Recycle Cart Cleanup on Xiaomi Redmi 6A: A Complete Guide with Hidden MIUI Chips

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A Recycle Bin is a temporary storage for deleted files that many users forget to check, and over time, it gets clogged with unnecessary photos, videos and documents, taking up precious space in the device’s memory. If you notice that the smartphone has started to slow down or gives a notification of a memory shortage, the first step is to check and clean the basket.

In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to clean the Recycle Bin on Redmi 6A, including standard methods through the Files application, hidden MIUI settings, and alternative options for root-right users. Particular attention will be paid to typical errors that lead to data loss or system failures. If you have never cleaned the Recycle Bin or have done it for a long time, prepare to free up 500 MB to several gigabytes of memory!

Where is the basket on Xiaomi Redmi 6A and how to open it

On Xiaomi Redmi 6A, the shopping cart is integrated into the standard File Manager application, but its location depends on the version of MIUI. In most cases, the path looks like this:

• 📁 Open the Files app (the folder icon on the desktop or in the application menu).
• 🔍 In the bottom panel, click on the Categories section (or Storage in English firmware).
• 🗑️ Scroll down to the basket (or Trash) item. If it's not there, see next paragraph.

If the Recycle Bin section is not in the main menu, try an alternative path:

1. Launch the files. → press three points (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Settings → Show hidden folders.
3. Go back to the root directory (/storage/emulated/0/) and find the.trash or.recycle folder.

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If the Recycle Bin does not appear even after you have enabled hidden folders, check if it is disabled in the MIUI settings. To do this, go to Settings → Additional → Recycle Bin and activate the Show Recycle Bin option (if available).

On the Redmi 6A with MIUI 9-11 firmware, the basket can be hidden deeper, in some cases it is divided into two parts:

• 📸 Gallery basket - stores deleted photos and videos (access via Gallery app).
• 📄 System Recycle Bin - contains the remaining files (access via Files).

Method 1: Standard cleaning of the basket through the Files app

This is the easiest and safest method, and it is suitable for 90% of users.

1. Open the Files app.
2. Go to the Recycle Bin section (see the previous section if you don't find it).
3. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Clean the basket.
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If you only need to delete a part of your files:

• 📌 Select unnecessary files with a long press.
• 🗑️ Click on the basket icon in the bottom panel or select Delete Forever.

Back up important files | Check the free space on your device |Close all applications that work with files |Connect the charger (if the battery level is below 20%)

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After cleaning, it is recommended to restart the smartphone so that the system correctly updates the free space data. If the memory is not free after cleaning, see the section on troubleshooting.

⚠️ Note: Files deleted from the basket, restore by standard means MIUI If you accidentally delete something important, try programs like DiskDigger or Recuva (root required for full scanning).

Method 2: Cleaning the gallery basket (photos and videos)

On the Xiaomi Redmi 6A, photos and videos are removed into a separate shopping cart, which does not always sync with the system.

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Press three lines (☰) in the upper left corner and select the basket.
3. Slip on Clean in the upper right corner or highlight files manually.

Features of the gallery basket on MIUI:

• 🕒 Files are stored here for 30 days (by default), after which they are deleted automatically.
• 📏 Maximum Recycle Bin Size – 5% of the total memory of the device.
• 🔄 When manual cleaning, space is freed immediately, without rebooting.

Important: On Redmi 6A with MIUI 10 and below, the gallery basket may not appear if the "Show Deleted Files" option is disabled in the settings. To enable it, go to Gallery Settings → Additional → Recycle Bin.

Method 3: Cleaning through MIUI settings (hidden method)

MIUI contains hidden tools for managing the basket that are not visible in the standard interface, and this method is useful if the basket does not open or gives errors.

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Click on Clean in the Garbage Files section.
3. In the list, find the Recycle Bin item (may be called Deleted Files) and tap on it.
4. Choose Clean and confirm the action.

If this is not the case, try an alternative route:

Settings → Additional → Privacy → Special Permits → File Management → Recycle Bin

This method doesn't work on all versions of MIUI, but it often helps when standard methods don't work, and if the Recycle Bin partition is missing in your memory settings, it's disabled at the firmware level on your device.

Once a week | Once a month | Only when memory runs out | Never cleared |I don't know where it is-->

Method 4: Manually clean through file manager (for power users)

If system methods fail, you can manually delete the bin files, which requires caution, as incorrect actions can lead to failures.

1. Install a file manager with access to system folders (e.g. Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/.trash/ or /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.gallery3d/cache/.trash/
4. Delete all files from these folders.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the.trash or.recycle folders completely, this can disrupt the shopping cart. Delete only the contents of the folders. Also do not touch the files with the.nomedia extension, otherwise the gallery will not display the media correctly.

After hand cleaning:

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 🧹 Run built-in memory optimization through Settings → Memory. → Clean up.
• 📊 Check the vacant space in the Settings → The phone. → Memory.

Method 5: Cleaning the cart with ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work and manual cleaning isn't available, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a PC connection and basic command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on Redmi 6A: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type in: adb shell rm -rf /storage/emulated/0/.trash/* rm -rf /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.gallery3d/cache/.trash/*
4. Reset the device.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔧 It works even if the cart is blocked by the system.
• 🚀 Frees up space instantly, without delay.
• 🔍 It allows you to see the exact size of deleted files.

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf They delete files irrevocably. Make sure you've indicated the right paths. A team error can result in the deletion of important data!

Typical problems and their solutions

When cleaning the cart on Xiaomi Redmi 6A, users often encounter errors. Let's consider the most common and ways to fix them.

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Files app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Files → Storage.
2. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
3. Reset the device.

Critical information: On some versions of the MIUI for Redmi 6A, the Recycle Bin can be completely disabled due to a firmware error, in which case the only way out is to upgrade via Fastboot or manual firmware via TWRP.

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If after all the manipulations, the basket still does not work, check the integrity of the file system through fsck in recovery mode, which will help to identify damaged memory sectors that can block access to the basket.

How to avoid filling the cart in the future

To prevent the Redmi 6A from being re-run, follow these tips:

• 🕒 Set up autoclean: Go to Settings → Memory. → Auto Clean and enable the option to Clean the cart once a week.
• 🗑️ Use cloud services: Set up an automatic photo upload to Google Photos or Mi Cloud and delete local copies after backup.
• 📁 Sort files: Regularly transfer important documents to Documents or Downloads folders, and delete unnecessary ones immediately bypassing the basket (hold your finger on the file). → Delete forever).
• 🔄 Update. MIUI: In new versions of the firmware optimized work with the basket, and it takes up less space.

It's also useful to disable the retention of duplicate files.

1. Open the gallery → Settings → Backup.
2. Turn off making copies when editing.