Where is the basket in Xiaomi smartphones and how to use it

Why you can’t see the cart on Xiaomi – and where to look for it

You deleted an important file on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, but you can't find a basket to recover it? The problem is that there's no single basket for all file types on smartphones running MIUI, which depends on how you delete the data, like photos from a gallery going to one store and documents from a file manager going to another.

Moreover, on some models (especially budget) the shopping cart can be turned off by default or hidden in the depths of settings. In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios: where to look for deleted files depending on the type of data, how to turn on the basket if there is none, and what to do if files disappear from it prematurely.

If you’ve used the Clean Recycle Bin feature or deleted files through third-party apps (like Google Photos), standard recovery methods may not work, and you’ll need specialized utilities, which we’ll talk about below.

Where is the photo and video basket

On most Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13, etc.), photos and videos deleted through the standard MIUI Gallery are placed in a temporary storage unit called the Recycle Bin to find it:

1. Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) lower-right.
3. In the drop-down menu, select the basket item.

If you don't have a Recycle Bin, you've disabled the function to activate it.

1. In the same gallery, go to Settings (cog in the upper right corner).
2. Find the Recycle Bin partition and turn on the switch.
3. Set a file retention period (by default 30 days).

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If you have deleted photos through Google Photos, look for them in the shopping cart of this application: open Google Photos → Library → Recycle Bin. Files are stored there for 60 days.

In the gallery cart, you'll see all the deleted media files, sorted by date, to recover:

• 📷 Select the necessary photos / videos with a long tap.
• 🔄 Click the Restore button at the bottom of the screen.
• 📁 The files will be returned to the folder from which they were deleted.

⚠️ Note: if you cleared the gallery cache through Settings → Applications, the basket could have been reset, and in this case, you can only recover files through the MIUI Backup (if backup was enabled) or third-party utilities.

Recycle Bin in File Manager: Where to Look for Documents and Other Files

For all other file types (documents, APKs, archives, music, etc.), MIUI has a separate basket built into the standard File Manager (Files with a blue folder application) to open it:

1. Launch the Files app.
2. In the lower menu, select the Category tab.
3. Scroll down and tap on the basket.

If the cart is not in the category list, check the settings:

• 🔧 Open the files. → ☰ → Settings.
• 🗑️ Find the basket section and turn it on.
• ⏳ Set a storage period (maximum 30 days).

Important: The Recycle Bin in the file manager only works for files deleted through this application, and if you erased data through Total Commander, ES Explorer, or other third-party managers, it could be deleted permanently.

Check if the Recycle Bin is included in the File Manager settings

Make sure that files are deleted through the standard Files app.

Try to recover data via MIUI Backup (Settings → My Device → Backup)

Use utilities like DiskDigger (root rights required)

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Why Files Are Losing from the Recycle Bin Before Term

Many Xiaomi users are faced with a problem: files disappear from the cart after a few days, although the storage period is set for 30 days.

The critical feature of MIUI is that if you delete a file and then disable the Recycle Bin in the settings, all data from it will be deleted immediately and without recovery, both for the gallery and the file manager.

To avoid file loss:

• 📲 Check the free space regularly in the Settings section → Memory.
• 🔄 Enable automatic backup in Mi Cloud (up to 5GB free).
• 💾 Use Google Drive (Yandex Disk) for important documents.

Once a week.

When memory ends

Never clean.

I don't know where she is.

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How to recover files if the basket is empty

If files are lost or you accidentally cleared the cart, don't panic -- there are several ways to get data back, and the effectiveness depends on how long it's been since you deleted it and whether you've used Trimming-like features on your smartphone.

Method 1: Recovery with MIUI Backup

If you have backup enabled:

1. Go to Settings → My Device → Backup.
2. Select the last copy and click Restore.
3. Check the appropriate categories (for example, Gallery or Documents).

The downside of the method is that all files from the category are restored, not selectively.

Method 2: Recovery programs (without root)

For Android, there are utilities that scan the device's memory for deleted files.

• 📱 DiskDigger – restores photos and documents, works without root (but with restrictions).
• 🖥️ Recuva (for PC) – connect your smartphone in File Transfer mode and scan the internal memory.
• 🔍 EaseUS MobiSaver – a paid solution with a high recovery rate.

⚠️ Attention: the more you use your smartphone after deleting files (installing apps, taking photos, downloading data), the lower the chances of recovery. Deleted files are not erased immediately - their place is marked as free, and new data can overwrite them.

Method 3: Root access and deep scanning

If you have root rights, the chances of recovery are increased, for example, Undeleter can find files even after cleaning the cart.

• 🚫 Root strips of warranties and can disrupt work MIUI.
• 🔧 Not all Xiaomi models are easily unlocked (new devices require waiting). 7-15 days).

Differences in the basket on different models Xiaomi

The functionality of the cart may vary depending on the smartphone model and the version of MIUI. Below are the key features for popular lines:

On MIUI devices for POCO (e.g., POCO F4), the shopping cart may be called Recently Deleted and may be in a separate gallery section, and some models (e.g., Redmi A1) don’t have a shopping cart at all – files are deleted immediately.

To find out the version of MIUI on your device:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the line MIUI version.

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On smartphones with MIUI Global, the shopping cart may have limitations compared to the Chinese version of firmware, for example, in the global version, the storage period of files is often reduced to 15 days.

Frequent mistakes when working with a basket on Xiaomi

Many users lose files because they don’t know the nuances of the MIUI Recycle Bin, and here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them:

• 🗑️ Cleaning the cart through third-party apps.If you use Clean Master, CCleaner or analogs, they can delete files from the cart without warning.Solution: disable cache clearing for system applications.
• 🔄 Update gallery or file manager. After updating these apps through Google Play, the cart may reset.Solution: Before upgrading, move important files to the cloud.
• 📁 Delete folders via PC. When you connect your smartphone to your computer and delete files through Windows Explorer, they bypass the basket. MIUI. Solution: Use only the built-in file manager.
• 🔒 Encrypt your device on encrypted smartphones (optional in Settings) → Lock and protect) data recovery after cleaning the cart is almost impossible.Solution: backup more often.

Another common problem is that users confuse the MIUI shopping cart with the Google Photos shopping cart, and if you sync photos with your Google Account, the deleted photos may be in the cloud, not in the local shopping cart, to check:

1. Open Google Photos.
2. Go to the Library. → Basket.
3. If the files are there, restore them and wait for sync with your smartphone.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Xiaomi Cart