Recovery of deleted video on Xiaomi Android smartphones: from the cart to deep scanning

Deleting an important video on a Xiaomi smartphone is a familiar situation. Whether you accidentally clicked Delete, formatted your memory card, or lost files after resetting your settings, there are almost always chances of recovery. Unlike iOS, where data is often locked in a closed file system, MIUI provides more tools to return lost content. However, success depends on three key factors: the time since deletion, user actions after an incident, and the type of storage (internal memory or microSD).

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven methods of video recovery – from standard MIUI functions to professional utilities working through ADB. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances specific to Xiaomi devices: where to look for backups in the cloud, how to circumvent the limitations of the F2FS file system, and why you should not use the first “restorers” from the Play Market. If the video was removed recently (within 30 days), the chances of success exceed 80% – the main thing is to act quickly and correctly.

1.A check of the basket at MIUI Gallery

Modern versions of MIUI (starting with MIUI 12) have a built-in recycle bin that temporarily retrieves deleted media files. This is the first and easiest way to return videos without third-party tools. The retorch stores files for 30 days, after which they are deleted irrevocably. Importantly, if you were manually cleaning the retractable or using features like "Memory Optimization," the data may have disappeared earlier.

To recover the video from the cart:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (icon with colored rhombus).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
• 🔍 Find the desired video (you can sort by date of deletion).
• 🔄 Click on the video. → Choose Restore (Icon with an arrow up).

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If the video doesn’t appear in the cart, try changing the filter: in the upper right corner of the cart, click on the filter icon and select “All File Types” instead of “Images”.

Note that the MIUI Recycle Bin only works for files deleted through the standard Gallery, if the video was erased through a file manager (e.g. Mi File Explorer) or a third-party application, it could bypass the Recycle Bin, and the Recycle Bin does not save files deleted from the microSD card — they will require other methods.

2.Recovery through MI Cloud backups

If your Xiaomi has MI Cloud enabled sync, chances are that the video has been saved to the cloud, and it provides 5GB of free storage, which is enough for several hundred short videos.

• 📤 Videos are synced to the cloud only if the option is enabled: Gallery Backup (Settings) → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud → gallery).
• ⏳ The upload process can take time – if the video was deleted immediately after shooting, it may not have time to sync.
• 🔄 Recovered files are returned to the folder MIUI/CloudBackup on the device, not in the original location.

Instructions for remediation:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud
2. Make sure you log in under the same account as when you delete the video.
3. Go to the Gallery → Recycle Bin (in the cloud, the Recycle Bin stores files for up to 60 days).
4. Select the required videos and click Restore.

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If the video is not in the MI Cloud Recycle Bin, check the main gallery folder in the cloud – sometimes files are saved there without getting into the Recycle Bin.

Important: When recovering via MI Cloud, videos may lose their original resolution if compression was enabled during the download. To avoid this, select Original from the cloud settings (MI Cloud → Settings → Download Quality).

3.Using file managers with recovery function

If the video was deleted from the microSD card or did not get into the MIUI basket, a specialized file manager with support for scanning deleted files will help.

• 🛠️ DiskDigger (there is a free version with restrictions).
• 🔍 Recuva for Android (requires root rights for deep scanning).
• 📁 Dumpster (works as an extended recycle bin, but must be installed before file deletion is done).

Let’s look at the example of DiskDigger:

1. Install an app from the Play Market (avoid third party sites!).
2. Start DiskDigger and select Start Basic Scan (without root rights) or Complete Scan (with root).
3. Specify the file type – mark the video (formats.mp4,.mov,.3gp).
4. Wait for the scan to be completed (it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours).
5. View the files found and save them to the device or the cloud.

Root Rights Warning: If you choose to use a full scan, remember that getting root on Xiaomi voids the warranty and may result in some features being blocked (e.g. Mi Pay or Widevine). L1 viewable HD-The alternative is to connect the memory card to a PC and scan it through the desktop version of Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery.

4. Recovery through ADB (for power users)

If the video has been deleted from Xiaomi’s internal memory and standard methods have not worked, you can try extracting files via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires command line skills and is only suitable for files that have not yet been overwritten with new data. Importantly, the method only works if the device is not encrypted memory (by default, encryption is disabled on most Xiaomi).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on Smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 Times to Become a Developer) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Download ADB Tools and unpack it into a folder.
4. Open the command line in the ADB folder and execute: adb shell su cd /sdcard/DCIM/Camera ls -la | grep ".mp4" (replace the path with the current one if the video was stored in another folder).
5. If files are displayed with the.trash prefix, they can be copied back: cp.trash/video001.mp4 /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/

A critical nuance for Xiaomi: on devices with the F2FS file system (used on most modern models), the standard ADB commands may not show deleted files, in which case the adb pull utility for extracting raw data and then analyzing it on a PC via PhotoRec will help.

5. Professional utilities for PC

If the video was recorded on a microSD card, the most reliable way to recover it is to connect it to a computer and scan it with specialized programs.

Recovery algorithm with EaseUS Data Recovery:

1. Remove the microSD from your phone and connect it to your PC via a card reader.
2. Launch EaseUS and select a memory card from the list of devices.
3. Click Scan and wait until it is completed (a deep scan can take several hours).
4. Filter the results by video type and select the desired files.
5. Save the recovered video to your hard drive (not the same card!).

Use a card reader (do not connect the phone as a card reader) USB-accumulator)

Disable the recording of new data on the map

Check the map for errors through chkdsk (for Windows)

Scan in RAW format if standard scanning does not help-->

Attention. ⚠️: if the memory card was formatted in the exFAT file system (often used for volume cards) >64 GB), some programs may incorrectly recover files larger than 4 GB. In this case, R-Studio will help with manual configuration of scanning settings.

What do you do if nothing helps?

If all of these methods have not worked, there are two options:

1. Companies like Kroll Ontrack or DriveSavers specialize in recovering data from physically damaged media, starting at $300, but the chances of success are high even after formatting. It's important for Xiaomi to indicate that the device is running on F2FS, which will affect how you choose to recover.
2. Try alternative methods: 🔗 Check Google Photos – If Autoboot is enabled, the video could have saved there. 📧 View the sent files in instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), where the video could be sent. 🖥️ Connect your phone to your PC and check for hidden folders like.thumbnails – sometimes there are video thumbnails left over.

Attention. ⚠️: If the video was critical (e.g., a court case or a unique shot), don't use the device before you see a specialist. Each new memory record reduces your chances of recovery. The best way to do this is to remove the memory card and store it in an antistatic bag before transferring it to the laboratory.

How to Prevent Video Loss in the Future

The best protection against data loss is a comprehensive approach, and for owners of Xiaomi, we recommend:

• ☁️ Automatic synchronization: enable backup in MI Cloud and Google Photos (settings) → Backup and reset).
• 📁 Duplication to memory card: in camera settings (Storage) → Select the Memory Card as the primary storage location.
• 🔄 Regular Export: Once a Month, Copy Important Videos to PC or External Disk.
• 🛡️ Protection against accidental removal: in the Gallery MIUI You can block individual files (select video) → More. → Block it).

For additional protection, install the AppLock app (from Xiaomi) and block access to the gallery with a password. This will prevent accidental deletion of files by children or by strangers.

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Xiaomi devices with MIUI 14+ have a hidden feature called “Secure folder” (Settings → Privacy → Secure folder). Move important videos there – they will not appear in the gallery and will not get into the cart when deleted.

FAQ: Frequent questions about video recovery on Xiaomi