How to quickly and safely remove screenshots from your Xiaomi phone: all ways

Screenshots on Xiaomi smartphones are automatically saved in a separate folder, and over time, they can number in the hundreds, which not only takes up precious space in the memory of the device, but also creates chaos in the gallery, making it difficult to find the really important photos. Unlike conventional shots, screenshots often contain confidential information — passwords, private messages or bank card data, which is better removed immediately after use.

Compounding the problem, Xiaomi’s MIUI (branded shell) defaults to duplicate screenshots to the Mi Cloud when sync is enabled. Many users are faced with a situation where a screenshot deleted from a phone suddenly reappears after another sync, and in this article we will discuss all possible ways to delete, from standard to hidden system functions, and also explain how to permanently disable automatic saving of unnecessary screenshots.

1. Delete screenshots through the standard MIUI gallery

The most obvious way is to use the built-in gallery, where Xiaomi stores screenshots in a separate album, making it easier to find them, to delete unnecessary files:

1. Open the Gallery app** (flower icon).
2. In the bottom menu, select the Albums section.
3. Scroll down and find the Screenshots folder (or Screenshots in English firmware).
4. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Select.
5. Mark the desired files and click on the basket icon.

If the Screenshot folder is missing, check the Other Albums section or search for the screenshot keyword. On some models (such as the Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5), screenshots can be automatically sorted by date in the overall All Photos album.

⚠️ Attention: The files deleted through the gallery are put in the cart and stored there for 30 days. To make room immediately, after deleting, go to the basket (the section of the basket in the gallery) and manually clean it.

Check the hidden folders in the file manager|Update the Gallery app in the Play Market|Reboot the phone.|Turn off and turn on the hidden files again-->

2.Use of a file manager for deep cleaning

Sometimes screenshots stay in the system even after being deleted through the gallery, and this is because MIUI creates thumbnails and cache files that take up extra space to delete them completely:

1. Open Files** (the standard file manager for Xiaomi).

To remove the thumbnail cache:

1. In the file manager, enable the display of hidden files (click on three dots → Settings → Show hidden files).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails.
3. Delete all files with the.thumb extension (they are responsible for screenshot previews).

On firmware models MIUI 14+ Screenshots can be automatically archived in a folder /MIUI/Extra/Screenshots_Archive — It's worth checking out, too.

3. Remove via Mi Cloud (if synchronization is enabled)

If you're using the Mi Cloud, removing screenshots from your phone alone won't help -- they'll recover the next time you sync them, to delete them forever:

1. Open “Settings” ** → Mi Account → Mi Cloud

If you do not plan to use cloud synchronization of screenshots, you can turn it off:

1. In Mi Cloud, select Synchronization Settings.
2. Turn off the slider in front of the Gallery or Screenshot (depending on the MIUI version).

Yeah, synchronizing everything.|Only important files.|No, I don't.|I don't know what it is.-->

⚠️ Note: When you delete screenshots from Mi Cloud, they will disappear from all devices associated with your Xiaomi account. If you use one account on your phone and tablet, the files will disappear there.

4. Automatically delete old screenshots

To avoid manually clearing the memory, you can set up automatic deletion of screenshots over a certain period of time.

1. Open "Settings»** → Warehouse.

On models with MIUI 13+, there is an additional feature called Smart Cleanup, which analyzes frequently used files and suggests removing unnecessary ones.

Settings → Storage → Smart cleaning → Enable

This feature is especially useful if you often take screenshots for one-time tasks (for example, saving promo codes or temporary data), the system automatically detects which files have not been opened for more than a month, and prompts them to delete.

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If you often share screenshots in messengers, turn on the option “Delete after sending” in the settings of the Gallery application (Sharing section).

5. How to disable automatic screenshot saving

By default, Xiaomi saves every screenshot to the device’s memory, even if it’s taken accidentally.

Method 1: Disabling Save in Settings

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Screenshots (on some models, the path may differ: Settings → System and device → Screenshots).
2. Turn off the option to Save Screenshots.
3. In the same menu, you can turn off the Shutter Sound and Miniature in the corner of the screen if they are annoying.

Method 2: Use of the "No Preservation" mode

On the firmware MIUI 14+ appeared the function of temporary screenshots, which are not stored in memory:

1. Take a screenshot in the standard way (Power button + Volume down).
2. Immediately after the photo, a notification with options will appear.
3. Choose Not to Save (Icon with a cross).

This method is convenient if you need to quickly show something on the screen, but you do not need to save the file.

6. Recovery of accidentally deleted screenshots

If you delete an important screenshot, you can try to restore it within 30 days through the gallery cart or Mi Cloud.

1. Open the Gallery»** → Basket.
2. If the file is not in the Recycle Bin, check Mi Cloud (Recently Deleted).

Recovery of files deleted more than a month ago will require specialized programs like DiskDigger or Recuva (root access is required), but the chances of success depend on how much new data was written to the device after deletion.

⚠️ Note: When using data recovery software, do not save new files to your phone until the process is complete. Each new record reduces the chances of recovering deleted screenshots.

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Regularly cleaning screenshots not only frees up memory, but also reduces the risk of personal data leakage: set up automatic deletion or use cloud services with a limited shelf life (for example, Google Photos with the option “Clean up your device”).

7. Alternative ways to manage screenshots

If standard methods do not work, you can use third-party applications or system functions to manage:

• 🔍 In the gallery Xiaomi can search for screenshots by keywords (for example, enter “promo” – the system will find all screenshots with promo codes).

For users who share screenshots frequently, it is useful to set up a quick deletion after sending, for example, on Telegram or WhatsApp, you can enable the option to automatically delete media files after viewing by the recipient.

FAQ: Frequent questions about screenshots on Xiaomi