How to completely clean the cart on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: a step-by-step guide

Why the Recycle Bin on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is Stopping Cleaning and What to Do About It

The Recycle Bin on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is a temporary storage for deleted photos, videos and documents that should be automatically cleared after 30 days. However, many users experience files that remain in the Recycle Bin for years, taking up precious space in the memory of the smartphone, and the reasons can be different, from failures in MIUI to incorrect settings of the Gallery app.

In this article, we will discuss three working methods for cleaning the cart, from standard tools to radical measures like resetting to factory settings, and how to prevent re-accumulation of garbage and what to do if the cart does not appear in the system at all. Importantly, some methods require you to disable sync with Mi Cloud before deleting files, otherwise they can recover after re-entering your account.

If you notice that after deleting files, the memory on the phone is not freed, the problem may lie not in the basket, but in the cache of system applications, in which case you will have to clean it, and we will also discuss this below.

Method 1: Cleaning the basket through the standard MIUI gallery

The easiest method is to use the built-in Gallery app, which is suitable if the shopping cart is visible in the interface, but the files are not deleted automatically.

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with colorful photos).
2. Slip on three horizontal lines in the lower right corner (menu).
3. Select the basket item (urn icon).
4. Press Control in the upper right corner.
5. Check the files or tap the Select everything.
6. Click Delete and confirm the action.

If the Remove button is inactive or files are returned after rebooting, then sync with Mi Cloud is enabled.

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Gallery and turn off synchronization.
• 🗑️ Repeat deleting files from the basket.
• 🔒 After cleaning, you can turn on sync again, but make sure that there are no duplicates of deleted files in the cloud.

Attention! If files reappear in the Recycle Bin after deleting, this may indicate that the gallery database has been damaged, in which case only resetting the application settings (see the next section for more on this) will help.

Method 2: Manual cleansing through file manager (for power users)

Sometimes the Recycle Bin is not cleared through the gallery due to system errors, in which case you can manually delete files through Files (or any other file manager, such as Solid Explorer), this method requires caution, since improper actions can lead to the loss of important data.

The files of the cart are stored along the way:

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/files/Trash/

Or for some versions of MIUI:

/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.trash/

Instructions:

1. Open the files and go to the internal memory.
2. Enable the display of hidden files (in the menu on the right).
3. Find the.trash or Trash folder (may be called differently depending on the MIUI version).
4. Delete all files inside this folder.
5. Reboot the phone.

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If the.trash folder doesn’t show up even after you turn on hidden files, try connecting your phone to your PC and delete files through Windows Explorer or macOS.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the.trash folder itself, which can cause errors in the gallery. Only delete the contents. If the shopping cart stops showing in the gallery after cleaning, reinstall the updates to the Gallery application through Settings. → Annexes → Application management → gallery → Update.

Method 3: Reset gallery settings or completely reset your phone

If the first two methods fail, the problem may be the settings of the Gallery app itself, in which case the resetting of the Gallery's data will help:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the gallery and tap it.
3. Choose Warehouse.
4. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
5. Reboot the phone.

After resetting, all the settings in the gallery will go back to factory settings, including the cart display settings, and if that doesn't work, the last option is a complete phone reset.

• 📱 Backup important data (photos, contacts, messages).
• 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 70%.
• 🔑 Make sure to remember the password from your Mi Account (required after resetting).

For discharge:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: After a complete reset, all data, including files in the Recycle Bin, will be permanently deleted. If you wanted to save something from the Recycle Bin, retrieve those files in advance (transfer them to another folder).

Why the Redmi Note 7 Recycle Bin Won't Clean Automatically

By default, the files in the Recycle Bin should be deleted after 30 days, but in practice, this mechanism often fails.

If none of these things work, the problem may be that you're corrupting your system files, and that's where you can flash your phone over Fastboot or Recovery, but it's a complicated procedure that requires experience -- if you're not sure about your abilities, you'd better go to a service center.

How to Prevent Garbage Accumulation in the Cart in the Future

To prevent the cart on the Redmi Note 7 from clogging again, follow these recommendations:

• 🔧 Set up auto-cleaning: go to the Gallery → Settings → Recycle bin and set a storage period (for example, 7 or 15 days instead of 30 days).
• 📁 Check the.trash folder regularly through the file manager (once every 1-2 months).
• ☁️ Turn off syncing unnecessary files with Mi Cloud, especially if you don’t have much space on your device.
• 🗃️ Use alternative galleries (e.g. Google Photos) where the shopping cart is more stable.

It's also useful to disable automatic backup of junk files.

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Gallery
2. Turn off the autosynchronization option.
3. Manually select which folders to reserve (exclude the Recycle Bin and.trash).

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Regular cleaning of the shopping cart not only frees up memory, but also speeds up the work of the gallery, as it reduces the load on the application database.

If you often work with a lot of files (like taking pictures in RAW or editing videos), consider using an external memory card. The Redmi Note 7 supports microSD up to 256GB – enough to store thousands of photos without filling up internal memory.

Frequent mistakes in cleaning the cart and how to avoid them

Many users make the same mistakes when trying to clear the cart, and here are the most common ones and ways to avoid them:

1. Delete files without disabling Mi Cloud. Files can recover after synchronization. Always turn off the cloud before cleaning.
2. Memory optimizers: Applications like Clean Master often delete the wrong files or damage folder structure, and better use built-in tools.
3. Ignoring backups: Before resetting or flashing, always save important data to your PC or external drive.
4. Delete system folders. Don't touch folders called Android, MIUI, or system, because that can make your phone down.

If your phone is slower after cleaning your cart, check your memory usage in Settings → Memory. It may not be the cart that is the problem, but the cache of other apps (like Facebook or TikTok) that you also need to clean.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About the Recycle Bin on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7