How to find favorites in Xiaomi phone: where bookmarks, contacts and files are stored

Have you accidentally deleted an important bookmark in your browser, or can't find a saved contact in your favorite on Xiaomi? Or maybe you're looking for a folder with your favorite photos that you once added to your favorites? POCO There's no single Favorites section, and the data is spread across different apps and system menus, and in this article, we'll look at all the possible storage locations for those favorites, including hidden folders and settings. MIUI, which the manufacturer does not advertise.

It is important to understand that the term “favorites” in Xiaomi can mean:

• 🔖 Browser bookmarks (Mi Browser, Chrome, Firefox)
• ⭐ Selected contacts in the phone book
• 📁 Favorites folder in the gallery or file manager
• 🎵 Playlists for "Favorite Tracks" in Mi Music
• 📍 Save places in Google Maps or Mi Maps

We'll look at each option separately, with step-by-step screenshots and tips on how to recover lost data. MIUI You have it installed, check it in Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI. This depends on the location of some menu items.

1. How to find bookmarks (“Favorites”) in the browser on Xiaomi

If you're looking for saved web pages, they're in one of three places, depending on which browser you're using. Xiaomi smartphones have Mi Browser installed by default, but many users are installing Google Chrome or Firefox.

For Mi Browser (standard browser) MIUI):

1. Open the Mi Browser app (Blue Earth icon).
2. Slap the icon «⋮» (three points) in lower right corner.
3. Select Bookmarks (or Bookmarks in English).
4. This will show all the saved pages divided into folders (if you created them).

For Google Chrome:

• 🔍 Open Chrome and tap three dots in the upper right corner.
• 📌 Select Bookmarks (Bookmarks).
• 📁 Here you will see the folder Favorites (Mobile bookmarks) - it stores all saved pages.

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If the bookmarks disappeared after the update MIUI, Try syncing your browser with your Google or Mi Account account. To do this, go to your browser settings and turn on the option to Sync Data.

If you used Firefox or another browser, the path will be similar: look for the Library or Bookmarks section in the app menu. → Annexes → Application management → [Browser name] → Memory. → Data, but it is impossible to extract it from there without root rights.

2.Where selected contacts are stored in the phone book

Favorite contacts in Xiaomi are displayed on a separate tab in the Phone (or Contacts) app, but their location depends on the version. MIUI:

For MIUI 12-14:

• 📞 Open the phone application (pipe icon).
• 🌟 Go to the Favorites tab – it is located at the bottom of the screen next to the Journal and Contacts.
• 🔍 If there is no tab, tap the icon «⋮» → Settings → Display selected contacts.

For older versions. MIUI (12th):

• 📇 Open the Contacts app.
• 🔝 At the top of the screen, select the Group tab.
• 💫 Find a group of Favorite Contacts (or Starred in Android).

If the selected contacts are missing after resetting or updating MIUI, You can restore them through a backup of Mi Account or Google. → Accounts. → Mi Account → Synchronize contacts and enable the option.

If sync doesn’t work, try exporting contacts to a.vcf file via Settings. → System system → Imports/exports → Exporting contacts and then importing them back, which sometimes restores hidden or corrupted records.

3.Favorites folder in gallery and file manager

Xiaomi has a hidden Favorites folder where users often save their favorite photos and videos, but it can be hidden behind additional gestures or settings.

How to find your favorite photos and videos:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slap the icon «⋮» → Albums.
3. Scroll down the list – there should be a Favorites folder.
4. If there is no folder, try to hold a finger to any photo and choose Add to your favorites - the folder will appear automatically.

In the file manager (Mi File Manager), the selected files are stored along the path:

/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Favorites

To see this way:

• 📂 Open Files (App with Blue Folder).
• 🔍 Go to the Category section → Images → Folders.
• 📌 Find the Favorites folder (it can be hidden – turn on the display of hidden files in the manager settings).

If the Favorites folder is empty, but you are sure that you have added files to it, check:

• 🗑️ Recycle Bin in the Gallery (files could have been deleted accidentally).
• 🔄 Cloud storage (Mi Cloud or Google Photos) – it is possible that files are synced there.
• 📱 Other devices if you have sync enabled through Mi Account.

4.Selected tracks in Mi Music and other players

If you're looking for saved songs or playlists, the standard Mi Music app has a section called "Favorite Tracks" but has changed in different versions. MIUI.

For MIUI 13-14:

• 🎵 Open the Music app.
• 💖 Go to the tab My (or Me) in the lower menu.
• 📌 Here will be the section Favorite Songs).

For MIUI 12 and below:

• 🎶 Open Mi Music and tap the icon «⋮».
• ⭐ Choose your favorite tracks or favorites.

If you use Google Play Music, Spotify or Yandex Music, the selected tracks are stored in your service account. → Songs. → ❤️.

If your favorite songs are missing after the update, try:

• 🔄 Update the library in the player settings.
• 📱 Reboot your phone – sometimes it restores the cache of media files.
• 💾 Check the Music folder for files marked favorite in metadata.

5. Save places on maps (Google Maps and Mi Maps)

If you are looking for favorite locations (home, work, favorite cafes), they are stored in mapping services. Xiaomi can install two apps by default: Google Maps and Mi Maps (in China and some regions).

For Google Maps:

1. Open Google Maps and tap the profile icon in the upper right corner.
2. Choose your seats. → Save.
3. There will be a favorites, I want to visit other labels.

For Mi Maps (if installed):

• 📍 Open Mi Maps (the icon with the red mark).
• 🏠 Slap the icon «⋮» → My seats. → Chosen.

If the saved places are missing, check:

• 🔄 Sync with Google account (Settings) → Google → Google services → Maps).
• 📱 Application cache – sometimes cleaning it restores data (Settings) → Annexes → Maps → Memory. → Clear the cache).
• 🌍 Regional settings – in some countries, Mi Maps replaces Google Maps, and vice versa.

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The saved places on Google Maps are linked to your account, not your phone, and if you log out of your Google profile, all tags will disappear, but they will recover once you log in again.

6.How to recover a lost favorite on Xiaomi

If you don't find the data you want in the standard sections, try the following recovery methods: they're suitable for bookmarks, contacts, photos, and other types of favorites.

Method 1: Recovery through Mi Cloud

• 🌥️ Go to Settings. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
• 🔄 Enable synchronization for the desired type of data (contacts, gallery, notes, etc.).
• 📲 Wait 5-10 minutes and check if the files are available.

Method 2: Local Recovery from Backup

• 📦 Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• 🔙 Select Local Backup and Check for Backups.
• 📂 If there is a backup, restore it (be aware that this may overwrite current data!).

Method 3: Using Third-Party Applications

To recover deleted files (photos, videos) suitable:

• 🛠️ DiskDigger scans internal memory for deleted files.
• 🔍 Recuva (requires root rights) – recovers data from the memory card.
• 📱 GT Recovery – specializes in restoring contacts and messages.

Method 4: Checking the basket

Many Xiaomi apps have their own shopping cart, where files are stored for 30 days before being permanently deleted:

• 🗑️ Gallery: Albums → Basket.
• 📄 Files: Categories → Basket.
• 🎵 Music: In some versions MIUI There is a section Remote tracks.

If you have used Google Photos, check the shopping cart in the web version of the service at the address photos.google.com/trash. Files are stored there. 60 days.

7 Why the Chosen Ones May Disappear and How to Avoid It

Xiaomi users often face the problem of losing their favorites after updates, resetting settings or changing firmware.

Problems often arise when moving from MIUI Globally MIUI China or vice versa, in which case some system applications (such as Mi Browser or Mi Music) can reset to factory settings:

1. Create a full backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
2. Export your contacts to the.vcf file.
3. Save your browser bookmarks to the cloud or to your computer.

If you frequently test custom firmware, consider using it. TWRP Recovery to create complete system images, guaranteed to protect your data against any manipulation of the software.

8. Alternative methods of storing the selected

If Xiaomi's standard methods don't suit you, you can use third-party services to store your favorites, they're more reliable and synchronized between devices.

For bookmarking:

• 🌐 Raindrop.io – cross-platform bookmark manager with tags and folders.
• 🔖 Pocket – saves articles for offline reading.
• 📁 Google Keep – You can save links as notes.

For contacts:

• 📇 Google Contacts – automatically syncs with your account.
• 🔗 Simpler Contacts – Backup of Contacts to the Cloud.

For photo and video:

• 📷 Google Photos – Automatic Backup marked Favorites.
• 🖼️ Amazon Photos – Unlimited Photo Storage (for Prime owners).

For music:

• 🎧 Spotify or Apple Music – Selected tracks are stored in the cloud.
• 🎵 SoundCloud – You can create playlists marked as Lyke.

If you prefer local storage, create a folder on the memory card. FAVORITES And you can manually copy the important files, so they don't go away when you drop the phone.

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Using cloud services (like Google or Mi Cloud) ensures that favorites are available even after a phone is replaced. Local storage is risky - data can be lost when the device breaks.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Favorites on Xiaomi