How to recover deleted photos on Xiaomi: everything from the cart to deep scanning

Have you deleted important photos from Xiaomi and you don't know how to get them back? Don't panic -- even if they've disappeared from the gallery, they can often be restored. In this article, we'll look at all the current ways to return photos on Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones: from a standard basket to professional utilities for deep memory scanning. It's important to act quickly - the less time has passed since removal, the better the chances of success.

Modern Xiaomi phones (starting with MIUI 12) automatically save deleted files in the Recycle Bin for 30 days, but many users are unaware of the feature or manually clean it. If the Recycle Bin is empty, no problem: there are backup options through Mi Cloud, Google Photos or third-party programs like DiskDigger and Recuva. We will explain each method in detail, specify their pros and cons, and give tips on how to avoid data loss in the future.

Note that recovery is dependent on whether the memory of the phone is overwritten after deletion, and if you continue to take pictures, install apps, or update the system, the odds are lower, and let's start with the easiest and fastest ways.

1. Checking the basket in the standard Xiaomi gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look into the built-in Gallery app shopping cart. In the MIUI, deleted photos are stored there by default for up to 30 days (on some models, the term is reduced to 15 days), this method works on all current devices, from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

How to open the basket:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (image with multi-colored squares).
• 🗑️ In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and pick the basket.
• 🔍 View the list of deleted files. Photos are sorted by date of deletion.
• ↩️ Select the desired pictures (long press) and press Restore.

If the cart is empty or not on the menu, it means:

• ❌ The files were deleted more than a month ago and were automatically cleared.
• ❌ You manually cleaned the cart through Settings → Storage → Cleanup.
• ❌ Your Xiaomi model has disabled the cart function (rarely, but it happens on old firmware).

⚠️ Warning: Some "memory optimizers" (e.g., Security or Clean Master) can clear the cart without warning. Before restoring, check if such applications have run.

2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

If your Xiaomi had Mi Cloud sync enabled, the deleted photos could be saved to the cloud, which works even if the files are not in the phone basket, and is free for all users (gives 5GB of storage), but requires pre-configuration.

How to check the photo in Mi Cloud:

1. 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Xiaomi account.
2. 📁 From the menu on the left, select Gallery → Albums or Cart (if any).
3. 🔎 Use a search by date or keyword (e.g., “sea,” “birthday”).
4. ↓ To return the photos to your phone, select them and click Download.

If there are no photos in the cloud, check:

• 🔄 Whether synchronization was enabled: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery.
• 📶 Is there enough space in the cloud (no new files are downloaded if the limit is exceeded)
• 📅 Delete Date – The cloud stores files for up to 60 days after deleting from the device.

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If you don't have the right photos in Mi Cloud but sync is enabled, try logging in from another device (like a tablet) and sometimes files are displayed there but not visible on the phone because of the cache.

3. Using Google Photos to Restore

Google Photos is another cloud storage that can save your photos, and many Xiaomi users don’t even know that their phone automatically uploads photos to Google Account (unless this feature is manually disabled), unlike Mi Cloud, it stores files indefinitely (provided that the space is not over).

Instructions for remediation:

• 📱 Open the Google Photos app (if not, download from Play Market).
• 🔍 Go to the Photo tab and scroll down — all uploaded pictures are displayed here.
• 🗑️ Click on the profile avatar → The basket, the photo is stored there for 60 days.
• ↩️ Select the files you want and select Restore.

If the photo is not in the cart, but you are sure that the sync was enabled:

• 🌐 Go to photos.google.com from your computer, and it’s easier to search by date.
• 🔎 Use filters: Type → Photos or Dates.
• 📥 If you find the right pictures, download them to your PC and then transfer them back to your phone.

⚠️ Warning: If you used the Free Space feature in Google Photos, the original photos may have been removed from your phone, but the thumbnails (compressed versions) remain in the cloud. They can be downloaded, but the quality will be lower.

Make sure your phone is linked to Google Account | Check if you are syncing in Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync | Try logging in to Google Photos from another device | Search for photos by specific dates rather than scrolling through the feed-->

4. Computer Recovery (without root)

If the photos are not found in the cart or clouds, the next step is to connect Xiaomi to the computer and scan its memory with special programs. This method does not require root rights, but is effective only if the files were not overwritten with new data. We recommend two proven utilities: DiskDigger (for Android) and Recuva (for PC).

Method 1: DiskDigger for Android

• 📱 Install DiskDigger from the Play Market (there is a free version).
• 🔍 Run the scan and the program will find all deleted files, including photos in the formats JPG, PNG, HEIC.
• 💾 Save recovered images to a memory card or cloud (not internal memory!).

Method 2: Recuva for Windows

1. 🖥️ Connect Xiaomi to your PC via the USB- cable (select File Transfer Mode).
2. 📁 Download and install Recuva (official website: ccleaner.com).
3. 🔍 In the program, select the type of Image files and specify your phone’s drive.
4. 🔄 Run a deep scan (it will take 10–30 minutes).
5. ✅ Mark the photos you find and click Restore.

Important: When you connect to your PC, don't copy new files to your phone, which can overwrite deleted data. If Recuva can't find a photo, try:

• 🔌 Use another USB- cable (sometimes the problem is poor connection).
• 📵 Enable Debugging on USB in Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI (click 7 times, then return to Additional → For Developers).
• 💽 Connect the memory card (if it was in the phone) directly through the card reader.

5. Restoration with root rights (for experienced)

If standard methods don't work, and photos are critical, you can try root-access deep scanning, which is a risky way (may cause you to lose warranty or crash), but sometimes it saves data that you can't get back. We'll show you how to do it safely.

What you need:

• 📱 Xiaomi phone with unlocked bootloader.
• 🔓 Root rights (can be obtained through Magisk or KingRoot).
• 🖥️ EaseUS MobiSaver or Dr.Fone (paid, but there are trial versions)

Step-by-step:

1. 🛠️ Get root rights (see the instructions for your model in the 4PDA forum).
2. 📥 Install EaseUS MobiSaver on your PC and plug in your phone.
3. 🔍 Select Root Scan Mode and wait until it is completed (may take several hours).
4. 📸 The program will show you all the photos you find, including those you can't see without root. Select the ones you want and save them to your PC.

⚠️ Warning: Once root rights are obtained, some Xiaomi features may not work properly (e.g. Mi Pay or banking apps) and this resets the warranty (if the phone is warranty, try other ways first).

Alternative option for users with unlocked bootloader:

• 📀 Make a full memory backup via TWRP Recovery (instruction: Backup → Select Partitions → Data).
• 🔧 Use PhotoRec (free) to scan the backup on your PC.

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Root access gives you the best chance of recovery, but it is only suitable for power users. If you are not confident in your abilities, contact the Xiaomi service center (they can recover data without root through specialized software).

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If the self-proclaimed attempts have failed and the photos are critical (such as documents or unique footage), you should contact the official Xiaomi service center.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 📋 Bring checks or a warranty card (if the phone is warranty, recovery may be free).

How to find the official service:

1. 🌍 Go to mi.com/ru/service.
2. 📍 Enter your city in the search box.
3. 📞 Call in advance to see if they are recovering data (not all centers provide this service).

Advantages of using the service:

• ✅ High chance of recovery (even if you format your phone).
• ✅ Without the risk of damaging data (as opposed to root experiments).
• ✅ Privacy Guarantee (Your photos will not fall into third hands).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Expensive (it's cheaper to buy a new phone if the photos aren't critical).
• ❌ Long (if urgently needed, this is not an option).

7. How to avoid losing photos in the future

To avoid the problem of deleted photos, simple backup rules are enough. Xiaomi offers several built-in tools, and also supports third-party services. We have collected 5 reliable ways to protect your photos:

1. Automatic synchronization with Mi Cloud

• 🔄 Enable autosynchronization: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery.
• 📅 Install Daily Backup (in the same menu).
• 💾 Buy extra space if 5GB isn't enough (costs from 99 ₽/month).

2. Google Photos with unlimited storage

• 🌐 Enable autoboot: open Google Photos → Settings → Backup and Sync.
• 📸 Select Quality High (unlimited storage) or Original (counted from Google Drive quota).

3. Local backup on PC

• 🖥️ Connect your phone to your computer once a month and copy the photo to a separate folder.
• 🔄 Use the Xiaomi PC Suite to automatically sync.

4. Memory card as a duplicate storage

• 📷 In the camera settings, select Save to the map SD (path: Camera settings → Storage).
• 🔄 Move your photo from the map to your PC or cloud regularly.

5. Third-party backup applications

• 🛡️ Dropbox, Yandex Drive or Mega – set up automatic photo uploads.
• 📲 Applications like Simple Gallery have built-in backup.

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Create a separate Google or Mi Cloud account specifically for photo backups, so you don’t risk losing access to data when you change your primary account or reset your phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi