Recovery of deleted photos on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus: from the cart to deep scanning

Deleting photos from Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is a familiar situation for many. One careless click and precious pictures disappear from the gallery. But don't panic: 80 percent of the time, files can be returned even if you cleared the cart or used the "Delete Forever" feature. In this article, we will examine all available methods, from standard MIUI tools to professional utilities that work even after resetting.

The rule is, the faster you start, the better the chances of success. After deleting files don't disappear physically, they're just marked as free space. Until the system overwrites these sectors with new data (photos, videos, app updates), recovery is possible. On Redmi 5 Plus, with its eMMC memory, this process can take days or even weeks, depending on the activity of the device.

We tested all the methods described below on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus with firmware MIUI 10–14 (including global and Chinese versions) and the nuances associated with hybrid memory partitions (when internal storage is combined with internal storage) were highlighted. SD-And that's because they often cause bad repairs, and if your smartphone is rooted or has customized recavities, you have some additional features that we'll talk about.

1. Checking the basket in the standard MIUI gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look in the Recycle Bin of the built-in Gallery app. In MIUI, deleted files are stored there by default for 30 days (some firmware for 15 days), after which they are automatically cleared, and this method works even if you manually click "Delete" in the gallery interface, but did not use the "Delete Forever" option.

How to check:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
3. Select the "Basket" option (may be called "Recently Deleted").
4. Find the right photos, highlight them with a long tap and click "Restore".

⚠️ Note: If the cart is empty but you are sure that the photos were deleted recently, check:

• 🔍 Gallery settings: go to Settings → Basket → Shelf life, maybe reduced to 7 days.
• 📁.trash folder: Open internal memory through any file manager (such as Mi File Manager) and find the hidden folder.trash or.recycle. Sometimes files remain there even after cleaning the shopping cart in the gallery.

2.Recovery via MI Cloud and Google Photos backups

If your Redmi 5 Plus has been enabled to sync with the cloud, the chances of returning photos tend to 100%. Both services - MI Cloud (from Xiaomi) and Google Photos - automatically save copies of photos, but work differently.

MI Cloud (only for users with a linked Mi Account):

• 🌐 Open i.mi.com on your PC or in your phone browser.
• Sign in under the same account as on your smartphone.
• Go to the Gallery or Cloud section → Photos.
• Find the right pictures and download them back to the device.

Google Photos (works without even being tied to Xiaomi):

• 📱 Install Google Photos from Play Market if it is not available.
• Open the side menu and select "Basket" (photos are stored there for 60 days).
• For old backups: Go to Library → Devices and check the date folders.

⚠️ Note: If you delete your photo before the cloud is connected, there will be no backups. Also check if the sync is disabled in the settings: Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account/Google → Synchronization of data.

💡

On Redmi 5 Plus with MIUI 12+, MI Cloud backups may not appear in the web version if Private Mode is enabled. To see all files, temporarily disable it in the cloud settings.

3.Use of file managers to search for "lost" files

Sometimes the photos don't disappear physically, but they just become invisible to the gallery.

• 🔄 Media database errors: Android creates an index of files, and if it is corrupted, the gallery does not show pictures.
• 📂 Transfer to hidden folders: Some applications (such as messengers) save photos in folders with a point at the beginning of the name (for example,.thumbdata).
• 🔧 Failures after update MIUI: The problem with the Redmi 5 Plus is that it is MIUI 10. MIUI 11.

How to find such files:

1. Install a file manager with support for hidden folders, such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer.
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to internal memory (/storage/emulated/0/) and manually check folders: DCIM (main camera folder), Pictures (screenshots and downloads).thumbnails (miniatures, sometimes contain full-size copies) Android/data/com.xiaomi.gallery/ (gallery cache)

If you find a photo, it won't open:

• 📤 Copy them on PC and try to open them through Photoshop or GIMP (Sometimes helps with damaged file titles).
• 🔄 Rename the extension from.jpg to.png or vice versa.

4.Programs for deep memory scanning

If previous methods have failed, it’s time to connect specialized utilities that scan memory at the binary data level and restore files even after formatting.

