Recovering deleted photos on Xiaomi after cleaning the cart: 5 working ways

Why photos disappear irrevocably and can they be returned

You accidentally cleared a shopping cart in the Xiaomi gallery or deleted a photo past it — and now important photos are gone? The situation is familiar to many: according to statistics, 68% of users have lost data on smartphones at least once due to careless actions. The good news is that even after cleaning the cart, the chances of recovery are there — but they depend on three factors: time (the faster you act, the better), the method of deleting (simple deletion vs formatting), and the type of memory (internal or microSD card).

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to return photos to Redmi, POCO or Mi — from standard Android tools to professional utilities. And why some programs promise to recover “with 1 click”, but in practice spoil files completely. If you’ve tried any of the following, skip familiar steps and move on to alternative methods.

Method 1: Checking Hidden Folders and Backups of MIUI

Before you use third-party software, check the built-in backup mechanisms in MIUI. The system automatically creates copies of some files, but they are stored in non-obvious places.

• 📁.thumbnails folder – thumbnails of deleted photos can remain here (path: Internal memory) → DCIM →.They're low-resolution, but sometimes they help you recover at least some of your images.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud – if synchronization was enabled, photos could be saved in the Gallery section → Recycle bin (stored for 30 days) Check through i.mi.com.
• 🔄 Local backups — MIUI Sometimes it creates archives when you update the system. MIUI/backup/AllBackup (You need a file manager with access to hidden files, for example FX Explorer).

If you don't find anything, move on to the next method, but first make sure you don't overwrite your memory with new files, which reduces your chances of recovery, like installing new apps or taking photos on camera.

⚠️ Warning: Do not connect your smartphone to your PC in Media Device mode (MTP) Some versions of Windows automatically create thumbnails (Thumbs.db) that can overwrite deleted data.

Method 2: Recovery through DiskDigger (without root rights)

DiskDigger is one of the few apps that can scan Xiaomi’s internal memory without superuser permission, and it works on a “surface scan” principle, so it doesn’t guarantee 100% results, but often finds photos deleted within the last 7-14 days.

Instructions:

1. Download DiskDigger from Google Play (free version supports photo recovery).
2. Launch the app and select Start basic photo scanning.
3. Wait for the process to be completed (it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of memory).
4. Check the photos you find and click Restore. Choose to save to a memory card or cloud (do not restore to internal memory!).

If DiskDigger didn’t find anything valuable, try a deep scan (requires root).But remember: getting root rights to modern Xiaomi (e.g. Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5) can block the bootloader and void the warranty.

Battery charge > 50%|Mobile Internet is disabled (to avoid interrupting the scan)|Free space on the memory card > 1GB|All background applications closed-->

Method 3: Use of PCs and programs like Recuva or EaseUS

If your smartphone doesn't work, plug it into your computer and scan your memory with desktop utilities.

Step-by-step instructions for Recuva:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Run Recuva and select the type of Image files.
3. Specify the path to the smartphone’s internal memory (usually this device → [Xiaomi Model] → Internal storage).
4. Start scanning. If you find a photo marked Good or Good, restore it to your PC hard drive.

Important: If the program finds files with the.jpg extension but they don’t open, try renaming them.png or using Photoshop to restore headers.

⚠️ Warning: Do not restore files back to the smartphone in the same memory area from which they were deleted! This will lead to overwriting of clusters and make it impossible to further restore them.

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If the program does not see Xiaomi’s internal memory, turn on USB debugging in the developer’s settings and select the scan mode in Recuva as “Android Device”.

Method 4: Recovery through ADB (for power users)

If previous methods have failed, you can try extracting data through Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires command line knowledge, but sometimes saves you even when programs are powerless, and is suitable for devices without root rights.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB and Fastboot Tools on PC.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your computer and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
3. Open the command line in the folder with adb.exe and execute: adb shell su dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0pXX of=/sdcard/recovery.img bs=4096 (replace mmcblk0pXX with the data partition - usually userdata or mmcblk0p64 for Xiaomi).
4. Copy the image on your PC and scan it through PhotoRec or TestDisk.

This method is complex, but it is the only one that can help if the photos were deleted months ago and partially overwritten. For modern smartphones (Redmi Note 13 Pro+, Xiaomi 14) you may need to unlock the bootloader.

Method 5: Contact Xiaomi Service Center (last chance)

If all independent attempts failed, and photos are critical (for example, documents or unique footage), you can contact an authorized service center Xiaomi. they have specialized equipment to extract data from damaged memory chips (for example, the Chip-Off method).

What you need to know:

• 💰 Cost - from 3 000 to 15 000 rubles depending on the complexity (price 2026).
• ⏳ Timeframes – 3-10 working days.
• 📄 Warranty – if the smartphone is warranty, data recovery can cancel it.
• 🔒 Privacy – Check if the experts will review your files.

Before the service visit:

1. Back up your current data (if the phone is still working).
2. Check by phone if they are engaged in data recovery (not all centers provide this service).
3. Prepare a check or a box from your smartphone – this will speed up the identification of the model.

⚠️ Warning: Don't accept "free diagnostics" on unofficial services. Fraudsters can copy your data or install spyware under the guise of "memory checks".

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A service center is the only way to return a photo if the memory is physically damaged (for example, after a phone drops or moisture hits).

How to Prevent Loss of Photos in the Future: 3 Rules

To avoid losing your photos, follow these guidelines:

1. Automatic backup to the cloud: ☁️ Set up sync with Mi Cloud (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery). 📱 Alternative: Google Photos (free to store compressed photos) or Yandex Drive (gives 10 GB when registering).
2. Local copies on PC: 💻 Once a month, connect your smartphone to your computer and copy the folder. DCIM hard-drive. 🔄 Use programs like Syncthing to automatically back up over Wi-Fi.
3. Carefulness in cleaning: 🗑️ In the basket. MIUI Photos are stored for 30 days – do not clean them without checking. 🛑 Before resetting to factory settings, remove the memory card.

If you take pictures often, consider buying Xiaomi with RAW support (like Xiaomi 13 Ultra) – such files take up more space, but are easier to recover due to the metadata structure.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi