How to recover deleted video from Xiaomi phone: from the cart to deep scanning

Removed Xiaomi videos by mistake or after resetting? Don't panic -- in most cases, files can be returned even if they don't show up in the gallery. In this article, we'll look at all the possible recovery options, from standard MIUI features to professional tools that work even after memory formatting. It's important to act quickly: the fewer operations you do on your phone after deletion, the better the chances of success.

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) have features of media storage. For example, new versions of MIUI 14+ have videos saved by default to the DCIM/Camera folder, and temporary files are saved by default to the MIUI/Camera folder. Knowing these nuances will help you fine-tune your search during recovery. We will also explain how to avoid data loss in future memory cleans – this tip will save you hours of recovery in the future.

1.Check the basket at Xiaomi Gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look into the Gallery's built-in application basket, and in MIUI, deleted files are stored there for up to 30 days (the default setting), which works if you have manually deleted the video through the gallery interface, rather than through a file manager or third-party applications.

How to open the basket:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
• 🔍 Find the right video, hold your finger on it. → press Restore.
• 📤 The video will return to the folder from which it was deleted (usually). DCIM/Camera Movies).

⚠️ Note: If the cart is empty, but you are sure that the video was deleted through the gallery, check the storage settings. MIUI The basket is disabled by default. To turn it on, go to Gallery Settings. → Basket → Turn on the basket.

If you don't have a video in the cart, move on to the next one, but first answer the question:

2.Recovery through MIUI backups

Xiaomi automatically backs up media files if you have Mi Cloud sync or local backup enabled, and you can check this in two ways:

The Mi Cloud Cloud

If the phone was enabled sync with Mi Cloud, the videos could be saved to the cloud. Note that only 5GB of storage is available for free - if the space is out, the old files are deleted.

How to restore:

• ☁️ Open the Settings. → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud.
• 📁 Choose the Gallery → Find the right video.
• 📥 Click on three dots next to the file → Save it to the device.

Local backup copy

MIUI has a function to create local backups to a memory card or internal drive, and these copies are stored in the MIUI/Backup/AllBackup folder and can contain video if the backup was set up correctly.

To restore:

1. Connect your phone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager).
2. Go to MIUI/Backup/AllBackup → find a folder with a date when the video was still on the phone.
3. Copy files with the.mp4,.mov, or.3gp extension to any folder.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos to back up, check the service's shopping cart. The files that are deleted are stored for 60 days, and then deleted permanently. → Basket.

3.Use of file managers to search for “hidden” videos

Sometimes the videos don't show up in the gallery, but they're physically left on the phone, because of a media database crash, or if the files were moved to the system folders, to find them:

Step 1: Install a file manager with a search function (e.g., Mi File Manager, Solid Explorer, or FX File Explorer).

Step 2: Enable the display of hidden files:

• 🔍 In Mi File Manager: Click on three lines → Settings → Show hidden files.
• 🔍 In Solid Explorer: swipe right → Settings → Hidden files.

Step 3. Enter the video in search of the extension:

*.mp4


*.mov




*.3gp




*.mkv




*.avi

Step 4: Check the following folders (where videos are most often “lost”):

• 📁 DCIM/.thumbnails — Miniatures, sometimes containing full-size copies.
• 📁 MIUI/Camera — camera-file.
• 📁 Android/data — Videos from apps (e.g. TikTok, Instagram).
• 📁 Download - downloaded videos.

💡

If a video is found but not played, try renaming the file by adding a manual extension (e.g. video.mp4).Sometimes MIUI resets file associations after crashes.

4.Programs for deep memory scanning

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to use specialized tools that scan your phone's memory at a low level and restore files even after formatting, and the more important thing is that the less you use your phone after deleting, the better the chances of success.

Restoration without root rights

For most users, programs that run without superuser rights are suitable.

• 🛠️ DiskDigger (there is a free version) – scans internal memory and microSD card.
• 🛠️ EaseUS MobiSaver – supports recovery from Xiaomi without root.
• 🛠️ Dr.Fone – paid, but with a high percentage of successful recovery.

Instructions for DiskDigger:

Install the program with Google Play|Select the file type (check "Video")|Run "Full scan"|View the files found and save them to the PC|Do not save the recovered files to the same phone!-->

Restoration with root rights

If you have root access on your phone, your chances of recovery are multiplied, and you can use:

• 🛠️ Undelete for Root Users – scans system partitions.
• 🛠️ GT Recovery – Restores files even after resetting settings.

⚠️ Note: Getting root rights to Xiaomi voids warranty and may result in Mi Account blocking.If the phone is warranty, use methods without root.

Comparison of recovery programs:

5. Recovery after resetting settings or firmware

If the videos are lost after hard reset or phone flashing, the chances of recovery depend on whether data protection was enabled in MIUI. Newer firmware versions (starting with MIUI 12) use FBE (File-Based Encryption) encryption, which makes recovery without a backup almost impossible.

What can be done:

• 🔄 If the reset was made through Settings → Reset, try to return old firmware via Mi Flash Tool (power users only!).
• 💾 Check if the video has been saved to the microSD card – it is not affected when reset.
• 🔧 Use TestDisk or PhotoRec on your PC (you need to connect your phone in Fastboot mode).

6. How to Prevent Future Video Loss

To avoid looking for ways to restore, you should set up automatic backups in advance. Here's what we recommend you do right now:

• ☁️ Enable autosynchronization with Mi Cloud or Google Photos: Settings → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud → gallery → Turn it on.
• 📱 Regularly copy video to PC or external drive (once a month).
• 🔄 Use backup apps like Swift Backup (requires root) or Titanium Backup.
• 🚫 Don’t keep a single copy of important videos on your phone!

It's also useful to know:

• 📌 Videos captured in mode 4K or HDR, They take up more space and are more likely to be lost when they fail.
• 📌 folder DCIM/Camera It is automatically cleaned by some memory cleaners (e.g. Clean Master).
• 📌 When transferring video over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, always check the integrity of the file after copying.

💡

The most reliable way to protect video is a combination of cloud backup (Mi). Cloud/Google Photo Photo) + local copying to your PC. Even if your phone breaks, you won't lose your files.

FAQ: Frequent questions about video recovery on Xiaomi