How to view deleted photos on Xiaomi phone: the full guide 2026

Accidental photo removal is one of the most common problems with Xiaomi smartphone users. Even if you believe you have permanently erased your photos, the chances of recovery remain high. In this article, we will examine all possible methods of returning deleted photos, from standard MIUI features to professional tools. The important thing is to act quickly - the less time has passed since the removal, the higher the probability of success.

Xiaomi

gallery-basket

Mi Cloud

DiskDigger

Recuva

Redmi Note 12

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

⚠️ Warning: After deleting photos, do not write new files to your phone or install apps – this can overwrite deleted data, making recovery impossible.

1. Checking the basket in the standard MIUI gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look in the gallery basket, where in MIUI, deleted photos are not erased immediately, but are stored in temporary storage for 30 days, which works on all modern Xiaomi smartphones, including the POCO and Black Shark models.

To find the basket:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
3. Select "Baskbasket" item.
4. Find the right photos, highlight them and click "Restore".

If the cart is empty or you can’t see the deleted pictures, you may:

• 🗑️ Files deleted more than 30 days ago (automatic cleanup).
• 📱 You used a third-party gallery (like Google Photos) that has its own shopping cart.
• ⚙️ Recycle Bin settings have been changed (e.g., synchronization disabled).

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (The cart, especially in Chinese, may be called "Recently Deleted." If you can't find this section, update the Gallery app through the Play Market.

💡

If the cart is disabled, you can activate it in the gallery settings: Settings → Recycle Bin → Enable. By default, it is enabled on all devices with MIUI 12 and later.

2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (cloud storage)

Mi Cloud is a cloud service from Xiaomi that automatically backs up photos when the feature is enabled, and it’s one of the most reliable ways to return deleted images, even if they were deleted months ago.

Check if the synchronization is enabled:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure the gallery synchronization slider is active.
3. Slip on the Gallery and see the date of the last backup.

If you have a backup, restore the photo:

• 🌐 Visit i.mi.com from your computer or phone.
• 🔑 Sign in with the same Xiaomi account as you do on your phone.
• 📷 Go to the Gallery section and find the Remote or Archive folder».
• 💾 Select the desired photos and click "Restore».

⚠️ Note: If you have disabled sync or changed your Mi Account after deleting a photo, this method will not work. Also check if the cloud storage limit is exceeded (free 5 GB is given).

3. Using Google Photos to Restore

If you use Google Photos instead of a standard gallery, deleted photos can be stored in its shopping cart for up to 60 days, which works even if you deleted the photo not through the MIUI gallery, but through the Google Photos app itself.

Instructions for remediation:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner.
3. Choose "Basket."
4. Find the right photos, highlight them and click "Restore".

Features of the method:

• 🔄 Photos are restored to their original location (Camera folder or Screenshots»).
• 📅 Shelf life in the basket - 60 days (versus 30 days in a cart) MIUI).
• 📱 Works on all Xiaomi models if Google Photos have been installed and configured.

⚠️ Note: If you deleted a photo through a file manager (e.g. Files by Google), they might not be in the Google Photos Recycle Bin.

Make sure you sign in under the correct Google | account

Check the availability of the Internet (data is restored via the cloud)|

Do not delete the Google Photos app until the process is complete|

Check the Archive folder - sometimes photos are hidden there-->

4.Programs for deep memory scanning

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to use specialized data recovery tools that scan the phone's internal memory at the file system level and can find photos even after formatting.

Top.-3 photo recovery tools:

• 🛠️ DiskDigger – works without root, supports MIUI 12-14.
• 🔍 Recuva (PC only) requires phone connection USB).
• 📱 Dumpster – an alternative shopping cart for Android.

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger:

1. Download DiskDigger from Play Market.
2. Launch the app and select “Start Basic Scan” (without root).
3. Wait until the process is completed (it can take 10-30 minutes).
4. View the photos and save them to a memory card or cloud.

⚠️ For deep scanning (with root rights), the chances of success are higher, but the risk of damaging the system MIUI It's getting bigger. 13/14 s MIUI 14 Getting root may block some features (e.g. Mi Pay).

5. Recovery through PC backup

If you regularly connect Xiaomi to your computer and copy photos, check local backups. Even if you don’t remember such copies, Windows and macOS can automatically save files when you connect your device.

Where to look for backup copies:

• 🖥️ On Windows PC: Check the folder C:\Users\[Your name \Pictures. Or search for *.jpg in the conductor.
• 🍎 On Mac: Open a photo and check the "Imported" section, or find a folder. /Users/[Your name]/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary.
• ☁️ In cloud services: Google Drive (Basket section) and Yandex Drive (Distant Files folder»).

If you used Mi PC Suite for sync, check:

1. Install Mi PC Suite on your computer (download from the official website).
2. Connect your phone over USB and select “Recover Data”.
3. Follow the instructions of the Recovery Master.

⚠️ Warning: If you format your phone or reset your settings to factory settings, backups to your PC may be the only way to return your photos. Check also old hard drives or flash drives — sometimes copies are saved there automatically.

💡

Local backups are the most reliable way to recover if the cloud hasn’t been used, and even if you don’t remember them, it’s worth checking all your PC-connected storage devices for the past 6 months.

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all of these methods failed and photos are critical (such as documents or unique footage), you can contact the official Xiaomi service center, and specialists have access to professional data recovery tools that are not available to ordinary users.

What you need to know before your visit:

🔍 How to find the official Xiaomi service:

⚠️ Warning: Don't contact informal workshops - they may use illegal recovery methods that will damage your phone or steal your data. Xiaomi's official centers work under contract and guarantee privacy.

7.Prevention: How to avoid loss of photos in the future

To avoid the problem of deleted photos, set up automatic backup and follow simple data storage rules. Here is a checklist for Xiaomi owners:

5 mandatory settings for photo protection:

• ☁️ Enable autosynchronization with Mi Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization of the gallery.
• 📱 Set up Google Photos: Open the app → Settings → Backup and synchronization.
• 💾 Repare your photos regularly to your PC: Connect your phone once a month and transfer new photos to a separate folder.
• 🔄 Use a two-stage shopping cart: In Google Photos, the storage period of deleted files is 60 days, in the MIUI — 30.Tune both.
• 📁 Store important photos in a separate folder: Create a folder “Important” in the gallery and duplicate critical photos there.

🛡️ Additional security measures:

• Install Dumpster, which creates an additional basket for all deleted files.
• Use it. SD-photo storage card (on models with support for memory expansion).
• Check the backups periodically (for example, try to restore 1-2 test photos).

⚠️ Note: If you often clear your phone’s memory through Settings → Warehouse → Clean up, disable the option “Delete files from the cart” so you don’t accidentally erase backups.

💡

Configure the Traffic Savings option in Google Photos (Settings → Backup → Download Quality → High Quality) to store unlimited photos in compressed form for free without taking up space in the cloud.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi