Where to look for bookmarks on Xiaomi phone: in the browser, MIUI and hidden folders

You saved an important page on Xiaomi, but now you can't find it? The problem is familiar to many: the brand's smartphones use their own MIUI shell, which sometimes hides standard Android features in non-obvious menus, and Redmi, POCO or Mi devices can have different default browsers, from Mi Browser to Google Chrome, and bookmarks in them are synchronized in different ways.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible places where bookmarks are stored on Xiaomi, from obvious (built-in browser) to hidden (system folders and cloud services), you’ll learn how to find saved pages even if:

• 🔍 You have removed the browser in which you created bookmarks
• 📱 The phone was dropped to factory settings
• ☁️ The bookmarks disappeared after the update MIUI
• 🔄 You use multiple Xiaomi or Google accounts

We will focus on the unique feature MIUI — Favorites in the app menu, which many confuse with browser bookmarks, although these are completely different things, and we will also tell you how to recover lost bookmarks if they disappeared after resetting or changing the firmware.

1. Standard method: bookmarks in Mi Browser

Mi Browser is Xiaomi’s default browser on all smartphones (except for the European market, where Chrome is often used), where bookmarks are stored in the Xiaomi Cloud, but are also available locally.

1. Open the Mi Browser (the icon with the blue globe and the white letter "Mi").
2. Slap the icon. ⋮ (three points) in lower right corner.
3. Select Bookmarks (or Bookmarks in English).
4. Here you will see all the saved pages broken into folders: 📁 Favorite – Bookmarks added manually 🖥️ History - a quick menu to reopen ☁️ Xiaomi Cloud – synchronized bookmarks (if option is enabled)

If the bookmarks are not in this section, check:

• 🔄 Sync with the cloud: go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronize data and make sure that the slider opposite the browser is active.
• 🗑️ Recycle Bin: Mi Browser stores remote bookmarks for 30 days. To open it, click ⋮ → Basket.

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If you don’t see the “Bookmarks” item in your browser menu, update Mi Browser via Google Play. The interface may be different in older versions.

2. Bookmarks in Google Chrome (if installed)

Xiaomi smartphones for the global market (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G or POCO X5 Pro) often use Google Chrome instead of the Mi Browser, in which case bookmarks are synced with a Google account and are available on all devices.

Open Chrome and do one of the following:

• 📌 Slap the icon. ⋮ (three-point) → Bookmarks.
• 🔍 Enter in the address bar chrome://bookmarks and press Enter.
• 🏷️ On the Chrome homepage, swipe to the right – a bar with bookmarks and history will open.

If there are no bookmarks, check:

1. Sync: Go to Settings → Google → Google Services → Sync and enable Chrome.
2. Account: You may have logged in to the wrong Google account you bookmarked. Check this in Settings → Accounts.

Log in to the correct Google | Enable Chrome sync in settings | Update Chrome to the latest version | Check the Mobile Bookmarks folder (if sync has been disabled)

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⚠️ Note: If you delete Chrome and reinstall it, bookmarks will only be restored if sync was previously enabled. Local bookmarks (without account binding) when you delete the browser are lost forever.

3. System "Favorites" in MIUI: not to be confused with bookmarks!

Many Xiaomi users confuse the bookmarks of the browser with the feature Favorites in the shell MIUI.

To open the Favorite MIUI:

1. Open the app menu (swipe up from the bottom of the screen).
2. Slap the icon. ⭐ In the upper right corner (or scroll to the right to the favorites tab).
3. Here you will see saved application shortcuts, contacts and files.

If you're looking for web bookmarks and you only find shortcuts, don't worry. That means you've opened the wrong section. Go back to the first way (browser search).

4. Search bookmarks through file manager

If the bookmarks are missing from the browser, but you are sure that they were saved locally, you can try to find them manually through the file manager.

1. Open the Files app (or any other file manager, such as Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /data/data/com.android.browser/databases or (for Mi Browser): /data/data/com.mi.globalbrowser/databases
3. Find a bookmarks.db file or browser2.db is a bookmarked database.

⚠️ Attention: Folder /data/data/ It's only available with root rights, and without root rights, you can't open it through a standard manager, and the alternative is to connect your phone to your PC and use it. ADB (guideline).

If root-rights are not available, but you urgently need to restore bookmarks, try:

• 🔄 Restore from backup: Go to Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset and check for backups.
• ☁️ View Xiaomi Cloud in the web version: go to i.mi.com, log in and check the Browser section.

Mi Browser|Google Chrome|Firefox|Opera|Other

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5. Recovery of Remote Bookmarks

If the bookmarks are missing after resetting, updating MIUI or deleting the browser, you can try to restore them.

🔄 Synchronization with Xiaomi Cloud or Google)

For Mi Browser:

• Open your browser and log in to your Xiaomi account.
• Move to the ⋮ → Settings → Synchronize and press Restore.

For Chrome:

• Go to Settings → Google → Google Services → Synchronization.
• Turn off and turn on Chrome sync again.

🗑️ No synchronization (local bookmarks)

If the sync has not been set up, the chances of recovery are minimal, but you can try:

• 🔍 Use programs like DiskDigger or EaseUS MobiSaver to scan internal memory (root required).
• 📥 View backups in Settings → Additionally. → Backup (if backup was created manually).
• 💻 Connect your phone to your PC and scan the folder /data Recuva or PhotoRec (for experienced users only).

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If bookmarks were synchronized with Xiaomi Cloud, they can be restored even after a complete reset of the phone – just log in to the same account and enable synchronization in the browser.

⚠️ Note: Data recovery programs often require root access and can delete current files if used incorrectly.

6. Bookmarks on the lock screen and in widgets

MIUI 12-14 has Quick Bookmarks, which allows you to add shortcuts to apps or websites directly to the lock screen, which are not linked to the browser, but can also contain useful links to find them:

1. Unlock your phone and swipe left on the lock screen (if the MIUI lock screen is enabled).
2. Slap the icon. ⚙️ (gear) in upper right corner.
3. Choose Edit Bookmarks - all added shortcuts will be displayed here.

The bookmarks can also be displayed in widgets:

• 📱 On the main screen, hold the empty space. → Widgets.
• 🔍 Find the Browser widget or Bookmarks (if installed).
• 🖥️ Drag it to desktop – this will give you quick access to frequently used pages.

If you can't find the bookmark widget, it's probably disabled to activate it.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Browser or Chrome and open its settings.
3. Tap the widgets and turn on the display of the desired element.

7. Alternative methods: cloud services and third-party browsers

If you used a third-party browser, rather than a standard browser (Firefox, Opera, Yandex Browser), bookmarks can be stored in their own cloud services.

If you don’t remember which browser you used, check:

• 📱 List of installed applications: Settings → Annexes → Application management → browser-sorting.
• ☁️ Cloud accounts: perhaps bookmarks are synchronized with Firefox Account, Opera Sync or Yandex.Passport.

⚠️ Note: Some browsers (for example, UC Browser) save bookmarks in encrypted form. Without access to the account, it will be impossible to restore them.

FAQ: Frequent questions about bookmarks on Xiaomi