How to return data after resetting settings on Xiaomi Android smartphones: from cloud copies to deep scanning

Resetting factory settings on Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi Note 12, Poco X5, Mi 13, and others) is a radical way to solve system problems, but often it turns into a loss of personal data. Photos, WhatsApp correspondence, saved passwords, and even contacts can disappear overnight if a backup is not created, but even in this situation, the chances of recovery are higher than you think.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can recover data after a hard reset, from standard MIUI tools to professional utilities like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare UltData. It’s important to understand that success depends on how quickly you start to act after a reset. The longer you use a smartphone after cleaning, the lower the probability of recovery – new data overwrites old ones. Also, the firmware version (on MIUI 14/15, encryption algorithms differ from older versions) and the type of reset (via Setting or Recovery).

If you've tried to recover data before and you've got an error like "No root access" or "Storage not mounted," don't despair. There's a section on circumventing these restrictions, including working with ADB and unlocking the bootloader. And for those who are afraid of damaging the smartphone, we've singled out secure methods (cloud services, Mi Cloud backups) that don't require technical skills.

Yes, but without success.|Yes, some of the data was recovered.|No, I'm just planning.|I don't know where to start.-->

1. Verify backups in Mi Cloud and Google Account

The first thing to do after a reset is to check the automatic backups. Xiaomi smartphones by default sync some of the data to the Mi Cloud, and if you used a Google account, then contacts, calendars and even some settings could be saved there.

For Mi Cloud:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Select Mi Cloud → Backup of the device.
3. See the list of available copies – if there is one up-to-date, click Restore.

Note: the free version of the Mi Cloud only stores the latest copy, and the volume is limited to 5 GB. If you did not buy additional space, the old reserves could be overwritten.

For Google Account:

Contacts, calendar events and some app data (like Google Photos) are synced automatically to restore them:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired categories (contacts, calendar, etc.).
3. Wait for the process to be completed – the data will appear in the relevant applications.

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Note: If you are not logged in to Mi Cloud or Google on a dropped smartphone, these methods will not work. Also note that Mi Cloud does not save multimedia files (photos, videos) - only system settings and some of these applications.

📇 Contacts (Mi Cloud/Google)

📅 Calendar and reminders

⚙️ System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sounds)

💬 Messages (only if sync was enabled in Mi Cloud)

❌ Photos and videos (not automatically saved!)-->

2.Recovery through local MIUI backups

If you have ever created a local backup through Settings → The phone. → Backup, you can restore it even after you reset it. MIUI/Backup/AllBackup internal memory or SD-map.

Instructions for remediation:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB (in File Transfer mode).
2. Open the MIUI/Backup/AllBackup folder, and you should have files with the.mbk extension.
3. Copy them to a safe place on your computer.
4. Install the Mi Backup app on your smartphone (available from the Mi App Store).
5. Launch the application, select Restore and specify the path to the copied file.

🔹 Important nuance: Local copies MIUI They're encrypted with the password you gave when you created the backup, and if you forgot the password, you can't recover the data, and they don't contain media files (photos, videos, music), only settings and data from some applications.

For models Xiaomi 2023-2026 (for example, Redmi Note 13 Pro+ or Xiaomi 14) local copies can be stored in encrypted form even without a password – this is a feature of the new versions of MIUI 14/15.

3. Deep memory scanning programs

If there are no cloud and local copies, you will need to scan the internal memory of the smartphone directly, and you will need specialized programs such as:

• 🔧 Tenorshare UltData for Android – Supports root-free recovery (but with limited options).
• 🔧 Dr.Fone (Wondershare) – works with most Xiaomi models, including newer ones.
• 🔧 EaseUS MobiSaver – free version allows you to scan the device, but recovery is paid.
• 🔧 DiskDigger – Suitable for photo and video recovery, requires root.

The following is a step-by-step instruction (as in Dr.Fone):

1. Install the program on your PC and connect your smartphone via USB (enable USB debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times) → Additional settings → For developers).
2. Select the Android Data Recovery mode.
3. The program will offer to scan the device - agree.
4. After scanning, mark the desired files (photos, messages, contacts) and click Restore.

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Note: On new Xiaomi models (such as the Xiaomi 13T or Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed), internal memory is encrypted by default; without unlocking the bootloader (Bootloader Unlock), programs like Dr.Fone will see only part of the data; and after reset, encryption may change, making recovery impossible.

Critical information: If the smartphone was reset via Fastboot (fastboot erase userdata command), the chances of data recovery tend to zero – this method completely clears the /data partition without the possibility of rollback.

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Before scanning, turn off mobile Internet and Wi-Fi on your smartphone – this will prevent overwriting deleted data with new files (for example, an application cache).

4. Data recovery with ADB (for power users)

If programs like Dr.Fone fail, you can try extracting data via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that requires USB debugging enabled and only works until the first reboot after reset.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB on your PC (download Google’s Platform Tools).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and type in the command line: Adb devices Make sure the device is defined.
3. Create a backup of the /data partition (where user data is stored): adb backup -f backup.ab -apk -obb -shared -all On the smartphone, a confirmation request will appear - agree.
4. Uncancel the backup.ab file using the Android Backup Extractor (Abe) utility.

🔹 Limitations of method:

• 🚫 Nana MIUI 14/15 backup ADB It may be empty due to encryption.
• 🚫 Not all data is retrieved in readable form (for example, WhatsApp databases will have to be converted).
• 🚫 Requires confirmation on the screen of the smartphone – if the screen does not work, the method will not work.

For models with an unlocked bootloader (Bootloader Unlocked), you can go ahead and flash custom recovery (TWRP) and then create a full backup through it. However, this is risky: wrong actions can turn a smartphone into a brick.

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ADB-Backup is the only way to extract data from an encrypted partition /data without root rights, but it only works if debugging was enabled before the reset.

5. Features of recovery for specific data types

Not all files recover equally well, and here is a table with the odds of success for different types of data and the recommended methods:

🔹 For WhatsApp: If you haven’t set up an automatic backup in Google Drive, try finding a file msgstore.db.crypt14 file WhatsApp/Databases It can be restored through Dr.Fone or special utilities like WhatsApp Viewer.

🔹 For photos: Even if files are not displayed in the gallery, they can remain on the device in a corrupted form. Software like PhotoRec (for PC) can restore them to signatures, but the quality of the images can deteriorate.

6.What NOT to do after reset (critical errors)

Many users accidentally reduce the chances of data recovery due to incorrect actions, and this is what is strictly forbidden to do after a reset:

• 📱 Install new applications or updates – they overwrite deleted data.
• 🔄 Rebooting your smartphone – this can activate the mechanisms for cleaning temporary files.
• 🗑️ Format internal memory (even if the system suggests it).
• 🔧 Trying to flash custom software without backup can erase the remaining pieces of data.
• 📶 Connect to a mobile network or Wi-Fi without need (cache and updates will fill memory).

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Note: Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 14/15 automatically start the TRIM process after reset, which cleans the “junk” memory blocks. If you turn on the smartphone after the reset and start configuring it, TRIM could already erase some of the deleted data, in which case recovery is possible only for files that have not been cleaned.

If you do start using your smartphone after you reset, immediately disconnect it and connect it to your PC for scanning, and every minute you work reduces your chances of success.

7. when data recovery is not possible

Unfortunately, there are situations when it is impossible to return data even with professional equipment:

• 🔐 Reset via Fastboot with the fastboot erase userdata team.
• 🔄 Internal memory has been encrypted and the encryption key is lost (relevant to the MIUI 12+).
• 🗃️ On the smartphone sewed a new firmware after reset.
• 📱 The device is physically damaged (for example, a memory chip burned).
• ⏳ More than 72 hours after the reset, the memory was used extensively.

In such cases, only prevention for the future remains:

• 🔄 Set up automatic backup in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud → Backup).
• 🖥️ Regularly copy important files to a PC or external drive.
• 📱 Use backup apps like Swift Backup (requires root) or Titanium Backup.

🔹 For Poco and Redmi owners: In the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 taps, there's the option to Do Not delete data when you reset (in some firmware), and if you turn it on, the reset won't affect user files, but it doesn't work on all models.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data recovery