How to view and recover deleted photos on Xiaomi smartphones: the full guide 2026

You're not alone: Statistically, one in three users has lost valuable photos at least once due to accidental pressing or system failure. Fortunately, Redmi, POCO and Mi devices have several built-in data protection mechanisms, from a temporary basket to backups in the Mi Cloud. Even if you cleared memory or performed a factory reset, the chances of recovery remain.

In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to return deleted photos, from basic (check basket) to advanced (use ADB and specialized utilities). We will focus on the nuances of working with MIUI, which often cause data loss. For example, did you know that the function of Optimizing memory in settings can automatically delete old files? or that backups in Mi Cloud are stored only 30 days? These and other pitfalls we will disclose so you can act as efficiently as possible.

Important: the speed of your actions directly affects the success of the recovery, the longer you delay the process, the greater the risk that lost files will be overwritten with new data, so we recommend that you start the instructions immediately after you find the problem.

1. Checking the basket in the Xiaomi Gallery

The easiest and fastest way to return deleted photos is to use the built-in shopping cart in the standard Gallery app. In MIUI, deleted files are not erased immediately, but placed in temporary storage for 30 days (for some models, the time period may vary).

1. Open the Gallery app (a icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) top-right.
3. Select Recycle Bin (or recently deleted in new MIUI versions).
4. Find the right photos, highlight them with a long tap and click Restore.

If the cart is empty or you don’t see the files you need, check:

• 🔍 Storage period: files in the Recycle Bin are stored for a limited time (usually 30 days, but on some devices – 15 or 7 days).
• 📁 Source folder: Recycle bins only those files that have been deleted from the standard gallery. Photos deleted through Files or third-party apps (such as Google Photos) will not show up here.
• 🔄 Gallery Update: Sometimes files don't show up right away.Try restarting the app or restarting your smartphone.

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If the cart doesn't appear in the gallery menu, update the app via Google Play or check the settings in Settings → Apps → Gallery → Permissions. Lack of storage access can hide the feature.

2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud Storage)

If you've previously enabled sync with Mi Cloud, your photos could be automatically backed up to the cloud, which works even after you've completely reset your phone or replaced your device, to check for backups:

1. Open the Settings. → Xiaomi Account (or Mi Account).
2. Go to Mi Cloud. → gallery.
3. Check for backup dates, and photos can be stored in the Device section.
4. Select the files you need and click Download or Restore.

Important nuances of working with Mi Cloud:

• ☁️ Time limit: Backups are stored 30 days after last synchronization, and then deleted automatically.
• 📶 Internet: Recovery requires a stable network connection (preferably Wi-Fi, as files can weigh several gigabytes).
• 🔒 Two-factor authentication: If you don't remember the password from your Mi Account, it's going to be hard to restore access. Xiaomi strictly protects user data.

Yeah, just Mi Cloud.

Yes, Google Photos.

Yes, another cloud (Yandex, iCloud, etc.)

No, I don't.

I don't know what it is.-->

If you don’t have the right photos in Mi Cloud, check out other cloud services that could sync automatically:

• 📷 Google Photos (if backup was enabled).
• 🌐 Yandex Disk or Mail.ru Cloud (if you manually upload files).
• 💬 Telegram VK (You may have sent photos to saved messages or albums).

3. Search for deleted files through the Files app

Sometimes photos are deleted directly from the DCIM or Pictures folder, in which case they can be found in the recently deleted standard file manager section of Xiaomi.

1. Open the Files app (the icon with the yellow folder).
2. Go to the Category section → Images.
3. Tap it on three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Recycle Bin or Recently Deleted.
4. Find the files you need and restore them.

If the Recycle Bin folder is empty, try a manual search:

1. In the Files app, go to Device → Internal Memory.
2. Open the DCIM folder (camera photos are stored here) or Pictures (uploaded images).
3. Check for hidden folders with the prefix.thumbnails or.trash – sometimes files stay there.

Note that if you have used a microSD, check it separately, and the files deleted from it do not enter the phone basket and are only recovered through specialized programs (more on this in the next section).

4.Use of third-party recovery programs

If the built-in methods didn't work, it's time to turn to third-party utilities that scan the device's memory at the file system level and can find files even if they were deleted long ago.

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger (the most popular option for Android):

1. Download DiskDigger from Google Play (make sure it’s an official app from Defiant Technologies).
2. Run the utility and select Basic Scan (no root permissions required).
3. Specify the file type: mark JPG, PNG, HEIC (for iPhone photos).
4. Click Scan and wait for the process to complete (can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour).
5. View the files found, select the ones you need and click Restore.

Disable sync with the cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Photos)

Charge your phone at least 50%

Use the original USB-cable

Do not connect your phone to other devices during scanning-->

Important warnings:

⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery software on the same disk (or memory partition) from which the files were deleted. This may overwrite lost data. Use a separate memory card or connect your phone to your PC.

⚠️ Warning: If you use Recuva or PhotoRec on your PC, turn on Read Only when you connect your phone. Otherwise, Windows may create new files on your device, which will reduce the chances of recovery.

5. Recovery after reset to factory settings

If you do a hard reset, the chances of a photo coming back are lower, but not zero.

Method 1: Restore from MIUI backup

If you backed up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset before reset, follow the instructions:

1. After reset, log in to the same Mi Account that was used to create the backup.
2. Go to Settings → Further → Data Recovery.
3. Select the right backup (pay attention to the date of creation).
4. Check the Gallery or Images and click Restore.

Method 2: Use ADB (for advanced users)

If you don't have a backup, but you haven't written new data to your phone after you reset, you can try extracting the residual files via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that requires command line skills.

adb pull /data/media/0/DCIM/ C:\Xiaomi_Recovery


adb pull /data/media/0/Pictures/ C:\Xiaomi_Recovery

Explanation:

• 🖥️ adb pull – a command to copy files from phone to PC.
• 📂 /data/media/0/ — The path to internal memory on most Xiaomi devices.
• 💾 C:\Xiaomi_Recovery — folder on the PC where the files will be saved (create it in advance).

Before using ADB:

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Install ADB Tools on your computer (for example, through Google’s Platform Tools).

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After resetting to factory settings, DO NOT install new applications, DO NOT take photos, DO NOT download files. Each new memory record reduces the chances of recovering old data.

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all of these methods didn’t work, and photos are critical (for example, these are the only shots from an important event), you can contact the official service center of Xiaomi.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 📋 Warranty: data recovery is not a warranty case. Service is paid (cost depends on the model and complexity of the work).
• ⏳ Timeline: The process can take 3 to 10 business days.
• 🔐 Privacy: Before transferring your phone, back up your current data (if any) and delete your personal information.
• 📱 Models: service centers work only with official Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices POCO. For custom firmware, the guarantee does not apply.

How to find the nearest service center:

1. Go to the Xiaomi Service Locator website.
2. Enter your city or allow access to geolocation.
3. Select a center marked Authorized Service Partner.
4. Check by phone if they provide data recovery services.

⚠️ Warning: avoid “handicraft” services that promise low-cost data recovery. Unqualified actions can lead to complete file loss or damage to the phone. Xiaomi official centers use certified equipment and give a guarantee to work.

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

To avoid the problem of lost photos, follow these guidelines:

1. Set up automatic backups

• ☁️ Enable synchronization with Mi Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery.
• 📷 Activate Google Photos: The app offers unlimited storage for compressed photos.
• 💾 Use local backups: Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

2. Optimize storage

• 📁 Regularly transfer the photo to a PC or external drive.
• 🗑️ Don’t store all your photos in your phone’s memory – use a memory card (but remember that it can also fail).
• 🔍 Check the folder. DCIM Duplicate the content with applications like Files by Google.

3.Be careful with the MIUI settings

• 🚫 Turn off memory optimization in Settings → Memory if you don’t want the system to automatically delete old files.
• 🔄 Before resetting to factory settings, always make a backup copy.
• 🛡️ Do not install questionable “memory cleanup” apps – they often delete data without the ability to recover.

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Create a separate folder in the cloud (like “Important Photos”) and manually copy your most valuable images, so you can quickly find them in a few years.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi