How to view and recover deleted notes on Xiaomi smartphones: the complete guide

Deleting important notes on a Xiaomi smartphone is a familiar situation. If you accidentally erase your to-do list, saved passwords or work records, there is still a chance of them being returned. Unlike many Android devices, Xiaomi phones based on MIUI offer several built-in recovery mechanisms that not all users know about.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways, from the standard shopping cart in the Notes app to hidden MIUI backup features and third-party utilities. It’s important to understand that recovery success depends on three factors: the time elapsed since deletion, the availability of backups and the model of your device. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 and Xiaomi 13, the note-taking algorithms may differ from older models like the Mi 9.

Before you start the instructions, check if your notes are synced with your Mi Account. If so, the problem is solved in two clicks. If not, don't despair: even without the cloud, there are working methods that you will learn more about.

1. Recovery through the basket in the app Notes

The easiest way to get your deleted notes back is to use the built-in shopping cart in Xiaomi’s official Notes app, which is available on all devices with MIUI 10 and up, including POCO, Redmi and flagship series. Importantly, the notes are stored in the shopping cart for 30 days, after which they are deleted irrevocably.

To restore the record:

• 📱 Open the Notes app (yellow notebook icon).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
• 🔍 Find the right note in the list (you can use keyword search).
• 🔄 Click on the note. → Select Restore (Arrow Up icon).

If the cart is empty or you don’t find your records there, it could mean:

• ⏳ It has been more than 30 days since the removal.
• 🧹 You manually cleaned the basket (the option to Clean the basket in the menu).
• 📲 Notes app has been reinstalled or dropped.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 9A lightweight MIUI) The basket may be missing, in which case you move on to the next method.

2.Recovery through MIUI backup

MIUI automatically backs up your system data locally, including notes, if you have setup enabled, and this method works even if you haven't used the Mi Cloud, but here's the caveat: backups are created once a week and only the last 3 versions are stored.

To recover notes from backup:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Local Backup.
3. Find a copy in the list created before the notes were deleted (orientate by date).
4. Tap it on the copy. → Choose Restore.
5. In the data list, mark only Notes (so as not to wipe other settings).
6. Confirm the recovery and wait for the process to be completed.

If there are no local copies, check the backup settings:

• 🔄 Make sure that the Automatic Backup option is enabled.
• 📁 Check the storage path of copies: this is usually the /MIUI/backup/AllBackup inner-memory.
• 💾 If the phone space is running out, MIUI It can automatically delete old copies.

Check the space available on your phone (needs at least 500MB)

Connect the charger (the process can take 10-15 minutes)

Turn off Wi-Fi/mobile data (to avoid conflict)

Remember the current note settings (they can be overwritten)-->

Critical detail: If you reset your phone to factory settings after deleting notes, local backups will be lost, leaving only cloud recovery or third-party utilities.

Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

If your phone is linked to your Mi Account and notes sync is enabled, the chances of recovery are as high as possible.Mi Cloud stores data for up to 6 months (depending on the phone model and MIUI version). However, there is a limitation: a free account provides only 5 GB of space, and if it is crowded, old notes can be deleted.

Instructions for remediation:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure the switch opposite the Note is on.
3. Go to i.mi.com from your computer or phone.
4. Sign in with your Mi Account.
5. In the Notes section, find the Recycle Bin folder or Deleted.
6. Select the necessary notes and click Restore.

If there are no notes in the cloud, check:

• 🔄 Was synchronization enabled before the notes were deleted.
• 📱 Have you changed your Mi Account on your phone.
• 📡 Did you have any problems with the internet during the last synchronization.

⚠️ Attention: If you delete notes from your phone and then manually clean the cart in Mi Cloud (via the web version), recovery will become impossible!

4. Use of third-party utilities (without root)

If standard methods don't work, you can try specialized data recovery software, and it's important that these tools only work if you don't have new data written to the deleted notes, and the less you use your phone after you delete it, the better the chances of success.

Best programs for Xiaomi (without root rights):

• 🛠️ EaseUS MobiSaver – supports notes from the MIUI, scans the internal memory.
• 🔍 Dr.Fone (Wondershare) – Recovers text files, including notes in.txt or.db format.
• 📱 GT Recovery – specializes in Xiaomi data, but requires a connection to the data USB.

