How to view deleted photos on Xiaomi: all ways to restore

Delete important photos on Xiaomi smartphone and do not know how to return them? Don't panic - in most cases, files can be restored even if they were erased from the gallery. MIUI Professional utilities that work even after resetting.

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 you can overwrite them with new data. So don't install new apps, take photos, or record videos until you've tried all the recovery methods.

We tested each method on different Xiaomi models (from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 13 Ultra) and selected only those that actually work in 2026 — FAQ Answering frequent questions and tips on how to avoid future data loss.

1.Check the basket at MIUI Gallery

The easiest way to return deleted photos is to look into the Recycle Bin of the standard Gallery app. MIUI Deleted files are stored there for 30 days (some models up to 60), after which they are permanently erased:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (camera icon).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
• 🔍 Scroll through the list or search by date.
• 🖼️ Select the desired photo (long press) → press Restore.

If the shopping cart is empty or your files are not there, then you can move on to the next way. Note that some users confuse the shopping cart in the gallery with the recently deleted ones in Google Photos - these are different repositories!

An important nuance: on devices with MIUI 14 and newer baskets can be disabled by default:

1. Go to Gallery Settings (three dots) → Settings).
2. Pick a basket. → activate the switch.
3. Set a storage period (maximum 60 days).

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If you frequently delete photos by mistake, increase the storage time in the Recycle Bin to a maximum of 60 days in the gallery settings.

2. Recovery via MI Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

If your Xiaomi has been enabled synchronization with MI Cloud, the chances of getting back photos are very high, and the cloud automatically stores copies of photos even if you delete them from your device:

• 🌐 Go to i.mi.com from your computer or phone.
• 🔑 Sign in with the same Mi Account that is linked to your smartphone.
• 📁 Open the Gallery or Photos section.
• 🔍 Use a date filter or keyword search.

V MI Cloud has a Recycle Bin feature where deleted files are stored for up to 30 days. If the photos are not there, try downloading them directly from the main storage - sometimes files remain in the cloud even after you delete them from your phone.

How to turn on autosynchronization for the future:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud
2. Turn on the switch next to the Gallery.
3. Click on the Gallery. → Select Sync over Wi-Fi (to avoid wasting mobile traffic).

3. Use Google Photos (if backup is available)

Many Xiaomi users don’t know that Google Photos can automatically save copies of all your photos — even if you’ve deleted them from a standard gallery.

• 📱 Install the Google Photos app (if not available).
• 🔍 Open the side menu (swipe on the right) → pick the basket.
• 🕒 The photos are stored there for 60 days, after which they are deleted forever.
• 🔄 If the cart is empty, check the main tape – sometimes files remain in the cloud.

How to recover photos from Google Photos:

1. Find the right photo in the cart or main gallery.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Restore.
3. The file will return to the Camera or Downloads folder on the device.

If you haven’t used Google Photos before, check if the default backup was enabled:

1. Open Google Photos → tap on the account avatar.
2. Select Photo Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Look at the status – if it says Backup is complete, your photos may have been saved.

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Google Photos Stores Deleted Files in Recycle Bin for 60 Days – Twice as Long as Google Photos MI Cloud (30 days).

4. Recovery through file manager (hidden folders)

Sometimes photos are not deleted completely, but moved to hidden system folders, especially for snapshots from instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) or screenshots.

• 📂 Open Files (Standard Manager) MIUI).
• 🔍 Tap on three points. → Show hidden files.
• 📁 Go to the folders: Internal Storage → DCIM →.thumbnails (miniatures) Internal Storage → Pictures → Screenshots (Internal Storage) → Android → data → com.Michael.galleries (cash gallery)

If you find the right files but they don’t open or have strange extensions (like.nomedia), try renaming them.jpg or.png:

1. Long press on file → Rename.
2. Remove everything after the dot and enter jpg (for example, photo123.jpg).
3. Try opening the file through the gallery.

Check the folder.thumbnails in DCIM

Enable the display of hidden files in the manager

Look for files with or without the.nomedia extension

Try renaming the files to.jpg/.png

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Warning: Do not delete files from folders DCIM Or Pictures by hand, which can disrupt the gallery, and you'd better copy them to another location (e.g., a memory card) before editing.

5. Software for Recovery of Deleted Files

If standard methods didn't work, it's time to plug in special utilities that scan the smartphone's internal memory and recover files even if they were deleted months ago, and we tested 5 programs and selected the two most effective for Xiaomi:

Instructions for DiskDigger (the easiest way):

1. Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
2. Launch the application → Select Start basic scanning.
3. Wait until the end (may take 10 to 30 minutes).
4. Check the necessary photos with ticks → click Restore.
5. Select a folder to save (such as a memory card).

Important: Don’t save recovered files to your phone’s internal memory – this can overwrite other deleted data!

For EaseUS MobiSaver (if DiskDigger didn't find the photo):

1. Download the program to PC from the official website.
2. Enable the developer mode on Xiaomi and USB-debugging:
3. Connect your phone to your PC → Run the scan in EaseUS.
4. After analysis, select the photos and save them to the computer.

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If the program finds a lot of garbage (pruning photos, icons), sort the results by size - real photos usually weigh from 1 MB.

6. Restore via MIUI backup (if backup was done)

If you have ever created a backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset, there's a chance to get the photo back from there:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• 🔄 Select Local Backups (if you have a copy on your phone) or Cloud Backups (if you have a copy on your phone) MI Cloud).
• 📅 Find a backup with the desired date (before deleting the photo) → press Restore.
• ⚠️ Select only Gallery or Photos so as not to overwrite other data.

Important nuances:

• The recovery from the backup will rewrite the current photos in the gallery. If there are important pictures, copy them to your PC first.
• Cloud backups can weigh tens of gigabytes – make sure you have enough space on your phone.
• If the backup is encrypted, you will need the password you provided when you created the copy.

If you don’t have local backups, but you have Mi Cloud enabled, try recovering data via the web version:

1. Go to i.mi.com.
2. Select Backups in the side menu.
3. Find a copy with the correct date → Download it to the computer.

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Backup copies MIUI They save photos in their original quality, unlike compressed copies in Google Photos.

7 What NOT to do when restoring photos

Some actions can permanently destroy the chances of returning deleted files, and here are some critical mistakes to avoid:

⚠️ Warning: Never format your phone’s internal memory through Settings → Memory. → It erases all data, including what software could recover.

• 🚫 Install new applications – they take up space and can overwrite deleted photos.
• 🚫 Reset to the factory settings (Hard Reset) without trying to restore.
• 🚫 Connect your phone to your PC in File Transfer mode without scanning it beforehand with programs like DiskDigger.
• 🚫 Use "Memory Optimizers" (e.g. Clean Master) - they clear the cache where temporary copies of photos can be stored.

If you’ve already done something on this list, don’t despair – try recovery software (Section 5).They sometimes find files even after formatting, unless the memory has been completely overwritten.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 13+ Android 12+ Some recovery programs may not see internal memory due to new security restrictions, and only a PC connection will help. USB-debugging.

8 How to avoid losing photos in the future

To avoid losing important photos, follow these rules:

• ☁️ Enable autosynchronization with MI Cloud and Google Photos. Even if one cloud fails, the other will save copies.
• 📁 Regularly copy the photo to a PC or external disk. PC Suite (official program from Xiaomi).
• 🔄 Do local backups once a month through Settings → Backup.
• 🚮 Do not clean the basket in the gallery manually – set a maximum shelf life (60 days).
• 📱 Use a memory card to store your photo (but don’t forget to back it up!).

Setting up automatic backup in Google Photos:

1. Open Google Photos → pop on the avatar.
2. Select Photo Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Activate the switch and select quality: Original - no compression (takes up space in the cloud). High quality - free, but with little compression.

For MI Cloud set up autoboot like this:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud
2. Enable Gallery and Autoboot over Wi-Fi.
3. Install Download the originals so that the photos do not shrink.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi