Changing your smartphone or crashing your system can be stressful, especially if your device stores important contacts, correspondence, and photos. Fortunately, Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers several reliable ways to create and restore backups to minimize loss of information. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to get your data back from cloud storage or local files after you reset or buy a new gadget.
The recovery process depends on whether you have used the backup method before, whether it is a built-in Mi Cloud service, a Google account, or local storage on a memory card. Each of these options has its own nuances and requires certain sequential steps to work correctly. Understanding the differences between these methods will help you choose the most suitable and quickest way to return information.
Before you take action, you need to make sure your Internet connection is stable or there is enough free space on your internal drive. Failure to take steps incorrectly can lead to duplicate files or, in rare cases, application version conflicts. Let's look at the main recovery scenarios so that you can confidently return your digital assets.
Using Mi Cloud to Recover Data
The most integrated way is to use the manufacturer's own cloud service, and when you first set up the device or reset it to factory settings, the system will prompt you to log in to Mi Account, and it's through this profile that contacts, messages, notes, voice recorders, and even desktop layouts are synchronized.
Once logged in, you need to go to the cloud services section, where you see a list of data categories that have been previously saved, you can only recover from Mi Cloud if you activated the sync function before data loss, and if you just logged in to your account but didn't backup before, the data won't magically appear.
To start the process, select the desired items, such as Contacts or Messages, and press the restore button. The system will automatically download the latest available versions of files. The speed of the process depends on the amount of information and the quality of the Internet connection.
- 🔄 Synchronization occurs in the background after logging into the account.
- 📱 Restore not only files, but also the structure of folders on the desktop.
- ☁️ Access to data is possible from any device where you log in to Mi Account.
⚠️ Warning: Free space in the Mi Cloud is limited to 5 GB. If your backup exceeded this limit, some of the data may not be saved, and full recovery will be impossible without buying additional space.
Restore from Google backup
An alternative to native service is Google’s ecosystem, which is pre-installed on all Android smartphones, and is particularly effective in recovering installed app lists, Wi-Fi passwords, call history, and other features. SMS-Data is stored on the servers of the Corporation and linked to your Gmail account.
The process is activated when you first set up your smartphone after you reset, and when the device connects to Wi-Fi, the system will ask if you want to recover data from the cloud, and you will be asked to choose the device from which you want to copy the information, which is ideal when you switch from an old Xiaomi to a new one, or when you change your brand to another Android smartphone.
It’s important to understand that Google doesn’t save photos in full resolution as part of a standard system backup unless Google Photos is separately synced, with the focus on system settings and app user data, and once the app list is downloaded, they will start installing automatically.
- 📲 Automatic download of applications from Google Play Store.
- 🔑 Recovering saved passwords and two-factor authentication data.
- 📞 Transferring Call and Texting History Without Third Party Software.
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Make sure that the old device in the settings of Google was enabled the option "Backup", otherwise the actual data on the server may not be.
Local Recovery from the Backup File
For users who prefer to keep data under control, Xiaomi provides the ability to create a local backup. SD-card MIUI/backup/AllBackup. This method does not require the Internet and allows you to save a full cast of the system, including applications and their data.
To recover data, the backup file must be physically in the phone's memory. If you've been backing up your computer, first copy the backup folder back to the directory, then go to the phone's settings, find the Advanced Settings section, and select Restore from Backup.
The system will scan the memory and find the available archives. Select the desired backup date and tick the data that needs to be returned. The process can take considerable time, especially if many heavy cache applications are restored. During the operation, the screen may go out, but it is not recommended to interrupt the process.
☑️ Checking before local restoration
Note that versions of MIUI or HyperOS on the device from which the backup is made and on the target device must be compatible. In some cases, restoring the system from a newer firmware version to an older one can cause errors or malfunction of some system components.
⚠️ Note: When you restore the full backup system, all current data on the phone will be replaced by data from the archive.
Comparison of backup methods
The best way to do this depends on your priorities: speed, data volume, or independence from the Internet. Cloud-based methods are convenient for automation, while on-premises methods give you complete control over files. Below is a table to help you decide on the method.
| Characteristics | Mi Cloud | Google Drive | Local backup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet is required | Yeah (stable) | Yes (for download) | No. |
| Data volume | Limited (5GB free) | 15GB (total with Gmail) | Limited to device memory |
| Type of data | Contacts, photos, notes | Applications, settings, SMS | Full cast of system and applications |
| Speed. | Depends on the channel. | Medium | High (local) |
From the table, the ideal strategy is to use a combined approach: critical documents and photos are better duplicated in the cloud, and full backups are done locally before major firmware updates.
What to do if the backup is damaged?
Recovery of deleted photos and gallery
Special attention should be paid to the recovery of media files, as they take up the most space. The Gallery app on Xiaomi smartphones has a built-in basket where deleted photos are stored for 30 days. If you accidentally deleted a picture, check this section first.
If photos are synced with Mi Cloud or Google Photos, they can be restored via the web interface of the corresponding service. Go to the site from your computer, find deleted items and click "Restore." They will automatically appear in the smartphone gallery if you have a network.
For more complex cases where files have been deleted past the basket, there are specialized applications for data recovery, but their effectiveness is not guaranteed and depends on whether the memory was overwritten with new data.
- 🖼️ Checking the basket in the Gallery app (30 days).
- ☁️ Synchronization through cloud albums.
- 💻 Using Google Photos for Mass Recovery.
⚠️ Warning: Do not install data recovery software directly on your phone if you lose important files. Write a new program can overwrite the memory sectors where your photos were located, making recovery impossible.
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Regularly syncing your gallery to the cloud is the only reliable way to protect your photos from physical breakdown or loss of your smartphone.