Accidental deletion of important photos on a smartphone is a stressful situation familiar to many owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO. Fortunately, the Android operating system on which the MIUI or HyperOS shell is based, has several layers of data protection, as well as many third-party solutions for file recovery. Before panic, you need to understand that the deleted photo does not disappear instantly and irretrievably.
The way flash memory works is that when you delete a file, the system only marks the place where it was, as free to write new information, and until you write new data to that sector, photo recovery is possible, but time plays against you: the more you use the device after a loss, the less likely you are to succeed.
In this article, we will look at all the available methods, from built-in MIUI functions to professional software. We will look at scenarios where photos are lost due to a system failure, memory card formatting or user error. Your main task now is to minimize the recording of new data on the device.
Check the built-in basket in the MIUI Gallery
The first and most obvious step, often ignored in panic, is to check the system Recycle Bin, which includes a clipboard in the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, where deleted images are stored for 30 days, and if less than a month has passed since deleting, your files may be there, ready for instant return.
To access this repository, you need to open the standard Gallery app. At the bottom of the screen, go to the Albums tab and scroll down to the bottom, and you'll find a folder called Deleted, and inside this section, you'll have all the pictures that you've erased but haven't cleaned completely.
To return files, select the photos you want with a long press and press the Recover button. The images will return to their original albums. If the folder is empty or the files are not there, it means that either more than 30 days have passed or you have previously cleaned the basket manually.
- 📂 Open the Gallery app on the home screen.
- 📂 Go to the "Albums" tab in the lower menu.
- 📂 Find and open the Remote folder at the end of the list.
- 📂 Select the desired photo and click "Restore».
⚠️ Note: Files in the cart take up space in the phone's memory. If you have critically little free space, the system can automatically clean old deleted pictures before the 30-day deadline.
It is important to note that this method only works for files deleted directly through the Xiaomi gallery interface.If you used a third-party file manager or the Delete Forever command, this method will not help.
Recovery through Google Photos and Cloud Services
Many Android users have Google Photos enabled by default, and even if you deleted a picture from your phone, a copy of it could have been saved to the cloud, which is one of the most reliable ways to (return) data, as cloud storage often has its own independent shopping cart.
Go to the Google Photos app or photos.google.com from your computer. Check the Library → Recycle Bin. This is 60 days and up to 5 years for Google One subscribers. It's also worth checking the Photos on Device tab if sync has been interrupted.
In addition to the Google ecosystem, Xiaomi smartphone owners often use Mi Cloud. If you have a Mi Account enabled, check the cloud through the browser on i.mi.com. The Gallery section there may contain copies of images deleted from the phone if the sync has been completed before the moment of deletion.
Sometimes users forget that they have installed third-party backup apps, such as Yandex.Disk or Dropbox. Check these apps for the “Autoupload Photo” feature. Even one forgotten account can be a salvation.
- ☁️ Open the Google Photos app.
- ☁️ Go to the Library menu and select Recycle Bin».
- ☁️ Find the right photo and click “Restore».
⚠️ Warning: When recovering from the cloud, make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi. Uploading a large number of high-resolution photos can quickly exhaust your mobile traffic limit.
If you don't have files in the cloud, don't despair. There are deeper search methods that require you to connect to a computer.
Use of specialized software for PC
When the built-in tools are powerless, deep-memory scanning software comes to the rescue, USB-cable and, preferably, the enabled debugging mode USB. One of the most popular utilities is Recuva, which is free for basic use.
To see the internal memory of the phone as a separate disk, you need to activate the mode. USB-On modern versions of Android, it's hard to do this without Root rights, but it's worth trying. Connect your phone, select File Transfer Mode, and run the scan in the program on your PC.
☑️ Preparing for recovery via PC
Other programs such as Dr.Fone or DiskDigger (PC-They can search for traces of files even in damaged sectors, but the effectiveness of these programs depends on the availability of superuser rights).
The process of recovery usually looks like this: the program performs a quick scan, then deep. The files found are marked with a color: green is the file intact, yellow is partially damaged, red is not recoverable. You need to choose files with green or yellow status.
adb devices
adb shell
ls /sdcard/DCIMThis sequence of ADB commands allows you to check the visibility of a photo folder for a computer, and if a computer sees a device, the chances of success are greatly increased.
Recovery of data from SD-map
If your photos were stored on a microSD card, it's a lot easier, so you don't have to connect your phone to your computer in complicated modes, you just have to take the memory card out and paste it into the card reader that's connected to the PC.
Recuva or PhotoRec is a great way to scan memory cards, and they're low-level, and they can find data that the file system has already marked as deleted, and the key is to stop writing anything to that card once you've found it's gone.
| Programme | Cost | Needs a Root-Right. | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recuva | Free of charge. | No (for SD) | Tall. |
| DiskDigger | Freemium | Yes (for deep) | Medium |
| Dr.Fone | Paid. | Yes. | Tall. |
| Google Photo | Free of charge. | No. | Depends on synchronization. |
When working with SD-It's important not to format it with a map, even if the computer asks you to do it because of file system errors. Formatting will scratch the partition table, and it will become much harder to recover the data.
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Use the card reader. USB 3.0 to connect SD-This will speed up the deep scanning process several times as much as the one that you've seen. USB 2.0.
If the memory card is physically damaged (the computer can't see it or makes strange noises), the software won't help, and then you need to go to the lab.
Mobile applications for recovery without PC
There are a number of Android apps that are trying to do recovery right on the phone, and the leader in this niche is DiskDigger. The basic version of the app can find cached thumbnails of photos even if the originals are deleted.
Without Root rights, the app only scans cache and thumbnails, and the quality of those recovered photos will be low, but sometimes it's the only way to save any memory of the event. With Root rights, the entire memory partition is scanned.
Another useful application is Dumpster, which works as an alternative bin, and if you install it in advance, it will intercept all files that you delete, but if you didn't have it before you delete it, it won't help you find old files.
Why do apps ask for Root rights?
Be careful when installing these tools, many of which are full of ads or may be malware themselves, and only download high-rated Google Play apps that you have proven to be.
- 📱 Download DiskDigger from Google Play.
- 📱 Start the Basic Scan (without Root).
- 📱 Select the file type "Photos».
- 📱 Click on “Look for Lost Photos».
⚠️ Warning: Installing recovery apps on the same phone that lost the photos may result in a new application overwriting deleted data. SD-A program installation card, if possible.
Prevention of data loss and backup creation
The best way to recover is to back up on time. Set up automatic sync so you never have to deal with memory loss again. MIUI has a built-in tool called "Mi Backup" that lets you create complete copies of the system to your computer or to the cloud.
Use the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of data, on two different media, one of which is remotely located (in the cloud), such as the original on your phone, a copy on your computer and a copy in Google Photos.
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Automatic synchronization with the cloud is the only 100% way to ensure the safety of the photo in case of loss or breakage of the smartphone.
Check regularly if sync is working, and it often happens that because of a lack of space in the cloud or a change in password, backups stop being created, and you will find out too late.
It is also recommended to periodically transfer photos to an external hard drive. Digital information is not eternal, and storing the entire archive in only one cloud service carries the risk of blocking the account.