How to recover deleted Notes on Xiaomi smartphone: from standard methods to hidden MIUI features

Why Xiaomi Notes Are Losing and What to Do First

Xiaomi's Notes app is one of the most popular apps for MIUI users, which allows you to quickly capture ideas, save to-do lists or important information. But what if the Suddenly app disappeared from the screen and all the recordings disappeared? The reasons can range from accidental deletion to failure after a system update.

Before you panic, check the All Apps folder -- maybe the icon is hidden -- swipe up the home screen and search for Notes. If the app isn't there, go to active recovery methods. Importantly, the faster you get started, the better the chances of getting your data back without losing it.

In this article, we’ll break down all the current ways to restore Notes on Xiaomi in 2026, including hidden MIUI features, working with backups and even recovering through ADB. Instructions are suitable for models from Redmi Note 12 to flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Method 1: Recovery through the basket in the app Notes

MIUI has a built-in shopping cart feature that puts deleted notes in and keeps them there for up to 30 days, and if you've deleted a record recently, you're at your best chance of recovering it. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Notes app (if it is hidden, search through search).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select the basket.
3. Find the desired note, click on it and select Restore.

If the Notes app is completely removed from the device, restore it first through Settings → Applications → Application Management → Remote. Recently uninstalled programs may be displayed there.

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Once you restore a note from the cart, check its contents — sometimes the formatting (bold text, lists) gets lost. If the note is important, export it to PDF right away through the app menu.

Method 2: Recovery through MIUI backup

MIUI automatically backs up user data when Backup is enabled to recover Notes from the backup:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select the last backup (check the creation date – it should be before deleting notes).
3. Click Restore and tick Notes.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.

⚠️ Attention: Backup recovery will overwrite the current data in the app. If you create new notes after removing the old ones, they will be lost.

Method 3: Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

If your Xiaomi is syncing with Mi Cloud enabled, the notes could be saved to the cloud to be returned:

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization of notes.
3. Turn on sync if it is disabled and wait for the process to complete.
4. Check All Notes – Recovered records will appear marked Cloud.

If the Notes app is removed completely, install it again via Google Play or GetApps (for Chinese firmware) and after logging in to Mi Cloud, the data must be automatically tightened.

⚠️ Note: If you changed your Mi Account password after the last sync, the cloud data may have been deleted, in which case you can not recover notes through Mi Cloud – refer to other methods.

Method 4: Manual recovery via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don't work, and notes are critical, you can try extracting them through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell


su




cd /data/data/com.miui.notes/shared_prefs




ls

Look for files with the.xml extension, which contain the notes. Copy them to your computer with the command:

adb pull /data/data/com.miui.notes/

Decrypting files requires special tools like SQLite Browser (notes are stored in the notes.db database).

Install ADB-PC drivers|Enable debugging on USB Xiaomi|Download the Android platform tools SDK|Create a backup copy of current data-->

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB If you're not sure what you're doing, see a specialist, and this is recommended only for recovering critical notes when other methods have been exhausted.

Method 5: Recovery through Third Party Applications

If the built-in MIUI tools didn't help, you can use third-party utilities to recover data.

• 📱 DiskDigger scans internal memory for deleted files, including note databases.
• 🔍 EaseUS MobiSaver – specializes in text recovery (requires root rights for deep scanning).
• 📂 GT Recovery – Supports recovery of notes from notes.db without root, but with limitations.
• 🖥️ Dr.Fone (Wondershare) – a paid solution with a high percentage of successful recovery.

Algorithm of action:

1. Install the selected application from Google Play.
2. Start the scan (select the Applications or Documents section).
3. After you complete your search, mark the notes you found and save them in.txt or.html format.

⚠️ Important: Avoid installing recovered notes back into the standard Notes app - this can lead to data conflict.

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Third-party applications are most effective in the first 24 to 48 hours after deletion, and the longer you wait, the greater the risk of overwriting data with new files.

What to do if nothing helps: extreme measures

If all of these methods fail, radical solutions remain:

1. Reset to factory settings (and then restore from the backup) This can return notes if they were deleted due to a system failure, but: all unsynchronized data will be erased.
2. Contact Xiaomi Support, attach error screenshots and specify the phone model (Redmi Note 13 Pro+, POCO X6, etc.) In rare cases, engineers can help with recovery through server logs.
3. Search for backups on other devices. If you've previously logged in to the same Mi Account on another smartphone, check for notes there.

If the notes had commercial or legal value, consider contacting specialized data recovery laboratories (for example, Kroll Ontrack or DriveSavers).The cost of services starts from 5,000 rubles, but the chances of success are up to 80%.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Recovering Notes on Xiaomi