Owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO They often face a lack of space, even if the amount of internal memory initially seemed sufficient, and one of the hidden reasons for overcrowding is the basket, where deleted files go, but do not disappear completely. MIUI HyperOS, by default, stores such data for 30 days, taking up valuable megabytes.
Many users mistakenly believe that simply dragging a file into a bin or deleting it from a gallery frees up space. In fact, the object only moves to a hidden section of deleted items, waiting for the final erasure. To really free up space, you need to perform a forced cleanup of this buffer, which is especially true before installing major updates or games.
In this guide, we will take a look at all the nuances of working with deleted files on Xiaomi devices, you will learn where to look for hidden garbage storage, how to set up automatic cleaning and which system tools are most effective for maintaining order in the memory of your gadget.
The principle of the basket in MIUI and HyperOS
Unlike desktop operating systems, where the Recycle Bin is a separate folder on the desktop, Xiaomi’s mobile shell is a system partition integrated into storage applications. Gallery, Explorer, and Files have their own isolated baskets that don’t synchronize with each other, which means that removing photos from the gallery won’t clear the file manager basket.
The MIUI-based Android system logic involves temporarily storing deleted data in case of user error. The storage period is usually 30 days, after which files are deleted irrevocably. However, if you delete gigabytes of video or heavy documents, it does not make sense to wait a month - the memory will be occupied until the time of manual cleaning.
⚠️ Warning: After cleaning the recycle bin, file recovery is not possible using standard methods. Make sure that the objects being removed are not important documentation or unique images that may be needed in the future.
It’s important to understand the difference between app cache and shopping cart content: Cache is temporary data to speed up programs, and the shopping cart is your personal files that you temporarily abandoned, and cleaning up both types of data is essential to fully optimize your Xiaomi smartphone.
Cleaning the basket in the Gallery appendix
The most extensive storage of remote data on any Xiaomi smartphone is the Gallery app, which is where photos and videos come in after deleting. To access this section, you need to open the app and go to the tab menu, usually located at the bottom of the screen or in the top corner.
From the menu, select Albums, then scroll down to Other Albums. There you will find Deleted or Recently Deleted. Inside are all media files deleted in the last 30 days. To clean up completely, click three dots in the corner of the screen and select Clean or Delete All.
- 📸 Open the Gallery app on the main screen.
- 📂 Go to the Albums tab and find the Remotes section.
- 🗑️ Press the menu button (three dots) and select Clean.
If you use sync via Xiaomi Cloud or Google Photos, removing from the cart on your device can affect cloud storage. In sync settings, you can turn off auto-saving remote items in the cloud so that they do not take up space there.
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Turn on the Remove folder size display in the Gallery settings to always see how much space the garbage takes up.
Removing files from System Explorer
The second most important place for digital garbage is Xiaomi's standard File Manager, APK-You can find files, music, or archives through this manager, and they also end up in the local cart, and you can find it by running the Explorer app and opening the side menu or the Recycle Bin section on the home page.
The interface may vary depending on the version of MIUI. In newer versions of HyperOS, the cart icon is often displayed in the upper right corner or hidden in the Settings menu of the app itself. Inside, you will see a list of files with a deletion date, you can delete selectively certain files or clear all the contents at once.
| File type | Where it's stored in the basket | Storage period | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | gallery | 30 days | Maybe. |
| Documents | Conductor | 30 days | Maybe. |
| Music. | Conductor/Music | 30 days | Maybe. |
| Messages (SMS) | Communications | 30 days | Maybe. |
Special attention should be paid to the Downloads folder. Often users download application installation files that become useless after installation, and even after removing downloads from the folder, they can lie in the Explorer basket, taking up space.
☑️ Checking of garbage storage facilities
Hidden baskets in messengers and browsers
Many users forget that popular apps have their own mechanisms for storing deleted data. For example, in Telegram or Viber, deleted media files can be cached or stored in local folders until the cache is completely cleared. Browsers such as Chrome or Mi Browser also have a download history that needs to be cleaned separately.
Telegram on Android doesn't have a classic messaging cart, but there's a Cash folder where you store your photos and videos you've watched. To clear it, go to Settings → Data & Memory → Memory Use and click Clear Cache. This action is safe and won't delete your emails, but will free up gigabytes of space.
⚠️ Attention: Clearing data in messengers through Android settings (Application Management) can lead to logging out.Use built-in cleaning functions inside the apps themselves.
For browsers, the situation is similar. In Google Chrome, go into the download history and delete files. Xiaomi's standard MI Browser has a separate Downloads section, which also has its own mini-basket or requires manual removal of files from the list.
Why is memory not released immediately?
Use of the Security Application for Deep Cleaning
Xiaomi smartphones pre-installed the system application Security, which is a powerful tool for system maintenance, it can find residual files, cache and elements left after deleting applications. Launch the application and select Cleanup.
The system will analyze the contents of the memory and suggest removing the "garbage." However, for a deeper work, you should use the tool Delete Files or Deep Clean inside this application, where you can find large files, duplicates and elements that take up space in hidden system folders.
- 🛡️ Launch the Security app from the smartphone menu.
- 🧹 Click on the Clean button for quick scanning.
- 🔍 Select the Delete Files section for manual category selection.
- 📉 Sort files by size and remove unnecessary ones.
Acceleration in the same application helps close the background processes, but does not clean the cart directly. Use the cleanup module to work with files. Regular use of this tool prevents the accumulation of system debris.
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The Security app is the only regular tool that can safely remove the system cache and residual files without the risk of damaging the OS.
Set up automatic memory maintenance
To avoid worrying about manually cleaning the cart in the future, you can set up automatic scripts. New versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14+ include a feature called Memory Expander and Smart Storage Management. The system can automatically alert you to fill or clear the cache of long-out applications.
It is recommended to enable sync with Google Photos with the "Free Space" function. Once the originals are uploaded to the cloud, the app will prompt you to delete local copies that are already stored in the cloud, an effective way to keep the shopping cart and main memory clean without losing data.
It is also worth checking the settings of specific applications, for example, WhatsApp can disable the storage of received media files in the phone gallery, which will prevent duplicate files: they will be available in the chat, but will not take up space in the system gallery and, accordingly, in its shopping cart when deleted.