Recovering deleted files on Xiaomi: from the Recycle Bin to deep scanning

Why do files disappear from your phone and can you get them back?

Deleted photos, videos or documents on a Xiaomi smartphone are a familiar situation. The causes of data loss range from accidentally clicking Delete to crashes after updating MIUI or formatting a memory card. Fortunately, 80 percent of files can be recovered — even if you cleared the cart or formatted the drive. The main thing is to act quickly and not write new data to the device.

Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi Note, POCO and Mi line) use a F2FS or ext4 file system that doesn’t physically erase files when you delete them, but only marks the memory area as free. This means that with the right approach, the chances of recovery remain high. However, the longer you use the phone after deletion, the greater the risk that new data will overwrite the old ones.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to return lost files, from standard MIUI tools to professional utilities, and focus on zeros and ones: what exactly happens to files when you delete, why you should not use your phone before you restore it, and how to circumvent Xiaomi’s restrictions on access to system partitions.

1. Check the Recycle Bin in Gallery and File Manager

The easiest way to get deleted files back is to look into the Recycle Bin, which works on a soft delete principle at MIUI, where files are not erased immediately, but moved to a temporary storage facility that lasts from 7 to 30 days (depending on model and settings).

• 📷 Galleries (Photos) → Basket)
• 📁 File Manager (Menu) → Basket)
• 🎵 Music (in some firmware)

To recover files from the gallery basket:

1. Open the Gallery app (or Photos on newer versions of MIUI).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select the basket.
3. Select the files you want (you can use Select Everything).
4. Click Restore – the files will return to the original folders.

For a file manager, the path is similar, but there is a caveat: if you deleted files from the memory card, the basket may not work – it all depends on the version. MIUI. On Xiaomi MIUI 12+ basket SD-maps are deactivated.

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If the cart is empty but you're sure that the files were deleted recently, try restarting the phone. Sometimes the MIUI doesn't immediately display the contents of the cart because of the cache.

2.Recovery through MIUI backups

If you have enabled automatic backup in Xiaomi settings, the chances of returning files increase. The system creates backups of photos, contacts and even some documents in Mi Cloud or locally.

For Mi Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Select the Backup section.
3. Check the date of the last backup. If it's fresh, click Restore.

For local backups:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder.
2. Look for files with the.mbk extension – these are backup archives.
3. Use the official Mi PC Suite software to extract data.

Important: local backups take up a lot of space, and MIUI automatically deletes old copies when memory is not enough. If you haven't changed the settings, the phone only stores 2-3 last backups.

3.Use of third-party recovery applications

If the basket is empty and there are no backups, specialized utilities will come to the rescue.

• 🔍 DiskDigger scans the internal memory and SD-Supports photo and video recovery without root.
• 📂 Recuva (for PC) – works with a connected phone in mode MTP, But requires superuser rights for deep scanning.
• 📱 Dumpster is an alternative basket that intercepts deleted files (you need to install before data is lost).

Instructions for DiskDigger (without root):

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Start a basic scan (does not require root).
3. Select the file types to search for (e.g. JPG, PNG, MP4).
4. Wait for the scan to be completed and mark the files for recovery.
5. Save them to the cloud or PC (not your phone!).

Restrictions: Without root permissions, programs can only see a portion of deleted files. A full scan of the system partition (/data) requires unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk.

Turn off mobile internet and Wi-Fi|Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable|Enable File Transfer Mode (MTP)|Do not run other programs during scanning|Save recovered files on PC, not phone-->

4. Recovery with ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, try extracting files via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for users familiar with the command line and requires the USB debugging mode enabled.

Steps to recover:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install ADB drivers and open the terminal.
4. Enter the command to search for deleted files: adb shell su -c "find /storage/emulated/0/ -name '*.jpg' -type f -delete" Replace.jpg with the desired format (for example,.mp4).

Critical: Without root rights, ADB will not see files deleted more than 30 days ago, as they are physically erased from the cache. Deep scanning will require unlocking the bootloader and installing a customized recovery (TWRP).

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Using ADB without root gives you limited access. Full recovery of system files (such as SMS databases or notes) requires unlocking the bootloader and superuser rights.

5.Recovery of data from damaged memory card

If the files are stored on SD-You can't define it by the phone, so don't be too quick to format it:

Recovery methods:

• 💾 Connect the card to your PC via card reader. Use chkdsk in Windows: chkdsk E: /f Replace E: with the letter of your disk.
• 🔧 Recovery software: PhotoRec (free, works without installation) or EaseUS Data Recovery.
• 📱 Phone Adapter: If the card is not readable on a PC, try pasting it into another smartphone (such as Samsung or Huawei) and copying the data.

Warning: If the memory card makes strange sounds (clicks, squeaks) or gets hot, remove it immediately. These are signs of physical damage, and further attempts at recovery can aggravate the situation.

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If self-promoted efforts fail and files are critical (such as single photos from an important event), consider contacting Xiaomi’s authorized service center, and the company has partner labs specializing in recovering data from damaged drives.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 📋 Xiaomi service centers in Russia and CIS do not directly restore data – they send devices to specialized laboratories (for example, in the field of data recovery, ACE Data Recovery).

⚠️ Note: If you plan to use the service, do not try to recover data yourself using programs like Recuva or DiskDigger. Failure to try can reduce the chances of successful recovery in the laboratory.

The alternative is private data recovery companies (such as HDD Recovery or Data Extractor) that work with any device, including Xiaomi, but the cost of services is higher and there is no guarantee of success.

7. How to prevent future data loss

The best way to combat file loss is to prevent it, and here are Xiaomi’s proven data protection practices:

Cloud services:

• ☁️ Mi Cloud – 5GB free, automatically sync photos and contacts.
• 📁 Google Photos – unlimited storage for compressed photos and videos (high quality).
• 💾 Yandex Disk or Mail.ru Cloud – convenient for documents.

Local backups:

• 🖥️ Regularly copy important files to your PC or external hard drive.
• 📱 Use apps like Swift Backup to take snapshots of system data.

⚠️ Note: If you store files on a memory card, disable the option to Format as internal memory in the settings MIUI. In this mode, the card is encrypted, and if damaged, it is almost impossible to restore data.

Additional tip: set up automatic upload of photos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud.

1. Open Google Photos.
2. Slip on the avatar → Photo settings → Backup and synchronization.
3. Turn on the switch and select the download quality.

FAQ: Frequent questions about file recovery on Xiaomi