How to completely remove photos from the gallery on the phone Xiaomi Redmi: all ways

Removing photos from a Xiaomi Redmi phone seems like a simple task — until you get nuanced. Somehow, the photos stay in the Mi Cloud, take up space in the cart, and sometimes don't disappear from the gallery at all after clicking "Delete." In this article, we'll discuss 5 proven ways to erase photos forever, including hidden folders and app cache, and how to return accidentally deleted files and why standard deletion doesn't always work.

Redmi smartphones have a feature of duplicate media files in multiple places: local memory, cloud, backups of Google Photos. If you just click "Delete" in the gallery, the picture can remain in one of these storages. We will show you how to completely clear the memory of unnecessary photos without leaving traces in the system. MIUI 12–14.

1. Standard removal through the Xiaomi Gallery

The most obvious way is to use the built-in gallery, but there are pitfalls: the files are not deleted immediately, but instead end up in a basket that is stored for up to 30 days, to erase the photo permanently:

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Find a folder with the photos you want (like Camera or Screenshots).
3. Slip through the image and hold your finger for 1-2 seconds to activate the selection mode. tick any files you want to delete.
4. Click on the “Baskbasket” icon** (or “Delete”) in the lower menu.

⚠️ Warning: If the photos disappeared from the gallery after that, but the phone's memory was not free, check the basket:

1. Go to the Cart section (in the left side menu of the gallery).
2. Select files and click “Delete Forever”**.

On some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A) The basket can be hidden, so you can see it:

• 📌 Slip along three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the gallery.
• 🔍 Scroll down the list – the basket item is usually at the bottom.
• ⚙️ If it is not, check the settings of the gallery: Settings → General. → Show the basket.

2. Delete via File Manager: for Hidden and System Folders

Xiaomi Gallery does not show all the folders with photos, for example, pictures from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) or screenshots of system notifications can be stored in hidden directories to find and delete them:

1. Open Files** (the blue folder app).
2. Go to the Category tab → Images.
3. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show Hidden Files.
4. You will see all the files, including: 📁 DCIM/Camera — camera; 📁 Pictures/Screenshots — screenshot; 📁 Android/media/com.whatsapp — WhatsApp media; 📁.thumbnails (can be removed without consequences).

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders DCIM And the whole picture, which can disrupt the camera.

If you need to delete many files at once:

• 🔘 Select a folder or group of files with a long tap.
• 🗑️ Click "Delete" (basket icon).
• 🔄 Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

Backup of important photos|Check the hidden folders|Disable synchronization with Mi Cloud|Close all applications that use the gallery-->

3.Cleaning gallery cache and thumbnails

Even after the photos are removed from folders, their thumbnails can remain in the cache of the Gallery app, which takes up space and prevents the actual images from being displayed correctly, to clear the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Gallery** in the list and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. For complete cleaning, click Clear Data (⚠️ It'll reset the gallery settings!).

We also recommend you to manually remove the thumbnail folder:

1. Open Files** and enable the display of hidden files (as in the previous section).
2. Going the Way: Internal Memory →.thumbnails.
3. Delete all files in this folder.

Once the cache is cleared, the gallery will be rebuilt. This can take a few minutes - don't be alarmed if the pictures temporarily disappear.

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If the photos in the gallery are not displayed correctly (blurred or with artifacts) after cleaning the cache, reboot the phone. This will help the system to recreate the thumbnails.

4. Removal from the Mi Cloud and Google Photos

Many Redmi users forget that photos are automatically synced to cloud services, and even if you erase a picture from your phone, a copy of it can remain in:

• 🌥️ Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud);
• 📷 Google Photos (if Autoboot is enabled).

To remove the photo from Mi Cloud:

1. Open the Mi Cloud app** (or go to i.mi.com).
2. Sign in with your Xiaomi account.
3. Go to the Gallery section → Albums.
4. Select unnecessary photos and click “Delete”.
5. Don’t forget to clean the Recycle Bin in the cloud (similar to a local gallery).

For Google Photos:

1. Open the Google Photos app**.
2. Find the right pictures through search or albums.
3. Tap the photo. → «Delete» → «Remove from the device and the cloud».
4. Clean the basket in the side menu.

⚠️ Attention: Deletion from the cloud is irreversible! If the photos are only synced to the cloud and deleted from the phone, they will not be recoverable.

5 How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Photos

If you've erased important images, don't despair, they can be returned within a limited time, and the way you recover them depends on where the photos were stored:

• 📱 Local Memory: Check the Recycle Bin in the Gallery (stores files for up to 30 days).
• 🌥️ Mi Cloud: Go to the web version of the cloud → Basket (storage period - 30 days).
• 📷 Google Photos: Open the Recycle Bin in the app (files are stored for 60 days).
• 🛠️ Special programs: For deep memory scanning (e.g., DiskDigger or Recuva), but they require root rights.

Step-by-step instructions for recovery from the Xiaomi cart:

1. Open the Gallery.
2. Slip three lines in the upper left corner. → Basket.
3. Select the desired photos and click "Restore"**.
4. The files will be returned to the folder from which they were deleted.

If the cart is already cleaned, try recovery software, such as DiskDigger (available on Google Play):

1. Install the application and give access to the memory.
2. Select Full Scan (requires root for maximum results).
3. Wait for the analysis to be completed and mark the files for recovery.
4. Then, put them in another folder (not where they were removed).

6.Setting up automatic gallery cleaning

To avoid accumulating unnecessary photos, set up automatic cleaning. Redmi has built-in tools for this:

• 🗑️ Auto Cleaning Cart: Open the Gallery»** → Settings (cog in the upper right corner). Select the basket → Autoclean. Set a period (e.g. Clean after 15 days).
• ☁️ Limiting sync with Mi Cloud: Go to Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud. disable Gallery Sync or set a download limit.

Optimizing storage in Google Photos:

1. Open Google Photos»** → Settings → Make room.
2. The app will prompt you to delete photos already uploaded to the cloud from your phone.

You can also use third-party cleaning apps, such as Files by Google:

1. Install an app from the Play Market.
2. Go to the Cleanup tab.
3. Select Large Files or Duplicate Photos.
4. Review the files proposed for deletion and confirm the action.

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Autocleaning the shopping cart in the Xiaomi gallery only works for files deleted through the application itself. Photos erased through the file manager are not included in the basket and are deleted forever.

7 Why photos are not deleted: common problems

Sometimes Redmi users find that photos don't disappear after clicking "Delete".

If none of these methods worked, try:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone (sometimes helps when processes freeze).
• 🛠️ Update the Gallery app** through Play Market.
• 📱 Reset Gallery settings: Settings → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing photos on Redmi