Step-by-step (as in EaseUS MobiSaver):

1. Install the program on your computer (Windows/Mac).
2. Connect Xiaomi to USB, enable Debugging via USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap on version → return to Additional → For developers).
3. Start the scan (select the Internal Memory section).
4. After the scan is completed, filter the results by Notes or Text Files type.
5. Select the files you need and click Restore.

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Does not work on encrypted memory phones (for example, after being reset via Mi Account).
• 🔒 Free versions of software recover only a fraction of the data.
• ⚠️ Risk of recovering damaged files (if notes are overwritten).

5. Restoration via Google Backup (if Google Notes were used)

Many Xiaomi users default to Google Notes (formerly Google Keep) instead of the standard app, and if you are one of them, note recovery is done through a Google account.

How to check and restore:

1. Open Google Keep in your browser.
2. On the left menu, select the basket.
3. Find deleted notes (stored for 7 days).
4. Click on the note. → Restore.

If the basket is empty:

• 🔄 Check the Archive folder - it's possible the notes were archived rather than deleted.
• 🔍 Use keyword search in the main section of Notes.
• 📤 Make sure your phone is syncing with Google: Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of data.

To recover from Google Drive backup:

1. Go to Settings → System → Backup.
2. Select Recover Data and log in to Google.
3. Find a backup with the desired date (before deleting notes).
4. Select Notes and start recovery.

⚠️ Note: If you have used both applications (MIUI Notes and Google Keep, the data from them are not synchronized with each other!

💡

If you regularly lose notes, set up automatic export from MIUI Notes to Google Drive. To do this, open the Notes app → Settings → Export and select the Google cloud.

6. Manual recovery through database files (for advanced users)

This method is suitable for those who are ready to work with system files. MIUI stored in the Note.db database or notes2.db (If you have a backup of your phone (e.g. via TWRP or ADB), You can extract this file and read it with special tools.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (see Section 4).
2. Install Android SDK Platform Tools.
3. Open the command line in the adb folder and execute: adb pull /data/data/com.miui.notes/databases/notes2.db
4. Download a SQLite database reader, such as DB Browser for SQLite.
5. Open the notes2.db file in the program and go to the note table.
6. Export the required records to.txt or.csv format.

Limitations of the method:

• 🔐 Requires root or unlocked bootloader rights (on new Xiaomi models this violates the warranty).
• 🛠️ Without skills to work with ADB The database method can be difficult.
• 🔄 If the database was overwritten, it will not be possible to restore notes.

Alternative path (without ADB):

• Use a file manager with root rights (such as Root Explorer).
• Go to /data/data/com.miui.notes/databases/.
• Copy the notes*.db files to SD-map.

💡

If you are not sure about your skills, it is better to consult a specialist.Incorrect actions with system files can lead to a failure of the Notes app or even to the loss of all data on the phone.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When recovering deleted notes, users often make critical mistakes that reduce the chances of success to zero, and here are the most common ones and ways to prevent them:

Error 1: Continuing to use your phone after deleting it

Every new note, photo, or app installed can overwrite the memory sectors where deleted data was stored. Solution: Once you find a missing note, turn off mobile internet and Wi-Fi to stop background synchronization.

Mistake 2: Resetting your phone to factory settings

Many people think that resetting will help to clean up the system and return notes. In fact, it deletes all local backups and makes recovery impossible. Solution: try all the methods in this article first, and only if nothing works, do the reset.

Mistake 3: Using Untrustworthy Software

Some Google Play "data recovery" devices not only fail to help, but can also infect your phone with viruses or steal personal data. Solution: use only proven programs from official sources (see section 4).

Mistake 4: Ignoring cloud backups

Many people turn off sync with Mi Cloud or Google to save battery life, and the only reliable way to recover is lost, so you can automatically sync for critical data (notes, contacts, photos).

Error 5: Delete the app Notes

Reinstallation or removal of the standard Notes app results in loss of access to the local shopping cart and database.Solution: If the application is unstable, export all notes manually first (Settings → Export).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions