Recovering deleted notes on Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Deleted an important note on a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone — and now you don't know how to get it back? Don't panic: the manufacturer has built-in recovery tools, and in extreme cases, third-party solutions will help. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to return notes, including working with Mi Cloud, local backups and even manually searching for files in the device's memory.

It's important to understand that success depends on how long ago the data was deleted and whether synchronization was enabled. For example, notes deleted a month ago without backup are almost impossible to recover, but files deleted a few days or hours ago are often recoverable - especially if you used the standard Notes app from Xiaomi.

We have tested all methods on the latest MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS firmware, so the instructions will work on most of the brand’s current devices. If your model is older than 2018, some features (such as automatic synchronization) may not be available, which we’ll mention too.

1. Recovery via Mi Cloud (the most reliable way)

If your Xiaomi has enabled sync with Mi Cloud, you can return notes in minutes, and this method works even after you completely reset your phone or delete the Notes app.

How to check if synchronization is enabled:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Scroll down to the Data Sync section.
3. Make sure the switch opposite the Note is active (green).

Instructions for remediation:

• 📱 Open the Notes app on the main screen.
• 🔄 Slip on the profile icon (or three horizontal lines) → Basket.
• ⏳ This is where you store deleted notes for 30 days.
• ☁️ If the cart is empty, go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Notes and click Synchronize.

If the notes didn’t appear after synchronization, try forceful data updates:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Notes → Storage → Clear cache

Then re-sync the Mi Cloud.

⚠️ Note: If you delete a note from the Recycle Bin to Mi Cloud, it is impossible to restore it with standard means.

2. Local backups: where to look and how to recover

Xiaomi automatically creates local copies of notes, but it's not easy to find them, and these files are stored in a hidden folder, and they have a non-obvious extension.

The path to backups:

/storage/emulated/0/MIUI/backup/AllBackup/notes/

For the new versions of MIUI/HyperOS:

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.notes/files/backup/

How to recover from a local copy:

• 📁 Use any file manager (such as Mi File Explorer or Solid Explorer) with access to hidden folders.
• 🔍 Find files with the.backup or.db extension (for example, notes_backup_20260515.db).
• 📥 Copy them to your computer or the cloud (in case something goes wrong).
• 🔄 Install Notes Backup Restore from Google Play and import a copy file.

If you don’t have copies, try recovering them via Recuva or DiskDigger (about this in Method 4). Local copies are created once a week, but only if AutoSave is enabled in the Notes app settings.

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Before restoring from a local copy, make a reserve of current notes: open Notes → Settings → Export and save the file to Google Drive or your computer.

3. Restore via Google Drive (if you used a Google account)

Many users don’t know that Xiaomi Notes can be synced to Google Drive.This method works if you’ve ever set up a backup through Settings → Google → Backup.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Google Drive on your computer.
2. In the search box, enter notes or com.miui.notes.
3. Find a folder with your device name (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Backup).
4. Inside, look for files with a date close to the time of deleting notes.
5. Download the archive and unpack it. You'll find the notes in.json or.xml.

For ease of viewing.json files, use services like JSON Formatter. If there are no files, check:

• 🔍 Was backup enabled in Settings? → Google → Backup → Application data.
• 📅 Last synchronization date (in the same section).
• 📱 Phone model: Some Xiaomi devices backup in Google Drive is unstable.

⚠️ Note: Google only keeps backups for 60 days.If notes were deleted earlier, files could have been automatically cleared.

4.Programs for Recovering Deleted Files (Advanced Method)

If standard methods fail, low-level recovery is left with specialized utilities, a method that is suitable for notes deleted without a backup, but requires root rights or a computer connection.

Top.-3 recovery:

Instructions for DiskDigger (without root):

• 📱 Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
• 🔍 Select Basic Scan (without root).
• 📄 In the results, look for files with the.db extension or containing notes in the name.
• 💾 Save the files you find and try to open them through a text editor.

For advanced root rights recovery:

1. Install Magisk and get root.


2. Connect your phone to your PC and use ADB:




adb pull /data/data/com.miui.notes/databases/notes.db




3. Open the notes.db file via SQLite Browser.

⚠️ Attention: Low-level recovery can damage current data if the process is interrupted.Do not use your phone while scanning!

Disable battery optimization for ADB| Install Xiaomi drivers on PC| Enable debugging over USB in developer settings | Make a backup of current data | Charge your phone at least 50%-->

5. Manual recovery via ADB (for power users)

If you're familiar with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can try extracting notes directly from system files, which works even without root, but requires technical skills.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap to unlock the developer mode).
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original).

Note extraction commands:

adb shell


su




cp /data/data/com.miui.notes/databases/notes.db /sdcard/




exit




exit




adb pull /sdcard/notes.db

After extracting the notes.db file:

1. Open it through DB Browser for SQLite.
2. Go to the Data Review tab → table note.
3. Export the required records to CSV or JSON.

The notes.db file contains not only the text of notes, but also metadata: date of creation, background color, tags. This is the only way to restore the complete structure of notes, including formatting.

6. Alternative methods: third-party applications and cloud services

If none of these things work, there are some non-standard methods that are less reliable, but sometimes they do work in desperate situations.

Option 1: Export from other accounts

• 📧 If you have sent notes to your own mail (for example, through Share) → Email, check the folder Sent.
• ☁️ View the story in Google Keep, Evernote or OneNote – it’s possible that the notes were duplicated there.
• 💬 Check chats on Telegram, WhatsApp or Viber – many save important information in the “Favorites".

Option 2: Recovery through a service centre

Official Xiaomi service centers do not deal with data recovery, but some informal workshops offer services to extract information from the memory of the phone.

• 🔓 Possible leakage of personal data.
• 💸 There is no guarantee of success (payment is charged for attempt).
• 🛠️ On new models (such as Xiaomi 14) this requires a memory splitter.

Option 3: Analysis of system logs

In rare cases, the text of notes can be found in the Android logs.

adb logcat | grep -i "com.miui.notes"

This method only works if the note was opened or edited shortly before being deleted.

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If the notes contained confidential information (passwords, card numbers), after recovery, be sure to change this data - they could be compromised during deletion.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users lose notes due to incorrect actions when trying to recover, and here are the most common mistakes:

• 🔄 Data overwriting: Installing new applications or updating firmware after deleting notes can permanently erase their memory residues.
• ☁️ Disable sync: If you logged out of your Mi Cloud account before recovery, notes may have been deleted from the servers.
• 🗑️ Recycle Cart Cleaning: In the Notes app, the cart cleans automatically after 30 days, but many do it manually earlier.
• 📱 Reset to factory settings: This is the last chance - after reset, recovering notes without a backup is almost impossible.

How to minimize future risks:

• 🔄 Enable automatic sync in Mi Cloud and Google Drive.
• 📥 Export notes to the board regularly TXT or PDF through settings → Exports.
• 📧 Set up automatic sending of important notes to the mail (via IFTTT Tasker).
• 🔐 Use apps with a history of changes (such as Notion or Google Keep).

If you often work with important notes, consider alternative apps with reliable backups:

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions