Losing photos on a smartphone is one of the most painful situations for owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro. Snapshots from important events, family footage or work materials can disappear as a result of accidental clicking, system failure or even after resetting. Fortunately, the Redmi Note 8 Pro has several built-in data protection mechanisms, as well as third-party tools that will help to return what was lost. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods from the simplest (checking the basket) to advanced ones (using ADB and root rights).
It is important to understand that the success of recovery depends on two factors — time (the earlier you start acting, the better the chances) and the method of deleting. For example, photos erased through the gallery often remain in /.thumbnails or the basket, whereas files deleted through the file manager with the option of “irrevocable deletion” will require deep memory scanning. We will also reveal the unique feature of the Redmi Note 8 Pro: its internal memory is formatted in F2FS, which affects the recovery efficiency compared to the classic ext4.
1. Checking the basket in the standard MIUI gallery
The first thing you need to do is to look in the MIUI gallery cart. Unlike many Android smartphones, where deleted files are erased immediately, Xiaomi defaults to save them in the cart for 30 days, which works even without root rights and does not require a connection to a PC.
Instructions:
- 📱 Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
- 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
- 🔍 Scroll through the list and find the photos you want. To recover, click on the picture. → Restore.
- 📤 To return all files at once, press Control → tick off → Restore.
If the cart is empty or files are missing, move to the next method. Note: the cart is cleaned automatically if there is a lack of memory or after manual cleaning through Settings → Storage.
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In MIUI 12 and later, the cart is hidden by default. To enable it, go to Gallery Settings → Recycle Bin → Enable the cart.
2.Recovery through MIUI backups
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro offers two types of backups: local (save on the device or on the device). SD-If you've previously set up autosave, the chances of returning a photo are very high.
Method 1: Local backup
- ⚙️ Go to Settings. → The phone. → Backup and reset.
- 📦 Select Local Backups → Find the last copy by date.
- 🔄 Click Restore and select only Gallery (to avoid erasing other data).
Method 2: Cloud Mi Cloud
- ☁️ Open the Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud.
- 📷 Go to the Gallery section → Cart (photos are kept for 30 days) or All albums.
- 📥 Select the desired pictures and click Download.
If there are no backups, don’t despair: the following methods work even without first setting up backups.
3.Use of file managers to find hidden files
When you delete a photo through a MIUI gallery, it is often left with thumbnails or temporary copies in the system folders, which are not visible in the standard Explorer, but can be found using third-party file managers, such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer.
Where to look:
- 📁 folder /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — photo-picture.
- 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.trashes — basket.
- 📁 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/ — cloud-caches.
Instructions:
- Install Solid Explorer from Google Play.
- Enable the display of hidden files: ☰ → Settings → Show hidden files.
- Click one of the paths above and copy the files you found (they may be without extension – rename it.jpg).
If files don’t open, try converting them through online services like Online-Convert.
Why do.thumbnails files not open?
4.Programs for deep memory scanning
If previous methods have failed, it’s time to connect specialized data recovery tools that scan internal memory at the binary data level and can find files even after formatting.
- 🖥️ DiskDigger (there is a version for Android without root).
- 🖥️ EaseUS MobiSaver (requires PC connection).
- 🖥️ Recuva (microSD card only).
Instructions for DiskDigger (without root):
- Download DiskDigger from Google Play.
- Start the scan (select Basic scan for the photo).
- Wait until it is completed (may take a while). 10-30 minute).
- View the files found and save them to SD-map.
Important: Don’t save recovered files back to your phone’s internal memory – this can overwrite unscanned data!
Disable synchronization with Mi Cloud| Enable debugging via USB| Install Xiaomi | Drivers Use the original cable |Do not connect the phone to charging during the process-->
5. Recovery through ADB (for power users)
If you have ADB (Android Debug Bridge) skills, you can try extracting files directly from your phone’s memory, which works even if the phone isn’t turning on but requires an unlocked bootloader.
Step-by-step:
- Install ADB Tools on PC (download from the official website).
- Connect Redmi Note 8 Pro to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap to unlock the developer options).
- Open the command line in the ADB folder and type: Adb devices (should display your device).
- Create a backup of the photo section: adb pull /sdcard/DCIM C:\Redmi_Backup\
- If no files are found, scan the memory using Autopsy or Scalpel.
⚠️ Attention: Wrong commands ADB This method can cause loss of all data or system failure, and only use it if you are confident in your actions.
6. What should I do if nothing has worked?
If all of these methods have not yielded results, there are two options:
- The data can be extracted using professional equipment (e.g. Chip-Off), but it is expensive (from 5,000 to three years). ₽) It does not guarantee 100% results.
- Check other devices. Maybe photos synced with Google Photos, VK, Telegram or other services.
It’s also worth remembering if you sent these pictures to someone via messengers, such as WhatsApp, where photos are stored in the /WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images folder, and Telegram, where they are stored in /Telegram/Telegram Images.
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The faster you start recovering, the better the chances of success, and each new record (photo, video, app installation) reduces the likelihood of returning deleted files.
Comparison of recovery methods
| Method | Difficulty | Time. | Chances of success | Need root? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI basket | ⭐ | 2-5 minutes | 90% | No. |
| Backup copy | ⭐⭐ | 10-20 minutes | 80% | No. |
| File manager | ⭐⭐ | 5-15 minutes | 50% | No. |
| DiskDigger (without root) | ⭐⭐⭐ | 30-60 minutes. | 60% | No. |
| ADB | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 1-2 hours | 40% | Sometimes. |