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

Why are photos disappearing from Xiaomi phone and can they be returned?

You accidentally clicked Delete or dropped your phone to factory settings, and now important photos have disappeared from the gallery. This is familiar to many Xiaomi owners, especially if they are hybrid memory models (like the Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro). But don’t panic: 80% of files can be recovered even if they are not displayed in the standard gallery.

The reason for the photo to disappear is because of the MIUI file system, which doesn't erase it immediately, it just frees up space for the new data, and until it's overwritten, the chances of recovery are high, but there's a nuance: on phones with UFS 2.2/3.1 (such as Xiaomi 12T or Black Shark 5), the rewrite process is faster because of the high read/write speed.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods, from simple (checking the basket) to complex (using ADB and hex editors), and pay special attention to the unique feature of MIUI Secure Storage, which can block access to recovered files on some firmware.

Method 1: Checking the basket in the Xiaomi gallery

The fastest way to get back deleted photos is to use the built-in Recycle Bin in the Gallery app, which is the default in MIUI 12-14, but there are pitfalls:

• 🗑️ The storage period in the basket is 30 days (on some firmware - 15 days), after which the files are deleted irrevocably.
• 🔒 If you cleaned your phone with an Optimizer or Security, the cart could have been cleaned early.
• 📁 On the double-phones. SIM-card (e.g. Redmi) 9A) The box can be duplicated for each user.

How to restore:

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → select the basket.
3. Hold your finger on the desired photo → click Restore.

⚠️ Note: If after recovery photos are not displayed in the gallery, check the folder DCIM/.thumbnails through the file manager. MIUI Creates miniatures instead of originals.

Method 2: Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

If your Xiaomi has enabled sync with Mi Cloud, the chances of returning a photo increase by up to 95%.The cloud keeps backups even after resetting the phone, but there are limitations:

• ☁️ Free rate provides only 5 GB – if the memory is full, old photos can be automatically deleted.
• 🔄 Synchronization works only when connected to Wi-Fi (on some firmware – and to the mobile network).
• 📅 You can restore photos that were deleted no more than 60 days ago.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Choose the Gallery → Basket.
3. Mark the files you need and click Restore.

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If the photos aren’t displayed in the cloud, try logging into Mi Cloud via your browser on your PC – sometimes the web version shows more files than the mobile app.

Method 3: Use Google Photos (if backup was enabled)

Many Xiaomi users don’t even know that their photos are automatically uploaded to Google Photos — especially if the phone was configured the first time it turned on.

• 📸 Open the Google Photos app.
• 🔍 In the search box, enter Remote or Archives.
• ⏳ Photos are stored in Google Recycle Bin for 60 days (as opposed to 30 days in a Google Recycle Bin) MIUI).

How to restore:

1. Go to the cart in Google Photos.
2. Select the desired pictures → click Restore.
3. The photos will be returned to the main gallery and the device (if there is space).

⚠️ Attention: On phones with MIUI Global (e.g. Xiaomi) 11T) Google Photos may conflict with the standard gallery. Once restored, restart your phone so that files are displayed.

Make sure Mi Cloud is enabled | Check Google Photos for copies | View Downloads folder in case of manual saving | Disable memory optimization in the settings-->

Method 4: PC Recovery with DiskDigger or Recuva

If the photo is not in the cart or in the cloud, you'll have to connect the phone to your computer.

• 🖥️ PC Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 📱 Cable USB (Preferably original from Xiaomi – cheap cables can not transmit data).
• 🛠️ Recovery software: DiskDigger (for Android) or Recuva (for PC).

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger:

1. Download DiskDigger to your phone (or PC if the phone doesn’t turn on).
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Run the program and select the Full Scan (it will take 1-3 hours).
4. After scanning, mark the photos (.jpg,.png,.heic formats) and save them to your PC.

For Recuva (if the phone is defined as a removable drive):

1. Connect Xiaomi to the PC.


2. Run Recuva → select the type of Images files.




3. Specify your phone’s drive (usually This is a device/internal drive).




4. Press "Scan" → wait for the results.




5. Restore files to a folder on your PC (not on your phone!).

Method 5: Recovery through TWRP and ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods didn’t help, and photos are critical, you can try low-level recovery via TWRP or ADB. This method is suitable for phones with an unlocked bootloader (for example, POCO F3 or Xiaomi Mi A3).

What you need:

• 🔓 Unlocked loader (instructions: miui.com/unlock).
• 📥 Established TWRP Recovery (the version should support your model).
• 💻 Computer with installed ADB and Fastboot.

Instructions via TWRP:

1. Turn off the phone → Press Volume Up + Power to log into TWRP.
2. Go to Mount → check System and Data.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and copy /data/media/0/DCIM to your computer.
4. Use PhotoRec (from TestDisk) to scan a copy.

For recovery through ADB:

adb shell


su




dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0pXX of=/sdcard/recovery.img bs=4096




(Replace XX with the data section number)

⚠️ Attention: Wrong commands ADB This can lead to complete data loss or phone "brick." If you are not sure about your actions, consult a specialist.

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Recovery via TWRP/ADB is the only way to recover a photo after a hard reset, but requires technical skills and is risky for beginners.

Method 6: Contact Xiaomi Service Center

If all independent attempts failed, the last option is to contact the official Xiaomi service center.

• 💥 Physical memory damage (for example, after the Redmi Note 10 falls into water).
• 🔧 Software failure after firmware or update MIUI.
• 🔒 Blocking access to files due to resetting your Mi Account.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 📋 Service centers do not guarantee 100% data recovery – it all depends on the extent of damage.
• 💰 The cost of the service varies from 1,500 to 10,000 rubles (depending on the model and complexity).
• ⏳ Recovery period - from 3 days to 2 weeks.

How to find the nearest service:

1. Go to the site. mi.com/ru/service.
2. Enter your city → select a center marked Authorized.
3. Check by phone if they are engaged in data recovery (not all centers provide this service).

Method 7: Preventing future photo loss

To avoid the problem of deleted photos, set up Xiaomi according to these rules:

• 🔄 Enable automatic sync with Mi Cloud and Google Photos: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery → Onset. → Google → Backup → Backup photo → On.
• 🗃️ Regularly (once a month) copy your photo to your PC or external drive via a computer or computer. MTP or OTG-adapter.
• 🛡️ Install a backup app, such as Swift Backup (requires root) or Sync for Reddit (for individual folders).
• 🚫 Avoid using Garbage Cleanup and Deep Optimization in Security features MIUI — They can delete “unnecessary” files, including backups.

For models with hybrid memory (e.g. Redmi 9T or POCO M3), it is especially important to:

• 📲 Do not store photos on a microSD card – they are more often damaged when retrieved.
• 🔋 Keep an eye on battery levels: less than 15% MIUI can force the background processes to close, including synchronization.

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Even if you have recovered your photos, back them up in 2-3 places (cloud + PC + flash drive) immediately, and it is unlikely that you will lose your data again, but it is possible in case of hardware failures.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi