How to recover remote music on Xiaomi smartphones: from the basket to deep scanning

Why is music disappearing from Xiaomi and can it be brought back?

Removing music from a Xiaomi smartphone is a familiar situation, with one careless click in the file manager, resetting or even a system crash taking away your favorite tracks, but don't panic: 80 percent of files can be recovered if you act quickly and correctly.

Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi, Poco and Mi line) use a standard F2FS or ext4 file system, which does not erase data immediately, but only marks it as available for overwriting. This means that with timely action, the chances of recovery are high. However, there are nuances: if you format your memory card or perform a full reset, the process becomes more complicated.

In this article, we will discuss all working methods, from simple (checking the basket and cloud storage) to advanced (using ADB and specialized utilities), and pay special attention to the unique MIUI Security Folder feature, which can block access to files after system updates.

Method 1: Checking the basket in MIUI

Since 2021, MIUI 12.5+ has been running a built-in recycle bin that saves deleted files for 10 days (by default), the first and easiest step to recover music.

How to check the basket:

• 📁 Open File Manager app on your Xiaomi.
• 🗑️ In the lower menu, tap on the basket tab (Trash).
• 🔍 Find deleted audio files (usually displayed with extension.mp3,.flac,.m4a).
• 🔄 Select the desired tracks and click Restore.

If the cart is empty or there are no files, this means that:

• 🕒 It has been more than 10 days since the removal.
• 🧹 Files were deleted bypassing the basket (for example, through the ES Conductor or Root Explorer).
• 📱 There's an old version on the phone. MIUI (up to 12.5).

⚠️ Note: Recovered files are saved to the Internal folder Storage/Restored. If the device runs out of space, the system can automatically clear the cart ahead of schedule.

Method 2: Recovery through Cloud Services

If your Xiaomi has been enabled to sync with cloud services, the chances of returning music are significantly increased.

1. Mi Cloud is a proprietary cloud from Xiaomi that automatically backs up media files (if the feature is activated).
2. Google Drive – if you have used Google Photos or Backup in your account settings.

Instructions for Mi Cloud:

1. Open your Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud
2. Sign in with the same account that was linked to the device.
3. Go to the Gallery or Files section.
4. Find the Audio or Music folder, where you can store backup copies of tracks.

For Google Drive:

• 🌐 Log in to drive.google.com from your computer or through the app.
• 🔍 Type:audio in the search bar – this will filter all audio files.
• 📥 Download the desired tracks back to the device.

⚠️ Note: If you manually deleted files from the cloud (not through your smartphone basket), it will not be possible to restore them. → Accounts. → Synchronization.

Method 3: Using PCs and recovery software

If music can’t be found in the cart or cloud, the next step is to connect the smartphone to your computer and scan the memory with specialized utilities, which works even if the files were deleted months ago, but does not guarantee 100% results.

Recommended programmes:

• 🛠️ Recuva (free, supportive) FAT32/exFAT/NTFS).
• 💽 EaseUS Data Recovery (paid but with free test scanning).
• 🔍 DiskDigger (there is a version for Android, but requires root rights).

Step-by-step instructions for Recuva:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Start Recuva and select the Audio file type.
3. Specify your smartphone’s drive (usually a removable drive with the letter E:, F:, etc.).
4. Press Analysis and wait for the scan to be completed (may take up to 1 hour).
5. Mark the tracks found and click Restore.

Important nuances:

• 🚫 Do not save recovered files to the same disk from which the scan is being conducted (this can overwrite the remaining data).
• 🔋 Make sure your smartphone battery is at least 50% charged – interrupting the process could damage your file system.
• 🔐 If Xiaomi is locked by fingerprint or pattern lock, unlock the screen before connecting to the PC.

Enable debugging over USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap)

Install Xiaomi drivers (download from en.miui.com)

Deactivate "Optimization" MIUI" developer-setting

Use the original USB-cable-->

Method 4: Recovery from a memory card (microSD)

If the music was stored on a memory card, the recovery process is simplified — microSD can be extracted and connected to the computer through a card reader, which reduces the risk of data corruption during the scan.

Features of working with memory cards:

• 📤 Formatting the card in exFAT (not in the form of a card) FAT32) Increases the chances of successful recovery.
• 🔄 If the card was used on another device after deleting files, the data could be overwritten.
• 🛑 Some cards (especially class) UHS-I) have a built-in controller that can block low-level access.

Instructions for DiskDigger (Android version):

1. Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
2. Launch the application and select Full Scan (requires root rights).
3. Put the folder in. /sdcard/Music or /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Music (memory-card).
4. Wait until the analysis is complete and save the files found to the cloud or PC.

⚠️ Note: When using SanDisk Ultra or Samsung memory cards EVO Turn off Adaptive Storage in Xiaomi Settings (Settings) → Warehouse → It can automatically move files, making it difficult to recover.

Method 5: Recovery through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try extracting files via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires command line skills but allows you to access system partitions.

Pre-launch warnings:

• 🔧 Unlocked bootloader and root rights are required (on some Xiaomi models this will void the warranty).
• 📵 This process can lead to data loss in the event of incorrect commands.
• 🔒 On devices with MIUI 14+ access ADB limited by default (need to be turned off) MIUI Optimization).

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap).
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect Xiaomi to your PC and open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux).
4. Enter the commands: adb devices adb shell su cd /data/media/0/ ls -la | grep -i music This will show hidden folders with music.
5. Copy files on PC: Adb pull /data/media/0/Music/ C:\Restored_Music\

An alternative method is to use TWRP Recovery:

• 🔄 Install custom recovery (e.g. OrangeFox or TWRP).
• 📁 Go to the File Manager section and find the folder. /data/media/0/.
• 💾 Copy files to an external drive.

1. Reinstall Xiaomi drivers via Mi Flash Tool.

2. Use the original USB-cable (not all cables support data transmission).

3. disable antivirus on PC - it can block ADB-linkage.-->

Method 6: Contact Xiaomi Service Center

If all the independent attempts to restore the music failed, the last chance is to go to an authorized service center Xiaomi, which has specialized equipment to extract data from damaged drives.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 🔒 If the phone has enabled data encryption (Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption, recovery without password is impossible.

List of official Xiaomi service centers in Russia:

• 📍 Moscow: 12 centers (including MEGU, M.Video).
• 📍 St. Petersburg: 5 centers (Marshala Govorov Street, 35, etc.).
• 📍 Regions: check on the official website.

⚠️ Warning: Irreversible data damage can occur if before contacting the service you: tried to flash the device through Fastboot, used programs like KingRoot to obtain root rights, connected the phone to uncertified "masters" (risk of installing spyware).

Method 7: Preventing future data loss

To avoid repeat situations with music loss, follow these guidelines:

Xiaomi settings to protect files:

• ☁️ Enable automatic synchronization with Mi Cloud (Settings) → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Backup).
• 🔒 Use the Secure Folder (Settings) function → Confidentiality → Protected folder for important tracks.
• 📱 Make backups regularly through Settings → System system → Backup.

External decisions:

• 💾 Keep copies of music on the outside SSD Or a flash drive (recommended by Samsung) T7 Shield).

Backup applications:

💡

Even if you have recovered the music, check its integrity! Some files may be damaged (cut, distorted). To check, use the VLC audio player - it plays even partially restored tracks.

FAQ: Frequent questions about restoring music on Xiaomi