Deleting contacts on a Xiaomi Redmi smartphone is a situation that almost every user faces, whether it's a random tap, a sync failure, or a failed firmware update, causes data loss many times. But don't panic: in 90% of cases, phone numbers can be returned even if you didn't make backups in advance.
In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to restore contacts on Redmi devices (relevant to models from Redmi 4X to Redmi Note 13 Pro+), including methods through MI Cloud, Google Account, local backups and even specialized applications, and pay special attention to hidden MIUI functions that are not written about in the official documentation.
Important: the effectiveness of the method depends on how the contacts were deleted (manually, after reset, due to a virus) and whether the synchronization is configured on the device, if you act immediately after the incident, the chances of success are maximum.
Recovery via MI Cloud (official method)
MI Cloud is Xiaomi’s cloud storage that automatically saves contacts if sync is enabled, and it works even if you reset your phone to factory settings, but only if you previously tied your Mi Account account and enabled your backup option.
To restore contacts through MI Cloud:
- Open the Settings → Memory → MI Cloud.
- Sign in with the same account that was linked before deleting.
- Go to Contacts and enable synchronization.
- Wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 10 minutes).
If the contact did not appear immediately:
- 🔄 Check if Auto Sync is enabled in your account settings.
- 📱 Restart the device – sometimes it speeds up the process.
- 🌐 Make sure your phone is connected to the internet (preferably via Wi-Fi).
⚠️ Note: If you delete your account MI After losing contact, restore data through MI Cloud won't be possible. In this case, move on to other methods.
Log in to the same Mi Account as before the deletion
Make sure that the synchronization of contacts is enabled
Connect to a stable Internet
Reboot the phone after synchronization is enabled-->
2. Restoration through Google Account
If your Redmi has a Google Account linked and your contacts synced, you can return them via Google services, which works even after you completely reset your phone if your account is not deleted.
Instructions:
- Open Settings → Accounts → Google.
- Select your account and make sure the Contact Switch is active.
- Go to contacts.google.com from any device.
- In the left menu, click Cancel Changes and select the period (up to 30 days ago).
Advantages of the method:
- 🔍 Selective recovery of individual contacts.
- 📅 The history of changes is stored for up to 30 days (in MI Cloud is just the latest version).
- 🌍 Works on any device with access to a Google account.
⚠️ Note: If you deleted your contacts directly from Google Contacts, not your phone, restore them through Google Contacts. MIUI It will not work – you need to use only the web version of the service.
| Method | Conditions of work | Max, recovery time. | Selective recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI Cloud | Account. MI tied, sync on. | Last backup. | No. |
| Google Account | Google account is linked, sync enabled | Up to 30 days. | Yes. |
| Local copy. | Backup copy created manually | Depends on the date of the copy | Yes. |
| Third-party annexes | Root access or backup via ADB | Depends on the app. | Yes. |
3. Use of local backup copies
If you've ever backed up contacts manually (e.g., through Settings → System → Backup), they can be restored even without the internet. This method is suitable for Redmi on MIUI 12 and later.
How to recover from a local copy:
- Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup.
- Select a backup file (usually with the.mbk extension).
- Click Restore and confirm the action.
- Wait until the process is completed (don’t interrupt!).
Where to look for backup files:
- 📁 folder MIUI/backup/AllBackup inner-memory.
- 💾 External SD-map (if the copy was saved there).
- 🖥️ Computer (if a copy was exported via Mi) PC Suite).
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If the backup is damaged and not restored, try renaming the file by removing Cyrillic characters or spaces from the title.
4. Recovery through third-party applications (without root)
If standard methods don't work, you can try specialized utilities, like GT Recovery or Undeleter, which scan your phone's memory for deleted data, and it's important that these applications only work until the first reboot after you delete the contacts!
The following steps are taken for GT Recovery:
- Install the app from Google Play.
- Start the scan (select the data type – Contacts).
- Wait for the analysis to be completed (may take a while) 10-30 minute).
- Mark the necessary contacts and click Restore.
Limitations of the method:
- ⚠️ Does not restore contacts deleted more than 7 days ago.
- ⚠️ It may not work on Redmi with encrypted memory (MIUI 14+).
- ⚠️ Free versions limit the number of records that can be restored.
⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery apps from unverified sources, they may contain spyware that will steal your data. Use only official stores (Google Play or AppGallery).
What if the app doesn’t find the remote contacts?
5. Recovery through ADB (for power users)
If you have the skills to work with ADB (Android Debug Bridge, you can try extracting contacts directly from system files. USB-Debugging and works only if the data has not been overwritten yet.
Instructions:
- Connect Redmi to your PC and turn it on USB-debugging (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode).
- Install Android SDK Platform Tools on your computer.
- Follow the command to create a backup: adb backup -f contacts.ab -apk com.android.contacts
- Unpack the resulting contact.ab file using Android Backup Extractor.
What can be extracted:
- 📇 Contacts themselves (name, number, email).
- 📅 Call history (if not cleared).
- 📌 Notes to contacts (if any).
💡
The ADB method is the only way to restore contacts if the phone doesn’t turn on (for example, after a failed update), but there is access to memory via fastboot.
Prevention: How to avoid future contact loss
To avoid the problem of remote numbers, set up automatic sync and backup. Here is the minimum set of actions for Redmi:
Checklist for setting:
- ☁️ Turn on sync with MI Cloud and Google Account: Settings → Accounts. → MI/Google → Synchronization of contacts
- 📅 Create local copies once a month: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports
- 🔒 Set a password on your Mi Account and Google Account to avoid hacking.
- 📱 Use backup apps like Super Backup & Restore.
Additional advice:
- 📧 Export contacts to VCF-File and send it to email is the most reliable way to do it.
- 🛡️ Don’t keep all contacts in memory. SIM-cards - it can fail.
- 🔄 After resetting your phone, restore contacts first, and then install apps.
7. Frequent errors and their solutions
If recovery fails, check out these points:
Typical problems and fixes:
- 🚫 Synchronization error MI Cloud: Check if the antivirus is blocking access to the cloud.
- 🔄 Contacts are duplicated: This happens if synchronization is enabled and MI Cloud, and Google. Turn off one of the sources.
- ❌ No photos of contacts are recovered: They are stored separately. Try to restore them through the Gallery. → Albums. → Contacts.
- ⚠️ Phone asks for old Mi Account password: If you forgot it, restore access via account.xiaomi.com.
If nothing helps:
⚠️ Note: On Redmi models with MIUI 14 and newer after a complete reset without a tied Mi Account, you can not restore contacts using standard methods, in this case, only contacting the Xiaomi service center (if the phone is guaranteed).