How to recover deleted photos and videos on Xiaomi phone: from the cart to deep scanning

Have you deleted important photos or videos on Xiaomi and you don't know how to get them back? Don't panic - in most cases files can be recovered even if they're missing from the gallery. Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models) use several data protection mechanisms, and also support standard recovery protocols that work at the file system level. The main thing is to act quickly and not write new data to the device so as not to erase lost files.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to recover deleted media files, from simple recovery from the cart to professional utilities, how MIUI’s built-in tools work, what cloud services can help you with a crisis, and when to use third-party software, and how to protect data from loss in the future — because prevention is always cheaper than treatment.

1.Check the basket at Xiaomi Gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look in the gallery basket, where the default MIUI stores deleted photos and videos for 30 days (some models up to 15 days) before being permanently erased, and this mechanism works on all modern Xiaomi smartphones, starting with MIUI 12.

To recover files from the Recycle Bin:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (or Photos on some firmware).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted).
• 🔍 Scroll down the list and tick the required files.
• ↩️ Click Restore (Icon with a down arrow).

Important: If the cart is empty or files are missing early, it could mean you have manually cleaned it or used a third-party gallery (such as Google Photos) that has its own storage rules.

2. Recovery through cloud services

If the files are not found in the cart, check the cloud storage. Xiaomi smartphones by default sync media files with Mi Cloud, and many users additionally use Google Photos or Yandex.Disk. The chances of success are high if:

• 📲 The phone was enabled autosynchronization with the cloud.
• 🔄 You were logged in to your Mi or Google account at the time of deletion.
• 📅 Files were deleted no earlier than 60 days ago (storage period in the cloud).

Instructions for Mi Cloud:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Select the Gallery section → Basket.
3. Find the files you need and click Restore.

Instructions for Google Photos:

1. Open photos.google.com.
2. In the menu on the left, select the basket.
3. Restore files or download them to your PC.

If there are no files in the cloud, check the Archive — sometimes users mistakenly archive media instead of deleting it. Also worth looking at the Screenshots or Downloads folder — maybe the files were moved there.

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Set up automatic sync with Mi Cloud: go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Sync Gallery and enable the option. This will save data if accidentally deleted.

3. Use of PCs and recovery software

If the files are not found in the trash and clouds, you have to connect the phone to your computer and use specialized utilities, which works even if the media was deleted months ago, but with one condition: the phone should not be writing much new data (otherwise the old files will be overwritten).

Tools required:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS.
• 📱 Cable USB (preferably original).
• 🔧 Recovery program: DiskDigger, Recuva, EaseUS MobiSaver or Dr.Fone.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC in File Transfer mode (when you request on your phone, select this option).
2. Install and run a recovery program (e.g., DiskDigger).
3. Select the phone drive (usually Internal Storage or SD-map).
4. Run a deep scan – it will take from 30 minutes to several hours.
5. After scanning, mark the files you need (you can filter by the format:.jpg,.png,.mp4) and save them to your PC.

⚠️ Warning: Don't save recovered files back to your phone - first transfer them to your PC or cloud. Recording to your device may erase the remaining unrecovered data.

Disable Wi-Fi and mobile data on your phone|Use the original USB-cable|Do not connect your phone to charge during scanning|Save recovered files on PC, not phone-->

4. Recovery with ADB (for Advanced)

If standard methods don't work, you can try extracting files through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that is suitable for users who are willing to work with the command line.

• 📁 Files were deleted but not erased (for example, after resetting to factory settings without formatting).
• 🔧 The phone's debugging on. USB.
• 🖥️ There is access to a PC with installed ADB-driver.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB debugging on your phone: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm access to debugging.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell


su




cd /sdcard/DCIM/




ls -la

This command will show the contents of the DCIM folder where the photos are stored. If there are files but are not displayed in the gallery, copy them to your PC:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/ C:\Backup\

⚠️ Attention: Method C ADB requires root permissions to access some system folders, and if you don't, you can only view files in open directories (e.g., file access, /DCIM or /Downloads). Wrong teams ADB You can disrupt your phone – use this method only if you are confident in your actions.

5. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all of the above methods did not help, and the files are critically important (for example, these are the only photos from an important event), you can contact the official Xiaomi service center.

• 💰 The cost of the service starts from 3000-10 000 ₽ depending on the complexity.
• ⏳ Recovery time: 1 to 5 days.
• 🔒 Success Guarantee Not 100%: If Data Has Been Overwritten, It May Not Be Recoverable.

Before the service visit:

• 📋 Check if they are recovering data (not all centers provide this service).
• 🔋 Don’t turn off your phone or try to repair it yourself.
• 📄 Bring a check or a warranty card (if the phone is guaranteed).

Xiaomi Service Centers in Russia do not officially provide data recovery services from 2023 due to sanctions restrictions, but some private laboratories (for example, Data Recovery Lab) continue to work with Xiaomi devices on a paid basis.

6. How to prevent future data loss

To avoid the problem of lost photos, follow the following simple rules:

Automatic backup:

• ☁️ Set up sync with Mi Cloud or Google Photos (in Settings) → Accounts).
• 💾 Regularly copy important files to a PC or external drive.

Safe disposal:

• 🗑️ Before cleaning the basket, check its contents.
• 🔍 Use the function of Search for duplicates in the gallery, so as not to delete the same photos by mistake.

Hardware protection:

• 📱 Set a strong password or fingerprint to avoid data theft.
• 🔋 Keep an eye on memory status: If your phone overheats or brakes frequently, it can damage your files.

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The most reliable way to protect data is a combination of cloud backup (Mi). Cloud/Google Photo Photo) + Even if one source fails, the files will remain in another.

FAQ: Frequent questions about file recovery on Xiaomi