How to recover videos on Android after deleting from the gallery on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Deleted an important video from Xiaomi and you don't know how to get it back? A situation that is familiar to many: accidentally clicking "Delete," resetting settings, or even a virus could erase your memories. Fortunately, in most cases, files don't disappear forever - they can be restored if you act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we will look at 7 proven ways to return deleted videos on Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models). From standard MIUI tools to professional utilities, you will find a solution even for complex cases. And if the video was deleted long ago or the phone was reflashed, we will tell you whether there is a chance of recovery and what to do to avoid data loss in the future.

1.Check the basket at MIUI Gallery

The first thing you need to do is to look into the Gallery's built-in application cart, and in MIUI 12 and later, deleted files are not erased immediately, but are sent to a temporary storage facility that lasts up to 30 days (some models have 15 days), the easiest way to return videos without third-party software.

How it works:

• 📁 Open the Gallery app on your Xiaomi.
• 🗑️ Slip on three dots in the top right corner and select the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted in Older Versions).
• 🔍 Find the right video, click on it and select Restore.
• 📤 The file will return to the original folder (for example, DCIM/Camera Movies).

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If the cart is empty, check the settings of the gallery: go to Settings → Recycle Bin and make sure the function is enabled. On some firmware, it is disabled by default.

⚠️ Note: If you were manually cleaning the cart or using features like Memory Optimization in the Recycle Bin MIUI, The files could have been deleted permanently.

2.Recovery through MI Cloud backups

If your Xiaomi has enabled sync with MI Cloud, the chances of returning videos increase.The cloud automatically saves copies of photos and videos (if the feature is activated).

How to recover from MI Cloud:

• ☁️ Open the Settings. → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud.
• 📁 Select Gallery or Backup Copies.
• 🔍 Find the right video in the list of synchronized files.
• ⬇️ Click Download to return it to the device.

📌 It's important: MI Cloud only provides 5GB of space for free. If backups were not created due to space constraints, this method will not work. Also check if sync has been disabled in gallery settings (Gallery Settings). → Synchronization with MI Cloud).

3. Search for video through file manager

Sometimes videos don't disappear completely, but simply hide in the depths of the phone's memory.

• 📂 The file was moved to another folder (for example, when cleaning the cache).
• 🔄 Gallery does not update media base after removal.
• 📱 Video saved on SD-map that temporarily shut down.

How to find hidden videos:

1. Open Files (standard MIUI manager) or install Solid Explorer/FX File Manager.
2. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM or SD-map → DCIM.
3. Look for folders with names:.thumbnails (miniatures, sometimes contain copies) Camera or Video MIUI/Screenrecorder (if the video was recorded by an on-screen recorder)

Enable the display of hidden files (in file manager settings).

4. Recovery with third-party utilities (without root)

If you don't find video in the cart or the cloud, you need to plug in specialized software, and Xiaomi can use utilities that don't have a superuser license.

🔧 Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger:

1. Download DiskDigger from Google Play.
2. Start the scan (select Full Analysis for deep search).
3. Tag the found videos and click Restore.
4. Save files to SD-map or cloud (not internal memory!).

🔌 Instructions for Recuva:

1. Enable USB Debugging on Xiaomi: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 Times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect your phone to your PC and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Start Recuva, select the type of Video files and specify your phone’s drive.
4. Start the scan (deep analysis will take 1-3 hours).
5. Save the files found to the hard drive of the PC.

💡 Tip: If Recuva doesn't find video, try PhotoRec (works through the command line, but scans at a low level:

photorec /d D:\recovered /cmd D:\recovered\log.txt

(where D:\recovered is a folder to save files).

6. Recovery after resetting or firmware

If the video was deleted after hard reset or reflashing MIUI, the chances of recovery drop dramatically.

• 🔄 In a soft reset (through settings), the data remains on the disk until overwritten.
• 📛 In hard reset (via Recovery), files are erased, but fragments can be saved.
• 🛠️ After Fastboot, data is almost always lost irretrievably.

🛑 What can I do:

1. Stop using your phone immediately (new files will overwrite old ones).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and scan the memory using TestDisk or R-Studio.
3. If the phone doesn’t turn on, remove the microSD (if any) and scan it separately.

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to restore data to the same drive! Use a different drive or cloud. Also avoid programs like KingRoot or Magisk - they can permanently damage the file system.

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Once reset or firmware is installed, Xiaomi can only recover video in the first 24-48 hours, until the new data overwrites the old memory sectors.

7. How to avoid video loss in the future

To avoid looking for ways to recover, it is better to protect your data in advance. Here are 5 rules for Xiaomi owners:

• 🔄 Enable autosynchronization with MI Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud → gallery → On.
• 📁 Use external drives: save important videos to a microSD or portable SSD.
• 🤖 Install a third-party cart, such as a Dumpster or Recycle Bin.
• 📱 Make local backups regularly through Settings → System system → Backup.
• 🚫 Avoid manually cleaning the cache – many videos are stored in app folders (like WhatsApp or Telegram).

📌 Preventive checklist:

Check free space in MI Cloud|Configure automatic gallery synchronization |Buy microSD for backups |Disable memory optimization in settings |Install the shopping cart application-->

FAQ: Frequent questions about video recovery on Xiaomi