Removing photos from a Xiaomi smartphone is one of the most painful mistakes for a user. Whether you accidentally clicked Delete, formatted a memory card or lost pictures after resetting your settings, there are almost always chances of recovery.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can return deleted photos on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices, from standard tools (basket, Mi Cloud) to professional utilities like DiskDigger or Recuva. We’ll focus on the nuances that 90% of users miss: for example, why recovering from a microSD card requires different actions than from the internal memory of a smartphone.
Importantly, the less time has passed since deleting, the more likely it is to succeed. If you've already written new files to your device, the odds are lower. But even then, there are solutions.
1.Check the basket at Xiaomi Gallery
Modern Xiaomi smartphones (starting with MIUI 12) automatically send deleted photos to the cart, where they are stored for 30 days, the first and easiest way to return pictures.
How to check:
- 📱 Open the standard Gallery app (icon with colored rhombus).
- 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
- 🔍 View the list of deleted files. Photo marked Remains: 25 days can be restored.
- ↩️ Select the right pictures. → Click Restore (Icon with a down arrow).
⚠️ Attention: Basket in MIUI It cleans automatically after 30 days, and if you manually click "Clean the Cart," it won't work, and the cart doesn't save photos deleted from the microSD card (they're erased immediately).
2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (if synchronized)
If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, the deleted photos could be saved to the cloud, which works even after you reset your phone to factory settings.
Instructions:
- 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in to the same Mi Account as you do on your phone.
- 📁 In the Gallery section, find the Remote (or Recently Deleted in English) folder).
- 🔄 Select the right photos → press Restore.
- 📲 Photos will return to the gallery on your phone the next time you connect to the Internet.
💡 Nuance: Mi Cloud only provides 5GB of space for free. If you didn't buy extra space, old photos could be automatically removed from the cloud. Check the Recycle Bin section in the web version - there files are stored for up to 60 days.
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If photos are not displayed in Mi Cloud, try logging in via another browser (e.g. Chrome in incognito mode) or changing the region on the site (top right).
3. Use Google Photos (if backup is available)
Many Xiaomi users are setting up automatic uploads of photos to Google Photos. If you've logged in to a Google account on your phone, check out this service.
Steps:
- 📱 Install the Google Photos app (if removed).
- 🔑 Log in to the same Google account you had on your phone at the time of deletion.
- 🗃️ Go to the Library section → Recycle bin (photos stored there for 60 days).
- 🔄 Click on the photo → Choose Restore.
⚠️ Note: If you used Google Photos in the “Storage Optimization” (High Quality) mode, the recovered photos can be compressed to a resolution of 16 MP. Originals are saved only when you select the option Original Quality (paid after 15 GB).
Turn off the mobile internet on your phone|Do not save new files.|Use the original. USB-cable|Charge your phone at least 50%-->
4. Computer Recovery (without root)
If the photo is not in the cart or in the cloud, you have to connect Xiaomi to your PC and use software to scan memory, which works for internal memory and microSD cards, but with nuances.
Tools required:
- 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS.
- 🔌 Original. USB-cable (better from the set).
- 🛠️ Recovery program: DiskDigger (for Android), Recuva (for memory card), EaseUS MobiSaver.
Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger:
- 📱 On the phone, turn on the debugging. USB: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times to become a developer → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB
- 🔗 Connect your phone to your PC and select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
- 🖱️ Install and run DiskDigger on PC → Select your Xiaomi from the list of devices.
- 🔍 Press Full Scan (full scan) → Wait until it is completed (may take hours).
- 📷 Check out the photos (they will be displayed with a preview) → highlight → press Recover.
📌 Important: To scan the microSD, it's better to take the card out of your phone and connect it through the card reader, so programs (Recuva, PhotoRec) scan it deeper. FAT32 exFAT — NTFS Not supported by most Xiaomi smartphones.
| Programme | Xiaomi support | Recovery from the map | Root is required. | Free version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DiskDigger | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No, only internal memory) | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes (with limitations) |
| Recuva | ❌ No, only a card via PC) | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. |
| EaseUS MobiSaver | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | ❌ No) |
| PhotoRec | ❌ No, only the map) | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. |
5. Deep scanning with root rights (for experienced)
If standard methods don't work, and photos are critical, you can try root-rights deep scanning, which is a risky method: you lose the warranty and you can damage the system, but it gives you the best chance of recovery.
What you need:
- 🔓 Unlocked bootloader (Bootloader) on Xiaomi.
- 📲 Established custom recovery (TWRP).
- 🛠️ The Undelete program or GT Recovery (requires root).
⚠️ Note: Getting root on Xiaomi erases all data from the section /data (So first try to restore files through the TWRP (hill → Data), and then install root. Detailed instructions for unlocking the bootloader are on the official website of Xiaomi.
What to do if the phone is not determined by the PC?
6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center
If the photos are critical (for example, they are the only pictures from an important event) and the independent attempts were unsuccessful, you can contact the authorized service center Xiaomi.
What you need to know:
- 💰 The cost of the service starts from 3000-5 000 000 ₽ (depending).
- ⏳ Recovery period - from 1 to 5 days.
- 📄 Passport and phone check (if warranty) will be required).
- 🔒 In some cases, the service center may refuse if the data is overwritten.
📌 Tip: Before visiting the service, do not make changes to the phone: do not install programs, do not format memory and do not try to flash the device.
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The faster you take action after deleting a photo, the better the chances of success, and each new entry on the device (photo, video, updates) reduces the probability of recovery by 10-30%.
7. How to prevent future photo loss
To avoid the problem of remote photos, set up automatic backup and follow the simple rules:
- ☁️ Cloud Services: Enable autosynchronization in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery) and Google Photos.
💡 Preventive advice: In the settings of the Xiaomi Gallery (Settings) → Gallery) disable Autoclean Cart option, so deleted photos will be stored longer than the standard 30 days.