Accidental deletion of important documents or photos is a stressful situation familiar to many Xiaomi smartphone owners. Often users realize the loss of data too late when the shopping cart has already been cleared or the file has disappeared from view. However, the Android operating system is designed in such a way that information does not disappear instantly and without a trace.
Recovery depends on a variety of factors: whether synchronization was enabled, how long it has been since the deletion, and whether third-party utilities were used. In this article, we will discuss the most effective ways to return access to lost data without having to carry the device to the service center.
Before you start taking action, you need to understand one key principle of memory: a deleted file is marked by the system as free space, but physically remains on the media until the new data is overwritten, which is why the first rule when information is lost is to immediately stop writing new files.
Checking the built-in basket in the Gallery and the Explorer
The easiest and often ignored way to return media files is to check the system basket. The MIUI and HyperOS shells are equipped with a security mechanism that stores deleted photos and videos for 30 days.
You don't need root rights or a computer connection to access this storage, but you just have to open the standard Gallery app and go to the appropriate menu section, and you have files that take up space, but they're not visible to you.
A similar feature is present in the file management system, so if you delete a document, archive or music, you should search for them in the “Deleted” section of the Explorer application.
- 📁 Open the Gallery app and go to the Albums tab».
- 🗑️ Find the Deleted folder at the bottom of the album list.
- 📂 For documents, open the Explorer app and select the Recycle Bin section».
- ⏱️ Remember that files are only stored here for 30 days, after which they are deleted forever.
⚠️ Note: If you manually cleaned the cart or more than 30 days have passed, you will not be able to restore files using standard system tools.
💡
Enable the Extended Recycle Bin feature in the Gallery settings to extend the storage life of deleted photos to 60 days if this option is available in your MIUI version.
💡
The system basket is the first and most secure point for searching for lost data, which does not require third-party software.
Use of the Mi Cloud cloud service
Mi Account holders have access to cloud storage, which often automatically syncs data, and even if a file is deleted from a device, a copy of it can be saved to the cloud, especially for contacts, messages, notes, and gallery settings.
To verify, you must log in to the official website of the service through a browser on a computer or other device. The interface of the web version allows you to manage files in the same way as in the file manager, with the possibility of recovery or final deletion.
It is important to note that the amount of available space in the free version is limited, and if the sync was disabled due to space constraints, the last files may not have time to download to the cloud before being deleted.
https://i.mi.com/In the web interface, go to Gallery or Display (for notes), and there's also a Remote folder that functions independently of the shopping cart on the smartphone itself, and the cloud bin also lasts 30 days.
- ☁️ Go to i.mi.com and sign in to your Mi Account.
- 🖼️ Select the Gallery section to search for photos or Notes for texts.
- 🔄 Click on the basket icon in the corner of the screen to see the remote.
- ✅ Select the desired files and click the “Restore” button».
Recovery via Google Photos and Google Drive
Google’s ecosystem is an alternative to Xiaomi’s services, with many users using Google Photos as their default backup app for media files. If your Xiaomi has synced, the deleted images can be found in the search giant’s cloud.
Google Photos also has a shopping cart that stores files for 60 days, which is longer than a standard MIUI gallery, which gives you an extra time to save information, and Google Drive for documents works the same way.
The recovery process is simple: open an app or web version of the service, find a menu, and select Recycle Bin, which displays all the deleted items associated with your account.
| Service | Storage period in the basket | Type of data | We need the Internet. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Cloud | 30 days | Photo, Contact, SMS | Yes. |
| Google Photo | 60 days | Photos, Videos | Yes. |
| Google Drive | 30 days | Documents, Archives | Yes. |
| Local basket | 30 days | All types of files | No. |
⚠️ Note: If you delete a file from your Google Photos or Mi Cloud Recycle Bin, it will not be possible to restore it through the service interface.
Programs for data recovery on PC
When software methods are exhausted, heavy artillery, specialized software for Data Recovery, comes into play, scanning the phone's internal memory for residual file traces, and often requires root rights to work with Xiaomi's internal drive.
Popular tools include Dr.Fone, DiskDigger (PC version) and Recuva (for memory cards), which are designed to scan memory sectors in depth, and the fewer actions you take on your phone after deleting, the better the chance of success.
To connect the phone to your computer, you need to enable USB debugging mode, a hidden feature in the Developer Menu that allows your PC to gain advanced access to the device's file system.
☑️ Preparing for recovery via PC
The scanning process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours, and it will give you a list of files that you can preview before you recover, and you'll save the recovered data right to your computer's hard drive, rather than back to your phone.
- 💻 Install the selected recovery program on your computer.
- 🔌 Connect your smartphone with a cable and allow debugging.
- 🔍 Start a deep scan (Deep Scan).
- 💾 Save the files found on the PC.
Why do you need Root rights?
Recovery of data from SD memory card
If your files were on an external MicroSD card, the situation is much easier: the memory card can be removed from a Xiaomi smartphone and connected to the computer through a card reader, in which case the phone acts only as a storage, and the Android system locks do not interfere with scanning.
Use Recuva (free and efficient) or R-Studio to work with the card. Select deep analysis mode. Since the memory card has a FAT32 or exFAT file system, the probability of successful recovery is very high.
It is important not to format a map if Android offers to do so when errors are detected. Formatting will scratch the file table, making recovery extremely difficult and expensive.
⚠️ Warning: Never save recovered files back to the same memory card that you are recovering from.
After a successful scan, you will see a list of files with color status indication: green files are restored completely, red files are damaged and may not open.
Data loss prevention and backup
The best way to combat file loss is to back up regularly. Xiaomi’s smartphones have a powerful “Mi Backup” tool built in, which lets you save data to a memory card or to the cloud.
Set up automatic sync of important folders with Google Drive or Yandex.Disk. This will take a couple of minutes of setting up, but save you from data loss in the future, and it is also useful to periodically copy important documents to your computer.
Use the “Second Space” or “Hidden Album” feature for critical files to minimize the risk of their accidental deletion when cleaning the gallery.
💡
Regular backup to external media or the cloud is the only way to ensure the safety of data in case of any failure.