How to open your browser history on Xiaomi: all the ways to MIUI 12-14

The standard Mi Browser browser on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones stores the history of pages visited, but not all users know where to find it. Unlike Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, the browser interface from Xiaomi can vary depending on the version of MIUI - so there is no universal History button here. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of viewing history, including hidden features and nuances for different models.

If you’ve recently upgraded your firmware or switched from a different phone brand, the menu layout may seem counterintuitive. For example, in MIUI 14, the path to history is different from MIUI 12, and on some POCO devices, the browser can be replaced by Google Chrome by default. We’ve taken all of these cases into account and prepared step-by-step instructions with pictures (interface descriptions) so you can be guaranteed to find the desired section.

If the story doesn’t save or disappears after the reboot, the problem may lie in the sync settings or cache, as we’ll explain below, along with tips on how to recover deleted records (if possible).

1. Standard method: through the menu of the Mi Browser browser

The most obvious way is to use built-in browser tools, which works on all versions of MIUI 11 to 14, but may be slightly different visually.

Open the Mi Browser (Blue Globe and Mi icon) if you haven't changed the standard apps, it should be on the home screen or in the Google/Internet folder.

In the lower right corner of the screen, find the icon three dots (⋮) or three horizontal lines (≡) — This is a menu button. Click on it to open the list of options. In the drop-down window, select a item:

History


or




Journal

If you don't have one, scroll down the menu -- sometimes it's hidden under the Additional or Tools section, and clicking will open a list of visited pages grouped by date, and you can delete individual posts or clear the entire story (more on that in the next section).

💡

If the story is empty, check if the incognito mode is on, and the pages are not saved, and to exit the incognito, close all tabs and restart the browser.

2. Alternative method: via the quick access panel

In MIUI 13 and 14, the developers added a quick access bar that duplicates some menu features, which is convenient if you use a story often and want to open it in one click.

Run the Mi Browser and look at the bottom panel. There should be icons.

• 🏠 Homepage
• 🔍 Search
• 📋 Tabs (or a square with a number)
• ⭐ Bookmarks
• 🕒 History (clock or calendar)

Click on the icon with the clock (🕒) — If it's not, then the panel is set up differently:

1. Open the menu (⋮) → Settings → Toolbar.
2. Find the story in the list and drag it to the bottom panel.
3. Save the changes.

Now the story button is always on hand, and this method is especially convenient for users of the POCO F3, Redmi Note 11 and other models with large screens, where reaching the top menu is inconvenient.

3. Where to look for history if the browser is replaced with Google Chrome

Some devices (such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO X4 Pro) may have Google Chrome instead of the Mi Browser by default, in which case the history is stored in a Google account, and access to it is slightly different.

Open Chrome and do one of the following:

• 🖱️ Click on three dots in the upper right corner → History.
• 🔍 Enter in the address bar: chrome://history and press Enter.
• 📱 On the Chrome homepage, scroll down to the recently closed section (there's a piece of history there too).

If you're logged in to a Google account, the story will sync across devices to see the other gadgets' records:

1. Open chrome://history/sync.
2. Select a device from the list (e.g. Xiaomi Redmi 9).
3. Go through the story by date.

Important: If you delete your history on one device, it will disappear on others linked to the same Google account.

4. How to find a story through phone settings (for MIUI 12 and older)

In some versions of MIUI (especially older models like Redmi 5 or Mi A2), the browser history can be integrated into system settings, a method rarely used, but useful if the browser is unstable.

Go to:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Mi Browser → Storage

Here you will see how much space you have:

• 📁 Cash (temporary files)
• 🗃️ Data (including history)

You can't view the story through this menu, but you can clean it up completely by clicking Clear. If you don't want to delete it, which is to look at the records, this isn't the way to go, use the previous instructions.

5 Why History is Not Preserved or Lost

If you notice that the browser does not remember the pages visited, the reasons may be as follows:

Another common reason is automatic cleaning through third-party applications (such as Clean Master or Security). Check the settings of these programs and add Mi Browser to exceptions.

⚠️ Note: If you are using a child mode or a restricted profile (e.g., on the Xiaomi Pad 5), the history may not be saved by default. → Special facilities → User profiles and remove browser restrictions.

6. How to Restore a Remote Browser History

If you accidentally cleared the story, the chances of it being restored depend on several factors:

• 🔄 Was sync enabled with your Xiaomi or Google account.
• 🗑️ Have you used third-party cleaning applications (e.g. CCleaner).
• ⏳ Less than 30 days have passed since the removal.

Recovery methods:

1. Check sync: For Mi Browser: go to Settings → Sync and check if your Xiaomi account is tied. For Chrome: click on chrome://sync and see if your data is saved.

Use a backup copy:

If you backup through Settings → System → Backup, try restoring your browser data from the archive. Note that this will return all your phone settings to the date you created the copy.

bookmarks.db

Technically, the history is stored in the browser database. If you have root rights, you can try to extract the file along the path /data/data/com.android.browser/databases/bookmarks.db and open it through SQLite Browser. Without root, this method will not work!

⚠️ Warning: Don't use questionable software to "restore history" from Google Play. Most of them either don't work or are viruses. The only reliable way is to sync with your account.

7 How to export history for preservation

If you want to save your visit history (for example, for work or personal archive), it can be exported to a file. Mi Browser does not have this feature, but there are workarounds:

Method 1: Google Chrome (if history is synced)

Method 2: Using screenshots

1. Open the story in your browser.
2. Take screenshots of each page (hold Power + Volume Down).
3. Combine screenshots into PDFs through an app like Adobe Scan.

Method 3: Use ADB (for advanced users)