Recovering deleted photos on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions and secrets

Have you deleted important photos from Xiaomi and you don't know how to get them back? Don't panic - in most cases, files can be recovered even if you've cleaned your cart or formatted your memory card. In this article, we'll take a look at all the ways you can return deleted photos, from standard MIUI features to professional tools, and how to avoid data loss in the future.

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) store photos in several places: internal memory, microSD card, Mi Cloud cloud or third-party services like Google Photos. The exact location of files before deletion depends on the recovery method. For example, photos synchronized with the cloud are easiest to return, but photos from a formatted memory card will require special utilities.

It is important to act quickly: the less time has passed since the deletion, the better the chances of success, while not saving new files to the device or installing applications, this can overwrite deleted data, making it impossible to restore them.

1. Checking the basket in the Xiaomi Gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look in the Gallery Recycle Bin, where in MIUI, deleted photos are stored for 30 days (by default) and then automatically erased, which works for images that are manually deleted through the gallery interface, but it won't help if files are lost after resetting or formatting.

How to open the basket:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app** (icon with multicolored squares).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select the basket.
• 🔍 View the list of files: photos are sorted by date of deletion.
• 🔄 Select the desired pictures (long press) and click Restore.

If the cart is empty or you don't find the photos you want, then you can move on to the next way. Note that in some MIUI firmware (such as the POCO F5 or Redmi Note 12), the cart may be hidden, in which case you can try updating the Gallery app via Google Play.

2.Recovery through Mi Cloud

If your Xiaomi has enabled sync with Mi Cloud, the chances of returning photos are much higher. The cloud stores backups of media files, and even after deleting them, you can download them again.

Instructions for remediation:

1. 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. 📁 In the Mi Cloud section → Find the Remote (or Recently Deleted) folder).
3. ⏳ Photos are stored there for 60 days - select the necessary and click Restore.
4. 📥 If files are not in the cloud cart, check the main gallery: they may not be synced due to lack of Internet access.

⚠️ Note: if you delete a photo before syncing with Mi Cloud, this method will not work. Also check if there is enough space in the cloud: when overflowing, new backups are not created.

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To avoid losing photos in the future, enable automatic sync in Settings → Mi → Mi Cloud → Gallery Account and select Download only over Wi-Fi to save traffic.

3.Use of Google Photos

Many Xiaomi users prefer Google Photos over the standard gallery. If you have this app installed and sync enabled, deleted images can be returned via the web version of the service or the mobile application, the main advantage is free storage (with compression) and the ability to recover photos even after a few years.

Step-by-step:

• 📲 Open the Google Photos app or go to photos.google.com.
• ☁️ In the menu (three stripes) select the basket.
• 🕒 Photos are stored there for 60 days - select the necessary and click Restore.
• 🔄 If the Recycle Bin is empty, check the Archive folder – sometimes files are moved there instead of being deleted.

⚠️ Note: if you delete a photo from the Google Photos Recycle Bin or it was automatically cleared (after 60 days), you can no longer recover images through this service.

4. Recovery programs from PC

If the photos were deleted without a backup in the cloud, the only reliable way is to scan the memory of the smartphone using specialized programs. USB-Important: Do not connect Xiaomi to your PC in file transfer mode before installing the program - this can overwrite deleted data.

The best utilities for recovery:

How to recover photos with Recuva (on the example of Windows):

1. 💻 Install the program from the official website (avoid pirated versions!).
2. 📱 Connect Xiaomi to PC in File Transfer mode (MTP).
3. 🔍 In Recuva, select the type of Image files and specify your smartphone’s drive.
4. ⚙️ Start a deep scan (May take a few hours).
5. 📤 After completion, highlight the found photos and click Restore, saving them on PC.

Disable data transfer over Wi-Fi/mobile network on Xiaomi|

Charge your phone at least 50% |

Use the original USB-cable|

Do not save recovered files back to your phone |

Check the integrity of the photos (some may be damaged)-->

⚠️ Note: If you format a memory card or perform a Hard Reset, the chances of recovery drop dramatically, in which case only professional software that supports raw recovery, such as R-Studio, will help.

5. Recovery from a formatted memory card

If you've stored a photo on a microSD and you've formatted it by accident, not everything is lost. Memory cards use a FAT32 or exFAT file system that allows you to recover data even after formatting, provided that no new files are written to the card.

Algorithm of action:

• 🛑 Remove the card from your phone immediately and do not use it.
• 💻 Connect the card to the PC via card reader (not via phone!).
• 🔧 Use DiskDigger or PhotoRec to scan.
• 🔍 In the program settings, select Search for Lost Partitions (if the map is not defined).
• 📁 Save the recovered files to your PC hard drive, not to a card!

💡 Useful tip: if the memory card is physically damaged (not detected on any device), do not attempt to restore the data yourself.

6.Prevention: How to avoid loss of photos in the future

The best way to combat data loss is to prevent it, and even if you've managed to recover your photos now, follow these guidelines to avoid the problem again:

• ☁️ Enable automatic sync with Mi Cloud or Google Photos. To do this, go to Settings → Accounts. → [Choose a cloud] → Gallery and activate the option.
• 📁 Repare your photos regularly to your PC or external drive, for example, once a month, connect Xiaomi to your computer and transfer new photos to a separate folder.
• 🔄 Use cloud-based versions, such as Dropbox or Yandex Drive, which save file changes history, allowing you to roll back deletion.
• 🛡️ Set a strong password for your Mi Account to avoid hacking and loss of access to cloud backups.

You should also give up the habit of manually cleaning the gallery.

• 🗑️ Set up automatic basket cleaning after 30 days (in gallery settings).
• 📊 Use the Storage Optimization feature in Google Photos, which removes local copies but saves originals in the cloud.
• 🔍 Before deleting, check for duplicate photos with applications like Files by Google or CCleaner.

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The most reliable way to protect a photo is by combining local backup (on PC) and cloud storage, and even if one of the sources fails, the data will remain secure.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi