Losing photos from your phone is one of the most frustrating situations for a Xiaomi owner, whether it is the flagship model Mi 13 Ultra or the budget Redmi Note 12. The reasons can be different: accidental deletion, resetting, damage to the memory card or even a viral attack. Fortunately, 90% of the time it is possible to return the pictures – if you act quickly and correctly.
In this article, we will look at all the current recovery methods, from standard MIUI features to professional tools, taking into account the features of different Xiaomi models, you will learn how the storage mechanisms of photos in the phone work, why some methods are more effective than others, and what to do if the pictures were deleted months ago.
Before you start restoring, check the obvious: maybe the photos are simply hidden in the gallery or transferred to the archive. MIUI has a separate Hidden Albums folder for this, which can be accessed through the Gallery → Albums → Three dots (menu) → Hidden albums. If there is no one, read on.
1.Recovery through the basket in MIUI
The easiest way to return deleted photos is to use the built-in shopping cart in the Gallery app, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, including the POCO X5, Redmi 10 and older models after the firmware update.
The photos are automatically deleted and stored for 30 days (some models have 15 days) and then permanently erased to recover:
- Open the Gallery app.
- Slip on three dots in the upper right corner (menu).
- Pick the basket.
- Please select the appropriate photos (or click Select All).
- Click Restore at the bottom of the screen.
⚠️ Note: If you have manually cleaned the Recycle Bin or used a third-party gallery (such as Google Photos), this method will not work.
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On some models (e.g. Xiaomi 12T), the cart is hidden by default. To enable it, go to Gallery Settings → Recycle Bin → Enable the cart.
2. Recovery from cloud storage
If your Xiaomi has enabled sync with Mi Cloud or Google Photos, the chances of returning photos are much higher. These services automatically reserve photos, and even after deleting them, they can be restored for a limited time.
Mi Cloud (Official Xiaomi Cloud)
Mi Cloud offers 5GB of free storage and saves deleted photos for 60 days to recover:
- Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
- Sign in if necessary.
- Choose the Gallery.
- Go to the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted) section.
- Mark the photo and click Restore.
⚠️ Note: If you deleted photos more than 60 days ago or cleared the cart in the Mi Cloud, they will be lost irretrievably. Also check if the storage limit is exceeded, in which case the sync may not work.
2.2 Google Photo.
Google Photos stores deleted images in the Recycle Bin for 60 days (if they were uploaded to the cloud) to recover:
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Tap on the profile avatar. → Basket.
- Select a photo and click Restore.
If the photos are not synced automatically, check the backup settings in Settings → Backup and Sync.
3. Recovery via PC with software
If the photos aren't saved in the cart or cloud, the next step is to connect the phone to your computer and use specialized recovery software, which works even if the photos were deleted months ago, but the effectiveness depends on how much new data was written to the phone after deleting.
For Xiaomi, the following programs are suitable:
- 🔹 DiskDigger is a free utility with support for Android, scans internal memory and microSD cards.
- 🔹 Recuva – a popular file recovery solution (requires root access for deep scanning).
- 🔹 EaseUS MobiSaver is a paid program with a high percentage of successful recovery.
- 🔹 7-Data Recovery – Supports recovery from damaged media.
Instructions for DiskDigger (without root):
- Download and install DiskDigger on PC.
- Connect Xiaomi over USB in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
- Run the program and select your phone’s drive.
- Click Scan and wait until it is completed (may take up to an hour).
- Mark the photos you find and save them to your PC.
⚠️ Note: Do not save recovered photos back to your phone, this can overwrite the remaining deleted data.
Disable Wi-Fi and mobile data on your phone|Charge your phone at least 50 times%|Use the original USB-cable|Do not connect your phone to other devices during scanning-->
4.Recovery from microSD memory card
If the photos were stored on a microSD card, the recovery process is simplified — the card can be removed and connected to the PC through a card reader, which increases the chances of success, since the memory card is less likely to overwrite data.
The same programs as for internal memory (Recuva, DiskDigger) are suitable for recovery, but with some nuances:
- 🔹 The card should be removed immediately after the photo is deleted and not used until recovery.
- 🔹 Deep scanning may require root access (not necessarily on the map).
- 🔹 If the card is damaged, try PhotoRec, which works with corrupted file systems.
Instructions for PhotoRec (free, no installation):
1. Download PhotoRec from https://www.cgsecurity.org/
2. connect the microSD card to the PC via the card reader
3 Launch photorec_win.exe (for Windows)
4. Select a memory card disk
Specify the file system (usually FAT32 or exFAT)
6. Select a folder to save recovered files
7.Tap Search and wait until completionPhotoRec restores files by signature, so the names of the photos will be lost – they will have to be sorted manually.
5. Restoration through root access (for power users)
If standard methods don't work, and photos are critical, you can try root-rights deep scanning, which is risky -- wrong actions can cause data loss or system failure, but it gives you the best chance of recovery.
To obtain root rights to Xiaomi, you will need:
- Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (the official utility from Xiaomi).
- Install custom recovery (e.g., TWRP).
- Switch Magisk to get root.
You can then use programs like Undeleter or GT Recovery, which scan the memory at a low level.
- 🔹 The warranty will be lost (if it is still valid).
- 🔹 Risk of "bricking" of the device with firmware errors.
- 🔹 Some banking applications will stop working.
⚠️ Attention: On models with MIUI 14 and newer (e.g. Xiaomi) 13, POCO F5) The process of unlocking the bootloader is complicated - waiting is required 7-15 days after the account is linked.
What to do if the phone is stuck on the logo after firmware?
6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center
If all of the independent recovery attempts fail, the last option is to contact Xiaomi’s official service center, which has specialized tools to extract data even from damaged drives.
The cost of the service varies from 1,500 to 10,000 rubles depending on the complexity:
- Simple Recovery from Internal Memory — ~2 000–3 000 ₽.
- Working with a damaged microSD card — ~3 500–5 000 ₽.
- Recovery after resetting settings or firmware — ~5 000–10 000 ₽.
Before the service visit:
- 🔹 Don’t try to take your phone apart by yourself.
- 🔹 Do not install new apps or updates.
- 🔹 Bring a check or confirmation of purchase (if the phone is guaranteed).
| Type of damage | Chances of recovery | Average cost |
|---|---|---|
| Accidental deletion (without overwriting) | 80–95% | 1 500–3 000 ₽ |
| Formatting a memory card | 50–70% | 3 500–5 000 ₽ |
| Resetting settings (hard reset) | 30–60% | 5 000–8 000 ₽ |
| Physical memory damage | 10–40% | 8 000–15 000 ₽ |
⚠️ Note: In informal services, the risk of fraud is high - may require an advance payment and not return data.
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The faster you start recovering, the better the chances of success, and every new photo, video, or app you install reduces the likelihood of old data being returned.
7.Prevention: How to avoid loss of photos in the future
To avoid the problem again, set up automatic backup on Xiaomi and follow the simple rules:
- 🔹 Enable autosynchronization with Mi Cloud or Google Photos: For Mi Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery → Sync. For Google Photos: Open the app → Profile → Photo settings → Backup and synchronization.
- 🔹 Regularly copy your photo to PC via MTP Xiaomi PC Suite.
- 🔹 Use the class memory card A2 or U3 For storing photos, they are less likely to fail.
- 🔹 Install a backup app like Swift Backup (requires root) or Titanium Backup.
It's also useful to know:
- 🔹 On Xiaomi models with MIUI 13+ There is a function Backup in Mi Cloud, which saves not only photos, but also contacts, messages and settings.
- 🔹 When resetting settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting) photos on the microSD card are not deleted, but internal memory is cleared completely.