Photo recovery on Xiaomi: from the cart to deep scanning

Losing photos on a Xiaomi smartphone is a situation that almost every user faces: you accidentally clicked Delete Everything, formatted your memory card, or reset your phone to factory settings, and now valuable images are gone. Fortunately, 90% of the time, files can be returned if you act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to recover photos on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices, from standard tools (basket, Mi Cloud) to professional utilities for deep memory scanning. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances of working with MIUI, which are often missed in the general instructions: where exactly backups are stored, how to circumvent system limitations and what to do if the phone does not turn on.

Important: The effectiveness of recovery depends on how long it has been since you deleted it and how much you have used your phone since you lost your files, and the faster you start, the better the chances of returning the images in their original quality.

1.A check of the basket at MIUI Gallery

The first thing to do is to look into the built-in Recycle Bin of the Gallery app, where in MIUI, deleted photos are not erased immediately, but are sent to a temporary storage facility where they are stored for 15 to 30 days (depending on the model and firmware version).

How to find the basket:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (image with multi-colored squares).
• 🔍 Click on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
• 🗑️ Select the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted on New Versions).
• 🖼️ Tick the necessary photos with ticks and click Restore.

If the cart is empty or not on the menu, it means:

• ❌ Photos were deleted more than a month ago (autocleaning worked).
• ❌ You manually cleaned the basket through the gallery settings.
• ❌ Removal occurred through Explorer or a third-party application (bypassing the basket).

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On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro), the cart is hidden. To see it, update the Gallery app via Google Play or enable the system folders to be displayed in the Explorer settings.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse the gallery basket with the Google Photos basket! If you've used Google sync, check the Google Photos archive as well - there are their own storage periods (60 days).

2.Recovery through Mi Cloud

If your Xiaomi has enabled sync with Mi Cloud, the chances of returning a photo are much higher.The cloud automatically saves copies of the images, even if the originals are deleted from the phone.

Steps to recover:

1. 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in to the same Mi Account as you do on your phone.
2. 📂 Select the Gallery section (or Photos in English version).
3. 🔍 Use a date filter or search to find lost photos.
4. 📥 Click on the photo, then on three dots. → Download (or Restore to the Device).

If the photo is not in the cloud, check:

• 🔄 Whether synchronization was enabled: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → gallery.
• 📅 Last sync date (Photos may have been deleted before backup).
• 📱 Model phone: on POCO F3 and some Redmi Gallery syncs are disabled by default.

3. Search for backups on PC or Mac

Many Xiaomi users don’t realize that the phone can automatically back up photos when you connect to your computer.

On Windows:

• 🖥️ This computer → [Name of your Xiaomi] → Internal storage → DCIM →.thumbnails (hidden miniatures).
• 🖥️ C:\Users\[Your name \Pictures (if you used to import through Windows Photos).
• 🖥️ MiPhoneManager folder on the desktop (if you installed official software from Xiaomi).

On a Mac:

• 🖥️ Open the Programs → Image Capture and check the history of imports.
• 🖥️ folder /Users/[Your name]/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary (if you use Photos).

If you connected your phone to your PC via the Mi PC Suite, try:

1. Install the program from the official website.
2. Connect your phone and select Backup → Restore.
3. Check the archives in C:\MiPhoneManager\Backup.

⚠️ Warning: Do not connect your phone to your PC in file transfer mode (MTP), If you want to avoid overwriting data, use Charging Only or remove the memory card and connect it through the card reader.

4.Programs for deep memory scanning

If standard methods don't work, it's time to use special tools that scan the internal memory and microSD card at the binary level, recovering even fragmented files. Importantly, don't install programs on the same disk where the photos were stored, which will reduce the chances of recovery.

The best programs for Xiaomi:

Step-by-step instructions for Disk Drill (recommended for Xiaomi):

Connect the memory card to the PC via the card reader (not via the phone)|Install Disk Drill on another drive (not C:)|Select a disk to scan (internal memory or SD)|Click "Search for Lost Data" and wait until it's finished.|Filter the results by format (JPG, PNG, HEIC)|Save files to another medium-->

If the program does not see the internal memory of the phone:

• 🔧 Enable Developer Mode (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press).
• 🔧 Activate Debugging on USB In Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• 🔧 Connect the phone in file transfer mode (MTP) and repeat the scan.

For memory cards (microSD):

• 💾 Remove the card from your phone and connect via card reader (not via phone!).
• 🔍 Select the program mode Deep scan (deep scan).
• ⏳ The process can take several hours – do not interrupt it.

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Programs restore files by signature, so the less you used your phone after deleting, the higher the chances of returning the photo in its original quality.

5. Recovery after resetting or firmware

If you reset your phone to factory settings or reflash it through Fastboot, standard methods won't work, and only low-level internal memory scans will help, but you'll need to:

• 🔧 Unlocked bootloader (Bootloader).
• 🔧 Root rights (to access sections) /data and /sdcard).
• 🔧 TestDisk or R-Studio.

Instructions for experienced users:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool.
2. Install TWRP Recovery and get root through Magisk.
3. Connect your phone to your PC in ADB mode and execute the command: adb pull /dev/block/mmcblk0 mmcblk0.img (this will create an image of internal memory).
4. Open the image in TestDisk and select Analyse → Quick Search.

⚠️ Attention: Low-level recovery can damage the current data on the phone.Do this only if other methods have not worked and you are ready for the risk.

If the phone is not switched on:

• 🔋 Check if the battery is discharged (plug it into charging for 30 minutes).
• 🔄 Try to log in to Recovery Mode (clip the power supply) + Loudness up).
• 💽 Remove the memory card and scan it on another device.

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If the photos are critical (for example, they are the only copies of documents or family photos), and independent attempts have failed, contact the authorized service center Xiaomi.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 📍 Addresses of official services: mi.com/global/service.
• 💰 Cost of recovery: from 3 000 to 15 000 rubles (depending on model and complexity).
• ⏳ Timeframe: 3 days to 2 weeks.
• 🔒 Guarantee of confidentiality: all data is returned to external media, originals are erased.

What to bring with you:

• 📄 Passport (to confirm possession of the device).
• 📱 Phone with a charge of at least 50%.
• 💾 Memory card (if the photo was stored on it).
• 📝 Check or warranty card (if the phone is guaranteed).

⚠️ Note: Not all service centers are engaged in data recovery — check this by phone before visiting. Also avoid “handicraft” workshops: unqualified actions can irrevocably damage memory.

7. How to prevent future photo loss

To avoid the problem of lost photos, set up automatic backup on your Xiaomi:

Methods of protection:

• ☁️ Mi Cloud: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → gallery → Enable synchronization.
• ☁️ Google Photos: Install the app and enable Backup and Sync.
• 💾 Local Copying: Transfer your photo to a PC or external disk once a month.
• 📱 Backup apps: Swift Backup (requires root) or Titanium Backup.

Additional advice:

• 🚫 Don’t store photos on a memory card alone – microSDs are more likely to fail than internal memory.
• 🔄 Check the gallery basket regularly and clean it manually (autocleaning may work unexpectedly).
• 📲 Install FolderSync to automatically upload photos to Yandex Drive or Dropbox.

For models with MIUI 14+, the Authorization function is available:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Backup.
2. Select Local Backup.
3. Specify folders for saving (gallery, download, etc.).
4. Set up a schedule (for example, once a week).

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Even if you use the cloud, store local copies of important photos on two media (phone + PC / disk).

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi