Accidentally deleting an important photo, missing a work document, or cleaning a gallery before selling a device are the situations that thousands of Xiaomi smartphone owners face. Panic at such moments is a bad advice, because it is the first actions after losing data that determine whether they will be returned. Modern Android operating systems and the MIUI shell are designed so that information does not disappear without a trace the same second you click the Delete button.
Before you look for complex solutions, you need to understand how the file system works: When you delete a file, the system only marks the place it occupied as free to write new information; the data stays on the disk until new content is written on top of it, which is why it is critically important to stop using the smartphone immediately after it is found missing, so that the memory sectors are not overwritten.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods, from checking standard baskets in cloud services to using professional software for deep memory scanning. You will learn how to set up automatic backups so that in the future, the question of “how to view deleted files” never causes stress again. The highest chance of success is recovery from a recent backup made before deletion.
Checking the built-in basket in the Gallery and the Explorer
The easiest and often ignored way is to check the standard Recycle Bin. Starting with certain versions of MIUI, Xiaomi has implemented a feature for temporary storage of deleted media files. If you have recently deleted a photo or video, they can be there for 30 days. To check, open the Gallery app and go to the Album tab.
Scroll down the album list. You'll find a folder called Deleted or Recently Deleted, and you'll find all the photos and videos you've deleted from the main gallery, and you'll find it instantly and without loss of quality, and you'll find it in the standard Explorer app, especially if you're using files that you downloaded through a browser or messenger.
- 📸 Open the Gallery and find the album "Deleted" at the bottom of the list.
- ⏳ The files are stored there for 30 days, after which they are permanently erased.
- ↩️ Select the desired photo and click the "Restore" button to return.
- 🗑️ To free up space, you can click "Clean all", but this action is irreversible.
It's worth noting that the bin is limited in size, and if you delete a lot of files at a time, some of them may not be in the trash, or they may be automatically deleted by the system to free up space, and don't rely on the bin as your primary storage, use it only as a temporary security buffer.
☑️ Panic checkup
Data recovery via Mi Cloud
Xiaomi's ecosystem offers a powerful tool for synchronizing data, Mi Cloud. If your device had Mi Account enabled and synced, deleted files could have been saved to the cloud. This is especially true for contacts, messages, notes and photos. To check for data, go to your smartphone settings.
In the settings menu, find the Mi Account section and select Xiaomi Cloud. This shows the sync status and location. If the gallery sync was enabled, your photos could be saved there even if you deleted them from your phone. Cloud storage operates independently of the device's local memory, giving you a second chance of recovery.
⚠️ Note: If you deleted a file from the cloud via a web interface or from another synchronized device, it may also end up in the cloud bin, but the storage period there may differ from the local one.
For more detailed analysis, use the web version of the service. Go to the official i.mi.com website from a computer or other device, log in to your Mi ID. The web version often displays more details and has the ability to manage files more conveniently than from a small smartphone screen. The web interface allows you to unload backups of contacts and messages in a format that is easy to read on a PC.
| Type of data | Synchronization | Storage period in the cloud | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Automatic. | Indefinite (up to limit) | Instantly. |
| Photos and videos | By Wi-Fi/Mob network. | 30 days in the basket | Through the Gallery |
| Messages (SMS) | Manual / Auto | Up to 30 days. | When discharged or through an application |
| Notes | Automatic. | Indefinitely | Instantly. |
What to do if the Mi Cloud is over?
Using Google Photos and Google Drive
Remember that most Xiaomi smartphones have Google services pre-installed, which have their own data protection mechanisms. Google Photos often runs in parallel with the MIUI gallery and can store copies of your photos. Even if you deleted a photo from the phone's internal memory, it can remain in the Google cloud.
Open the Google Photos app and go to the Library section. At the bottom of the screen, find the Recycle Bin. This is where files are stored for up to 60 days (for Google One subscribers) or 30 days (for regular users), which is one of the most reliable ways, because Google's cloud is highly stable and rarely fails in sync.
- ☁️ Google Photos saves the originals in full quality (if selected).
- 🔄 Synchronization occurs in the background with Wi-Fi.
- 🔍 Photo search works even for photos deleted from the gallery, but left in the cloud.
It's a similar situation with Google Drive. If you've been working with documents, spreadsheets or archives, check the cart in the Drive app. The files in the Drive cart are stored for up to 30 days.
Third-party applications for data recovery
If built-in tools and clouds don't work, specialized programs come to the rescue. Deep memory levels often require superuser (Root) rights. Without them, applications can only scan cached thumbnails or visible parts of the file system. DiskDigger, Dr.Fone, and Undeleter are popular tools.
DiskDigger is available on Google Play and has two scan versions. Basic scanning works without root rights and looks for thumbnails of photos that often remain in the system cache. Full scanning requires Root rights and allows you to find the original files. The effectiveness of the method depends on how much new information was written to the phone after deletion.
⚠️ Warning: Installing recovery apps directly on the phone that lost data can lead to overwriting memory sectors and permanent file loss.
For PC users, there are more powerful versions of programs like Wondershare Recoverit or Tenorshare UltData. USB-Computer programs often have more advanced analysis algorithms and can recover not only photos, but also folder structure, WhatsApp messages and call history.
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For maximum effect, connect your smartphone to your computer and run the scan through the desktop version of the restorer program, rather than through the mobile application.
Analysis of the cache of messengers and social networks
Often users are looking for a way to view deleted files on shaomi, forgetting that copies of these files may have remained in messengers. WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and Instagram store media files in their hidden folders. Even if you deleted photos from the gallery, the original can lie in the application directory.
Use the built-in Explorer on Xiaomi. Go to the Android → media folder. There you will find folders of installed messengers. For example, for WhatsApp, the path will look like com.whatsapp → Media → WhatsApp Images. Inside the Hidden folder, you can often find hidden or deleted statuses and images.
Telegram is similar, but there is a caveat: if you turn on the function "Secret chat", files are not saved. In normal chat rooms, media files are stored in the folder org.telegram.messenger. If you cleared the cache in the settings of the messenger itself, the files can be deleted, but if the cleanup was done only by means of the system, traces can remain.
- 📂 Look for folders in the directory. Android/media through the conductor.
- 💬 On WhatsApp, check the Private folder inside the media directory.
- 📸 On Instagram, check the Instagram folder at the root of internal memory.
Professional rehabilitation and preventive measures
In cases where data is critical (legal documents, unique family archives) and software methods are not helpful, the only thing left is access to specialized laboratories. Hardware recovery allows information to be read directly from memory chips, avoiding logical errors in the file system. It is an expensive procedure, but it gives a chance even after physical damage or formatting.
But the best protection is prevention: set up automatic synchronization of important folders in Mi Cloud or Google Photos; create full copies on your computer regularly; use SD cards to store archives, as they are easier to recover in case of a phone system failure; regularity of backups is the only guaranteed way to calm down.
⚠️ Warning: Never store a single copy of important data only on your smartphone.
To sum up, the question of how to view deleted files is often solved by acting quickly and competently: Don't ignore the built-in MIUI tools, check cloud services, and don't neglect backup settings. The time that has elapsed since deleting is the main enemy in data recovery.
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Regular sync with the cloud (Mi Cloud or Google) eliminates 90% of data loss problems and allows you to restore it in a couple of clicks.