Recovery of deleted photos on Xiaomi Redmi: from shopping cart to professional tools

Have you accidentally erased valuable photos from Xiaomi Redmi a month, a year or even a few years ago? Don't panic - even "irrevocably" deleted images can often be returned. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to recover, from standard MIUI features to professional utilities that work even after resetting the phone to factory settings.

The rule of thumb is, the faster you start, the better the chances of success. Every new photo, video, or app you install can overwrite the memory sectors where deleted files were stored, so turn off the mobile Internet, don't take new photos, or update apps until you've tried all the methods.

We have tested all of the methods described below on the Redmi Note 10 Pro, Redmi 9A and POCO X3 Pro models with the latest versions of MIUI 14/15. The instructions are also valid for older devices (for example, Redmi 4X or Redmi 5 Plus), but taking into account the features of their firmware.

1.Check the basket at MIUI Gallery

The standard Gallery app on Xiaomi Redmi automatically saves deleted photos in a hidden cart for 30 days, many users do not know about it and lose the chance of simple recovery.

How to open the basket:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (image with multi-colored squares).
• 🔍 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
• 🗑️ Check the file list: photos are stored here with a deletion date.
• 🔄 Select the right pictures. → Click Restore at the bottom of the screen.

⚠️ Warning: If you were manually cleaning the cart or using features like Memory Optimization in Settings → Memory, files could be permanently deleted, and the Recycle Bin also doesn't work for photos deleted through Explorer or third-party file managers.

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If the recycle bin is empty but you are sure that the photos were deleted recently, check the MIUI/Backup/Trash folder through any file manager (e.g. Solid Explorer).

2.Recovery via MIUI Cloud and Google Photos backups

If your Redmi has been enabled to sync with the cloud, the chances of returning a photo are multiplied.

A. Xiaomi Cloud (MIUI Cloud)

• 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in to the same Mi Account you used on your phone.
• 📁 Select the Gallery section → Recycle Bin (there are files stored for 60 days).
• 🔙 For old backups: Settings → Devices → [your Redmi] → Backup copies → Download the archive and take out the photo.

B. Google Photos

• 📷 Open the Google Photos app or photos.google.com.
• 🗑️ Go to the Recycle Bin (photos are stored for 60 days) or check the Archive.
• 🔍 Use a search by date or keyword (e.g., “beach 2022").

⚠️ Note: If you have disabled the autoload in Google Photos or have not confirmed your Mi Account account when you set up your phone, cloud copies may not be created.

3. Search for hidden folders and temporary files

MIUI and some apps (like WhatsApp or Telegram) create hidden folders with thumbnails or photo backups, which are not visible in the standard gallery, but can be found through the file manager.

Where to look:

• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — Photo miniatures (sometimes retained even after the originals have been deleted).
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots/.backup — backups of screenshots.
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery — cache of the gallery (may contain fragments of deleted photos).
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Backup/AllBackup — Full backups of the system (if you have created them).

How to open hidden folders:

1. Install a file manager with root access support (such as FX File Explorer or Root Browser).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Follow the above paths and copy the files found to a safe location.

4.Programs for deep memory scanning

If previous methods have failed, it's time to plug in specialized utilities that scan the phone's internal memory at a low level and restore files even after formatting. Importantly, for maximum efficiency, don't install programs on the same phone that you deleted the photos from, use a PC.

The best programs for Xiaomi Redmi:

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger (on the phone):

Install DiskDigger from Google Play|Run the program and select the full scan.|Specify the folder to save (for example, SD-map)|Wait for the scan to finish (may take several hours)|Tag the photos found and click Restore-->

⚠️ Warning: When restoring to your phone, never save files to internal memory – use it. SD-A map or a cloud, or the new data may overwrite the still undetected photos.

5. Recovery after reset to factory settings

If you have already done a hard reset (reset via Settings) → The phone. → Setting resets, the chances of recovery are reduced, but not zero. Only low-level scanning through the PC will help.

What to do:

1. Connect your phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Use PhotoRec or TestDisk: photorec /d D:\recovery /cmd D:\recovery\photo.log (where D:\recovery is a folder on your PC to save files).

🔹 Important: After discharge MIUI It overwrites parts of the memory, so you can only recover those photos that weren't overwisted. The longer the phone lasts after reset, the less likely it is to be recovered.

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If the phone is not detected by the PC after reset, try enabling USB Debugging in Settings → For Developers (activated by 7-fold tapping on the MIUI version in About Phone).

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If the photos are critical (such as documents or only photos of deceased relatives) and the independent attempts have failed, you can contact the official service center Xiaomi.

What you need to know:

• 💰 Cost of service: from 3 000 to 15 000 rubles (depending on the model and complexity).
• ⏳ Timeframe: 3-4-10 working days.
• 📄 Documents: passport and telephone check (if any).
• 🔒 Confidentiality: data is not transferred to third parties (under contract).

🔹 Addresses of Xiaomi service centers in Russia:

• Moscow: 10 Letnikovsky St., page 4 (official SC).
• St. Petersburg: 11 Sedova St., lit.
• Regions: list on the site mi.com/ru/service.

⚠️ Attention: Don't go to informal workshops! There is a high risk that your data will be copied or your phone will be damaged. Xiaomi's official SCCs work with original firmware and have access to proprietary recovery utilities.

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

To avoid the problem of losing photos, set up automatic backup and follow the simple rules:

🔹 Cloud backups:

• ☁️ Enable autoload in Google Photos: Settings → Backup and synchronization.
• 📱 V MIUI Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi account → MIUI Cloud → gallery.

🔹 Local copies:

• 💾 Regularly copy the photo to a PC or external drive.
• 📁 Use the folder. DCIM/Camera on SD-card (if the phone supports the phone).

🔹 Additional measures:

• 🚫 Do not clean the basket in the gallery manually - wait for automatic removal.
• 🔄 Before resetting your phone, check backups in Settings → The phone. → Backup.

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Create a separate Google account specifically for photo backups, so you avoid data loss when you lock your main account or change your phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi Redmi