Where is the Recycle Bin in Xiaomi Phone – and How to Recover Deleted Files

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have a shopping cart — and where to actually look for deleted files

You deleted an important file on Xiaomi — and now you can't find a basket to recover it? — This is a classic problem for smartphone users on MIUI. Unlike Windows or macOS, where the basket is visible on the desktop, Xiaomi phones (like most Android devices) don't have it in its usual form, but that doesn't mean that files disappear forever immediately after they're deleted.

The fact is that the shopping cart in Xiaomi is integrated into standard applications — Gallery, Files or Google Photos, depending on which service you used to delete, while the storage period of deleted files is limited (usually 30 days, after which they are irrevocably erased), in this article we will discuss where to look for a shopping cart on different Xiaomi models (from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14), how to restore data and what to do if the shopping cart is empty.

It's important to understand that if you delete a file through Explorer (the Xiaomi Files app), the recovery algorithm will be one, and if a photo is deleted from Google Photos, it will be a completely different one, and we will look at all scenarios, including hidden folders and backups.

Where is the basket in the standard MIUI Gallery

If you delete a photo or video through the Gallery app (a flower icon), the files are fed into the built-in MIUI Recycle Bin.

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) top-left.
3. Select the Recycle Bin (or Remote in older versions of MIUI) from the menu.
4. This will show all files deleted in the last 30 days.

In the Gallery basket you can:

• 🔄 Restore files one at a time or all at once (Restore button in upper right corner).
• 🗑️ Clean the cart early (clean button).
• ⏳ View the retention period – next to each file, it is indicated how many days remain until the final deletion.

Note that the Recycle Bin in the Gallery only stores media files (photos, videos, GIFs) Documents, APKs or archives do not fall into this category, but must be searched in the Files app.

Recycle Bin in the Files app - for documents and other types of data

For all files except media (e.g. PDF, DOCX, ZIP, APK), Xiaomi has a separate basket in the Files app (yellow folder icon).

1. Open Files (if you don’t know where to look, swipe up on the home screen and type in Files search).
2. In the bottom menu, select the Category tab (or MIUI 14+ Review).
3. Scroll down and tap on the basket.

You will see all deleted files here except:

• 📁 Files from the outside SD-Cards (they are removed irrevocably).
• 🔒 System files (cannot be manually deleted).
• 📱 Files deleted through Google Photos or other third-party apps.

If the Recycle Bin is empty but you are sure that the files have been deleted recently, check:

• 🔍 Filters – it’s possible that the Recycle Bin only displays certain file types (click on the filter icon in the upper right corner).
• 📅 Delete Date – Files older than 30 days are automatically cleared.
• 🛠️ Application settings – in some firmware, the basket needs to be activated manually (see next section).

Make sure the file is not deleted from SD-map|

Check filters by file type |

Update the Files app to the latest version|

Reboot your phone if the cart doesn’t open-->

How to turn on the basket if it is not on the menu

In some versions of MIUI (especially on budget models like Redmi 9A or POCO M3), the cart is disabled by default to activate it:

1. Open the files. → three-point (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Settings → General.
3. Find the basket option and move the slider to the right.
4. Set a storage period (by default 30 days, you can reduce to 7 or 15).

If the basket item is not in the settings, this means:

• 📱 You have an outdated version. MIUI (Update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🛠️ Files application modified (installed custom, for example, MiXplorer).
• 📄 Files deleted through another application (e.g, ES Conductor or Total Commander).

On models with MIUI 12.5 and later, the basket is on by default, but you can manually turn it off. If you've done this before, return the settings to their original state.

Recycle Bin in Google Photos – a separate recovery mechanism

If you delete photos or videos through Google Photos, they don't end up in the MIUI Recycle Bin. Instead, they go to the Google Photos Recycle Bin, where they're stored for 60 days (as opposed to 30 days in MIUI) to recover them:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner.
3. Pick the basket.
4. Click on the file and select Restore.

The key differences in the Google Photos basket from MIUI:

⚠️ Note: If you delete files from Google Photos and then clear the shopping cart, you have 25 days to recover them through the web version of Google Drive (Basket section.

What to do if the cart is empty and the files are not restored

If you don't find files in MIUI or Google Photos, it doesn't always mean they're lost forever.

1. Check backups: 📱 B Settings → Google → Backup (if synchronization is enabled). 🖥️ In Mi Cloud (Cloud on your phone or i.mi.com).
2. Use Recovery Programs to Recover: 🔧 DiskDigger (works without root, but with limitations). 🔧 Recuva (needs root or PC connection).

⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery software on the same disk where the deleted files were stored, which reduces the chances of success. SD-card.

Check the hidden folders:

/storage/emulated/0/.thumbnails


/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails

Sometimes there are thumbnails of deleted photos (but not the files themselves).

If the files were on SD-And unlike internal memory, where data stays in the invisible sectors until it's overwritten, it's almost impossible to recover it. SD-After deleting the files, the files are deleted instantly.

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If you regularly lose important files, set up automatic backup to Mi Cloud or Google Drive. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Backup and enable sync for the desired data types.

How to permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin (without recovery)

If you want to completely erase files without waiting for the automatic cleaning of the shopping cart, do the following:

• 📱 In Gallery or Files: Open the Recycle Bin. Highlight the files (long press) → Check the boxes. Put the urn icon on the urn icon (🗑️) and confirm the removal.
• 🖥️ In Google Photos: Open the cart. Select Clean the cart (deletes everything at once). Or delete files one at a time by clicking Delete Forever.

For the permanent deletion of sensitive data (for example, before selling a phone), this is not enough.

1. Perform a reset to factory settings (Settings → About phone → Reset settings).
2. Use specialized utilities like SD Maid or CCleaner to clean the cache.
3. For a complete data rewriting (if the phone is not sold) – encrypt the device in Settings → Security → Encryption.

Even after a reset, some data can be recovered by professional tools, and if you sell a phone, it is recommended that you fill the memory with junk files (such as large videos) before resetting.

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Files that are manually deleted from the bin cannot be recovered. If you cleared the bin by mistake, the only chance is specialized programs (but success is not guaranteed).

FAQ: Frequent questions about the cart in Xiaomi