How to Clean a Gallery on Xiaomi Phone: From Photos to Hidden Files

The gallery on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most downloadable applications, which over time turns into a digital warehouse of unnecessary shots, screenshots and cached thumbnails. Even after manually deleting photos, the system continues to take up gigabytes of memory due to duplicates, temporary files and hidden folders.thumbnails. In this article, we will examine all possible methods of cleaning, from basic removal through the interface to deep cleaning of system folders using the file manager.

The MIUI feature is that the gallery is integrated with the Mi Cloud and automatically syncs media files, which means that simply clicking Delete doesn't always free up space -- files can stay in the trash or cache -- and we'll show you how to permanently erase unnecessary data without a trace, including hidden folders and duplicates that aren't visible in the standard interface.

1. Basic cleaning of the gallery through a standard application

To start with, the simplest method that works for most users: Xiaomi’s standard gallery (Gallery or Photos app) has built-in tools for deleting files, but many ignore key nuances:

• 📂 Deletion of individual files: long-term pressing on the photo → highlight → Recycle Bin button (or Remove) Files are sent to a basket where they are stored for 30 days before final deletion.
• 🗑️ Cleaning the basket: open the "Basket" tab in the gallery → «Clear" (or "Delete Everything"). This will free up space occupied by deleted files.
• 🔍 Search for duplicates: in some versions MIUI (From 12.5), there's a "Duplicate Search" feature in the gallery menu, and it finds identical or similar images.

Important: If you use Google Photos or Mi Cloud, deletion from the gallery is not synced with the cloud. To erase files everywhere, go to the appropriate cloud application and repeat the procedure.

⚠️ Note: Files deleted from the gallery but saved in Mi Cloud or Google Photos continue to take up space in the cloud. To free it, clear the cart in each service separately.

Remove unnecessary photos manually|Clean the gallery basket|Check for duplicates (if there is a function)|Delete files from Mi Cloud/Google Photo (in synchronization)-->

2.Cleaning gallery cache and thumbnails

Even after all photos are deleted, the gallery can take up gigabytes of memory due to cached thumbnails and temporary files, which are not visible in the application interface, but can be manually deleted:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Gallery app (or Photos, Miui Gallery).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. For deep cleaning, click Clear Data (this will reset the gallery settings, but will not delete the photos themselves).

To remove hidden folders with thumbnails:

1. Use a file manager (such as files from Xiaomi or Solid Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails and delete all files in this folder.

Critical information: Deleting the.thumbnails folder won’t hurt your photos, but the gallery will take longer to load when you first open after cleaning, as thumbnails are created anew.

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when memory ends|Never clean.-->

3. Delete hidden and system gallery files

In MIUI, some gallery files are stored in secure folders that are not displayed by default, and you will need a root file manager or built-in system tools to delete them.

List of hidden folders that can be cleaned:

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery — cache and gallery settings.
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — Miniatures (already mentioned, but often duplicated).
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.exif — Photo metadata (can be deleted if geotagged).
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/ — Sometimes temporary media files from games are stored here.

To access these folders:

1. Use Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer with Root Mode enabled (if the phone is rooted).
2. Or connect your phone to your PC via MTP and use Total Commander with a hidden file plugin.

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders DCIM/Camera Or Pictures in its entirety, and that will cause you to lose all your photos.

4. Automatic cleaning with third-party applications

If manually cleaning a gallery is difficult, you can use specialized utilities that find duplicates, empty folders and unnecessary files automatically.

Top.-3 Gallery Cleaning Apps on Xiaomi:

• 🔍 Files by Google – Built-in Cleanup Tool Finds Large and Duplicate Files.
• 🗃️ SD Maid – Deep cache cleanup, including system folders (requires root for full functionality).
• 📸 Gallery Doctor – specializes in finding duplicates and blurred photos.

Instructions for Files by Google:

1. Download the app from the Play Market.
2. Open the "Cleanup" tab.
3. Select “Large Files” or “Dublicates”.
4. Look through the list and remove the unnecessary.

The advantage of such applications is that they analyze not only the gallery, but also other folders (for example, Downloads or WhatsApp Images), where unnecessary media files often accumulate.

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Before you massively remove duplicates through third-party apps, back up important photos on your PC or in the cloud.Duplicate search algorithms sometimes get mistaken and delete unique snapshots.

5. Cleaning the gallery through a PC (the most reliable way)

Connecting your phone to your computer gives you more control over files, especially if Xiaomi has little space and apps are unstable.

1. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode (MTP) notice-curtain).
2. Open this computer on your PC and find a Xiaomi device.
3. Go to DCIM, Pictures and Downloads folders.
4. Delete unnecessary files manually or use utilities like CCleaner to find duplicates.

Advantages of this method:

• 🖥️ Large screen for easy viewing of photos.
• 🔄 The ability to use powerful PC utilities (for example, Duplicate Cleaner).
• 📁 Backup to the hard disk before deletion.

⚠️ Note: When connecting through MTP Some hidden folders (such as.thumbnails) may not be displayed. To see them, turn on the hidden files in Windows Explorer settings (View) → Hidden elements).

6. Reset gallery to factory settings (last resort)

If the gallery is unstable (for example, does not open a photo or constantly reboots), it can help to reset its settings. This will not delete your photos, but return the application to the post-purchase state.

How to drop a gallery:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Confirm the action. The app will restart.

What happens after the reset:

• ✅ All gallery settings (sort, albums) will reset.
• ✅ Cache and temporary files will be deleted.
• ❌ Your photos and videos are not affected (they are stored in separate folders).

If the problem is not solved, try to remove gallery updates (in the same application management menu, click "Remove updates"). This will return the application to the factory version.

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Gallery reset does not delete the photo, but can help if the app slows down or doesn't open files.

7.How to prevent gallery clogging in the future

To prevent the gallery from getting clogged with garbage, follow the simple rules:

• 📱 Turn off autosave screenshots: in Settings → Additionally. → Screenshots turn off the option “Save screenshots».
• ☁️ Configure cloud sync: in Google Photos or Mi Cloud, enable automatic deletion of local copies after uploading to the cloud.
• 🗑️ Clean your basket regularly: set a reminder once a month.
• 🔄 Use alternative galleries: Google Photos or Simple Gallery do not create hidden thumbnail folders.

It is also useful to set up automatic cleaning via Settings → Memory → Cleanup. Here you can turn on the Auto Cleanup function, which will delete unnecessary files (such as cache and temporary data) once a week.

For advanced users, if you often take screenshots, reconfigure the save folder from Pictures/Screenshots to the cloud or external memory card.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up a gallery on Xiaomi