How to completely clean the cart on Xiaomi Mi 9: all ways

Xiaomi Mi 9 is one of the brand’s most popular flagships, but even it has memory problems over time. Many users find that deleted photos, videos or documents don’t disappear immediately, but end up in the basket, occupying precious space. In this article, we will discuss exactly where the basket on the Mi 9 is stored, how to clean it in different ways, and what to do if the files are not deleted.

It's important to understand that Xiaomi's shopping cart works differently than it does on a computer, and there's no single garbage can -- every application (gallery, file manager, cloud) has its own temporary folder for deleted data, and we'll show you how to find and clean each one, and we'll also talk about hidden nuances that aren't written about in the standard instructions.

Where is the basket on Xiaomi Mi 9?

On the Mi 9, the shopping cart is not a separate application, but virtual folders within system and third-party services.

• 📷 Gallery (Google Photos or Standard) MIUI Gallery – Stores photos and videos for 30-60 days.
• 📁 File Manager (Files by Google) MIUI File Manager – temporarily saves deleted documents.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud – a cloud-based shopping cart where files are stored for up to 30 days.
• 🤖.trash system folder – a hidden directory where some applications put garbage.

The largest basket is usually in the Gallery, to open it:

1. Launch the Gallery app.
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the upper left corner.
3. Select the Recycle Bin (or Recently Deleted in English).

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If the menu does not have a “Baskbasket” option, update the Gallery app via Google Play – in older versions this feature may not be available.

In Mi Cloud, the Recycle Bin is hidden deeper: go to the cloud settings, select Storage Management → Recycle Bin. This is where files are stored for up to 30 days, but you can manually delete them earlier.

Method 1: Cleaning the basket through the Gallery

This is the easiest method that is suitable for removing photos and videos.

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with colored squares).
2. In the upper left corner, click on the menu (three lines) and select the Cart.
3. In the upper right corner, tap on the Control (or Select).
4. Check all the files or select the right ones.
5. Click Delete Permanently (or Delete Permanently)

If the Remove button is permanently inactive, it means:

• 🔄 Files are not expired (usually 30 days).
• 🔒 Files protected by Mi Account (must be confirmed with a password).
• 📵 No Internet connection (for cloud files).

Sync with Mi Cloud disabled|Files are not password protected|There is enough space available on the device.|Device connected to Wi-Fi (for cloud files)-->

Once deleted, the files will disappear from the recycle bin, but may remain in the cache. To free up space completely, go to Settings → Apps → Gallery → Storage and click Clear Cache.

Method 2: Delete via File Manager

If you delete the documents, APK-files or other data through MIUI File Manager, you can find them in a separate cart:

1. Open the File Manager (Icon with folder).
2. In the bottom menu, select Categories → Cart.
3. Press Control in the upper right corner.
4. Mark the files and tap Delete.

Unlike the Gallery, it only lasts 15 days, and if the cart is empty, but the memory is still busy, check:

• 🗑️.trash folder in the root directory (hidden, you need to enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings).
• 📂 folder Download/.trash — Here are the remote downloads.

If the files in the cart are not deleted, try:

1. Reboot the phone.
2. Clear the File Manager cache in the settings.
3. Delete files via Google Files (if installed).

Method 3: Cleaning the Mi Cloud Cart

Mi Cloud automatically syncs photos, contacts and notes, and deleted files are fed into the cloud bin to clear it:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Choose Mi Cloud. → Storage management.
3. Slip on the basket.
4. Tag files and click Delete Forever.

Please note:

• ☁️ Files in the cloud bin take up space in your Mi Cloud, not your phone.
• 🔐 Confirmation may be required for removal SMS email.
• ⏳ Recover files after cleaning the basket is impossible.

Yes, sync everything | Only contacts and notes |No, no use |Tryed, but turned off |I don't know what it-->

If the cloud cart is not cleared, check:

• 🌐 Internet connection stability (better to use Wi-Fi).
• 🔄 Updates to the Mi Cloud app on Google Play.
• 📱 Is there enough space in the cloud storage (when overflowing files are not deleted).

Method 4: Manual removal via ADB (for experienced)

If standard methods don’t work, you can clear the cart via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that is suitable for removing system temporary files, but requires debugging over USB.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Mi 9: Go to Settings → About Phone. tap on MIUI Version 7 times. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Activate USB Debugging.

ADB-tools

adb shell


rm -rf /storage/emulated/0/.trash/*




rm -rf /storage/emulated/0/Download/.trash/*

Reboot the phone.

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ADB-commands delete files irrevocably, including those that may not have been displayed in the standard Recycle Bin. Use this method only if you are confident in your actions.

If the memory is not free after the execution of the commands, check other system folders:

adb shell du -sh /storage/emulated/0/* | sort -rh

This team will show you which folders take up the most space.

Method 5: Resetting cache via Recovery

If the cart is not cleaned by any means, the problem may be the damaged cache of the system, in which case the reset via Recovery will help:

1. Turn off the Xiaomi Mi 9.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.