Losing contacts on a Xiaomi smartphone is one of the most unpleasant situations a user can encounter. Whether you accidentally clicked Delete Everything in the Contacts app, dropped your phone to factory settings or experienced a system failure, the chances of returning data are almost always there.
Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi, Poco and Mi line) offer several built-in tools for backup contacts, from cloud storage MI Cloud to sync with Google Account. However, not all users include these features in advance. If there are no backups, specialized utilities or even manual methods will come to the rescue through ADB. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of recovery, including those that work without root rights and on the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 (2026).
Importantly, the effectiveness of the method depends on how long it has been since you deleted it, the faster you start to act, the better the chances of success. For example, contacts that were deleted less than a day ago can often be returned through the MI Cloud Recycle Bin, whereas data that was erased a week ago may require deep memory analysis.
1. Recovery via MI Cloud: Recycle Bin and Backups
If your Xiaomi has MI Cloud sync enabled, the chances of getting your contacts back are as high as possible, and the service automatically backs up and saves deleted data in the cart for 30 days (a unique feature for the Xiaomi ecosystem).
First, check if the sync is enabled. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud → Contacts. If the switch is active, follow the instructions:
- 📱 Open the Contacts app on your phone.
- 🔍 Tap on the three dots (menu) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management.
- 🗑️ Go to the Recycle Bin (or Remote Contacts in older versions) MIUI).
- ✅ Select the necessary contacts and click Restore.
If the cart is empty, try to restore data from the backup:
- Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud → Backup.
- Select the last copy created before deleting the contacts.
- Click Restore and confirm the action.
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If you don't have a backup, check the MIUI/Backup/AllBackup folder in your phone's internal memory through the file manager. Sometimes copies are saved locally even if cloud sync is disabled.
⚠️ Attention: Recovery from backup MI Cloud will rewrite your current contacts, if you add new numbers after deleting them, you will have to save them again.
2. Sync with Google Account: a universal way
Many Xiaomi users are unaware that their contacts are automatically synced with Google Accounts — even if MI Cloud is disabled — and this method works on all MIUI devices, including the Redmi Note 12, Poco X5, and Mi 13.
Open Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync your account and make sure the slider opposite Contact is enabled. If so, follow the steps:
- 🌐 Go to contacts.google.com and log in under the same account as your phone.
- 🔄 In the left menu, select Cancel Changes (or Restore Contacts in older versions).
- ⏳ Specify the time range (e.g., “last 7 days”) and confirm the recovery.
- 📱 On the phone, update sync: Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronize now.
If contacts are not displayed, try manually importing them from a.vcf file:
- On the Google Contacts website, click Import (cog icon → Import).
- Download the backup file (if any) or export contacts from another device.
- After importing, wait for sync on the phone (can take up to 10 minutes).
⚠️ Note: If you delete your contacts directly from Google Contacts (not your phone), you can only restore them within 30 days via the web version.
3. Local recovery via contacts2.db file
All contacts on Xiaomi are stored in the contacts2.db database located along the path /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/. If you have root access or have backed up this folder through TWRP, the chances of recovery are high.
For users without root:
- 📁 Connect your phone to your PC and use it. ADB (Android Debug Bridge to access the file:
adb shell
su
cp /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db /sdcard/
exitThe file is copied to a memory card, and then you can open it using utilities like DB Browser for SQLite or Contacts Editor.
For users with root:
- 🛠️ Install a file manager with root support (e.g., Root Explorer).
- 🔍 Cross the path. /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/.
- 📄 Copy the file. contacts2.db safe-haven.
- 🔄 Use SQLite Editor to Retrieve Contacts.
How to repair contacts2.db rootless?
| Method | Root is required. | Difficulty | Chances of success |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI Cloud (basket) | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐☆ | 90% (if synchronization is enabled) |
| Google Contacts | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐☆ | 85% (if the synchronization is active) |
| Local contacts2.db | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐ | 70% (unless the file is overwritten) |
| Third-party utilities (Dr.Fone) | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐☆ | 60% (depending on model) |
4.Recovery programs: Dr.Fone, Tenorshare and others
If the built-in methods don't work, specialized utilities will come to the rescue, scan the phone's internal memory for deleted data, and can restore contacts even without backups.-3 programme:
1. Dr.Fone — Data Recovery (Android)
- 🔍 Supports Xiaomi Redmi, Poco, Mi (including models) 2023-2026 garland.).
- 📌 Reestablishing contact, SMS, photographs and other data.
- ⚠️ Demands debugging. USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap to unlock the developer mode).
Instructions:
- Install Dr.Fone on your PC and connect your phone via USB.
- Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
- Select the Contact Data Type and start scanning.
- After completion, mark the necessary contacts and click Restore.
2. Tenorshare UltData
- 🔄 Works without root, but with root increases the chances of success.
- 📱 Supports MIUI 13/14/15.
- 💾 Stores recovered data in.vcf,.csv or.html formats.
3. EaseUS MobiSaver
- 🆓 Free version restores up to 5 contacts.
- 🔧 Requires the installation of Xiaomi drivers for proper operation.
Enable debugging over USB
Allow installation from unknown sources
Charge your phone at least 50%
Disable antivirus (can block scanning)
Use the original USB-cable (do not damage the port!)
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⚠️ Note: Programs like Dr.Fone can recover not only contacts, but also other deleted data (photos, messages). However, never save recovered files back to your phone, this can overwrite the remaining traces of remote contacts. Use an external drive or cloud.
5. Recovery after reset to factory settings
If you have done a hard reset (reset via Settings) → Resetting or Recovery, the chances of reconnecting depend on whether they were synced to the cloud. Local data (without backups) is deleted irrevocably after reset, but there are nuances:
Scenario 1: Sync with MI Cloud or Google was enabled
- 🔄 When you first turn on after reset, the phone will prompt you to restore data from your account.
- 📱 If you missed this step, go to Settings. → Account. Xiaomi/Google → Restore.
Scenario 2: No backups, but access to old firmware
- 🛠️ If the phone has been unlocked (unlocked bootloader), you can flash the old version. MIUI via Fastboot and try to extract contacts2.db.
- 🔧 This will require: 🖥️ The Mi Flash Tool. 📦 Firmware for your model (download from the official website). 🔑 Unlocked loader (instructions for en.miui.com/unlock).
Scenario 3: Nothing helps
- 📞 Contact Xiaomi Service Center for Data Recovery via EMMCDump or Chip-Off. Cost: from 2000₽.
- 🔍 Not all services are provided by the SC – check in advance.
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Once reset to factory settings, never create new contacts on your phone before you try to recover. New records can overwrite deleted data in the contacts2.db database!
6.Manual recovery via ADB (for advanced users)
If you’re familiar with the command line, you can try extracting contacts via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that works even without root, but requires an unlocked bootloader on some Xiaomi models.
Step 1: Install ADB on your PC:
- Download Platform Tools from Google.
- Unpack the archive in the folder C:\adb.
- Open the Command Prompt in this folder (Shift + PCM → Open the PowerShell window here).
Step 2: Connect your phone and execute the commands:
adb devices
adb shell
pm list packages | grep contactsYou should see the package com.android.providers.contacts.
adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.dbIf the team issues a Permission Denied error, try:
adb shell "run-as com.android.providers.contacts cat databases/contacts2.db" > contacts.dbStep. 3: Open the file you received. contacts2.db SQLite Browser, where the contacts are stored in a table. raw_contacts. Export them to.vcf via the File menu → Export → Table as CSV.
How to convert contacts2.db to a readable format?
7 Prevention: How to avoid future contact loss
To never face the problem of remote contacts again, set up automatic backup on Xiaomi.
- ☁️ MI Cloud: Enable Contact Synchronization in Settings → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud. Make sure the cloud space is not over (free 5GB).
- 🔄 Google Account: Activate sync in Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of contacts.
- 📁 Local Backup: Once a month export contacts to.vcf via Contacts app (menu) → Import/Export: Save the file to your PC or flash drive.
- 📱 Third-party utilities: Install Super Backup & Restore (free on Google Play, SMS and schedule annexes.
Additional advice:
- 🔒 Do not keep your contacts only on SIM-Card – they are easily lost when changing the phone or damaging the card.
- 📧 Export contacts to email: send the.vcf file to your mail or save it to Google Drive.
- 🔄 Check backups: Simulate recovery once every six months to make sure backups work.
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Set up dual backups: both in MI Cloud and Google Account, which insures against failures in one of the services.