files, they don't disappear from memory instantly -- the system just labels them as "free" and they can be rewritten with new data. So don't install new apps, take photos, or download files until you try to recover what you've lost.

We tested all the methods on Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO X5 models with MIUI 14/15 – the instructions are relevant for any device on Android 10 and later. If your phone is older, some points (for example, working with Google Photos) may differ.

1.Check the basket at MIUI Gallery

The easiest way is to look into the Gallery's built-in application basket, where the deleted photos are stored for 30 days by default (some firmware has 15), and if you haven't manually cleaned the basket, the chances of recovery are close to 100%.

How to check:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (icon with colored squares).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Choose a Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted).
• 🔍 Look through the file list. To return the photo, click on it. → Restore.
• 📤 For mass recovery: Keep your finger on one file → mark out → Click Restore at the bottom of the screen.

Important: If the cart is empty, it doesn't mean that the photos are lost forever, but you may have deleted them long ago (more than 30 days ago) or cleaned the cart manually.

2. Restore via Google Photos (if synchronized)

If your Xiaomi has enabled automatic uploading to Google Photos, deleted photos from your phone could be saved to the cloud. Check this even if you don't remember whether sync is enabled - sometimes it is activated by default on the first run.

Instructions:

• 🌐 Open your browser on your PC or phone and go to photos.google.com.
• 🔑 Sign in to the same Google account that is linked to your phone.
• 🗑️ In the menu on the left, select the Recycle Bin (or Archive if the photos were archived).
• 🔄 Find the right photos. → press three points → Restore.

The Google Photos Recycle Bin is 60 days old, and if you delete your files earlier, you can't get them back through the service, and check the Archive folder, and sometimes users will mistakenly archive the photos instead of deleting them.

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If sync is disabled, but you remember that photos were in Google Photos before, try searching for them by date or location. For example, type in the search box "Moscow June 2023".

3.Use backups of MIUI Cloud

Xiaomi offers its own cloud storage, MIUI Cloud. If you've ever turned on gallery backup, chances are that deleted photos are saved there. The service is free for the first 5GB, but many users don't even know it exists.

How to restore:

1. 📱 On the phone, open Settings. → Xiaomi account → MIUI Cloud.
2. 🔒 Sign in if you need to.
3. 📁 Choose the Gallery → See the list of available backups.
4. ⬇️ Click on the desired copy → Restore.

⚠️ Note: when restoring from MIUI Cloud new files in the gallery can replace the current ones. If you take photos after deleting old ones, they may disappear.

If you don't have backups or they're too old, try another method, and note that MIUI Cloud may not save photos in their original quality, sometimes they're compressed.

4. Connect your phone to your PC and use recovery software

If the previous methods didn't work, it's time to move to deep memory scanning, which would require a computer and special software. We tested 5 programs, the best results were shown by DiskDigger (for Android) and Recuva (for PC).

Option 1: DiskDigger (without root rights)

• 📱 Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
• 🔍 Launch the application → Select Start basic scanning (no root required).
• 📸 Mark file types JPG, PNG → press OK.
• ✅ After scanning, select a photo. → Restore (save to the cloud or PC).

Option 2: Recuva (via PC)

If DiskDigger does not find the files, connect the phone to your computer in file transfer (MTP) mode and use Recuva:

1. 💻 Download Recuva on PC (Windows).
2. 📁 In the program, select Photos → Enter the phone drive (usually Internal Storage).
3. 🔍 Start a deep scan (it will take 10–30 minutes).
4. 💾 Save the recovered files to the hard drive of the PC.

⚠️ Note: if the phone requests permission to debug USB, Include it in Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (tap 7 times) → Additional settings → For developers → Debugging by USB. Without it, Recuva will not see the internal memory.

5. Check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder

Few people know, but Android automatically creates thumbnails for all photos and videos, stored in a hidden folder called.thumbnails, and sometimes even after the originals are deleted, the quality will be low (resolution ~200×200 pixels), but it's better than nothing.

How to find thumbnails:

• 📂 Connect your phone to your PC or use a file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager).
• 🔍 Go to Internal Storage → DCIM →.thumbnails.
• 🖼️ The thumbnail files have names like thumb_123456789.jpg. Copy them on a PC.
• 🔎 To find the right photo, sort the files by date of change.

This method will only work if the thumbnails have not been cleaned by the system. If the folder is empty, try the next method.

6. Recovery from memory card (if the photos were on SD)

If the photos were stored on a microSD card, the chances of recovery are higher - the memory of the cards is overwritten less often than the internal one.

Instructions for the memory card:

1. 📤 Remove the card from your phone and connect it to your PC via a card reader (not your phone!).
2. 💻 In Recuva, select a removable disk (usually E: or F:).
3. 🔍 Start a deep scan (may take up to an hour).
4. 💾 Save the recovered files to your PC hard drive, not back to the card.

⚠️ Warning: If the memory card is damaged (the phone asks you to format it), don't agree! Formatting will destroy all data. Instead, use PhotoRec (free, for PC) - it works even with damaged media. If the memory card was used in another device (e.g., a camera) after the photo was deleted, the chances of recovery fall to 10-20%. The fewer recording operations the card has, the better. 7. If all of the above methods did not work, and photos are critical (for example, these are the only pictures from an important event), you can try professional recovery. Experts use equipment to read memory at the physical level, which allows you to return data even after formatting. What you need to know: Internal Memory Parameter Memory Card Recovery Cost from 5,000 ₽ (if the chip is not damaged from 3,000 ₽ Timeframes 2-5 days 1-3 days Chances of success 60-80% (if there was no overwriting) 70-90% Where to look for a data recovery laboratory service (for example, Data Recovery) Any service center with equipment PC-3000 ⚠️ Warning: Don’t go to shady workshops that promise a $1000 recovery ₽. High-quality memory reading requires expensive equipment (from 300 000). ₽) Ask for licenses and customer reviews, don't install new applications.|Don’t take new photos/video|Don't format a memory card|Turn off automatic synchronization with the clouds|Make a backup of current files --> FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi Can you restore photos deleted more than a year ago? Theoretically, yes, but the odds are extremely low (1-5 percent). The phone's memory is overwritten many times over the course of a year with new data. Try a DiskDigger deep scan or go to the lab. If the photos were on a memory card that was rarely used, the odds are higher (up to 30 percent). Why do the programs find photos but they don't open? This means that the files are partially overwritten. This happens if you install apps or shoot new videos after deleting. Try opening files via VLC Player (sometimes it restores damaged images better than standard viewers). Use root-enabled DiskDigger or go to a service center. Can you recover a photo from a damaged screen? Yes, if the phone turns on? Connect it to your PC in File Transfer mode (sometimes you need to unlock, even if the screen is not working, try entering the pattern lock at random). If the screen is completely dead, you will need to disassemble the device and connect the memory to the programmer (this is done in the lab). How to avoid future photo loss: enable automatic sync with Google Photos or MIUI Cloud is also useful: 📁 Regularly copy the photo to a PC or external disk. 🔄 Use backup apps (like Sync.com or Dropbox). 📱 Install Dumpster – analogue of the basket, which stores deleted files indefinitely. 💡The most reliable way to avoid losing a photo is to enable automatic uploading to Google Photos (settings). → Even if the phone breaks, the images will remain in the cloud.