How to return deleted photos to Xiaomi Redmi: from the cart to deep scanning

Deleting photos with Xiaomi Redmi is often a nasty surprise — especially if the images were not synced to the cloud or backup. Unlike computers where files first go to the trash, on Android (including the MIUI shell), the recovery mechanism works differently. The main problem is that after cleaning the gallery or DCIM folder, the system does not always leave traces of deleted files in the user-accessible sections.

But that doesn't mean that photos are lost forever. Even after formatting internal memory or resetting, the chances of recovery remain, provided you act quickly. The longer a smartphone is used after deleting, the greater the risk of overwriting memory clusters with new data. In this article, we'll look at 7 proven methods, including hidden MIUI functions, third-party utilities and low-level tools. We'll focus on the Redmi model, where recovery is complicated by the proprietary format of storing media files.

Important: If you deleted a photo less than 30 days ago, start with the MIUI Recycle Bin section, which is the quickest way to do it, and you'll need specialized software for old photos or after you've cleaned your memory completely.

1.A check of the basket at MIUI Gallery

The MIUI shell on Xiaomi Redmi has a built-in shopping cart where photos go after being deleted - but only if you've washed them manually through the gallery.Automatic cleaning (like through a file manager) or memory card formatting bypasses this mechanism.

To find the basket:

1. Open the standard Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) lower-right.
3. Select the basket item (urn icon).
4. Hold your finger on the desired photo and click Restore.

⚠️ Note: by default, files are stored in the Recycle Bin for 30 days, after which they are deleted irrevocably. If the folder is empty, proceed to the next method.

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In MIUI 14/15, the cart is hidden if there are no files in it. To see it, first delete any photo manually through the gallery.

If the cart is turned off (this happens after resetting the settings), turn it on:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Gallery → Storage.
2. Activate the basket option.

2.Recovery through Mi Cloud backups

Xiaomi automatically syncs photos to the Mi Cloud cloud if the feature is enabled.

• 📱 On your smartphone: open Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → If sync is active, download the files back.
• 🌐 Through the Web: log in to i.mi.com, log in and check the Remote folder (stores files for up to 60 days).

⚠️ Warning: Mi Cloud only provides 5GB of storage for free.If space ran out, old backups could be deleted automatically.

If sync is disabled, try recovering data from your local backup:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Local Backups and check the date of the last backup.
3. Restore the data by selecting the Gallery item.

3.Look for hidden folders and gallery cache

Sometimes the photos are left in the system folders or app cache.

• 🔍 Use a file manager (e.g., Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
• 📁 Check the tracks: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — thumbnail; /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots — screenshot; /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/cache — gallery-cash.

⚠️ Warning: Do not delete files with the.nomedia extension, because they hide folders from the gallery. If you find one, rename it (for example, in the file file file.nomedia_bak), so that the folder becomes visible.

Access to hidden system folders may be required ROOT. If it's not there, use it. ADB:

adb shell ls /storage/emulated/0/DCIM

4.Programs for recovery without ROOT

If previous methods have not worked, use specialized utilities. Xiaomi Redmi will work:

Instructions for DiskDigger (the easiest option):

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Select Full Scan (requires ROOT for deep search).
3. Check the file types: JPG, PNG, HEIC (for Redmi Note 12+).
4. Wait until the end and save the files found to the memory card.

Disable debugging over USB in the developer settings|

Connect the phone in file transfer mode (MTP)|

Install Xiaomi drivers (if Windows does not recognize the device)|

Do not connect your phone to charge during scanning-->

⚠️ Warning: Avoid installing programs on the same memory partition where deleted photos were stored, which reduces the chances of recovery.

5. PC recovery (deep scan)

For the best chance, connect Redmi to your computer and use desktop utilities, with Recuva or TestDisk being the best choice.

Instructions for Recuva:

1. Connect the phone in MTP (file transfer) mode.
2. In Recuva, select the phone drive (usually Xiaomi Redmi (D:)).
3. Specify the file types: Photos and Video.
4. Start a deep scan (a 1-3 hour class).
5. Save the recovered files to your PC, not your phone!

For models with a memory card (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro):

• 📱 Remove the microSD and connect it to the PC via a card reader.
• 🔍 Use PhotoRec to scan: Photorec /d D:\recovered /cmd D:\sdcard.img where D:\sdcard.img — memory-card.

Critical: If the phone gives an error "Device not recognized" when connecting to the PC, update the drivers via Mi PC Suite or manually install ADB Driver.

6. Recovery through ADB (for power users)

If the photos are deleted but the memory is not overwritten, they can be retrieved via Android Debug Bridge (ADB).The method works without ROOT, but requires USB debugging enabled.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap 7 times on the MIUI version.
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute: Adb devices (you should display your device).
4. Create a backup of the photo section: adb backup -f C:\redmi_backup.ab -shared
5. Unpack the backup with Android Backup Extractor.

⚠️ Note: this method recovers all data from the partition, including system files. Use the extension filter (.jpg,.png) to extract only photos).

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ADB-This method is suitable for photo recovery after resetting, if the internal memory has not been formatted.

7. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all methods are exhausted, and photos are critical (for example, documents or unique pictures), contact the official Xiaomi service.

What you need to know:

• 💰 Cost: 3,000 to 10,000 ₽ depending on the complexity.
• ⏳ Term: 3-7 days (in some cities – express recovery in 24 hours).
• 📋 Documents required: passport and phone purchase check.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t contact unofficial services! The risk of data leakage or permanent file loss during artisanal recovery is extremely high.

Before the service visit:

1. Do not update the phone firmware.
2. Do not install new applications.
3. Turn off the phone (if it works) and do not turn it on until it is handed over to the specialists.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi Redmi