Where to find “Favorites” on Xiaomi Redmi phone: browser, contacts, gallery and files

You saved a major page in your browser, added a contact to Favorites, but now you can't find where it all went? On Xiaomi Redmi smartphones with a MIUI shell, the paths to Favorites depend on the type of data and the firmware version. In this article, we will analyze where to look for bookmarks in the standard Mi Browser browser, how to find marked contacts, and where to go stored files from the gallery or Explorer.

The problem is that MIUI doesn’t always use familiar terms: instead of Favorites, the menu can feature Bookmarks, Marked, Loved, or even Collections, and after the updates, the interface changes — what used to be in Settings → Applications can now be hidden in the Profile Mi → Cloud. We have collected the current ways for the Redmi Note 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10/13 and other models on MIUI 12-14.

1. Where to look for bookmarks (“Favorites”) in the Mi Browser browser

The standard Mi Browser on Xiaomi Redmi stores bookmarks in two places — locally on the device and in the Mi Cloud. If you do not sync your account, bookmarks may disappear after resetting. Here's how to find them:

• 📱 Local bookmarks: Open Mi Browser, tap the icon ⋮ (three-point) → Select Bookmarks. All saved pages will be displayed here, including the Favorites folder (if created).
• ☁️ Cloud Bookmarks: In the same Bookmarks menu, go to the Mi Cloud tab. If you are not authorized, the system will prompt you to log in to your Xiaomi account.
• 🔍 Bookmarking Search: There is a search bar at the top of the bookmark list – type in a keyword (like “instruction”) to quickly find the page you want.

If you don’t bookmark in either local or cloud storage, check if you’ve used another browser (like Chrome or Firefox). ⋮ → Bookmarks, and in Firefox - in ☰ → Library → Bookmarks.

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If the bookmarks disappeared after the update MIUI, Try to clear the browser cache: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Browser → Clear the cache. This often restores hidden data.

2. "Favorite contacts" in the phone book: where are stored and how to add

In MIUI, "Favorites" are called "Favorites" or "Favorites" and can be found in the standard Contacts app, which is an icon with a human silhouette.

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Put the "Favorites" tab (star in the bottom menu). If it's not there, click on the ⋮ → Settings → Show your favorite contacts.
3. To add a contact to the Favorites, open his card. → press on ⭐ (star) in upper right corner.

If the Loved Ones tab is missing, it may be disabled in the settings. Also check if the contacts are hidden in Settings → Show Contacts → All Contacts. Some versions of MIUI 13-14 may call Favorites Important or Priority.

3. "Favorites" in the gallery: where the marked photos and videos are stored

The standard Xiaomi Gallery (Photo app) has a Favorites feature where you can add important shots, but after the MIUI update, this option sometimes moves or hides.

• 📸 Favorites tab: Open the Gallery, swipe down the screen, and the top menu should have a Favorites tab. If it's not there, tap on it. ⋮ → Settings → Show albums → Chosen.
• 🔍 Search by tags: In some versions MIUI tagged with #favorite, type it into the gallery search box.
• ☁️ Cloud Storage: If sync with Mi Cloud is enabled, Favorites can be duplicated in Mi Cloud → Photo Photo → Albums. → Chosen.

To add a photo to the “Favorites”, open it in the gallery and click on the icon ❤️ (The heart is on the bottom menu. MIUI 14 This button can be replaced by ⭐ (star).

4. Favorites in the file manager: where stored files are stored

The standard Xiaomi Explorer (File app) does not have a separate Favorites folder, but there are similar features:

If you don’t see the Marked tab, update the Files app via Play Market or enable display in the settings: ⋮ → Settings → Show hidden folders.

Open the Files application|Go to Categories → Noted|Check if sync with Mi Cloud is enabled (Settings) → Cloud)|Update the application if the tab is missing-->

5.How to recover lost "Favorites" after resetting or updating

If your favorites have disappeared after resetting or updating MIUI, try these recovery methods:

1. Recovery from Mi Cloud: Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Restore. Select a backup that has browser, contacts or gallery data. Attention: this will overwrite the current data on the phone!
2. Import from Google Account: If you synced bookmarks with Chrome, open your browser → ⋮ → Bookmarks → Import of bookmarks.
3. Checking Hidden Folders: In Explorer, enable the display of hidden files (⋮ → Settings → Show hidden files) and look for folders with names like.favorites or.bookmarks.

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If you regularly lose data after updates, enable automatic sync with Mi Cloud or Google Drive. This will save Favorites from accidental deletion.

If nothing works, check if the data is permanently deleted. For example, in Mi Browser, the bookmarks are stored in the /data/data/com.android.browser/databases folder, but without root rights, you can not get there, in which case only a backup will help.

6. Alternative ways to save "Favorites" on Xiaomi Redmi

In order not to lose important data, use third-party services:

• 🌐 Chrome or Firefox Browser: Sync your bookmarks with your Google or Mozilla account. Chrome has Favorites available on any device after you sign in.
• 📁 Cloud storage: Save files to Google Drive, Yandex Disk or Dropbox. For example, tagged photos can be automatically uploaded to Google Photos.
• 📱 Third-party apps: Use Truecaller or Sync.ME for contacts – they save your favorites in the cloud regardless of what you want. MIUI.

If you often work with bookmarks, install Raindrop.io or Pocket – these services allow you to save pages to the cloud and sort them by tag.

1. For bookmarks: long-press on Mi Browser → Shortcut → Bookmarks.

2. For contacts: Open Contacts → Long-pressed "Favourite" contact → Add to the main screen.-->

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Xiaomi Redmi users often face two challenges:

⚠️ Note: If you delete your Xiaomi account, all data from Mi Cloud (including Favorites) will be deleted without recovery!

• 🔄 Reset settings without backup: After hard reset, all local bookmarks and tagged files disappear.Always save data to the cloud before resetting.
• 📱 No sync: If you don’t sync with Mi Cloud or Google, Favorites are stored only on your device and may be lost.
• 🔍 Search in the wrong app: For example, search for bookmarks in Chrome, and saved them in Mi Browser.

To avoid loss:

1. Enable automatic synchronization in Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Export contacts to.vcf file (Contacts) → ⋮ → Imports/Exports).
3. Use cross-platform services (such as Google Contacts or Chrome).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions