Have you made an important audio recording on a Xiaomi smartphone but can't find it? Or accidentally deleted the recording and want to restore it? In this article, we'll look at where the voice recorder files are stored on Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi devices, how to access them through standard and hidden folders, and how to reserve or recover lost records.
The manufacturer doesn’t always obviously place audio files — their location depends on the MIUI firmware version, phone model, and even the recording method (built-in voice recorder, third-party app or voice assistant).We analyzed the current data for MIUI 14/15 and collected all possible storage paths, including hidden system directories that are not displayed in the standard file manager.
Importantly, if you're using Mi Cloud, records can automatically sync, as we'll explain below, and for those who have experienced file loss, we've prepared a data recovery section that takes into account the features of Xiaomi's file system.
Standard location of recordings of the recorder on Xiaomi
By default, Xiaomi's built-in voice recorder (Record or Recorder app) saves files in an open folder of internal memory. The path depends on the version of MIUI:
- 📁 Main path (relevant to the MIUI 12–15): /storage/emulated/0/Recorder/ or /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/
- 📁 For older versions (MIUI 10–11): /storage/emulated/0/Recordings/
- 🔄 Automatic sorting: records are grouped by date in subfolders of the view 2026-05-15
Files have extensions.m4a (format AAC) Or.amr (for short entries) Names are generated automatically from a template. REC_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.m4a. For example, REC_20260515_143022.m4a — record 15 may 2026 yearly 14:30:22.
To open the folder:
- Start the File Manager application.
- Go to the Internal Storage section.
- Find the Recorder folder or MIUI → sound_recorder.
Note that if the folder is empty, check the settings of the recorder. In some firmware, you can manually change the save path (for this in the next section), and records can also be hidden in the Mi Cloud if synchronization is enabled.
How to change the location of recordings recorder
Starting with MIUI 13, users can choose where to save audio files: to internal memory or to the user. SD-This is the map:
- Open the Recording app (Recorder).
- Put it on the icon. ⚙️ (Settings) in upper right corner.
- Select the item "Save Place".
- Specify the appropriate catalog: internal memory or SD-map (if installed).
If the Save Place option is not available, your MIUI version does not support manual path change, in which case the records will always be saved to the standard address (see the previous section).
Open the Record app | Check the Settings section | Make sure that saved to the cloud is enabled (if necessary) | Check the available storage options-->
On some models (such as the POCO F4 or Xiaomi 12T), when you first start the voice recorder, the system suggests selecting a folder to save. If you missed this step, the path will be set by default.
⚠️ Note: when changing the place of conservation to SD-Make sure the card is formatted as internal storage (via Settings) → Storage) Otherwise, records may not be saved or will be inaccessible after the card is retrieved.
Search for records through system folders (hidden directories)
Sometimes the recorder's records are stored in hidden system folders that are not displayed in the standard file manager.
- 📱 Devices with custom firmware (for example, Xiaomi.EU).
- 🔒 Records made through voice assistant (Xiao) AI).
- 📎 Files created by third-party applications with microphone access.
To see the hidden folders:
- Connect your phone to your PC via USB (in File Transfer mode).
- Turn on the display of hidden files: On Windows: in Explorer, go to the View → tick Hidden Items. On Mac: in Finder, click Cmd + Shift +. (dot).
/storage/emulated/0/
- .miui/sound_recorder/ — alternative storage MIUI.
- Android/data/com.miui.soundrecorder/ – cache and temporary files.
- MIUI/voice_assistant/ — voice-assistant.
In the cloud, files are stored in the original format (.m4a or.amr) and are available for download for 30 days after being deleted from the device.
💡
To speed up up the download of records from the cloud to your phone, connect to a Wi-Fi network – Mi Cloud limits traffic when using mobile Internet.
If there are no records in the cloud, check:
- 🔄 Synchronization is enabled in Mi Cloud settings.
- 📶 Is there enough space in the cloud storage (free 5 GB).
- 📵 Does the power saving mode block the background load (check in Settings) → Battery).
Recovery of deleted recordings of the recorder
If you accidentally delete a record, you can try to restore it, and success depends on how long it has been since it was deleted, and whether the internal memory was used after that. SD-map.
Recovery (from simple to complex):
- Check the Recycle Bin: Open the Files → Recycle Bin application. Find deleted audio files (stored for 10 days). Restore them by clicking Restore.
- Use Mi Cloud: As described in the previous section, check the cloud for backups.
- Recovery software: Connect your phone to your PC and use DiskDigger, Recuva or EaseUS MobiSaver. Select the Internal Memory section and look for files with the.m4a/.amr extension.
Root access
- With Root Explorer, check the folder /data/data/com.miui.soundrecorder/.
- Warning: This method requires unlocking the bootloader and may violate the warranty.
⚠️ Note: if you write new files after deleting, the chances of recovery drop dramatically. Data in flash memory is overwritten fragmentally, and old records may be permanently lost.
Why are recovery programs not working?
Export and backup of records
To avoid losing important audio files, back them up regularly.
- 📤 Export to PC: Connect your phone to your computer via USB. Copy the folder. /Recorder/ hard-drive.
Cloud services
- Upload files to Google Drive, Yandex Drive or Dropbox.
- Use automatic synchronization through Settings → Synchronization.
Third-party annexes
- Install AutoSync or FolderSync to automatically back up to the cloud.