Recovering Deleted Photos on Xiaomi Redmi 9: From Recycle Bin to Deep Scanning

Deleting photos on a smartphone is one of the most frustrating situations for a user, especially when it comes to valuable footage: family photos, documents or unique moments that can not be recreated. Xiaomi Redmi 9, despite its reliability, is not immune to accidental deletion of files. Fortunately, it is often possible to return lost images - even if you have cleaned the basket or formatted a memory card.

In this article, we'll look at all the current ways to recover photos on Redmi 9, from standard MIUI features to professional tools. It's important to understand that success depends on how quickly you start acting. The fewer memory operations you perform after deleting, the better the chances of returning images. We'll also tell you what mistakes users often make and how to avoid them.

1.A check of the basket at MIUI Gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look in the gallery basket, and in MIUI, deleted photos are not erased immediately, but are put in temporary storage, where they stay up to 30 days (the default setting), which is the easiest and fastest way to return pictures if a little time has passed.

How to open the basket:

• 📱 Open the standard Gallery app on Redmi 9.
• 🗑️ Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the upper right corner.
• 🔍 Select the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted in some versions) MIUI).
• ✅ Tag the desired photos and click Restore.

If the basket is empty or you've manually cleaned it, move on to the next method. Note: the files in the basket take up space in the phone's memory. If there's critically little space, the system can automatically clear the basket early.

💡

In MIUI 12 and later, the cart is hidden by default. To enable it, go to Gallery Settings → Recycle Bin and activate the option.

2. Restore via Google Photos (if synchronized)

If your Redmi 9 is synced to Google Photos, the chances of returning deleted photos are much higher, the service stores backups of photos in the cloud, and even after deleting from your phone, they can be restored within 60 days.

Instructions for remediation:

• 🌐 Open the Google Photos app or go to photos.google.com.
• ☁️ In the menu (three lines at the top) select the basket.
• 🔍 Find the right photos, mark them and click Restore.
• 📲 Wait until the process is complete – the pictures will return to the main gallery.

An important caveat: Google Photos only stores deleted files for 60 days, after which they are irrevocably erased. If more time has passed, this method will not work. Also check if the sync is disabled due to traffic savings or battery savings, in which case there may be no backups.

3.Search for backups in Mi Cloud

Xiaomi offers its own cloud storage, the Mi Cloud, which automatically saves photos if the feature is activated. Unlike Google Photos, backups can be stored longer here, but the amount of free space is limited (usually 5 GB).

How to check for backup copies:

1. 📱 Go to Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud.
2. 🔒 Sign in if you need to.
3. 📷 Select the Gallery or Photos section.
4. 🔍 Check for deleted photos in the archive.
5. ⬇️ If you have photos, download them back to your device.

If Mi Cloud doesn't have the right files, it's possible that the sync has been disabled, and to avoid such situations in the future, we recommend:

• 🔄 Enable automatic photo uploading in Mi Cloud Settings → gallery.
• 📶 Connect to Wi-Fi to save mobile traffic.
• 📁 Regularly check the free space in the cloud.

4.Use of third-party programs for deep scanning

If previous methods didn't work, you'll have to use some special data recovery software to scan your internal memory or microSD card at the file system level, find fragments of deleted files, and Redmi 9 will require root access (for internal memory) or a computer connection.

Top.-3 photo recovery:

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger (on the phone):

1. 📥 Install the app from Google Play.
2. 🔍 Run a full scan (requires root for internal memory).
3. 📷 Select the file type — JPG/PNG.
4. ⏳ Wait until it is completed (may take up to an hour).
5. 💾 Keep the photos found in a safe place.

⚠️ Warning: Do not save recovered files to the same memory you restore them with! This can overwrite the remaining pieces of data and make it impossible to restore them further.

1. Turn off the phone and remove the memory card (if the photos were on SD).

2. Connect Redmi 9 to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP).

3. Install Xiaomi drivers (if the PC does not recognize the device).

4. Run the recovery program on behalf of the administrator.

-->

5. Recovery with ADB (for power users)

If the photos were stored in internal memory and root access is not available, you can try retrieving them via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a technique that requires command-line skills, but sometimes helps you return files without superuser rights.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-tool.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB Redmi 9 (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Data extraction commands:

adb devices # Checking the connection


adb shell # Going to the shell of the phone




su # Request root (if any)




cd /data/media/0/DCIM # Go to folder with photo




ls -la # View files (including hidden files)




adb pull /data/media/0/DCIM # Copy folder on PC

If root is missing, try scanning the /sdcard/DCIM folder — sometimes deleted files remain in the cache.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB This can lead to a loss of warranty if you modify system files.On Redmi 9 with a blocked bootloader, some commands will not be available.

6. Contacting a service center: when nothing helps

If all of these methods failed, and photos are critical (for example, they are single copies of documents or unique pictures), it is worth considering contacting the service center.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 💰 The cost of restoration can reach 5-15 thousand rubles (depending on the complexity of the project).
• ⏳ The process takes from 1 to 5 days.
• 📄 Proof of ownership of the phone will be required.
• 🔧 Not all services work with Xiaomi – check in advance.

Before you bring your phone to the workshop, ask yourself questions:

• ❓ Whether the pictures are worth the cost?
• ❓ Is there a chance that the data is overwritten (for example, after resetting settings)?
• ❓ Are you ready for the possibility that recovery may be partial?

In some cases, service centers refuse to restore if the phone's memory is damaged or the data has been overwritten many times, so the faster you turn to it after deleting, the better the chances of success.

💡

Professional recovery is a last chance, but not a guarantee. If the photos are only valuable to you (for example, personal memories), assess the risks and costs before visiting the service.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Redmi 9