Where to look for records of a voice recorder on Xiaomi: a full guide to folders in MIUI

Why recordings of the recorder “disappear” and where to look for them on Xiaomi

You turned on a tape recorder on a Xiaomi smartphone, recorded an important conversation or lecture, but now you can't find a file? This problem is familiar to many MIUI users - the Xiaomi operating shell does not always obviously organize the storage of audio recordings. Unlike an iPhone or "pure" Android, where the voice recorder files are in the standard Recordings folder, on Xiaomi the path depends on the firmware version, the device model and even regional settings.

In this article, we will explore all possible locations where MIUI It can save audio from a voice recorder, from standard folders to hidden directories, and also tell you how to recover records if they "disappear" after updating or resetting settings. X5 Xiaomi 13, where the storage logic has changed in the latest versions MIUI 14.

If you have used third-party voice recorder apps (such as Easy Voice Recorder or ASR Voice Recorder), look for files in their own folders – read about this in a separate section below.

Standard folders for recording voice recorders in MIUI

In 80% of cases, audio files from Xiaomi's native voice recorder are in one of three folders, and their location depends on the MIUI version and regional firmware (global, Chinese, European).

• 📁 Main folder: /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/ — this is where records are stored on most devices with MIUI 12 and later.
• 📁 Alternative path: /storage/emulated/0/Recordings/ – used on some Poco models and older versions of MIUI (up to 11).
• 📁 For Chinese firmware: /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/voice_recorder/ — found on devices for the Chinese market (e.g., Xiaomi 12S Ultra).

To open these folders:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Or use any file manager on your phone (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
3. Enable the display of hidden files (in Mi File Manager: ⋮ → Settings → Show hidden files).

If the sound_recorder or voice_recorder folders are missing, don't panic - maybe the records are saved elsewhere.

What do the recorder files look like?

Audio recordings from the native Dictaphone application (Recorder) have the following characteristics:

• 🎵 The format:.m4a (AAC) or.amr depends on the quality settings in the application.
• 📌 File name: typically begins with rec_ or voice_, followed by date and time (example: rec_20260515_143022.m4a).
• 🔍 Metadata: When playing Mi Music or VLC, the duration and bitrate (usually 64–128 kbit/s) are displayed.

💡

If you can’t see files in the folder but are sure that the record was made, try searching the.m4a or.amr mask in the file manager.

Where to look for specific Xiaomi models

The logic of audio storage may vary depending on the product line, and here is a table with proven paths for popular models (relevant to MIUI 14/15):

If your model is not in the table, try the universal method:

1. Open the Dictaphone app and make a test recording lasting 5 seconds.
2. Remember the time of creation of the file.
3. In the file manager, sort files by date (⋮ → Sort → By date) and find fresh.m4a or.amr.

💡

On devices with MIUI 14+, records can automatically sync to Mi Cloud. Check the Cloud/Recordings folder in the file manager.

What to do if the folder is empty

If you found the right folder but it’s empty, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🔄 Records synced to the cloud: check Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Recorder.
• 🗑️ Files deleted: use recovery software (see section below).
• 📱 The recorder app reset: this happens after the MIUI update. Try to return records via Settings → Apps → Recorder → Storage → Recover data.

How to find records made by third-party recorders

If you're using a third-party application other than the native Recorder app (like Easy Voice Recorder, ASR Voice Recorder, or Hi-Q MP3 Recorder), the files will be in other folders.

To find a folder of a particular application:

1. Open Settings → Applications → [Dictaphone name] → Storage.
2. Click Storage Management → Data Folder (or Open Folder).
3. The system will redirect you directly to the catalog with the records.

Attention! Some applications (such as OTT Recorder) save files to secure folders like /Android/data/. To see them, you need root access or a connection to a PC with USB debugging enabled.

Recovery of deleted recordings of the recorder

If you accidentally delete the records or they disappear after resetting, you can try to restore them. Success depends on how long it has been since you deleted and how much you used the phone (new files can overwrite old data).

Here are 3 proven ways:

1.Recovery through Mi Cloud

If you have synced with Mi Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Choose a Recorder (or Recordings).
3. Click Restore and select the desired files.

Restriction: Only 5GB of data is stored in the free rate, and records are stored for no more than 30 days.

2. Programs for file recovery

For Android, the following utilities are suitable (work without root, but with root the chances are higher):

• 🛠️ DiskDigger – Searches for deleted audio files by signature.
• 🔍 Recuva (for PC) scans a memory card or internal memory when you connect your phone.
• 📱 Undeleter Recover Files & Data — supports recovery.m4a and.amr.

Instructions for DiskDigger:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Select Full Scan (requires root for deep analysis).
3. Check the audio box and click Next.
4. After scanning, select the files you want and save them to another folder.

3.Manual recovery through ADB

For advanced users: If files have not been overwritten, you can try to extract them through ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

It will require:

• 🖥️ PC with installation ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → Press 7 times, then additionally → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Commands for searching for deleted files:

adb shell


su




cd /storage/emulated/0/




find . -name ".m4a" -o -name ".amr" | grep -i "rec\|voice"

If you find files, copy them to your PC:

adb pull /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/rec_*.m4a C:\Backups\

Importantly, this method only works if the memory blocks have not been overwritten by the new data, and if more than 2-3 days have passed, the chances are minimal.

How to Change the Records Saving Folder

If you don't like the standard location of the recorder, you can change it, depending on whether you use the native app or a third-party app.

For the native MIUI recorder

Unfortunately, there is no option to change the save folder in the standard Recorder app, but there is a workaround:

1. Create a new folder at the root of the memory, such as MyRecordings.
2. With the file manager, move all files from /MIUI/sound_recorder/ to a new folder.
3. Install Automate or Tasker and create a task that will automatically move new records once they are created.

Example of the task for Automate:

• 📌 Trigger: File created → specify path /MIUI/sound_recorder/*.m4a
• 🔄 Action: Move the file → the target folder /MyRecordings/.

For third-party recorders

Most alternative applications allow you to select a save folder in settings, such as Easy Voice Recorder:

1. Open the application and go to ⋮ → Settings → Save folder.
2. Select Select a folder and specify a new path (e.g. /Recordings/MyVoice/).
3. Save the settings and make a test record.

Some applications (such as ASR Voice Recorder) also support saving to a memory card or to cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox).

💡

If you often write long audio files, choose a microSD to save storage space in internal memory and make it easier to transfer files to your PC.

Frequent problems and solutions

Xiaomi users often face typical problems when working with a voice recorder, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

• 🔇 Records are not saved: Check if there is enough space on the device (Settings → Storage). Update the Dictaphone app via Google Play or App Store MIUI. Reset the app settings: Settings → Apps → Dictaphone → Storage → Clear the data.
• 🎵 Files play with noise: In the voice recorder settings, select Quality → High (WAV) instead of Compressed (AMR). Use an external microphone (e.g., Lavalier via 3.5mm connector or USB-C).
• 🔍 I don't see gallery records: Audio files don't show up in the Gallery -- use Mi Music or Files to search. Set up MX Player or VLC -- they show all media files.

If after the MIUI update, the recorder stopped working or does not save files, try to roll back to the previous version of the application.

1. Download the old version of Recorder from APKMirror.
2. Remove the current application (Settings → Apps → Recorder → Delete).
3. Install the downloaded APK and check the performance.

💡

If the recordings disappear after resetting, check the /MIUI/backup/Rec/ folder – sometimes MIUI backs up audio files.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions