How to return remote music on Xiaomi phone: a step-by-step guide

Losing your favorite tracks on Xiaomi is a bad situation, but it's not a bad one. Even if you accidentally delete a music folder or format your memory card, the chances of recovery remain high. In this article, we'll look at all possible scenarios, from simply returning files from the MIUI basket to using professional tools for deep memory scanning. It's important to act quickly - the less time has passed since the deletion, the higher the probability of success.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones run on the proprietary MIUI shell, which has its own file storage features. For example, the built-in Recycle Bin can save deleted files for up to 30 days, and the backup feature in Mi Cloud automatically syncs media files. But what if the Recycle Bin is cleared and the cloud is not used? We tested all the current methods on devices with MIUI 12-14 and are ready to share working solutions.

Start recovery – choose the right way depending on your situation.

1.Basket check MIUI: first step in recovery

If you have deleted music in the standard way (via Files or Gallery), first check the built-in Recycle Bin. In MIUI, it works on the principle of "soft removal": files are not erased immediately, but moved to temporary storage for 7-30 days (depending on the model).

How to open the basket:

• 📁 Open the Files app (Folder icon on the desktop).
• 🗑️ In the lower menu, tap on the Recycle Bin tab (or Recently deleted on older versions). MIUI).
• 🔍 Find a folder with music (usually Music or Music) or individual tracks by title.
• 🔄 Select the files you need and click Restore.

If the cart is empty or there are no files, move to the next method. Note: the cart is cleaned automatically if there is a lack of memory or after manual cleaning through Settings → Storage.

⚠️ Note: On some models POCO (for example, POCO X3 Pro) Recycle Bin is disabled by default. To activate it, go to Settings → Additionally. → Cart and turn on the option.

2.Restore from Mi Cloud backup

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, there's a good chance that the music is saved in the cloud, and this method works even after you reset your phone to factory settings.

How to Recover Music from the Cloud:

• ☁️ Open the Settings. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
• 🔄 Make sure that the backup slider is active and the last copy is created before deleting the files.
• 📥 Go to Mi Cloud. → Backups, select the current date and click Restore.
• 🎵 After recovery, check the Music folder in your internal memory.

Important: A free Mi Cloud account only provides 5GB, so music may not be saved unless you bought extra space. Also make sure the backup includes media files - sometimes users turn this option off manually.

⚠️ Note: When you recover from Mi Cloud, all current data on your phone will be replaced with the data you had backed up.

3. Search for music in hidden folders and app cache

Sometimes the music is not deleted completely, but remains in the cache of players (for example, Mi Music or Google Play Music) or in service folders.

Where to look:

• 🔍 folder Android/data/com.miui.player — cached tracks can be stored here.
• 📂.thumbnails folder (hidden) – sometimes contains thumbnails and audio snippets.
• 🎧 Player app folders: /Android/media/[annex].

How to turn on the display of hidden folders:

1. Open the files. → Settings (⚙️) → Show hidden files.
2. Go to the root directory of internal memory (/storage/emulated/0/).
3. Look for folders with a dot at the beginning of the title (e.g..nomedia or.cache).

Tip: Use File Search in the Files app – enter the.mp3,.flac or.m4a extensions to find all audio files on the device.

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If the music was downloaded via Spotify or Yandex Music, check the cache of these applications in the /Android/data/[name packet]/cache/ folder. Sometimes there are full tracks, despite the offline mode.

4.Programs for deep memory scanning

If standard methods didn't work, it's time to connect third-party utilities, which scan memory at a low level and restore files even after formatting. We tested 5 popular programs on Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 and POCO X4 Pro, the best results showed:

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger (most effective for MIUI):

Install DiskDigger from Google Play| Run scan (select "Full Scan")|Tick found audio files (.mp3,.wav, etc.)|Save them to a new folder on the memory card |Check track integrity after recovery-->

Critical: If the phone was connected to a PC in file transfer mode (MTP) after deleting music, the chances of recovery are reduced by 40%, due to the peculiarities of the MTP protocol in MIUI, which overwrites service data.

For scanning via PC (e.g., using Recuva):

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer in File Transfer mode.
2. Start Recuva, select the Audio file type.
3. Specify your phone’s drive (usually a removable drive).
4. Start a deep scan (it will take 20 to 60 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: Do not save recovered files back to the phone or memory card from which the scan is being conducted! Use another medium (such as a PC hard drive) to avoid overwriting data.

5. Recovery from a microSD card

If the music was stored on a microSD card, the algorithm of actions is different. The main rule is: do not write new files to the card after deleting! Every new record reduces the chances of recovery.

Instructions for memory cards:

• 🛑 Remove the card from your phone immediately to prevent overwriting.
• 💻 Connect it to your PC via a card reader (not your phone!).
• 🔍 Use PhotoRec (a free utility for the Windows/Linux) Or R-Studio for scanning.
• 🎼 Choose the format MP3/WAV search-set.

Features of working with MIUI:

• Maps that are formatted as internal memory (in the Warehouse settings → SD card) are more difficult to recover. They need to be scanned as a partition of the phone.
• If the card is encrypted (the option is Encrypted card in MIUI), recovery without a password is impossible.

Important: After recovery, format the card on your phone (not on PC!) through Settings → Storage → SD Card → Format. This will prevent reading errors in the future.

6. Recovery through ADB (for power users)

If you have access to USB debugging (ADB) and Root rights, you can try to recover music through low-level commands.This method is suitable for users who previously unlocked Bootloader on their Xiaomi.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode (7 times tap the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell su cd /data/media/0/ ls -la | grep -i music This will show hidden files in the music folder.
4. Use the Undelete utility (requires BusyBox): undelete /data/media/0/Music/

Warning: Incorrect ADB commands can lead to data loss or system failure.If you are not sure about your actions, skip this method.

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ADB-The method only works if the files have not been overwritten. MIUI or large applications, the chances of recovery tend to zero.

7. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all of these methods didn’t work and the music was of high value (like unique recordings), you can contact Xiaomi’s official service center, and they have specialized hardware to recover data from flash memory.

What you need to know:

• 📍 Addresses of the centers: official website of Xiaomi.
• 💰 Cost: from 1500 to 5000 rubles depending on the complexity.
• ⏳ Timeframe: 3-7 working days.
• 🔒 Warranty: Data recovery does not deprive you of warranty if the phone is not unlocked.

Before the visit:

• Do not turn your phone on or connect it to charge (this may overwrite data).
• Bring a check or confirmation of purchase (if the phone is guaranteed).
• Check if they work with your model (e.g. POCO F3 or Redmi 10).

Important: Service centers don't guarantee 100% recovery, and if music has been deleted long ago or memory has been re-recorded many times, even professionals may not be able to help.

Frequently asked questions