Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a lack of free space when the device’s RAM is filled with unnecessary files. The basket in the MIUI or HyperOS shell is a special buffer where deleted data enters, but it still takes up space on the disk. Many users mistakenly believe that moving a file to the basket frees gigabytes, but this is only the first step of deleting.
Cleaning this buffer is a critical procedure for those who actively photograph or download heavy media. In this article, we will discuss in detail where the basket is hiding in various system applications and how to properly empty it to return the performance of the gadget.
Why do files in the cart take up space?
The Android system logic is designed to protect the user from accidental data loss, so when you delete a photo or document, the system doesn't physically erase it from the drive right away, instead, it creates a copy or transfers the file pointer to a hidden folder that we used to call a shopping cart.
This means that if you delete a 2GB video, it still takes up those 2GB on your device.The physical release only happens after you forcibly clear that buffer or expire (usually 30 days) Ignoring this fact leads to notifications of memory shortages appearing even after seemingly successful file deletion.
⚠️ Warning: Until you clear the bin completely, space on the internal drive will not be vacated, even if the file has disappeared from the main gallery.
Understanding this mechanism helps you manage your smartphone resources more effectively, and if you need to install a heavy app or game, simply deleting files is not enough – you need to complete the process of destroying them through the appropriate menus.
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Turn on the display of space size in the storage settings to see the real amount of free memory in real time.
Cleaning the basket in the Xiaomi Gallery
The largest repository of unnecessary data is usually the standard Gallery, and that's where deleted images and videos come in. To get to the deletion settings, you have to open the app and go to the Albums tab. At the bottom of the album list, often hidden under the recent or Screenshot folders, is Deleted.
Inside this folder, you can store all the images and videos you've deleted in the last 30 days. The interface lets you select individual files or clear them all at once. To clean them completely, click on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen and select the appropriate command. This action will permanently delete the data from the device.
- 📸 Open the Gallery app and go to the Album tab.
- 🗑️ Find the Deleted folder at the bottom of the album list.
- ✅ Click “Clean” or select specific files to delete.
It’s worth noting that newer versions of HyperOS can be slightly modified visually, but the logic remains the same: If you use Xiaomi Cloud, synchronization can restore deleted files, so make sure that the cleanup is done correctly.
☑️ Checking the Gallery's cleanup
Delete files from the Explorer
Xiaomi’s built-in file manager (Conductor) also has its own shopping cart that works independently of the gallery, APK-installer files, archives and music. To find this section, run the Explorer app and click on the menu icon (three bars) in the upper left corner.
In the drop-down list, you'll see Recycle Bin. You click on it and you'll access all files that have been deleted through the file manager. There's also a 30-day rule, after which files are deleted automatically, but until then they take up space. You can selectively delete the unnecessary or clear everything at once through the management menu.
⚠️ Note: Files deleted through third-party applications (such as Telegram or browser) may not fall into the Explorer’s shopping cart, but may be erased instantly or have their own caches.
Regularly checking this section is especially important for those who frequently work with documents or download application installation files, and accumulating older APK versions and archives can stealthily eat up several gigabytes of usable space.
Where are the files in the system stored?
Working with the Mi Cloud cloud basket
If you have enabled sync with your Mi Account on your device, deleted files can be duplicated in cloud storage, which creates the illusion that memory is busy, although the files may be physically on Xiaomi servers, but their indexes take place in the data structure, and you can check this through the cloud settings.
Go to Settings, select your Mi Cloud account, and go to Storage Management. There's often a separate section for remote items. Cleaning up here is important not only to free up space on the phone itself (when sync is enabled), but also to free up a quota in the cloud, which is limited to 5GB in the free version.
| Storage area | Storage period | Impact on memory |
|---|---|---|
| Gallery (locally) | 30 days | Takes up space on the disk. |
| Conductor (locally) | 30 days | Takes up space on the disk. |
| Mi Cloud (cloud) | 30 days | Takes up the cloud's quota |
| Google Photo | 30 days | Takes Google's quota |
Keep in mind that cleaning up in the cloud can affect other devices tied to your account. Deleting a file from the Mi Cloud cloud cart will cause it to disappear completely from all synchronized gadgets.
Third-party applications and junk files
In addition to system tools, the smartphone’s memory is clogged by messengers and social networks. Apps like Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber have their own internal “baskets” or remote messaging caches. Standard cleaning of Xiaomi’s system (via the Security app) does not always see these clogs.
It is recommended to go to the settings of each heavy application separately. For example, in Telegram, the Settings path → Data and memory → Memory use allows you to clear the cache, which often inflates to several gigabytes. On WhatsApp, a similar feature is in the Storage and Data section.
- 📱 Open the smartphone settings and go to the Application section.
- 🔍 Find a heavy application (social network or messenger).
- 🧹 Select "Storage" and click "Clear Cache».
Using the built-in optimizer in the Security app can also help find residual files. Run the scan and select Clean. The system will analyze the device for temporary files that are no longer needed for the programs to run.
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Regular cleaning of messenger cache can free up to 5-10 GB of space monthly from active users.
Automation and overflow prevention
To avoid manual cleaning every time a place runs out, you can set up automatic scripts. There's an automatic cleaning feature in the MIUI shell that you can activate in the Security app. However, for a more subtle setup, consider using scripts or having a regular habit of checking storage.
It is also useful to change your camera settings. Shoot video in H.265 (if available), which provides better quality with a smaller file size. Turn off saving original photos in the cloud if you have fast internet, leaving only optimized copies on your device.
⚠️ Warning: Do not install questionable applications-"cleaners" from the Play Market. Embedded Xiaomi tools work more efficiently and safely, without loading the processor in the background.
Prevention includes removing unused apps, and if you haven't run a game or program for more than a month, you probably don't need it, and removing those apps is the quickest way to get back the speed and the space.