Recovering Deleted Videos on Xiaomi Phone: From Recycle Bin to Deep Scanning

Removed video from Xiaomi smartphone by mistake or after resetting? Don't panic - 80 percent of files can be returned even if they don't show up in the gallery. In this article, we'll look at all the current ways to recover, from standard MIUI features to professional utilities that work even after formatting memory. It's important to act quickly - the less time has passed since deleting, the better the chances of success.

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) use their own MIUI shell, which has built-in data protection tools. However, they don't always work: for example, a shopping cart in a gallery only stores files for 30 days, and after cleaning up garbage through Security videos can disappear irrevocably. We tested each method on devices with MIUI 12-14 and identified those that give real results.

If you deleted the video less than a day ago, start with the Recycle Bin and Cloud section, and for old files or after resetting to factory settings, you will need PC software, which we covered at the end of this article with detailed screenshots, and you will learn how to prevent permanent data loss in the future (spoiler: this is about encryption and backups).

1. Checking the basket in the standard MIUI gallery

The easiest way to return deleted videos is to use the built-in shopping cart in the Gallery app, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 10 and newer, but only works if:

• 📁 Files were deleted through the gallery itself (not through the file manager or third-party apps).
• ⏳ No more than 30 days have passed since the deletion (default).
• 🔄 The cart was not cleaned manually or through a Security Optimizer.

To restore the video:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → select the basket.
3. Find the right video, hold your finger on it to highlight.
4. Click Restore (the icon with the arrow down).

Check the.trash folder through the file manager

Make sure that the deletion is not through third-party apps (e.g. Google Photos)

Try searching for a video by title through the gallery search bar

Clear the cache of the gallery in the application settings-->

If the cart is empty but you are sure that the video was deleted through the gallery, try rebooting the phone - sometimes files are displayed after restart. Also check if Auto Clean the cart is enabled in the gallery settings (Settings → Recycle Cart → Auto Clean).

⚠️ Warning: Do not save new files (photos, videos, apps) to your device until you recover! New data can overwrite deleted videos, making them impossible to recover.

2. Search in cloud services: Mi Cloud, Google Photos and Telegram

Many Xiaomi users don’t even know that their videos are automatically synced to the cloud. Check these services first if the shopping cart is empty:

Pay special attention to Mi Cloud: even if the sync was disabled, some videos could have been saved to the cloud under previous settings.

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Select the Gallery section → Video.
3. Use a date filter, if not the file name.

Mi Cloud

Google Photo

Yandex Disk

Don't use the clouds.

Other-->

If the video is found in the cloud, download it back to your phone: in Mi Cloud, click on three dots next to the file → Save to your device. In Google Photos, just open the video and tap Save.

3. Recovery through File Manager: Hidden Folders and Cache

Sometimes the videos don't show up in the gallery, but they're physically left on the device.

• 🖼️ Damage to thumbnails (the gallery can't see the file, but it is there).
• 📂 Moving to hidden folders (for example, after updating) MIUI).
• 🗑️ Errors of indexing media files.

To find videos like this:

1. Open Files (standard manager from Xiaomi)
2. Go to Categories → Video or search by extensions: type.mp4,.mov,.3gp.
3. Check the folders: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/ /storage/emulated/0/Movies/ /storage/emulated/0/Download/ /storage/emulated/0/.thumbnails/

If the video is found but not played, try:

• 🔧 Rename the file (e.g. add fixed at the end).
• 📥 Copy it on PC and open it through VLC Player (he reads corrupted files).
• 🔄 Rebooting your phone – sometimes helps to update your media base.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use the Garbage Cleanup feature in the Security app before recovery! it deletes temporary files that may contain snippets of your videos.

4.Use of PC: Deep scanning software

If the video is deleted long ago or after resetting, specialized programs will be required for the purpose of Windows/macOS. They scan the device's memory at a low level and recover files even after formatting. 5 Popular utilities and chose the three most effective:

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger (recommended for maximum results):

1. Download the program from the official website.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
3. Start DiskDigger → Select your device → Press Full Scan (full scan).
4. Wait until it is completed (may take a few hours).
5. Filter the results by.mp4,.mov → select the desired files → Recover.

To increase the odds:

• 🔌 Use the original. USB-cable (cheap cables can interrupt the connection).
• 🔋 Charge your phone to 100% – scanning drains the battery.
• 🛑 Do not interrupt the process even if it has been taken >3 hours.

💡

If the program does not see the device, turn on Debugging by USB In the developer settings. Go to Settings for that. → The phone. → Version. MIUI (tap 7 times, then return to the Additional settings → For developers → Debugging by USB.

5. Recovery after reset to factory settings

If you have done a Hard Reset (reset via Settings) → Additionally. → Recovery and reset, the chances of returning the video are lower, but they are:

1. Check the cloud copies (section 2 of the article). Even if the sync was disabled, some files may have been saved.
2. Use PC programs (section 4). After reset, they scan the userdata section where fragments may remain.
3. Check the memory card (if installed). SD-The cards are not affected when the phone is dropped.
4. Contact the service center if the video is critical.The specialists use the Chip-Off method (reading data directly from the memory chip), but it is expensive (from 5 000 000 USD). ₽).

Important: Don't reset your phone after reset (don't create accounts, don't install apps) Each action records new data by overwriting old ones.

💡

Once reset to factory settings, the priority is to connect the phone to the PC as quickly as possible and start the scan, and every hour of delay reduces the chances by 10-15%.

6.Prevention: How to Avoid Losing Video in the Future

90% of data loss is due to the absence of backups, so you don't need to look for recovery methods, set up automatic protection:

• ☁️ Mi Cloud: Enable Autosynchronization Gallery (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Gallery. 5GB is free, that's enough for you. ~2 hours of video in Full HD.
• 📁 Local copies: Once a month, copy important videos to your PC or external drive. DCIM/Backup.
• 🔒 Encryption: In security settings (Settings) → Password and security → Encryption: Encrypt your device, and it protects your data when you steal it.
• 🚫 Cleaning prohibition: In the Security app, turn off automatic basket cleaning (Cleaning up) → Settings → Cart cleaning).

Additional measures for Xiaomi owners:

• 📱 Install Google Photos app and set up your original quality backup (up to 15GB free).
• 🔄 Check the folder regularly DCIM/.thumbnails — Sometimes the video thumbnails are saved even after the original is deleted.
• 🛠️ Use file managers with Recycle Bin (such as Solid Explorer) to ensure that deleted files don’t disappear immediately.

Yeah, regularly.

Sometimes, before important events

No, but I'm planning to start.

No, I'm not.

I don't know how to do that.-->

7. Frequent mistakes and myths about video recovery

There are a lot of tips on the Internet that not only don't help, but make things worse.

⚠️ Warning: Don't install recovery apps directly on your phone! They require root rights that can lock the device, and they take up space by overwriting deleted files.

Another common mistake is using the same device to download recovery software, such as downloading Recuva to the same phone you want to return the video from, and this leads to:

• 📉 Rewriting memory sectors with new data.
• 🐢 Slowing down scanning due to background loading.
• 🔒 Risk of installing malware (many “recoverers” in the Play Market – fakes).

The right course of action:

1. Download the program to another computer.
2. Connect Xiaomi via USB.
3. Run the scan from an external drive (not from the PC system partition).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions