Where did the shopping cart in Xiaomi RedmiBook 5: where to look for deleted files and how to restore them

You deleted an important file on Xiaomi RedmiBook 5, and there's no basket in the Explorer or on the desktop? Don't panic - this is not a system bug, but a feature of the MIUI for PC firmware that comes with Redmi laptops. Unlike classic Windows, where the basket is always in plain sight, in RedmiBook 5 it can be hidden or work differently.

In this article, we will discuss 3 main ways to find a shopping cart on your laptop, explain why it is not in the usual places, and show you how to recover deleted files if they are lost forever.

Note: the instructions are valid for all RedmiBook 5 modifications (including RedmiBook 5 Pro and RedmiBook 5 Pro 15.6) with preinstalled MIUI for PC based on Windows 10/11. If you have a different firmware, some points may differ.

1.Why doesn't RedmiBook 5 have a desktop shopping cart?

The usual shopping cart icon is not on the RedmiBook 5 desktop for two reasons:

• 🔹 Features MIUI for PC: Xiaomi modified the standard Windows interface to remove "extra" elements for minimalist design. The basket is not removed - it's just hidden.
• 🔹 Default settings: In some firmware versions, the basket display is disabled in the system settings.
• 🔹 Update Error: After the MIUI for PC update, the icon may disappear due to a registry failure (reboot or manual recovery).

It's important to understand that files aren't permanently deleted when you press Delete -- they're in a hidden bin, just accessing it differently. Except if you've used a Shift + Delete combination or manually cleaned the cart.

⚠️ Warning: If you plugged an external drive or flash drive into RedmiBook 5 and deleted files from it, the laptop basket doesn't store that data. Deleted files from external media are harder to recover — you'll need special programs like Recuva or Disk Drill.

2. Method 1: Where to look for a basket in Windows Explorer

The most reliable way to find a basket is through a file explorer.

1. Open the Explorer by pressing Win + E or clicking on the My Computer icon on the desktop.
2. In the left panel, look for the "This Computer" (or "My Computer") section.
3. Scroll down the list – there should be a line “Recycle Bin” with a bin icon.
4. Click on it to see the list of deleted files.

If there is no basket in the conductor, check:

• 🔍 Display Filters: A filter (e.g., "Folder only") can be activated in the top of the conductor. Reset it.
• 🔄 View Update: Press F5 or the "Update" button in the explorer.
• 🛠 Hidden elements: Go to the View tab → Show → Hidden elements.

Conductor open (Win + E)

Selected "This Computer" section

Scrolling the list to the end

Filters reset (if any)

Updated view (F5)-->

If the cart never appeared, move on to the next method.

3. Method 2: Restore the basket icon on the desktop

You can manually return the basket icon to your desktop.

1. Right-click on the free space on the desktop.
2. Choose Personalization → Topics → Desktop icon settings.
3. In the window that opens, find the "Basket" item and tick next to it.
4. Press "Apply" and "OK."

If the Recycle Bin item is not on the list, then the system file of the icon is corrupted.

• 🖥 Reset the icon cache: Open the command prompt on behalf of the administrator and type: ie4uinit.exe -ClearIconCache Then restart the laptop.
• 🔧 Restore system files: In the same command line, run: sfc /scannow Wait until the check is completed (may take 10-15 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: If after you cache, the icons on your desktop are not displayed correctly (for example, all icons have been replaced with white sheets), do not panic. Restart the laptop again, the system will restore them automatically.

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To quickly open a shopping cart without an icon on your desktop, create a shortcut: right-click → Create → Shortcut → enter explorer.exe shell:RecycleBinFolder → call it “Baskbasket”.

4. Method 3: Search the basket through the command line

If the GUI doesn't help, you can access the cart via command line or PowerShell.This method is suitable for power users.

Open the command line (Win + R → enter cmd → Enter) and execute the command:

start shell:RecycleBinFolder

This will open the basket in a separate window, and if the team doesn't work, try the alternative.

explorer.exe "::{$645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}"

If this does not help, check if the cart in the registry is disabled:

1. Press Win + R, enter regedit and press Enter.
2. Cross the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
3. Make sure there is a partition called {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}. If it is not, the basket is disabled at the system level.

5. How to recover files if the basket is empty?

If you didn’t find deleted files in the Recycle Bin, it could mean:

• 🗑 Files were deleted via Shift + Delete (bypassing the shopping cart).
• 🧹 The basket was cleaned manually or automatically (on schedule).
• 💾 Files are deleted from an external drive (the Recycle Bin does not save them).

In these cases, a data recovery program will help, and we recommend:

Instructions for recovery through Recuva:

1. Download the program from the official website and install.
2. Start Recuva on behalf of the administrator.
3. Select the file type (e.g., “Images”, “Documents”).
4. Specify the location (if you know where the files were) or select "Not sure".
5. Click "Start" and wait for the scan to be completed.
6. Tick the required files and click "Restore".

⚠️ Warning: Do not save recovered files to the same drive from which they were deleted - this can overwrite the remaining data and make recovery impossible.

6.Setting up automatic cart cleaning in RedmiBook 5

By default, MIUI for PC can automatically clean the cart after a certain period (e.g., every 30 days).

1. Open Windows Settings (Win + I)
2. Go to the → Memory of the device.
3. Click on the link "Change memory control or start it".
4. Scroll down to the "Cleaning the basket" section.
5. Select period: Never, 1 day, 14 days, 30 days or 60 days.

You can also manually clean the basket without waiting for automatic cleaning:

• 🗑 Right-click on the basket icon (if it is on the desktop) and select "Clean the cart".
• 📁 In the conductor, select the basket, then press Control → Clean the basket.

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Disabling automatic cleaning of the Recycle Bin will help to avoid accidental file loss, but remember to periodically clean it manually so as not to clog the laptop memory.

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

RedmiBook 5 users often face the following shopping cart-related issues:

If none of the methods worked, try resetting MIUI for PC to factory:

1. Open Options → Update and Security → Recovery.
2. Click "Start" under "Return the computer to its original state".
3. Select "Save my files" (to avoid losing your data).

This method will return all default system settings, including the display of the cart.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions