How to remove duplicate photos on Xiaomi Redmi: from manual cleaning to automatic tools

Duplicate photos on Xiaomi Redmi are a problem that every second user faces, taking up precious space in memory, slowing down the gallery and making it harder to find the right shots. The reasons for the appearance of duplicates are diverse, from automatic backup to Google Photos to errors when transferring files from a PC or other devices. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to delete duplicate images, from standard MIUI functions to specialized applications, and provide recommendations for how to prevent their occurrence in the future.

Feature of Xiaomi Redmi smartphones (including Note models) 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10/13C Others are that they often save copies of photos in different folders, such as in the DCIM/Camera, Pictures/Screenshots Or cloud services, and there's a built-in gallery. MIUI It doesn't always display duplicates correctly, which makes it difficult to detect them. MIUI 14 HyperOS to ensure that instructions are operational.

1. Built-in tools MIUI: Searching for duplicates without third-party applications

Starting with MIUI 12, Xiaomi has added a feature to the gallery that is not perfect, but it can handle obvious duplicates, especially if they were created by the system (for example, when editing or backing up).

1. Open the standard Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select Control → Similar photos.
3. The system will scan the media files and group similar images. Click Select, mark takes and tap Delete.

⚠️ Attention: The built-in tool often skips duplicates if they have different resolutions or have been edited. 4032×3024 and its smaller version 1920×1080 They may not be recognized as the same.

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Before you delete duplicates through the MIUI gallery, turn on the hidden files in any file manager (such as Google Files), often hidden in folders like.thumbnails or MIUI/Extra.

If the built-in tool didn’t find duplicates, try an alternative way through the File Manager:

• 📁 Open the files. → Categories → Images.
• 🔍 Sort files by Change Date or Size – Doubles are often the same size and were created with a minimum time interval.
• 🗑️ Hold your finger on the file, select similar ones and delete them.

2. Applications for searching duplicates: top-3 solution

Standard MIUI tools are not always effective, especially if there are hundreds of duplicates, in which case specialized applications will help. We tested dozens of utilities and selected the top 3 options optimized for Xiaomi Redmi:

🔹 How to use Files by Google:

1. Install and open the application.
2. Go to the Cleanup tab → Duplicate files.
3. Select folders to scan (be sure to check DCIM, Pictures and Download).
4. After analysis, mark the duplicates and click Remove.

⚠️ Note: Applications like Duplicate Files Fixer can delete files from system folders (e.g., file files, MIUI/Camera/Burst), Before mass deletion, always back up to Google Drive or PC.

3. Manual cleaning through PC: the most reliable method

If your Redmi has thousands of photos and apps are failing, plug your smartphone into your computer, a method that takes longer, but guarantees 100% control and allows you to save the originals in a separate folder.

📌 Step-by-step instruction:

1. Connect Redmi to the PC via USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode in the Notification Curtain).
2. Open the device folder in Windows Explorer or Finder (macOS).
3. Go to Internal Storage → DCIM and Pictures.
4. Sort files by Type or Size – Doubles usually have the same settings.
5. Use the software to search for duplicates on PC: Windows: Duplicate Cleaner, Visipics. macOS: Gemini 2, DupeGuru.

💡 Tip: Before deleting, create a folder on the PC Redmi_Dup_Backup And you copy any suspicious take-ups, so you can recover the files if you delete something important.

4. Cleanup of Google Photos and other cloud services

Many Xiaomi Redmi users sync photos with Google Photos, Mi Cloud or Yandex.Disk. Cloud services often create duplicates when re-uploading or restoring backups to delete them:

🔹 Google Photos:

• 🌐 Open photos.google.com on PC.
• 🔍 In the search bar, enter duplicates - the service will automatically group similar pictures.
• ✅ Select unnecessary copies and click Delete.

🔹 In Mi Cloud:

• 📱 Go to the Mi Cloud app on Redmi.
• 📁 Go to the gallery. → Albums. → Duplicates (if no section, no duplicates).
• 🗑️ Hold your finger on the file, select the others and delete them.

Turn off automatic sync in Google Photos|Download the originals of important photos on PC|Check the Archive folder in the cloud|Make sure your smartphone has enough memory for temporary files-->

⚠️ Attention: Removing Google Photos in the web version is not always synced with the mobile app. → Free space and click Optimize Memory to remove local copies.

5. How to prevent the appearance of doubles in the future

Removing duplicates is the solution, and it is much more efficient to set up your smartphone so that it doesn’t appear. Here are the key recommendations for Xiaomi Redmi:

• 📸 Turn off autosave in messengers: WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Media visibility → Turn off Save in the gallery. Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Choose Never.
• ☁️ Configure backup: In Google Photos, disable Backup and Sync if you use Mi Cloud, and vice versa. In Mi Cloud, limit sync to only important folders: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → gallery.
• 🔄 Control the import of photos: When transferring photos from a PC or other phone, use the MIUI File Manager and check the target folder for duplicates. Avoid copying via Bluetooth or ShareIt - these methods often create temporary files.

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Regularly (once every 1-2 months) check the folders DCIM/.thumbnails and Pictures/Screenshots – this is where invisible duplicates are most often accumulated, which are not displayed in the gallery, but take up space.

6. Features of removing duplicates on specific Redmi models

Some Xiaomi Redmi models have unique nuances when working with media files, and we have collected key differences for popular devices:

🔧 For HyperOS models (2026 and later):

The new firmware has moved the double search function to Settings → Memory → Cleanup → Duplicate Files, and the Smart Cleanup option has also appeared, which automatically deletes temporary media files (for example, screenshots after sending in messengers).

7 What to do if duplicates are returned?

If duplicates appear again after cleaning, the problem lies in the background processes or synchronization settings.

1. Check autoboot in instant messengers: Open Settings → Apps → Permissions → Autorun and disable it for WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber.
2. Turn off backup in two clouds: Go to Settings → Accounts and sync and leave only one cloud service (Google Photos or Mi Cloud).

MIUI/Camera/Burst

• When you shoot a series, Redmi saves all the footage to this folder. Delete unnecessary series through the File Manager.