Overflowing smartphone memory is one of the most common problems faced by owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices. When the storage is full, the system starts to work slower, applications fly out, and new images simply stop being saved. Most often, the culprit for space shortage is the Gallery, which accumulates not only your personal photos, but also thousands of hidden thumbnails, messenger cache and deleted files.
Cleaning up a gallery on Android requires a systematic approach, as simply removing photos from albums doesn’t always free up disk space. Many users don’t know that deleted files often stay in the cart for another 30 days, continuing to take up precious gigabytes.
In this detailed guide, we’ll break down all the effective ways to free up space. You’ll learn to find and remove duplicates, clean the thumbnail cache, configure cloud sync, and use the built-in MIUI and HyperOS optimization tools. Proper cleaning will not only restore free space, but also prolong the life of your device’s drive.
Analysis of space and search for hidden files
Before you start mindlessly deleting, you need to understand what exactly takes up space in your device. Standard File Explorer often hides the default system folders and app cache. First, look at the storage settings, where Xiaomi provides basic but useful statistics on the distribution of data by category.
But for deep cleaning, you'd better use more advanced analytics tools, like built-in Security or third-party tools like Files by Google, which can show the real story, and they can reveal large files that you might have forgotten about, like old high-resolution videos or forgotten browser downloads.
Pay special attention to the folders of messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store all received media files directly in the memory of the phone, and they are automatically displayed in the gallery. To find them, you need to go to the root directory and check the paths /Android/media/ or /MIUI/Gallery/. This is where gigabytes of “digital garbage” are often hidden.
⚠️ Note: When analyzing file directories, be careful about folders whose names contain the words System, Config, or Data. Deleting the contents of these folders can lead to resetting application settings or unstable operating system operation.
To do a spot search for duplicates and large files, you can use a built-in scanner that works faster than manual brute force and ensures that you do not miss hidden objects.
Removal of duplicates and similar photos
Modern Xiaomi smartphone cameras allow high-quality shots, but serial shooting often results in dozens of almost identical frames. Store all 50 photos of one sunset does not make sense if you choose the best one. Fortunately, new versions of the HyperOS and MIUI 14 shell have a built-in feature for finding similar photos.
To use it, open the Gallery app and go to the Albums tab. Scroll down to the Similar Photos or Recommendations section, and the AI system will itself group the images taken at the same time and suggest leaving only the best options, which greatly speeds up the cleaning process.
- 📸 Open the grouping of similar photos and choose the option with the best quality.
- 🗑️ Click the “Delete Others” button or manually mark extra frames to delete.
- 🔄 Repeat the procedure for other groups to free up the maximum amount of space.
If the automatic grouping didn't work or you're using an older version of Android, you'll have to do it manually. Swipe the series and delete the extra one.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Cleaning the basket and cloud albums
Many Xiaomi users make the mistake of thinking that deleting a photo permanently erases it from the device. In fact, deleted files are moved to the “Recently Deleted” folder, where they store 30 days, which is designed to protect against accidental data loss, but if there is a lack of memory, this feature becomes an enemy.
To make room, you need to go to the album "Recently Deleted" (or "Basket") and click "Clean" button, and then the physical space on the flash memory will be freed up. Similar to the situation with Google Photos and Xiaomi Cloud: if sync is enabled, deleting a photo on the phone can delete it in the cloud, or vice versa, leave a copy in the cache.
Check your cloud sync settings. If you use the Free Space feature in Google Photos, the originals are deleted from the device but remain in the cloud. However, if you just delete a photo from the gallery when you actively sync it can disappear everywhere.
⚠️ Before cleaning the cart completely, make sure that there are no critical documents or rare images among the deleted files. It will be impossible to recover files after cleaning the cart without special software.
Also worth checking are albums created by third-party apps. Often junk files from Instagram or TikTok remain in the gallery even after the app itself is deleted, find folders with social media names and clean up their contents.
Where do the files go after deleting?
Removal of the cache of thumbnails and system debris
One of the most hidden problems is the bloated thumbnail cache, and every time you open a gallery, the system creates smaller copies of images (previews) to quickly display the grid, and over time, the thumbnail database can grow to a few gigabytes, especially if you have thousands of photos.
To clear this cache, use the Apps menu in the settings. Find the Gallery app (or Media Storage) in the list. Go to Memory and select Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear Everything, because it will also delete the album settings.
In some cases, deleting a specific thumbnail database file helps. To do this, go through the file manager on the path /Android/data/com.miui.gallery/files/. Here you can find files with the.db extension or cache folder. Their removal is safe: the system will simply re-create the preview the next time you start, but the space will be freed instantly.
- 🗂️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
- 🔍 Find the Gallery and go to the Storage».
- 🧹 Click on “Clear Cache” but don’t touch “Clear Everything».
After this procedure, the gallery can run a little slower on the first run until it rebuilds, but the free space will surprise you, which is especially true for models with a small amount of internal memory, for example, 64 GB.
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Tip: If the gallery is not working properly after cleaning the cache or shows "black squares" instead of a photo, restart the device.
Using Xiaomi's built-in cleaner
In the MIUI and HyperOS shells, there's a powerful built-in tool called Clearer, which is in the Security app, and it can find not only temporary files, but also specific gallery debris that is not visible to the user.
Run the scan and wait for the results. The cleaner will suggest removing "Small Videos," "Screenshots" and "Big Files." Be careful: the algorithm may find the files you planned to delete important. Always check the content before confirming.
A special feature is Deep Clean, which allows you to analyze folders of specific applications, for example, you can select WhatsApp and delete only those videos that have already been viewed and not needed, and this is a more subtle setup than simply removing the entire cache.
| Data type | Where is | Is it safe to delete? | Volume (approximately) |
|:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- |
| Cash thumbnails | Gallery app memory | Yes | 500MB - 2GB |
| Recently deleted | Gallery album | Yes (unless restoration is required) | Depends on user |
| Files.thumbnails | Hidden folder of the system | Yes | 100MB - 1GB |
| Duplicates photo | Camera/WhatsApp folders | Yes | Up to 10GB |
| RAW images | Camera folder | Only if you don't need originals | 20-50MB per photo |
Using regular tools is preferable to third-party programs, as they have deep access to the system partitions of Android and do not require unnecessary permissions, and they are optimized for a specific version of your Xiaomi firmware.
Regular use of the cleaner (once a week) will prevent critical memory filling, and the system will suggest cleaning when the vacancy drops below 10%.
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The built-in cleaner Xiaomi safer than third-party counterparts, as it does not delete system files and knows the structure of folders MIUI/HyperOS.
Synchronization setting and preventing clogging
The best way to combat gallery overcrowding is to prevent it. Set up your photos automatically to cloud services like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk. Enable the Save Space feature, which automatically removes photos already stored in the cloud from your device.
Also, limit auto-save in instant messengers. In WhatsApp and Telegram settings, disable the option "Save to the Gallery", then all images and videos will be available inside the applications, but will not clog the main gallery of the phone and take up space with duplicates.
Periodically check the Download folder. Browsers often save banner ads and temporary files there, which then fall into the general gallery feed. Regular cleaning of this folder is a good habit for the Android owner.
⚠️ Warning: When setting up sync, make sure that you are using a Wi-Fi network, not mobile traffic. 4G/5G You can quickly exhaust your plan.
By following these rules, you can keep the gallery clean without the monthly torment of finding a place.The phone's memory is a resource that requires management, especially in the era of high-resolution cameras.