How to Recover Deleted Messages on Xiaomi Phone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Deleting important messages on a Xiaomi smartphone is a situation that almost every user has faced. Whether it is a randomly erased WhatsApp chat, an SMS from a bank with a confirmation code or an urgent correspondence on Telegram that needs to be returned. Fortunately, the manufacturer has provided several ways to restore data, and third parties offer additional tools. However, the effectiveness of each method depends on how long ago the messages were deleted, whether synchronization with the cloud is enabled, and whether backups were used.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to restore messages on Xiaomi in 2026, including official tools (MI Cloud, Local Backups) and third-party utilities like Dr.Fone or EaseUS MobiSaver. Special attention will be paid to the nuances for different models – from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and also explain why some methods work only in the first hours after deleting. If you act quickly, the chances of returning data are up to 80%!

Recovery via MI Cloud: The Official Way From Xiaomi

MI Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi that automatically backs up messages, contacts and other data if the feature is activated.This method is suitable for recovering SMS, MMS and messages from the standard Messages app (it doesn’t work for WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber).

To use MI Cloud, you must:

• 🔄 Be logged in to the same Mi Account that was used before the messages were deleted.
• ☁️ Have enabled sync with the cloud (check in Settings) → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud → Synchronization).
• ⏳ Valid for 30 days from the date of deletion (the data can then be overwritten).

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud
2. Select the Data Recovery section.
3. Find the backup copy in the list with the desired date (before deleting messages) and click Restore.
4. Confirm the action and wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 10 minutes).

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If MI Cloud doesn’t have the right backup, check if the automatic sync has been turned off due to battery saving. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Power Savings → Savings and make sure that MI Cloud isn’t on the list of limited apps.

⚠️ Attention: Recovery from MI Cloud will overwrite the current data on your phone if you have received new messages after deleting them. SMS If you change your contacts, they will be lost, we recommend that you manually save the current information.

2. Local backups: where Xiaomi hides your data

In addition to the cloud, Xiaomi creates local backups on the device itself, stored in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder, and can contain messages if the feature is enabled, which works even without an Internet connection, but requires that a copy be created before deleting messages.

How to find and restore a local copy:

1. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable and enable file transfer mode (MTP).
2. Open the device’s internal memory and follow the MIUI → backup → AllBackup path.
3. Find the file with the.bak extension and the date before the message was deleted.
4. Copy it to your computer for security, then return to your phone.
5. Open the Backup app (cloud icon with arrow) and select Restore.

If the AllBackup folder is empty, check the backup settings:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → System and device → Backup.
• 🔧 Make sure the switch Automatic backup is on.
• ⏱️ Check the schedule – by default, copies are created once a week.

3.Recover WhatsApp Messages on Xiaomi

WhatsApp messages are restored differently than SMS. Messenger uses its own backup system via Google Drive (for Android) or iCloud (for iOS).

Steps to recover:

1. Remove WhatsApp from your phone (if it is still installed).
2. Install the messenger again from Google Play.
3. When you first start, enter the same phone number that was used earlier.
4. When a request for recovery from the backup appears, click Restore.
5. Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to an hour depending on the size of the chats).

Important nuances:

• 📅 Backups are created automatically once a day at 2:00 a.m. (if the phone is connected to Wi-Fi and charged more than 30 times a day%).
• 🔄 If you have not made a copy manually, you can only restore to the latest automatic version.
• 🚫 If you have already clicked Skip when recovering, it will be impossible to return messages without third-party utilities.

⚠️ Note: If you delete WhatsApp and immediately re-installed it without restoring it, the new installation will create an empty backup on top of the old one, in which case you can only return messages through specialized programs like Dr.Fone (more about this in the next section).

Third-party programs: when official methods do not work

If the messages were deleted long ago and there are no backups, you have to use data recovery software to scan the phone's internal memory and look for traces of deleted files.

• 🛠️ Dr. Fone (Wondershare) - Supports SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, photos. It works on Windows and Mac.
• 🔍 EaseUS MobiSaver – Restores data even after resetting (provided memory has not been overwritten).
• 📱 GT Recovery is a free Android app that does not require root rights (but with limited functionality).

The following is a step-by-step guide for Dr.Fone:

Install the program on your PC from the official website | Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB| Enable debugging via USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional → For developers → Debugging via USB) | Allow access to data on your phone (request will appear) | Select the type of data to scan (SMS, WhatsApp, etc.)

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Once scanned, the program will show you a list of the messages you found, and you can view them before you recover them and save them to.txt or.xml.

• 🔋 The battery must be at least 50% charged, otherwise the process may be interrupted.
• 📴 Do not interrupt the scanning – this can lead to data loss.
• 💾 Save restored messages on PC, not phone – so you avoid overwriting again.

Dr.Fone's license starts at $50, but there's a free trial that shows what data can be recovered. For EaseUS MobiSaver, the price is about $40 per year subscription.

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Third-party programs are only effective in the first 72 hours after deletion, and the longer you wait, the more likely it is that data will be overwritten with new information (photos, videos, app updates).

5.Recovery via Google Drive (for some Xiaomi models)

Some Xiaomi smartphones (especially models for the global market) support backup SMS via Google Drive.

• 📱 The phone has a Global firmware installed ROM (China ROM).
• ☁️ Sync with Google Account enabled (Settings) → Google accounts → Synchronization).
• 🔄 Backup was created before the messages were deleted.

Instructions for remediation:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Make sure that the Application Data section displays Messages.
3. Click Recover Data and select the desired copy.
4. Confirm the recovery and wait until the end (the phone will restart).

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Doesn't work in China. ROM (china-fix).
• 📌 It's just restoring. SMS, But not messenger messages.
• ⏳ Copies are created once a day, so the latest messages may not be available.

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If your Xiaomi does not support backup SMS In Google Drive, try to manually export messages through the Messages app. → ⋮ → Export and save the file in.xml format to the memory card.

6.Manual recovery via ADB (for power users)

If you're familiar with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can try extracting messages directly from system files, a method that works for SMS and MMS, but requires command line skills.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Xiaomi with enabled debugging USB.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command prompt (cmd on Windows or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must display the serial number of your device.
3. Backup your SMS database: adb backup -f sms.ab -noapk com.android.providers.telephony
4. On the phone will appear a request for confirmation – click Create a backup.
5. Once completed, copy the sms.ab file to your computer and use the Android Backup Extractor program to retrieve messages.

Warnings:

• 🔐 The method requires unlocked Bootloader on some Xiaomi models.
• 🛑 Wrong teams ADB It can cause the system to fail.
• 📜 Recovered messages will be in.xml format and will need to be converted to view.

7 What should I do if nothing helps?

If none of these methods work, there are extreme measures:

• 🔧 Official partners have access to specialized recovery tools, but the service is paid (from 1,500 rubles).
• 💽 Lab services: Companies like Hetman Recovery or Ontrack recover data from physically damaged drives, but the cost starts at 5,000 rubles.
• 📡 Try to restore through IMEI. Some services (e.g. IMEI.info) offer checking your message history by phone number, but this only works for the user. SMS from the operators and requires proof of identity.

Before you spend money, consider the importance of lost data, if you're talking about bank SMS or business correspondence, it might be worth it to contact a professional, but if it's private messages, it might be easier to accept the loss and set up automatic backups in the future.

⚠️ Warning: Avoid "magic" programs that promise to recover data in 1 click without root rights. Often it's fraudulent software that collects personal information or installs viruses. 4PDA or XDA Developers.

FAQ: Frequent questions about post recovery on Xiaomi