The situation of a device suddenly disappearing important photos or documents, familiar to many smartphone owners. Xiaomi Redmi 5, despite its age, is still a popular device, and data loss on it can be a serious problem for the user, often due to accidental pressing, a failure in the system or careless memory cleaning.
Data recovery is possible, but the success of the operation depends on the speed of your response and the method you choose. The less you do with your phone after deleting, the better the chances of returning files intact. In this article, we will detail the proven ways to help reanimate your data without going to the service center.
It's worth noting right away that there's no magic button that guarantees 100% of the time, especially if it's been a long time since you deleted it, but using a holistic approach, you can get back a lot of the lost information. Let's look at the basic tools and the algorithms of actions.
The initial action immediately after deletion of data
The first and most critical rule is, immediately stop using your smartphone actively. When you delete a file, the system marks the space it occupied as free to write, but does not physically erase the data itself. Any new app, photo or message can take that place, making recovery impossible.
Turn on Flight Mode (Air Mode) or completely turn off mobile data and Wi-Fi. This will prevent background synchronization, which can overwrite memory sectors, and do not install new applications on the internal memory of the device, as this reduces the likelihood of successful scanning.
If you plan to use computer programs for recovery, prepare USB-Make sure it's good and capable of transmitting data, not just charging the battery. For older models like the Redmi 5, the quality of the cable plays a major role in connection stability.
Checking the basket in the Gallery and the MIUI Explorer
You can start looking for missing files from the most obvious places, because the MIUI shell has built-in mechanisms to protect against accidental deletion. Unlike standard Android, it implements a full-fledged shopping cart where deleted items are stored for 30 days. Open the Gallery app, go to the Album tab and scroll down to Delete.
A similar feature is present in the standard file manager: Go to the Explorer application, select the desired category (for example, Images or Videos), and also find the folder with deleted elements. If the files are there, you can restore them in one click by selecting Restore.
⚠️ Note: The storage period of files in the Recycle Bin is limited to 30 days, after which the system automatically clears the Recycle Bin, and standard methods will no longer be able to return data.
If the bin is empty, it means that the files have been permanently deleted or too long has passed, in which case you need to move to more complex methods using cloud services or specialized software.
Use of the Mi Cloud cloud service
Xiaomi device owners often ignore the built-in Mi Cloud service, relying only on Google Photos, but it can be a salvation.The system automatically syncs contacts, messages, notes and a gallery if this feature was activated in the account settings. You can check for a backup through your browser on your PC by going to i.mi.com.
Sign in using your Mi Account, and go to the Gallery or Files section, where you will see all the data that was synced before you deleted it, and even if you deleted a photo on your phone, it can be stored separately in the cloud for a certain time.
How do you turn on autosynchronization?
To recover, select the files you want and press the download or restore button on your device, a method that is most effective if you have used Xiaomi ecosystem services regularly.
Recovery via Google Photos and Google Drive
Google's ecosystem is the standard for Android and often stores data even when the user is unaware of it. Google Photos by default backs up images and videos. Open the app, tap your account icon and select Settings Photo → Recycle Bin. Files are stored there for 60 days.
For documents and other file types, check Google Drive. Go to the app menu (three bars at the top left) and select Recycle Bin. If deleted files have been synchronized, they will be available for recovery from there. This is especially true for text documents, PDFs and tables.
If the files aren't found in the shopping cart, try checking the Archives section of Google Photos. Sometimes users accidentally archive albums thinking they've deleted them, or it's a sync failure.
Programs for data recovery on PC
When built-in tools don't help, specialized utilities for PCs come to the rescue. Programs like Recuva, Dr.Fone or DiskDigger (PC-version) capable of deep memory scanning. Redmi 5 internal storage often requires a mode USB-debugging.
To activate this mode, go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on the MIUI build number. Then in the Advanced Settings menu → For developers, turn on USB Debugging. Connect the phone to your computer and start scanning in the selected program.
☑️ Preparing for recovery via PC
The scanning process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of memory, and when it's done, it'll show you a list of the files that you've found, and it's important to save them to your computer's hard drive, not back to your phone, so you don't damage other data.
| Programme | Type of scan | The need for a Root | Support for formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recuva | Superficial/Deep | Preferably. | Photo, Video, Documents |
| Dr.Fone | Deep. | Yes (for internal memory) | All popular formats |
| DiskDigger | Basic/Full | For full access | Photos, Videos |
| Undeleter | Deep. | I'll be sure. | All types of files |
⚠️ Note: Most powerful programs require a superuser (Root) right to access system partitions of memory. Obtaining a Root right can void the warranty and pose risks to system stability.
Mobile applications for recovery without PC
If you can't use a computer, you can try to restore files directly on your smartphone. DiskDigger (available in the Play Market) allows you to do basic scanning without root rights, finding thumbnails of photos.
Another option is Dumpster, an advanced recycle bin that can recover recently deleted files if it was installed before data was lost, but as with a PC, performance depends on whether data has been overwritten with new information.
Using mobile apps is less efficient for the internal memory of modern versions of Android due to system security limitations, but for microSD cards, this method works perfectly. OTG-card reader.
Working with a microSD memory card
If your files were on an external memory card, the chances of successful recovery are much higher. Remove the microSD from Redmi 5 and connect it to the computer through a card reader.
Run a recovery program (like Recuva) and select the deep scan mode for the corresponding drive. Since the memory card does not have such strict access restrictions as the internal memory of a smartphone, utilities can read even damaged sectors.
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When recovering from a memory card, always select the option "Restore to another folder" on your computer so as not to damage the structure of the file system of the card.
Once successfully restored, check the integrity of the files. If the memory card is physically damaged (the computer cannot see it or asks to format it), software methods may not help, and you will need to contact a specialist.