How to recover deleted photos from the cart on Xiaomi smartphones: all working ways

Why photos disappear from the cart forever and can they be returned

You accidentally cleared a shopping cart in the Xiaomi gallery or deleted a photo directly, bypassing it? The situation is familiar to many: the pictures that were in the Recently Deleted folder yesterday disappeared without a trace today. Unlike computer OSs, where files can still be recovered after being deleted from the shopping cart with specialized utilities, smartphones work differently, depending on the type of memory, synchronization settings and even the device model.

In Xiaomi (starting with MIUI 12 and later), the shopping cart in the gallery stores deleted photos for a maximum of 30 days, after which they are automatically erased without the possibility of recovery through standard means. However, this does not mean that the files disappear without a trace. They remain in the device's memory until the new data overwrites them, the main thing is to act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to return deleted photos, from simple (check cloud copies) to complex (use ADB and specialized utilities), and also describe how to protect photos from accidental deletion in the future.

Method 1: Check the “Recently Deleted” folder (if the basket has not been cleared)

Before you panic, make sure that the photos are indeed irreversibly deleted. In MIUI, the cart is hidden from direct access, but it can be opened through a standard gallery:

1. Open the Gallery app (or Google Photos if you use it).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the upper right corner.
3. Select the Recycle Bin (Recently Deleted in English).
4. If you have a photo, select them and click Restore.

Important: In some Xiaomi firmware (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro with MIUI 13), the basket may be called Remote or Archive. If the folder is not, then the photos are automatically erased after 30 days or you manually cleaned the basket.

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On some models (e.g. Xiaomi 12T), the cart is hidden in the gallery settings. To enable it, go to Gallery Settings → Recycle Bin → Enable

Method 2: Recovery via Mi Cloud (if synchronization was enabled)

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync activated, the chances of returning photos are much higher, and the cloud retains copies of photos even after they are deleted from the device.

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Mi Account.
2. In the Gallery section, find the Recycle Bin folder or Deleted Files.
3. Select the desired photos and click Restore.

Note that Mi Cloud stores deleted photos for up to 60 days (as opposed to 30 days in the local cart), if less than two months have passed since deleting, the chances of success are high, and if sync has been disabled, this method will not work.

If you don’t have a photo in the cloud, move on to the next one.

Method 3: Using Google Photos (if backed up)

Many Xiaomi users are installing Google Photos as an alternative to the standard gallery, and if you had automatic backup enabled, the photos could have been saved there even after being deleted from the device.

• 📱 Open the Google Photos app on your phone or go to photos.google.com.
• 🔍 Select Trash from the menu, and the deleted photos are stored there for 60 days.
• 🔄 If the photo isn’t in the cart, try searching for it by date or keyword (e.g. beach 2023).
• 💾 If found - restore to the device or download to the computer.

An important nuance: Google Photos compresses photos to 16 MP by default for free storage. If you need originals, check if the original quality option (requires a fee for space over 15 GB) was enabled.

Mi Cloud|Google Photo|Yandex.Disk.|iCloud|Don't use the clouds.|Other-->

Method 4: Data recovery software (if the photo is not in the cloud)

If the photos are not synced with either Mi Cloud or Google Photos, the only option is to restore the phone’s internal memory.

• 🖥️ Computer (Windows/Mac/Linux).
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🔧 Recovery software (e.g. DiskDigger, Recuva, EaseUS MobiSaver).

Instructions for DiskDigger (one of the most effective utilities for Android):

1. Download and install DiskDigger on PC (official site).
2. Connect Xiaomi to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Launch the program, select your device and press Scan.
4. After scanning, mark the photos you want (usually marked as.jpg or.png) and click Recover.
5. Save the recovered files to your computer (not your phone!).

Warning: the longer you use your phone after you delete your photos, the less likely you are to return them. New files (photos, videos, app updates) overwrite deleted data. If more than a week has passed, the chances are minimal.

Disconnect Wi-Fi and mobile Internet on your phone|Not installing new applications|Do not take new photos/videos|Charge your phone at least 50 times%|Use the original USB-cable-->

If the programs do not find photos, try to turn on the developer mode and allow debugging over USB:

Settings → About the phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times)


Settings → Additional → For developers → Debugging by USB (enable)

Method 5: Recovery through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard software doesn’t work, you can try extracting photos using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a technique that requires technical skills and only works if:

• 🔧 The phone's on debugging. USB.
• 📁 The file system is not encrypted (on some Xiaomi with the MIUI 14+ encryption enabled by default).
• 🖥️ Access to a computer with installed ADB.

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (Mac/Linux) and type: adb shell su cd /data/media/0/DCIM/ ls-la (if the folder exists, proceed to the next step).
3. Copy files to your computer: adb pull /data/media/0/DCIM/ C:\Xiaomi_Recovery

Importantly, this method only works if the photos are still physically in memory, but not displayed in the gallery. If the files are overwritten, ADB won't help.

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ADB is a powerful tool, but it's dangerous. Wrong commands can cause a phone to reset or data to be corrupted. Use only if you're confident in what you're doing.

Method 6: Contacting a service center (extreme case)

If all of these methods failed and the photos are critical (for example, they are the only copies of documents or memorable images), you can try contacting the Xiaomi service center.

• 💰 Service paid (from 1,500 to 5 000 rubles depending on the complexity).
• ⏳ Recovery can take up to 7 days.
• 🔒 There is no guarantee of success – if the data is overwritten, even specialists will not be able to return it.

Before the service visit:

1. Do not update the phone firmware.
2. Do not install new applications.
3. Don't do a setup reset.

The addresses of official Xiaomi service centers in Russia can be found on the website mi.com/ru/service.

How to protect your photo from accidental deletion in the future

To avoid losing important photos, follow these rules:

• ☁️ Enable automatic sync with Mi Cloud or Google Photos: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery → Turn on.
• 📁 Regularly copy the photo to your computer or external drive.
• 🔒 Use hidden folders for confidential photos: Gallery → Select the photo → More. → Hide.
• 📱 Install a third-party gallery with an extended basket (such as Simple Gallery or QuickPic).

You can also set up two-step removal in Google Photos:

1. Open Google Photos → Settings → Recycle Bin.
2. Set a maximum storage period (60 days).
3. Enable the option of Deletion Confirmation.

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Some Xiaomi models (such as the Mi 11 Ultra) have a feature called Protected Photos in the gallery, which encrypts the photos and requires you to use it. PIN-Access code activated in Gallery settings → Protected photos

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi

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The most reliable way to keep a photo from being lost is to back up 2 to 3 places (cloud + computer + memory card).