Accidental deleting of a phone number from your contacts on Xiaomi is a familiar situation, especially unpleasant if it was an important contact: a colleague, a relative or a customer. Fortunately, owners of Redmi, POCO or Mi smartphones have several ways to recover lost data. In this article, we will discuss all working methods of recovery, from standard MIUI functions to third-party tools.
The rule is, the faster you start, the better the chances of success. Android and MIUI automatically back up contacts, but you need to be able to find them. If you don't have backups, don't despair: there are ways to recover data even after you have completely cleared the memory. It's important to understand that success depends on the phone model (for example, on the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Redmi Note 12 algorithms may differ) and whether synchronization functions have been enabled.
1. Checking the basket in the “Contacts” app
Many users don't know that MIUI has a built-in remote contact basket, the equivalent of a junk cart on your computer, and if you deleted a number less than 30 days ago, it can be returned in two clicks.
How to do this:
- 📱 Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
- 🔍 Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select the basket.
- 🔄 Find the right contact, tick it and click Restore.
- 📤 If there are many contacts, use a search by name or number in the top row.
Note that the Recycle Bin stores the deleted contacts for only 30 days, and then they are deleted permanently, and the Recycle Bin can be disabled in settings, in which case recovery through it is impossible.
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If the cart is empty, check if it has been manually cleaned. Go to Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clean the cart. If the button is active, the data can still be returned.
2. Recovery via MI Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)
MI Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically syncs contacts if the feature is enabled.If you’ve previously logged in to a Mi Account and haven’t disabled sync, the chances of recovery are very high.
Instructions for remediation:
- 🌐 Go to Settings. → Mi Account. → MI Cloud.
- 🔄 Make sure the switch opposite Contact is on (blue).
- 📱 If synchronization is disabled, turn it on and wait 5-10 minutes – the data will be downloaded automatically.
- 🔍 If no contacts, try to restore the old version: click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Restore Contacts.
MI Cloud has backups from the last 7 days. You can select any date the contact was still on the phone. Importantly, after recovery, any changes made after the date you selected will be lost. For example, if you restore a copy from 5 days ago, all contacts added during that 5 days will disappear.
What if MI Cloud does not sync your contacts?
3. Recovery through Google Contacts
If you use a Google account on your Xiaomi, your contacts could sync with Google Contacts, which works even if MI Cloud is disabled.
Step-by-step:
- 🌍 Open your browser on your computer or phone and go to contacts.google.com.
- 🔑 Sign in to the same Google account that is linked to your phone.
- 🔍 In the left menu, select Other Contacts or use search.
- 📥 If a contact is found, click on the three dots next to it and select Restore.
- 🔄 On the phone, update sync: Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of the account → Contacts.
If there are no contacts in Google Contacts, check:
- 📅 Whether synchronization was enabled before the number was deleted (go to Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Account management → Synchronization).
- 🔄 Was there a reset of the phone to factory settings - it can interrupt the synchronization.
- 📱 Have you used multiple Google accounts – your contacts may have been saved to a different profile.
4.Use of a backup copy of MIUI
MIUI's proprietary firmware allows you to create full backups of the system, including contacts, and if you've ever done a backup, you can use it to restore it.
How to restore contacts from backup:
- ⚙️ Go to Settings. → The phone. → Backup and reset → Local backups.
- 📁 Select the most recent copy created before deleting the contact.
- 🔍 Click Restore and tick only Contacts (so as not to overwrite other data).
- 📱 Confirm the recovery and wait for the process to be completed (may take a few minutes).
If there are no local copies, check MI Cloud, which also stores backups.
- Go to Settings → Mi Account → MI Cloud → Backup of the device.
- Select the device and date of the copy.
- Click Restore and select only Contacts.
Backup your current contacts (if any)
Check the space available on your phone (needs at least 500MB)
Connect your phone to charge.
Make sure the battery is over 50 times charged%-->
5. Third-party recovery programs
If standard methods didn't work, you can try specialized data recovery software that scans your phone's memory and looks for deleted files, including contacts, and it's important that these programs require root permissions for deep scanning, which can compromise your device's warranty and security.
Popular programmes:
| Programme | Requires root. | Free version | Support for MIUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr.Fone | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes (restrictions) | ✅ Yes. |
| EaseUS MobiSaver | ⚠️ Partially. | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. |
| DiskDigger | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. |
| GT Recovery | ❌ No. | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. |
Instructions for Dr.Fone (without root):
- 📥 Install the program on your computer from Wondershare.
- 📱 Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB (Turn on the debugging. USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).
- 🔍 Run the scan in the program and select Contacts.
- 📤 Save the numbers found in format VCF And import them back into your phone.
⚠️ Attention: No root programs only recover data that has not been overwritten by new files. The more active you use your phone after deleting, the lower your chances of success.
6. Appeal in support of Xiaomi
If all methods have been tried and contact is critical (such as an employer or legal number), you can try to contact official Xiaomi support.
How to make a request:
- 📧 Write to the mail support.ru@xiaomi.com with the theme “Reconciliation of contacts».
- 📄 Specify: Phone model (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Pro). IMEI Devices (you can find out in the settings) → The phone. → General information. Date and approximate time of deletion of contact. Linked Mi-account (email).
- 📎 Please provide a synchronization confirmation screenshot (if any).
The timeframe for processing the request is 3 to 10 business days, and please note that support does not guarantee recovery, especially if:
- 🚫 You didn't have a Mi Account.
- 🔄 The synchronization was off.
- 🗑️ It has been more than 30 days since the removal.
⚠️ Warning: Don't trust "specialists" who promise to recover data for money through remote access. These are scammers! Official Xiaomi support never asks for a fee for reconnection.
7 How to Prevent Loss of Contact in the Future
To avoid losing numbers, set up automatic sync and backup. Here are 5 must-do steps for Xiaomi owners:
- 🔄 Turn on sync with MI Cloud: Go to Settings → Mi Account. → MI Cloud. Activate the Contacts switch. Press Sync.
- ☁️ Set up Google Contacts: Go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Sync your account. Enable Contacts. Check that the primary account to save is Google (in the Contacts app). → Settings → Default account).
- 📁 Create a local backup: Open Settings → The phone. → Backup and reset. Press Local Backup → Create a copy. Select Contacts and start the process.
- 📤 Export contacts to file: In the Contacts app, click on three dots → Contact management → Import/Export. Select Export to Storage and save file VCF memory card or cloud.
- 🔒 Set a password for the Contacts app: Go to Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Lock the application. PIN graphical.
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Even if you delete a contact, don’t panic: 90% of the time, you can restore it through MI Cloud or Google Contacts if sync is enabled.