The problem with the basket on Xiaomi: why it is not visible and how to fix it
You deleted a file or app on a Xiaomi device but can't find a shopping cart to recover data? This problem is familiar to many brand users - especially owners of Mi TVs and smartphones on MIUI. The fact is that the shopping cart on Xiaomi devices doesn't work like it does on Windows or Android from other manufacturers. It can be hidden in the depths of settings, disabled by default or even absent in some firmware.
In this article, we will understand how to turn on the basket on Xiaomi depending on the type of device: TV with a PatchWall shell or smartphone / tablet on the phone. MIUI. You'll learn where to look for settings, how to restore deleted files if the Recycle Bin doesn't work, and what to do if the feature is completely absent from your model. MIUI 14+, activated only through ADB-team.
Recycled TVs on Xiaomi (Mi TV, Redmi Smart TV)
On Xiaomi TVs, the shopping cart works differently than on smartphones, and is designed primarily to temporarily store deleted apps, not files. If you delete a program (like Netflix or YouTube), it can be returned from the shopping cart within 30 days.
Open the main menu of the TV, find the All Apps section (or the App Store in older PatchWall versions) and the top right corner should have a basket icon (a bin icon) if it is not there, then the basket is disabled or your TV is using a stripped-down version of the firmware (relevant for models up to Mi TV 4S 2020).
- 📺 Mi TV 5/Pro, Q2/Q1E, A2: Recycle Bin is enabled by default, supports application recovery.
- 📺 Redmi Smart TV X, A Series: Recycle Bin can be hidden, activation is required through settings.
- 📺 Older models (until 2019): Recycle Bin is missing, remote applications cannot be restored.
If you have a cart icon but it's empty, check if your TV settings have been reset to factory settings, and then your remote application history is reset, and the cart doesn't save system applications (like PatchWall Launcher or Mi Home) -- you can only reinstall them through Settings → Apps → Installation of system applications.
How to turn on the cart on the Xiaomi TV through the settings
If the cart is not displayed in the application menu, you can activate it manually.
- Open Settings (cog in the upper right corner of the main screen).
- Go to the Apps → Application management.
- Select the Recycle Bin (or Remote Apps in English firmware).
- Activate the switch Show the basket in the menu.
After that, the cart icon will appear in the All Apps section. If the Recycle Bin item is not in the settings, then your TV model does not support this feature. In this case, try updating your firmware to the latest version through Settings → About TV → System Update.
Make sure the TV is connected to the internet.
Update the firmware to the latest version
Check the space in memory (minimum 500 MB)
Restart the TV before settings-->
Xiaomi smartphone basket (MIUI): where is it hiding?
On Xiaomi’s MIUI-enclosed smartphones, the shopping cart works differently: it’s designed to temporarily store deleted files (photos, videos, documents) but not apps, but many users can’t find it because:
- 🔍 The Recycle Bin is hidden in the Mi File Explorer file manager and does not appear on the home screen.
- 🚫 In some regional firmware (for example, for Europe), the basket is disabled by default.
- 📱 On smartphones with MIUI 14+ Recycled in the recently deleted section and only works for 15 days.
To open the shopping cart on your smartphone, start the Files app (folder icon), then go to Categories → Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted). If this section is not available, the shopping cart is disabled. You can turn it on through the file manager settings:
- Open Files → click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Select Settings → Recycle Bin.
- Activate the option to Enable the basket.
What to do if the basket is not turned on?
Hidden Recycle Bin in MIUI 14 and Newer: How to Activate with ADB
In the latest versions MIUI 14+ (relevant to Xiaomi 13/14 series, Redmi Note 12 And later, the cart is disabled by default and not enabled by standard settings, but it can be activated using the default. ADB-For this purpose:
- Turn on Developer Mode on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).
- Activate USB Debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
- Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global recycle_bin_enabled 1
- Reset the device.
After that, the basket will appear in the file manager. Note: this method does not work on all models. For example, on the POCO F5 and Redmi K60, the basket is activated, but does not save files for longer than 7 days. On Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the function can be blocked at the firmware level.
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Before using ADB, back up your data! Incorrect commands can cause the system to crash.
What to do if the cart is not working or is not available
If the shopping cart on your Xiaomi device doesn’t turn on or save files, try the following solutions:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The Recycle Bin does not appear in the file manager | Disabled in settings or an outdated version of MIUI | Update the firmware or turn it on via ADB |
| Deleted files do not fall into the basket | Not enough memory space | Clean the cache and free up at least 1GB |
| The basket is empty, although the files have been deleted. | Resetting or synchronization error | Check out Mi Cloud or use DiskDigger to recover |
| There is no app basket on the TV. | A cut-down firmware or old model | Update the software or reinstall the applications manually |
If none of the methods worked, your device may not support the shopping cart at the software level, in which case we recommend using cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) for backup or third-party applications for data recovery.
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On Xiaomi TVs, the shopping cart works only for apps, on smartphones, only for files. These functions do not overlap!
How to recover data if the cart did not work
If you delete a file or an application and the recycle bin doesn't save it, don't despair. Here are alternative ways to recover:
- 📁 For files: use programs like Recuva (for PC) or Undeleter (for Android), connect your phone to your computer in file transfer mode and scan the memory.
- 📱 For apps on your TV: check your download history in the Google Play Store (Bibliography section). System applications can be reinstalled through Settings → Annexes → Installation of system applications.
- ☁️ Cloud Backups: If you have synced with Mi Cloud or Google Account, check the Recycle Bin in the web version of the service.
Importantly, the faster you start recovering, the better the chances of returning data. After deleting, files don't disappear immediately, they're marked as free space and gradually overwritten with new data. So avoid writing new files to your device until you recover!
⚠️ Note: When recovering files through third-party programs, never save them to the same disk from which the scan is being conducted.