You accidentally deleted an important photo or document on Xiaomi Redmi 7 and now you can’t find where the cart is stored? Unlike computers, Android smartphones (including MIUI) don’t have a single basket for all files. Instead, each program — gallery, file manager or cloud storage — implements its own system for temporary storage of deleted data. In this article, we will discuss where to look for the basket on Redmi 7 depending on the type of files, how to restore deleted ones and what to do if the basket is empty.
The Redmi 7 (onc model with Snapdragon 632) is that it runs MIUI 10-12 (depending on the firmware version), where the logic of working with the basket is different from standard Android. For example, the built-in Mi Gallery gallery stores deleted photos for up to 30 days, and the Mi File Manager file manager can not show the basket at all without additional settings.
1. Cart in the gallery Xiaomi Redmi 7: where to look for deleted photos and videos
If you delete photos or videos through the standard Mi Gallery app, they go to the gallery's internal shopping cart to find it:
- Open the Gallery app (an icon with a floral logo).
- Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower left corner.
- Select the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted in English).
- Hold your finger on the file to restore or click Restore Everything.
Important: files are stored in the gallery basket for a maximum of 30 days, and then they are deleted irrevocably. If you do not see the Recycle Bin item on the menu, update the Mi Gallery app via Play Market or check the settings:
- 📌 Including a basket: Gallery settings → General. → Basket → Turn it on.
- 🔄 Auto Clean: By default, the cart is cleaned every 30 days, but you can change the period by 7 or 15 days.
- 🚫 Exceptions: photos deleted through Google Photos or other galleries are not included in the Mi Gallery shopping cart.
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If the gallery cart is empty but you are sure that files have been deleted recently, try restarting your phone – sometimes MIUI doesn’t update the list of deleted files without restarting.
Recycle Bin in File Manager: Where Deleted Documents and APKs Are Stored
The standard Mi File Manager on Redmi 7 doesn’t have a built-in recycle bin for all file types, but if you’ve deleted documents, archives, or APKs through this app, there’s a chance you’ll get them back:
- Open the Mi File Manager (Blue folder icon)
- Go to the Category → Cart section (if there is such a item).
- If no point, check the /storage/emulated/0/.Trash folder through Internal Memory → Show hidden files.
In practice, the Recycle Bin in Mi File Manager is unstable: sometimes files disappear immediately after deleting, sometimes stay for 7 days. An alternative way is to use third-party file managers, such as Solid Explorer or FX File Manager, which create their own baskets.
| File type | Where to find a basket | Storage period |
|---|---|---|
| Photo/video | Mi Gallery → Basket | Up to 30 days. |
| Documents (PDF, DOC) | /storage/emulated/0/.Trash or third-party shopping cart | Up to 7 days (if the folder exists) |
| APK-file | No basket (removed immediately) | — |
| Downloads (from the browser) | Google Files → Recycle Bin | Up to 30 days. |
⚠️ Note: The.Trash folder may be hidden. To see it, in Mi File Manager, enable the display of hidden files: → Show hidden files.
3.Recycle Bin in Google Photos: An Alternative Recovery Way
If you use Google Photos to back up, deleted photos and videos are fed into a cloud-based shopping cart that works independently of the Mi Gallery Recycle Bin to recover files:
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner.
- Pick the basket.
- Hold files to recover or click Restore Everything.
The storage period in the Google Photos Recycle Bin is 60 days, and then the files are deleted irrevocably. If you can't see the deleted photos, check:
- 🔍 Filter by date: Recycle bin sorts files by date of deletion.
- 📱 Sync: If the Internet was disabled during deletion, files may not get into the shopping cart.
- 🗑️ Hand Cleaning: If you manually cleaned the basket, recovery is impossible.
4. How to recover files if the basket is empty
If the gallery and file manager recycle bin is empty and the files have been deleted recently, you can try data recovery software. Redmi 7, without root rights, uses the following methods:
Method 1: DiskDigger Application
DiskDigger, a free utility, scans internal memory for deleted files.
- Install DiskDigger from Play Market.
- Select Start a simple scan.
- Mark the file types (photos, videos, documents).
- Press Scan Device.
- After scanning, select the files and click Restore.
Method 2: Connecting to a PC
If your phone is defined as a removable disk, use the following programs for your PC:
- 🖥️ Recuva (for Windows).
- 🍎 Disk Drill (for macOS).
- 🐧 TestDisk (for Linux).
⚠️ Note: Do not save recovered files back to Redmi 7, which can overwrite deleted data.
Why aren’t all files restored?
5. How to permanently disable the cart on Xiaomi Redmi 7
If you do not need the Recycle Bin function (for example, due to a lack of memory), you can turn it off:
For the Mi Gallery:
- Open the gallery.
- Go to Settings → General → Basket.
- Turn off the slider Turn on the basket.
For Google Photos:
The shopping cart in Google Photos can not be turned off, but you can reduce the shelf life:
- Open photos.google.com on PC.
- Go to Settings → Recycle Bin.
- Choose Clean the cart after 30 days (instead of 60).
Make sure important files are saved in the cloud|Check the download folder for duplicates|Export contacts and notes|Make a backup copy through Mi Cloud-->
6. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them
Redmi 7 users often face problems when working with the cart.
- 🔴 Recycle Bin does not open: reinstall the Mi Gallery app or clear its cache in Settings → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse.
- 📂 Files are not restored: check if sync with Mi Cloud is enabled – sometimes files are restored from there automatically.
- ⏳ The basket is cleaned by itself: in MIUI There's a background garbage cleanup task. Turn it off in Settings. → Battery → Cleanup.
Another common mistake is the confusion between the shopping carts of different apps, for example, if you delete a photo through Google Photos, it's pointless to search for it in the Mi Gallery shopping cart. Always check which application the file was deleted from.
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Xiaomi Redmi 7 does not have a single file basket, each application (gallery, file manager, cloud) stores deleted data separately, and always specify which software the file was deleted from.