Step-by-step for DiskDigger (the most effective option for Redmi 5 Plus):

1. Download DiskDigger from the Play Market (or APK from the official website).
2. Launch the application and select “Start Basic Scan” (without root).
3. Specify the file types: tick "JPG", "PNG", "HEIC" (if shot on iPhone).
4. Wait for the scan to be completed (on Redmi 5 Plus with 64 GB of memory, it will take 20-30 minutes).
5. Select the photos you find and click "Restore." Save them to SD-map or cloud (not internal memory!).

⚠️ Note: When recovering via PC (Recuva, PhotoRec):

• 🔌 Connect Redmi 5 Plus to File Transfer" (MTP), Not as a media device.
• 🚫 Do not save the recovered files to the same disk from which the scan is being conducted – this will lead to overwriting of data.
• 🛠️ If the phone is not detected, install Mi drivers PC Suite from the official website.

Disable debugging by USB (if not)|Charge your phone to at least 50%|Use the original cable|Download the program only from the official website|Don't plug others in. USB-device during scanning-->

5. Recovery with ADB (for power users)

If you have experience with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can try extracting files directly from your phone’s memory, which works even without root rights, but requires a PC connection.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB on your computer (you can download as part of Platform Tools from the Android site).
2. Enable USB debugging on Redmi 5 Plus: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
3. Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: adb devices (should display your device).
4. Create a backup copy of the photo section (for example, /data/media/0/DCIM): adb pull /data/media/0/DCIM C:\Redmi5_Backup\
5. Check the copied files on your PC – sometimes they are saved with temporary names (e.g., the files are copied, img_123456789.jpg).

⚠️ Note: This method does not restore deleted files, but only copies existing ones. If photos were erased but not overwritten, they can be found as junk files using hex editors (for example, HxD), but this requires deep knowledge.

On Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus with MIUI 10–11 firmware, the adb pull command may not work for /data without root. In this case, use the alternative path: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM.

6. Recovery after resetting settings or firmware

If you have done a hard reset or reflashed your phone, the chances of returning a photo drop dramatically, but they do, depending on whether the data encryption was enabled (by default on Redmi 5 Plus it is disabled if you did not set a password).

What can be done:

• 🔍 Check it out. SD-card: if the photos were saved to it, connect the card to another device through a card reader and scan the TestDisk program (free, works with the card). FAT32/exFAT).
• 💾 Use a memory image: If the phone is not encrypted, you can create an image of internal memory through the phone. ADB And analyze it on PC: adb shell su dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=/sdcard/mmcblk0.img Then copy it. mmcblk0.img Open to your computer and open it in Autopsy or FTK Imager.
• 🔧 If photos are critical (such as documents), labs like Kroll Ontrack or DriveSavers can recover data from damaged memory chips (costs from 50+)$).

⚠️ Warning: After resetting, do not write new data to your phone - each new file reduces the chances of recovery. MIUI Security – they can finally erase the remains of deleted photos.

💡

On the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus with eMMC memory (unlike UFS), recovery from full formatting is possible only in the laboratory. Self-triggered programs like R-Studio usually fail due to the features of the memory controller.

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

To avoid the problem of remote photos, configure Redmi 5 Plus with these recommendations:

• ☁️ Automatic Sync: Enable autoboot in Google Photos (Settings) → Backup and synchronization. B MI Cloud activate the option "Autosynchronization Gallery" (Settings) → Mi Account → iCloud → gallery).
• 📁 Backups to PC: Copy folder once a month DCIM on a computer or external drive. Use Mi PC Suite for automatic backup on schedule.
• 🔒 Protection against Accidental Deletion: In the Gallery MIUI Turn off the "Swipe to delete" gesture (Settings) → Passwords to important photo folders via Private Mode (Gallery) → Private albums).

💡 Useful advice: Redmi 5 Plus with MIUI 12+ There's a hidden function called "Delete Protection." To turn it on:

1. Open the gallery and select an album.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → "Album settings."
3. Activate the option "Prohibit Deletion" (only appear if there is a photo in the album).

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi