How to find a shopping cart on your Xiaomi phone: hidden folders, cloud and recovery software

You accidentally deleted an important photo, video or document on a Xiaomi smartphone and now you don’t know where to look for the shopping cart? Unlike computers, there is no single system basket on Android devices — its replacement depends on the type of files and the application through which they were deleted. In this article, we will analyze all possible places to store “remote” data on Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi models, including hidden folders, cloud services and specialized utilities.

It's important to understand that on pure Android, the shopping cart is missing as a class, emulated by individual applications (Gallery, Files, Google Photos) or cloud services. On MIUI, the situation is a little better: there is built-in protection for multimedia, but it does not always work. Next, a detailed guide with illustrations and instructions for different scenarios.

1.Basket in the standard Xiaomi Gallery (MIUI)

If you delete a photo or video through the Gallery app (a flower icon), chances are that the files are still stored in the time bin. In MIUI 12-15, this mechanism works by default, but with limitations:

• 📁 Files are stored in the basket for 30 days (on some models – 15 days).
• 📸 Only photos and videos (documents and videos) are supported. APK — no).
• 🔄 After cleaning the basket or expiration of the term, recovery is impossible without third-party utilities.

To find the basket in the Gallery:

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) top-right.
3. Select the Recycle Bin (on some versions – Recently deleted).
4. Click on the file and select Restore.

Check the.trash folder through the file manager | Make sure that the files were deleted through the Gallery | Try to restore using Google Photos (if sync was enabled) | Use utilities like DiskDigger (requires root)

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⚠️ Note: If you delete files through Explorer (Files tab), they will not be in the Gallery Recycle Bin - you need to look elsewhere (see Section 3).

2. basket in Google Photos (if there was synchronization)

If your Xiaomi has autosynchronization enabled with Google Photos, deleted photos and videos can be stored in the cloud bin for up to 60 days, even if you deleted them through the standard MIUI Gallery.

How to check:

1. Open the Google Photos app (if not installed, download from the Play Market).
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner.
3. Pick the basket.
4. Find the files you need and click Restore.

💡 Helpful tip: To avoid future losses, turn on backup in Google Photos: Settings → Backup and sync: 15GB of cloud storage is provided free of charge (shared with Gmail and Drive).

Through Gallery | Through Explorer | Through Google Photo | Forming a memory card |Another way-->

3. Hidden folder.trash - where to look on internal memory

Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI firmware have a hidden.trash system folder, where files deleted through Explorer (File tab) are temporarily moved, but it is not so easy to find it:

• 🔍 The folder is hidden and does not appear in a standard conductor.
• 🕒 Files are stored there for 10–30 days (depending on the model).
• 🗑️ After cleaning the cart or restarting the device, the folder can be cleaned automatically.

To access the.trash:

1. Install a file manager with support for hidden folders, such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer.
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings (usually in the View → Show hidden files section).
3. Cross the path: /storage/emulated/0/.trash or (for memory card): /storage/XXXX-XXXX/.trash where XXXX-XXXX — identifier SD-map.
4. Copy the files to a safe place.

⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to manually create or modify the.trash folder, as this may disrupt the system basket MIUI. If the folder is not there, it means that it is not used on your model.

4. Recycle Bin in Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

If you use the Mi Cloud (a built-in Xiaomi service), deleted files can be stored in its Recycle Bin for up to 30 days.

• 📸 Photo and video (if the synchronization of the Gallery was enabled).
• 📄 Documents and Notes (from the Appendices Notes or Documents).
• 🔄 Backup copies of contacts and SMS.

How to recover files from Mi Cloud:

1. Open the Mi Cloud app (or go to i.mi.com).
2. Sign in with the same Xiaomi account that was used for sync.
3. Go to the section of the cart (in the mobile application – through the menu) ☰).
4. Select files and click Restore.

🔹 Limitations of Mi Cloud:

• Free is provided only 5 GB (for Russia – sometimes up to 10 GB when activating the promo).
• Synchronization of the photo by default is disabled – it must be turned on manually in Settings → Mi Cloud → Gallery.
• The basket is cleaned automatically after 30 days, regardless of the free space.

Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Data Synchronization

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5. Recover deleted files without a basket (Android software)

If files are not in any of the baskets, you can try to restore them using specialized utilities, and it is important that the less you use your phone after deleting, the better the chances of success (new data can overwrite deleted files).

The best recovery programs:

📌 Instructions for recovery through DiskDigger (without root):

1. Install DiskDigger from Play Market.
2. Launch the app and select Start basic scan.
3. Wait until the process is completed (it can take 10–30 minutes).
4. Label the desired files and click Restore.
5. Save them to the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox) or on PC.

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⚠️ Note: If the program requires root rights, be careful: unlocking the bootloader on Xiaomi resets all data and can deprive you of warranties. 13/14, Redmi Note 12) The unblocking of the loader takes up to 7 Waiting days due to Xiaomi’s security policy.

6. How to protect files from accidental deletion in the future

To avoid data loss on Xiaomi, follow these guidelines:

• ☁️ Enable autosynchronization with Google Photos or Mi Cloud (even 5GB of free space will save critical files).
• 📂 Use cloud folders instead of local storage for important documents (e.g. Google Drive or Yandex Drive).
• 🔄 Make backups regularly through Settings → System system → Backup (b) MIUI There is a built-in backup tool on PC).
• 🛡️ Install a shopping cart application, such as Dumpster, which will intercept all deleted files.

🔧 Configuring backups in MIUI:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Choose Local Backup or Backup in Mi Cloud.
3. Specify what data you need to save (contacts, SMS, applications, system settings).
4. Click Create a backup and wait until it is completed.

💡 Photographer’s Tip: If you often take photos on Xiaomi, set up automatic uploads to Google Photos in original quality (not “High Quality” which compresses pictures:

1. Open Google Photos → Settings → Backup and Sync.
2. Select the download quality → Original.
3. Make sure that the backup option is enabled when connecting to Wi-Fi.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the cart on Xiaomi