Recovering Deleted Videos on Xiaomi Android Smartphones: From Simple Methods to Deep Scanning

Did you accidentally delete an important video from Xiaomi a month ago, and now it urgently needs to be returned? Or did you lose your folder with your records after reset? Recovering long-erased files on Android is more difficult than freshly deleted ones, but there are chances — if you do the right thing. In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways, including restoring root-free, using PCs and through Mi Cloud backups.

The main problem in recovering old videos is overwriting data. Once a file is deleted, the system marks its storage space as “free,” and new data can gradually erase old ones. The longer it takes, the less likely it is to succeed. However, there are nuances on Xiaomi (including the Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/F4 and other models), such as MIUI defaults to backup media in the cloud, and some system folders (DCIM/Thumbnails) can store thumbnails even after the originals are deleted.

Important: If the video was deleted more than 30 days ago and you’ve been using your phone extensively (installing apps, shooting new videos, updating firmware), the chances of recovery are minimal, but it’s worth a try – especially if the files were large (from 100 MB) or stored on the Internet. SD-map.

1. Checking the Recycle Bin and Hidden MIUI Folders

The first thing to do is check the built-in shopping cart in the Xiaomi gallery. Many users don't know that MIUI 12/13/14 has a recently deleted feature, where files are stored for up to 30 days, and even if the video was deleted a long time ago, sometimes it stays there because of synchronization failures.

How to open the basket:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (icon with flower).
• 🔍 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Choose a Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted).
• 📤 If there is a video, click on it. → Restore. The file will go back to the original folder (DCIM/Camera Movies).

If the Recycle Bin is empty, check the hidden system folders, which sometimes leave behind "ghost" copies of files:

• 🖥️ Connect your phone to your PC through USB (File transfer mode).
• 🔍 Enable the display of hidden files in Windows Explorer (View) → Hidden elements).
• 📁 Go to folders: Internal Storage/DCIM/.thumbnails — Video miniatures (sometimes you can extract the frame). Storage/MIUI/Backup/AllBackup — backups of the system. Internal Storage/Android/data/com.miui.gallery — gallery-cash.

⚠️ Note: Do not move or delete files from.thumbnails folders or MIUI/Backup — If you find a video, copy it to another location.

2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (if synchronization was enabled)

If your Xiaomi was enabled sync with Mi Cloud, videos could be saved in the cloud - even if you deleted them from your phone. Xiaomi has a feature: the cloud stores backups of media for up to 6 months (depending on model and region).

How to check the cloud:

1. 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Xiaomi account.
2. 📁 Open the Gallery section → Recycle Bin (or Deleted Files).
3. 🔍 If there is a video, click Restore. The file will be downloaded back to the phone in the Download folder.

If the cloud cart is empty, try searching by date:

• 📅 In Mi Cloud, open the Gallery → Click on the calendar icon (top right).
• 🔎 Select the month the video was taken. Sometimes the files are not displayed in the main list, but are searched by date.

⚠️ Note: If you reset your phone to factory settings and didn’t log in to the same Mi Cloud account within 15 days, backups could be deleted automatically.

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Before resetting your settings on Xiaomi, always check if sync with Mi Cloud is enabled in Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Data Sync. Even if you don’t pay for advanced storage, 5GB of free space is enough for the most important files.

3. Use of recovery programs (without root)

If the video is not found in the cart and cloud, the next step is to scan internal memory with specialized programs, which on Xiaomi can be done without root rights, but with restrictions: programs will only see files that have not yet been overwritten.

The best free utilities for Android:

• 🛠️ DiskDigger — looks for videos, photos and documents. MP4, MOV, 3GP. Download to Play Market.
• 🔍 EaseUS MobiSaver is a deep scan, but the free version recovers only 2 files.
• 📱 GT Recovery is a simple interface that supports Xiaomi with MIUI. Install.

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger:

1. 📱 Install the program and open it. Give access to the storage.
2. 🔍 Select Full Scan (Takes 10–60 minutes depending on memory capacity).
3. 🎥 After scanning, filter the results by video type. Look for files with extension.mp4,.mov,.3gp.
4. 💾 Click on the video. → Restore the file. SD-map or cloud (not internal memory!).

⚠️ Note: If the program finds the video but it doesn't play (black screen, codec error), it means the files have been partially overwritten, in which case try to restore them to your PC using Recuva or PhotoRec - sometimes they are better at coping with corrupted data.

Turn off Wi-Fi and mobile data on your phone|Connect your phone to your PC in "File Transfer" mode"|Install the drivers. ADB For Xiaomi (if necessary)|Do not run other programs during scanning|Save the recovered files to disk (not to your phone)-->

4. PC recovery (deep scan)

If Android software doesn't work, plug Xiaomi into your computer and use desktop utilities, they scan memory at a low level and can find files that mobile apps missed.

• 💻 Recuva (free, simple) – official website.
• 🔧 PhotoRec (for experienced users) – works with ext4 (Xiaomi file system.
• 🛠️ EaseUS Data Recovery (paid, but there is a trial version).

Instructions for Recuva:

1. 🖥️ Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB (File transfer mode).
2. 🔍 Launch Recuva → Select the type of files Video → Specify your phone’s drive (usually Xiaomi Redmi or POCO).
3. ⚙️ Enable Deep Scan (Takes 1-3 hours).
4. 📤 After scanning, mark the files you want and press Restore. Save them to your PC hard drive.

If Recuva doesn’t find a video, try PhotoRec (works through the command line):

photorec /d D:\recovered /cmd D:\xiaomi_disk\ fileopts.txt,video

Where:

• D:\recovered is a folder to save recovered files.
• D:\xiaomi_disk\ — disk letter of your Xiaomi.

⚠️ Note: If the phone is not defined as a removable drive, turn on Developer Mode and activate Debugging by USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (press 7 times) → Additionally. → For developers.

Reconstruction of c SD-maps (if the video is stored there)

If the video was recorded on SD-The card, the chances of recovery are higher than with internal memory, flash drives are less likely to overwrite, especially if the card was not used after deletion, the same programs will work for recovery (Recuva, PhotoRec), but there are nuances:

How to Recover Videos from SD-map:

1. 📤 Remove the card from your phone and connect it to your PC via a card reader (not your phone!).
2. 🔍 Launch Recuva → Select your drive SD-map.
3. ⚙️ Enable Deep Scan and wait until it is completed.
4. 🎥 Filter the results by format MP4/MOV and restore files to the hard drive.

If SD-The card is not readable or defined as “unformatted”, try:

• 🛠️ TestDisk (restores the structure of the file system).
• 🔧 Utility. SD Card Formatter from SD Association (sometimes helps to retrieve data).

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If the video was stored on SD-You can use the map, never write new data to it after you delete it, which dramatically reduces your chances of recovery».

6.Restore via Google Photos backup

Many Xiaomi users don’t know that Google Photos can automatically save videos to the cloud — even if you haven’t manually configured it — and by default, the app backs up all media files if you have Autoupload and Sync enabled.

How to check out Google Photos:

1. 🌐 Open photos.google.com and log in to your Google account.
2. 🔍 In the search box, enter a video or set a shooting date (for example, June 2023).
3. 📥 If the video is found, click on three dots. → Download.

If the video is not in the main album, check out:

• 🗑️ Google Photos Recycle Bin (files are stored there for 60 days).
• 📁 Archive (section "Storage management» → «Archives»).

⚠️ Attention: Google Photos compresses video when downloading unless you have Original Quality enabled (paid).Restored video may have worse resolution than the original.

7. Professional services (if nothing helps)

If all of these methods fail, the last option is to go to the data recovery lab, which is true if the video was of high value (e.g. family records, work materials), the cost of the service starts from 5,000 rubles and depends on the complexity.

What professionals can do:

• 🔬 Chip-off recovery – Removing the memory chip and reading data directly (for physically damaged devices).
• 🛠️ Hardware Recovery – If the File System is Damaged.
• 🔍 Deep analysis – search for fragments of video by signatures.

Where to look for services:

• 🏢 Laboratories in your city (search for “data recovery from your phone [your city]»).
• 🌍 Online services (e.g. DriveSavers, Ontrack).

Before contacting the service:

• ❌ Don’t turn your phone on (if it’s turned off) – this can trigger overwriting processes.
• ❌ Don’t try to recover data yourself with programs like Dr.Fone, which can make damage worse.

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Professional recovery is only justified for critical data, and if video is not of high value, it is better to accept the loss — the cost of service often exceeds the cost of the phone itself.

Frequent Questions (FAQ)