How to recover deleted photos on Xiaomi Mi 9T: from the cart to deep scanning

Losing photos on a smartphone is one of the most painful situations for a user. Xiaomi Mi 9T (also known as Redmi K20 in some regions) with its 48-megapixel camera often becomes a store of thousands of images, and accidental deletion can turn into a disaster. Fortunately, even if you cleaned the basket or formatted the memory card, the chances of returning files remain — but you need to act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we will discuss all possible recovery methods – from standard functions. MIUI to professional utilities for PC, taking into account the features of Mi 9T (model M1903F10I/M1903F11I). We will pay special attention to the nuances of working with internal memory and microSD, and also explain why some methods may not work on Android devices. 10/11 and encrypted FBE (File-Based Encryption).

Important: recovery is dependent on the time that has elapsed since deletion and the activity of your phone after file loss, and the faster you start, the better the odds, and let's start with the simplest and safest methods.

1.A check of the basket at MIUI Gallery

The first thing you need to do is check the built-in shopping cart in the Gallery app. On the Mi 9T with MIUI 12+, deleted photos are stored there for 30 days by default (the settings may vary).

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
3. Select the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted in some versions).
4. Find the right photos, highlight them with a long tap and click Restore.

⚠️ Warning: If you have cleaned the cart manually or through storage settings (Settings) → Warehouse → Cleaning, this method won't work, and the cart won't save photos that have been deleted through Google Photos or other third-party galleries.

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On the Mi 9T with MIUI 14, the cart can be hidden behind the Album item → Deleted. If you can't see it, update the Gallery app via Play Market

If the cart is empty, we'll move on to the next step, but first check if you have automatic backup enabled in Google Photos or Mi Cloud, which can save you hours of work.

2. Recovery through cloud services

Modern Xiaomi smartphones often sync photos with cloud services automatically. On the Mi 9T, it can be:

• 📱 Mi Cloud – Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud (15 GB free).
• 🖼️ Google Photos – saves the photo in its original quality (unless the limit is exhausted).
• ☁️ Yandex Disc./Mail.ru The cloud – if you’ve used these apps.

How to check:

🔹 Important: If you delete your photos before the cloud settings, they won't show up. Also check if the sync is off due to traffic savings (Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Saving traffic).

3. Search for backups on PCs or other devices

Many Mi 9T users forget that the photos may have been copied to other devices.

• 💻 Computer – search by file creation date (e.g..jpg or.png for the last month).
• 📱 Another smartphone/tablet – you may have sent photos via Mi Share, Bluetooth or messengers.
• 💾 External drives – flash drives, hard drives, where backup copies could be saved.
• 📧 Email – search for attachments (e.g. from:me has:attachment in Gmail).

🔍 Windows Tip: Use Filter Explorer by Date:

datemodified: this year kind:=picture

This will show all the images that have been changed this year.

If photos were sent via Mi Share (Fast File Transfer from Xiaomi), check the Download/MiShare folder on other Xiaomi devices. These files often remain there even after being deleted on the original phone.

4. Recovery with Specialized Applications

If previous methods have failed, it is time to use data recovery software. 9T fit:

• 📱 DiskDigger – works without root, but with restrictions (cache scans and thumbnails).
• 📱 Recuva (via PC) – requires phone connection in file transfer mode (MTP).
• 📱 EaseUS MobiSaver – paid, but with a free trial (shows found files).
• 📱 Dr.Fone supports Xiaomi with Android 10/11, But you may not see the encrypted data.

⚠️ Attention: On Mi 9T s MIUI 12+ and the storage encryption enabled (Settings) → Security → Phone encryption: most programs will not see deleted files without root rights. Before scanning, disable encryption (this will delete all data on the phone!).

Disable encryption (if enabled)|Install Xiaomi drivers (ADB/Fastboot)|Enable debugging on USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 pop)|Connect the phone in mode MTP|Charge your phone at least to 50%-->

📌 Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger (without root):

1. Download DiskDigger from Play Market.
2. Launch the app and select Start a simple scan.
3. Wait until it is completed (may take a while). 10-30 minute).
4. Check out the photos you find (they will be in low resolution).
5. Save the files to your memory card or the cloud.

On the Mi 9T with internal UFS 2.1 memory, deep scanning (from root) can find up to 70% of deleted photos if the space has not been overwritten. Without root, the odds drop to 20-30%, since programs only see cache and thumbnails.

5. Manual recovery via ADB (for advanced)

If you're familiar with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can try extracting file residues directly, a method that works for the Mi 9T with the bootloader unlocked and the encryption disabled.

🛠️ What's the matter:

• 💻 PC with installation ADB Tools and Xiaomi drivers.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB phone-on.
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (preferably original).

📝 Commands for searching for deleted files:

adb shell


su




cd /data/media/0/DCIM




ls -la | grep -i ".jpg"

If files are not displayed, try scanning the /data partition using photorec (included in the testdisk package):

photorec /d /data/media/0/Recovery

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This could lead to loss of all data or locking your phone.

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all the independent attempts failed, the last chance is to contact an authorized service center Xiaomi, they have specialized equipment to extract data even from damaged memory chips.

📍 What you need to know:

• 💰 Cost of recovery: from 3 000 to 10 000 rubles (depending on the complexity of the recovery).
• ⏳ Timeframe: 1 to 5 days (in some cases up to 2 weeks).
• 🔒 Confidentiality: data is not transferred to third parties (under contract).
• 📱 Conditions: phone must be turned on (if not turned on - recovery is almost impossible).

📌 How to find an official service:

1. Go to the site. mi.com/ru/service/center.
2. Enter your city in the search box.
3. Select a center marked as an Authorized Xiaomi Service Partner.
4. Call and check if they are engaged in data recovery (not all centers provide this service).

⚠️ Attention: Do not go to informal workshops! The risk of data loss forever or identity theft is extremely high. Official centers operate under contract with a guarantee of confidentiality.

7. How to prevent future photo loss

The best protection against data loss is proactive action, and here's what you can do today:

• ☁️ Set up automatic backup in Google Photos or Mi Cloud:
• 💾 Copy your photo regularly on PC (for example, once a month).
• 📱 Use two memory cards: one for current pictures, the other for backups.
• 🔄 Enable sync with Yandex Drive or Dropbox for duplication.

🔹 Hidden function MIUI: On Mi. 9T You can enable automatic photo saving to the memory card by default: Settings → Warehouse → Save the photo on SD-map.

This won’t protect against physical card breakdown, but it will reduce the risk of data loss when resetting your phone to factory settings.

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Even if you deleted a photo a month ago, don’t format your phone or record new data, which increases your chances of recovery.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Mi 9T