How to completely clean the cart on Xiaomi Redmi: a step-by-step guide

Have you accidentally deleted an important file on Xiaomi Redmi and can't find it now? Or just want to make room by removing unnecessary data from the shopping cart? In this article, we'll look at all the ways to clean the cart on Redmi smartphones, from standard methods to hidden MIUI features. Whether you're using the Redmi Note 12, Redmi 10 or older model: instructions will be suitable for all devices based on MIUI 12-14.

Many users don't know that deleted files don't disappear immediately, they go into temporary storage, taking up precious space. For example, photos from a gallery or documents from a file manager can hang in the bin for up to 30 days until they are permanently deleted. In this article, you will learn how to find a basket, how to clean it manually or automatically, and what to do if the files are not deleted.

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

Unlike computers where the basket is visible on the desktop, on Xiaomi Redmi it is hidden in system applications, and its location depends on the type of files:

• 📷 Photo and video - the basket is in the Gallery app (camera icon).
• 📄 Documents and downloads – in the file manager of Files (folder icon).
• 🎵 Audio files – in the Music app (if backup is enabled).

To open the basket in the Gallery:

1. Launch the Gallery app.
2. Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) top-right.
3. Select Recycle Bin (or recently deleted in older versions of MIUI).

In the file manager, the path is different:

1. Open the Files app.
2. Go to the Category tab (bottom of the screen).
3. Scroll down and select the basket.

💡

If you do not have the Recycle Bin tab displayed in the file manager, update the Files app through the Play Store or the MIUI App Store.

How to Clean a Cart in the Xiaomi Redmi Gallery

The Gallery basket is the most crowded seat on a smartphone, and it's where deleted photos, screenshots and videos are accumulated, which can be recovered within a month, to make room.

1. Open the gallery. → Basket.
2. Click Control (or Edit) in the upper right corner.
3. Select files you want to delete permanently (or tap Select Everything).
4. Click Delete and confirm the action.

If you want to delete all files at once:

1. In the gallery basket, click three dots (⋮) top-right.
2. Choose Clear the basket.
3. Confirm removal.

Check if there are any important files in the cart|Make a backup copy of the necessary data|Make sure the phone has enough charge (minimum 20%)|Connect to Wi-Fi if you plan to recover files from the cloud-->

In MIUI 14, the gallery cart automatically clears after 30 days, but if the space on the phone runs out, the system can delete files sooner - 15 or even 7 days.To avoid this, regularly check the cart or set up an automatic cleanup (more on this below).

Cleaning the basket in the file manager Xiaomi

Xiaomi File Manager Stores Deleted Documents, APK-files, archives and other data. The cart works differently here than in the gallery:

• 🗑️ Files are stored in the basket for up to 10 days (instead of 30 days).
• 🔄 No recovery function, only final removal.
• ⚠️ Some system files may not be included in the Recycle Bin (deleted immediately).

To clear the basket:

1. Open Files → Categories → Recycle Bin.
2. Press Control (pencil icon).
3. Select unnecessary files or tap Select everything.
4. Press Delete. → OK.

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when memory ends|Never clean.|I didn't know there was a basket.-->

If the cart is not cleaned, try:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📲 Update Files App.
• 🛠️ Clear the application cache in Settings → Annexes → Files. → Warehouse → Clear the cache.

Set up automatic cleaning of the basket

To avoid manually clearing the bin, you can enable automatic file deletion, which is available in the Gallery and the file manager, but works in different ways:

To set up an auto-cleaning in the Gallery:

1. Open the Gallery → click on the profile avatar (or three lines).
2. Go to Settings → Recycle Bin.
3. Turn on the option to automatically clean the cart.
4. Choose the period: 15 days, 30 days or Never.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos for backup, files from Xiaomi’s shopping cart can be duplicated in the Google Photos Recycle Bin. To avoid confusion, set up autoclean in both apps the same way.

What to do if the basket is not cleaned

Sometimes the files in the bin get stuck and are not deleted manually or automatically.

• 🔒 File used by the system - restart the phone and try again.
• 🐞 Application error – clear the Gallery or Files cache in the settings.
• 📱 Not enough rights – if the phone is rooted, check the permissions for apps.
• 📡 Mi Account Problems – Log out and log in to Xiaomi account again.

If nothing helps, try:

1. Remove updates for the Gallery or Files app through Settings → Apps.
2. Install an alternative file manager (like Files by Google) and delete files through it.
3. Reset the application settings: Settings → Applications → Gallery / Files → Storage → Reset.

How to recover files from the Xiaomi Redmi basket

If you accidentally delete an important file, it can be returned from the cart during the shelf life.

1. Open the Gallery or Files → Recycle Bin.
2. Select the files you need (you can use a search by name).
3. Press Restore (the arrow icon down).
4. Files will return to the original folder (such as Camera or Downloads).

If files have been deleted from the recycle bin or the storage period has expired, try:

• 🔍 Search in the cloud – check Mi Cloud or Google Photos.
• 💾 Backups – if automatic copying is enabled in Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 🛠️ Special programs such as DiskDigger or Recuva (root required).

⚠️ Warning: After you restore files from the recycle bin, they will take up space on your phone again. If the memory is full, first free up space by deleting unnecessary data.

Alternative ways to free up memory on Xiaomi Redmi

Cleaning the basket is just one way to make room. Here's what else you can do:

• 🧹 Cache cleaning - Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🗑️ Remove duplicates – use the built-in feature in the Gallery or Files.
• ☁️ Moving files to the cloud – Mi Cloud or Google Drive gives you free space.
• 📱 Storage optimization – Settings → Annexes → Cleanup.

For deep cleaning:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Press Clean (or Free Place)
3. Select unnecessary files (cache, temporary data, unused applications).
4. Confirm the cleanup.

💡

Regularly cleaning your cart and cache can free up to 5-10GB of memory on Xiaomi Redmi, especially if you’re actively using the camera and downloading files.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the cart on Xiaomi Redmi