Deleting photos from your phone is one of the most frustrating situations for a Xiaomi owner. Pictures with important moments, documents or work materials can disappear in one click: accidentally clicking, resetting, a virus or even a bug in the MIUI firmware. Fortunately, 90% of files are restored - if you act quickly and correctly.
In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to return deleted photos on Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones - from standard tools (Basket, Mi Cloud) to professional utilities like DiskDigger or Recuva. We will pay special attention to critical errors that reduce the chances of recovery to zero, and nuances for devices with an unlocked bootloader.
Importantly, the less time has passed since the deletion, the more likely it is to succeed, and if the photos are lost due to factory reset or memory damage, the odds are lower — but even in these cases, there are solutions.
1.Check the Recycle Bin at Xiaomi Gallery
The standard MIUI Gallery app automatically sends deleted photos to the Recycle Bin folder, where they are stored for up to 30 days (some models have 15 days), the first and easiest way to return photos without third-party software.
How to restore:
- 📱 Open the Gallery app (a icon with colored squares).
- 🗑️ In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) → pick the basket.
- 🔍 Scroll down the list or search by date.
- ✅ Select the desired photo (long press) → press Restore.
If the folder is empty or not on the menu, check:
- 🔧 Recycle cart settings: Gallery → ⋮ → Settings → Bag. Make sure the function is on.
- 📅 Storage period: on some firmware it is reduced to 7 days (for example, on the POCO F1 custom-made).
- 🗃️ Alternative folders: Sometimes photos are sent to Recently deleted (Google Photos, if installed).
⚠️ Warning: After cleaning the cart or expiration of the storage period, files are deleted irrevocably (unless backups were used). MIUI Google Photos are different storage!
2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)
If your Xiaomi had Mi Cloud sync enabled, the deleted photos could be saved to the cloud, which works even after a hard reset or device change, so the Mi Account is tied.
Instructions:
- 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in.
- 📁 In the Gallery section, find the Remote or Cart folder.
- 🔄 Select a photo and click Restore. They'll be back in the main gallery on all synchronized devices.
If the photo is not in the cloud basket, try:
- 🔍 Use a search by date or keyword (e.g. beach, document).
- 📅 View Archives – sometimes photos are automatically moved there.
- 📱 Check the synchronization settings: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery.If the option was disabled, the cloud didn't save files.
| Conditions | Chance of recovery | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sync enabled, photos deleted <30 days ago | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (95%) | The photos will be in the cloud basket. |
| Sync enabled, photos deleted >30 days ago | ⭐⭐ (30%) | They can remain in the archive or backup copies. |
| Synced off | ⭐ (5%) | Only if the photo was uploaded manually. |
| The device is reset to factory settings | ⭐⭐⭐ (60%) | Link your Mi Account again and check the cloud. |
⚠️ Note: If you delete your Mi Account or reset your device without junction, access to the cloud will be blocked for 30 days (Xiaomi security policy.
3. Use of Google Photos (if installed)
Many Xiaomi users install Google Photos for backup. If the app has been set to automatically download, the chances of returning pictures are high - even after a complete phone reset.
How to check:
- 📲 Install Google Photos from Play Market (if removed).
- 🔄 Sign in with the same Google account you used before.
- 🗑️ Go to the Recycle Bin (side menu) and the photos are stored there for 60 days.
- 🔍 If the basket is empty, check the Archive or search by date.
Important nuances:
- 📌 Google Photos compresses photos for free storage (quality High) Original only saved when you pay for Google One.
- 📱 If you had two Google accounts on your phone, check both – photos could have been uploaded to another one.
- 🔧 Download settings: Google Photos → Settings → Backup and sync. If the option was disabled, the cloud did not save files.
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If Google Photos don't have the right images, try to restore them through Google Takeout, a data export service. Select Google Photos and specify a date range to search for.
4. PC Recovery: DiskDigger and Recuva
If the photos are not saved in the cart or cloud, you can scan the phone's internal memory, and then connect Xiaomi to your computer and use specialized utilities.
- 🛠️ DiskDigger - Supports FAT32, exFAT, NTFS deep-scan.
- 🔍 Recuva – Simple interface, high search speed.
- 📱 EaseUS MobiSaver – Optimized for Android, restores photos even after resetting.
Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger:
- 📥 Download and install DiskDigger (Windows version).
- 🔌 Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB, Select the File Transfer Mode (MTP).
- 🖥️ Start the program, select the phone drive (usually Internal Storage).
- 🔄 Press Dig Deep (deep scan) and wait until it is completed (may take hours).
- 📷 Tag the photos found (preview available) and click Recover.
Warnings:
- ⚠️ Do not save recovered files to the same drive from which the scan is being conducted (for example, to the internal memory of the phone.
- ⚠️ Deep scanning finds fragments of files, so part of the photo can be damaged.
- ⚠️ On phones with memory encryption (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) scanning may not work.
Enable USB debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times Press → Developer → USB debugging)
Use the original Xiaomi cable (cheap cables may not transmit data)
Charge your phone at least 50% (scanning drains the battery)
Disable antivirus on PC (it can block access to the program)-->
5. Recovery after reset to factory settings
If the photos are missing after a hard reset (Wipe Data), the chances of returning depend on two factors:
- 🔄 Was sync enabled with Mi Cloud or Google Photos.
- 📱 Whether data encryption has been used (beginning with the MIUI 12 it's on by default).
In order:
- Check out cloud storage (Mi Cloud, Google Photos, Yandex Drive). 🔍 In Mi Cloudlook in the Devices section → [Model phone] → Backup copies. 📁 In Google Drive, check the Backup folder (if backup was enabled) MIUI).
- Use recovery software (see section 4), but with nuances in mind: 🔧 On encrypted phones (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro)+) Data after reset becomes unavailable for scanning. 📱 If the reset was done via Fastboot (fastboot erase userdata command), recovery is almost impossible.
- Please contact the service center if: 💾 The phone has been physically damaged (for example, after a fall). 🔐 The bootloader was locked and the data was encrypted.
⚠️ Warning: If you install a new firmware after a reset, the chances of recovery are close to zero. New data overwrites old memory sectors. Do not update software or install applications before you try to restore it!
What to do if the phone is not determined by the PC?
6.Recovery from a damaged memory card (microSD)
If the photos were stored on a microSD card and it stopped reading (the phone asks you to format it), don't rush to agree! Formatting will delete all the data irrevocably.
Recovery methods:
- 💾 Connect the card to your PC via a card reader and scan it with DiskDigger or PhotoRec.
- 🔧 Use the utility. CHKDSK For error correction (not always safe!): chkdsk]: /f For example: chkdsk E: /f.
- 🛠️ For physically damaged cards, contact the laboratory (recovery cost – from 5 000 USD) ₽).
Common memory card errors and their causes:
| Mistake. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The map is damaged. | Logical errors of the file system | Scan through PhotoRec or TestDisk |
| Map not determined | Controller or contacts damaged | Try another card reader or contact the service |
| Card protected from recording | Hardware lock (lever on the adapter) | Check the Lock switch on SD-adapter |
| Lack of memory when trying to copy files | The file system is corrupted (e.g. RAW) | Use chkdsk or low-level formatting |
Warning: If the card is physically broken (cracked, bent, hit the water), do not try to disassemble or heat it. This will lead to irretrievable loss of data. ISO 5).
7. Alternative methods: backups and third-party services
If the standard methods didn’t work, check out less obvious sources:
- 📧 Email: You may have sent a photo to yourself or friends via Gmail, Mail.ru.
- 💬 Messengers: in Telegram (Save Messages section), WhatsApp (Investments in chats), Viber.
- 🌐 Social networks: VKontakte (albums), Instagram (archive of stories), Facebook.
- 🖥️ Local backups: On a PC (if you connected your phone to transfer files). PC Suite (backup on C:) in Titanium Backup (if you did a backup with root rights).
How to search in messengers:
- 🔍 In Telegram: Open a dialogue with yourself (Saved Messages) and use keyword search.
- 📎 On WhatsApp: Go to chat, click on three dots → Search → Choose the type of Photo.
- 📅 In Viber: in the chat settings there is a section Media Files sorted by date.
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If photos were posted on social networks or sent in messengers, they can be downloaded even after years, the main thing is to remember the approximate date or keywords to search.
8. When recovery is not possible: How to avoid future data loss
There are some situations where it is impossible to return a photo:
- 🔥 Physical memory destruction (for example, after a phone falls into water and then closes).
- 🔄 Complete data overwriting (if many new files were recorded on the phone after deletion).
- 🔐 Encryption followed by reset (on the MIUI 12+ passwordless).
- 📱 Fastboot (fastboot erase userdata or fastboot format userdata).
To minimize the risks in the future:
- ☁️ Enable automatic sync with Mi Cloud and Google Photos: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → gallery → Onset. → Google → Backup → Backup of data
- 📁 Copy your photo regularly on PC (for example, once a month).
- 💾 Use external drives (microSD or flash drives) for important files.
- 🔧 Turn off automatic cleaning in Gallery: Gallery → ⋮ → Settings → Basket → Deactivate "Car cleaning"
⚠️ Warning: If you sell or transfer a phone, be sure to: Back up your photo on your PC; delete your Mi and Google accounts in settings; run Wipe Data in Recovery Mode (not through your phone's menu). If the phone has been encrypted, don’t transfer it without resetting – new data can be decrypted.