How to completely clean the cart on Xiaomi Redmi 5: from files to cache

Xiaomi Redmi 5 is one of the most popular budget smartphones of the brand, but even it eventually begins to “brake” due to the accumulated garbage. The basket in MIUI is a temporary storage for deleted files that many users forget to clean. As a result, the system clutters and free space melts before our eyes. In this article, we will analyze all the ways to clean the cart on Redmi 5, including hidden folders, app cache and even restore through Recovery.

It's important to understand that the shopping cart in Xiaomi works differently than on computers. There's no single garbage can here, files are distributed in different sections: gallery, file manager, downloads and even messenger cache. We'll show you how to clean each of them without losing important data. And we'll also tell you what to do if the shopping cart is not cleaned by standard methods - this is a common problem on older versions of MIUI 9-11, which were on Redmi 5 out of the box.

1. Standard Recycle Bin Cleaning Through File Manager

The most obvious way is to use Xiaomi's built-in File Manager, which stores deleted documents, archives, APK-files and other data to clear the cart:

1. Open the Files app (the icon with the folder on the home screen).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines in the upper left corner (menu).
3. Select the Recycle Bin (or Garbage in older versions of MIUI).
4. Click Clean in the upper right corner and confirm the action.

If the Clean button is inactive, the cart is empty, but sometimes files are invisible, a MIUI 10 bug that was encountered on Redmi 5, which can help to reboot the smartphone or clean through Settings → Storage.

Reboot your smartphone | Check storage permissions |Update the Files app |Elecate the file manager cache-->

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 9 (which was on Redmi 5 when it was released) the file manager basket might not be there at all, in which case the files were deleted irretrievably and could only be recovered via Recovery or PC.

2. Cleaning the basket in the gallery (photos and videos)

Xiaomi Gallery has its own Recycle Bin for deleted photos and video files, and unlike the file manager, it stores files for 30 days, then deletes them automatically, to manually clear the Recycle Bin:

• 📷 Open the Gallery app (or Photos in new versions) MIUI).
• 🗑️ Swipe to the basket icon in the bottom menu (or swipe left in some firmware).
• ✅ Select unnecessary files or click Clear everything.
• 🔄 Confirm the action – files will be deleted without recovery.

If the gallery does not open, try:

1. Clear the cache of the Gallery app in Settings → Apps.
2. Update MIUI to the latest available version for Redmi 5 (maximum MIUI 12.5).
3. Use a third-party gallery, such as Google Photos (but the shopping cart works by different rules).

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If the photos still take up space after cleaning the cart, check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder - thumbnails are stored here, which are sometimes not deleted automatically.

3. Hidden folders and cache: where else does garbage accumulate

The Recycle Bin isn't the only place where Redmi 5 stores unnecessary files, and users often forget:

And you should pay special attention to the Android/data folder, which stores game and application data, for example, a PUBG Mobile or Facebook cache can take several gigabytes.

1. Go to Files → Internal Memory → Android → Data
2. Find a folder with the name of the problem app (e.g. com.tencent.ig for PUBG).
3. Delete the cache folder inside it.

4. Cleaning the basket through Recovery Mode (for experienced)

If standard methods don’t help and the bin is filled with invisible files, you can use Recovery Mode, which is suitable for cleaning system debris, but requires caution – incorrect actions can lead to resetting.

Instructions:

1. Turn off Redmi 5.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up until the MI logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (use volume buttons for navigation, power for selection).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
5. Reboot your smartphone via Reboot → System.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! The second option will completely reset the smartphone to factory settings, removing all data, including photos and contacts.

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

5.Automatic cleaning: MIUI setup to save space

MIUI has built-in tools for automatic garbage cleaning, so you can activate them:

• ⚙️ Go to Settings. → Warehouse.
• 🧹 Slip on Cleanup (or Free up space in new versions).
• 🔍 Wait for the system analysis (may take a while) 1-2 minute).
• ✅ Select categories to clean (cache, temporary files, shopping cart) and click Clear.

For automatic cleaning:

1. In the same section (Storage) enable the option Auto Clean.
2. Set the frequency (for example, once a week).
3. Choose which file types to clean (we recommend ticking Cash, Temporary Files, and Recycle Bin).

This method will help avoid manual cleaning, but remember to check the shopping cart manually – the automatic system doesn’t always delete all unnecessary files, especially if they are protected by access rights.

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Autocleaning in MIUI doesn’t remove files from the gallery cart – you need to clean them separately!

6.Recovery of accidentally deleted files from the Recycle Bin

If you cleaned the bin and then realized that the files were there, you can still return them — but only within 30 days (for the gallery) or until the next cleaning (for the file manager).

• 🔍 Through the Recycle Bin: If the files are still there, just highlight them and click Restore.
• 💻 Connect Redmi 5 to your computer and use programs like Recuva or DiskDigger (not working on all firmware).
• ☁️ Through the Cloud: If you have synced with Mi Cloud or Google Photos, check the cart in the web version of the service.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 5 s MIUI 9-10 PC recovery is often blocked due to storage encryption, in which case only a backup or a call to the Xiaomi service center will help (but they rarely take on data recovery).

If files are critical, don't write new data to your smartphone, which will reduce your chances of recovery.

7.Why the basket on Redmi 5 fills up quickly: the main reasons

The Redmi 5 cart is clogged faster than the new Xiaomi models because of:

• 📱 Small memory: The basic version had only 16 GB, of which the user can access it. ~10GB.
• 🗑️ Old versions MIUI: V MIUI 9-11 There is no optimization of temporary file storage.
• 🎮 Games and social networks: Apps like Facebook, TikTok or Free Fire actively cache data.
• 📁 Duplicate files: When transferring data from a PC or messengers, copies are created.

Decisions:

1. Update MIUI to the latest available version (for Redmi 5, it is MIUI 12.5).
2. Use it. SD-Media storage card (but don’t move apps there – it will slow down your work).
3. Turn off autoload media in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).
4. Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Apps.

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To see which applications are cluttering up memory, go to Settings → Storage → Storage Analysis. This shows detailed statistics for each application.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)