Recovery of deleted photos on Xiaomi Redmi: a complete guide with a guarantee of results

You are not alone: according to statistics, one in three smartphone users at least once lost valuable photos. Fortunately, Redmi devices (whether Redmi Note 12, Redmi 10 or older models) have several built-in data protection mechanisms, as well as third-party tools that will help restore deleted photos even without root rights.

In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to return photos, from a standard shopping cart in a gallery to deep scanning memory via a PC. Importantly, the chances of success depend on how long it has been since deleting and whether the data on the phone has been overwritten. If you act in the first hours, the probability of recovery is close to 90%. After a week, it drops to 30-50%. Don't waste your time!

1.Check the basket in the standard MIUI Gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look into the built-in Gallery application basket. MIUI (Removed photos are stored there for up to 30 days (on some models – 15 days), after which they are automatically erased forever. 9A even the old Redmis. 4X.

How to open the basket:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (image with multi-colored squares).
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → pick the basket.
• 🔍 Find the right photos, click on them. → Restore button (image with arrow up).

⚠️ Warning: If the cart is empty but you are sure that the photo was recently deleted, check Settings → Memory. → Cleaning up sometimes MIUI It automatically cleans the cart when you don't have enough space, so move on to the next way.

If the cart is turned off (this happens after resetting the settings), turn it on:

1. Open the Gallery → Settings (cog at the top).
2. Find the basket item and activate the switch.
3. Set a storage period (maximum 30 days).

2. Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

If your Redmi has been enabled to sync with Mi Cloud, the chances of returning photos are very high. Xiaomi cloud saves backup photos automatically (unless the function is manually disabled), the main condition: the phone must be linked to the Mi Account before removing the pictures.

How to check and restore:

• 🌐 Go to i.mi.com from any device.
• 🔑 Sign in with the same account as on your phone.
• 📷 Select the Gallery or Photo tab → Find the right pictures.
• 💾 Click on the photo → Download (or Restore to the device if the function is available).

If the photo is not in the cloud, check:

1. Was synchronization enabled: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery
2. Is there enough space in the cloud (free only give 5 GB).
3. Have you removed photos from the cloud manually (they are erased synchronously with the phone)?

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If you don’t have the right photos in Mi Cloud, try using the Mi Cloud app on your phone – sometimes the web version doesn’t display all the data.

3. Use Google Photos (if backup is available)

Many Redmi users set up automatic photo backup in Google Photos. If you logged in to a Google account on your phone and didn't turn it off, your photos could be saved there. Google Photos has the advantage of free storage of compressed photos without time limit (if the quality is selected as High).

Instructions for remediation:

1. Open the Google Photos app on your phone or go to photos.google.com.
2. Sign up under your Google account.
3. In the search box, type in keywords (e.g., sea 2023 or cat).
4. The photos can be downloaded back to the phone or saved to the Gallery.

If the photo is not displayed:

• 🔍 Check the Archive folder (in the side menu).
• 🗑️ Go to Google Photos Recycle Bin (stores files for 60 days).
• ⚙️ Make sure that backup has been enabled: Settings → Backup and synchronization.

⚠️ Note: If you manually delete photos from Google Photos, they will disappear from the cart in 60 days, and you can’t recover them after that — even through Google support.

4. Connect the phone to the PC and scan the memory

If the photo is not in the cart or in the cloud, it's time to move to deep memory scanning, which will require a computer and a special program.

• 🖥️ Recuva (simple, suitable for beginners).
• 🛠️ DiskDigger (there is a version for Android, but with PC more efficient).
• 🔍 EaseUS Data Recovery (paid but free trial period).

Step-by-step instructions for Recuva:

1. Download and install Recuva on PC.
2. Connect Redmi to your computer via USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode on your phone).
3. Start Recuva → select the type of Image files.
4. Specify the phone’s drive (usually a removable drive with a letter, such as F:).
5. Click Analysis → wait for the scan to be completed (may take up to an hour).
6. Check the photos found by ticks → Restore (save on PC, not on phone!).

Important nuances:

• 🚫 Do not save the recovered photos back to your phone – this can overwrite the remaining data.
• 🔋 The phone should be at least 50% charged – scanning consumes a lot of energy.
• 🛑 If the phone is not defined as a removable drive, turn on Debugging by USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (press 7 times) → Additional settings → For developers.

Charge your phone at least 50 times%|Install Xiaomi drivers on PC|Enable file transfer mode|Disable antivirus (can block programs)|Download the program for recovery-->

5. Recovery without PC: Android apps

If you don't have a computer, you can try to return the photo directly from your phone, and mobile versions of recovery software are suitable for this.

• 📱 DiskDigger (requires root for deep scanning).
• 🔍 Dumpster (works as an extended basket).
• 🛠️ Undeleter (Plugins for photo and video recovery).

Instructions for DiskDigger (without root):

1. Download DiskDigger from Google Play.
2. Start the app → select Start a simple scan.
3. Mark the JPG file types, PNG → press OK.
4. After scanning, select a photo → Save (to a memory card or to the cloud).

Restrictions of mobile applications:

• 🔒 Without root rights, programs only see unencrypted data.
• 🗃️ Recovered photos often have corrupted metadata (date, geotags).
• ⚠️ Some apps (such as Dumpster) must be installed before photos are deleted.

6. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center

If all of the above methods didn’t work, and the photos are extremely important (for example, these are the only pictures from an important event), you can try contacting the official service center of Xiaomi.

What you need to know before your visit:

• 💰 The cost of restoration starts from 3 000 rubles (depending on the model and complexity).

Addresses of Xiaomi service centers in Russia:

• Moscow: List on the official website.
• St. Petersburg: Marshal Govorov str., 35 (in the shopping center "Gulliver").
• Regions: check by phone 8 800 775-66-26 (hotline Xiaomi Russia).

⚠️ Warning: Don't go to informal workshops with a "5-minute data recovery" suggestion, and often these "specialists" simply install pirated programs that you could run yourself, and the risk of losing data permanently in this case is higher than the chance of getting it back.

7. How to prevent future photo loss

To never face the problem of deleted photos again, set up multi-level protection on your Redmi:

1. Enable automatic sync in Mi Cloud and Google Photos.

2. Regularly copy the photo to a PC or external drive.

3.Do not keep only copies of important photos on your phone.-->

Configuring backup:

1. Mi Cloud: Settings → Mi → Mi Cloud → Gallery → Enable Set Download Quality: Original (if space permits).
2. Google Photos: Google Photos app → Account → Settings → Backup and Sync → Enable Select Quality: Original or High (free).
3. Local Copy: Connect your phone to your PC and manually copy the DCIM folder (where the photos are stored) to your hard drive.

Additional measures:

• 📁 Use the Favorites folder in the Gallery - photos from there do not fall into the basket when accidentally deleted.
• 🔄 Set up Auto-loading in instant messengers (for example, in Telegram or Viber) so that photos are duplicated there.
• 💾 Buy a microSD card (SanDisk Ultra or Samsung recommended) EVO) and set up the photo saving to it by default.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo recovery on Xiaomi Redmi