How to remove photos from the Xiaomi gallery: a complete guide with nuances

Removing photos from Xiaomi gallery seems like a simple task — as long as you don't face unexpected problems. The pictures can come back from the dead after synchronization with the cloud, take up space in hidden folders or duplicate in other applications. MIUI 14/15 With Google Photos, the process gets even more complicated.

In this article, we will analyze all ways to remove photos on Xiaomi, Redmi and smartphones. POCO — From basic swipe to deep cleaning through the file manager, we will focus on hidden folders.thumbnails and DCIM/.trash, These are often overlooked but eat away at gigabytes of memory, and we'll also explain why some photos come back after being deleted and how to avoid them.

If you want to not just make room, but also completely erase the photo without recovery, there's a section at the end of this article with professional tools, and for those who accidentally deleted important photos, we've prepared a recovery manual that's tailored to the specifics of the image. MIUI.

1. Standard removal through gallery MIUI

The most obvious way is to delete the photo directly from the Gallery app, but even here, there are nuances that depend on the version. MIUI and synchronization settings.

To remove one or more photos:

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with a flower on a blue background).
2. Find the right album or folder (e.g. Camera, Screenshots).
3. Touch the photo and hold your finger for 1-2 seconds to activate the selection mode.
4. Check boxes for any photos you want to delete.
5. Click on the basket icon (🗑️) bottom-line.

V MIUI 14/15 After that, a notification will appear, "Files moved to the Recycle Bin," which means that the photos are not deleted forever! 30 days before they disappear completely, to remove them immediately:

1. Go to the “Basket” section (the icon in the gallery’s bottom menu).
2. Select the files and click “Delete Forever”.

⚠️ Note: If you have Google Photos or Mi Cloud enabled, deleted photos may stay in the cloud.

In some models (for example, POCO F5 Or the Redmi Note 12 Pro.+) And when you delete a photo from the gallery, it still shows up in the search results or in the "Recent" section, and it's linked to a thumbnail cache to clear it:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear cache

2. Delete photos from cloud services (Mi Cloud, Google Photos)

Many Xiaomi users face a situation where photos are deleted from the gallery, but after a while they reappear again, because of cloud sync. If you use Mi Cloud or Google Photos, deleting only from the device is not enough.

To remove the photo from Mi Cloud:

1. Open the Cloud app (the icon with the cloud and arrow).
2. Go to the Gallery section.
3. Select the desired photos and click "Delete".
4. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

Google Photos is similar, but with one caveat: deleted photos end up in Google's Recycle Bin, which is stored for 60 days, to erase them forever:

1. Open Google Photos → «Library» → «Basket».
2. Click on “Clean the Cart” (or highlight individual photos and delete them manually).

If you want to turn off automatic sync so that photos are not restored:

• 📱 For Mi Cloud: Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Synchronization of the gallery → Shut down.
• 🖼️ For Google Photos: Open the app → «Profile» → «Photo settings» → «Backup» → «Backup and synchronization» → Turn off the slider.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling sync does not remove photos already uploaded from the cloud.

Uploaded backup copies of important photos on the PC?

Disabled autosynchronization in Mi Cloud/Google Photo Photo?

Have you removed a photo from the cloud service cart?

Checked that the photos are not duplicated on other albums (e.g., "Favorites")-->

3. Deep Cleanup: Delete through File Manager

Sometimes photos are left on the device even after being deleted from the gallery.

• 📁 They are stored in hidden folders (e.g..thumbnails for thumbnails).
• 🔄 They are duplicated by other applications (messengers, photo editors).
• 🗑️ They're in a junk folder. DCIM/.trash.

To find and remove all traces of a photo, use the built-in File Manager:

1. Open the Files app (an icon with a yellow folder).
2. Go to the "Category" section» → «Images. This will show all the photos on the device, including hidden ones.
3. Sort files by size (click on three dots) → «Sorting» → «By size, to find the heaviest folders.
4. Delete unnecessary files by holding your finger on the folder/photo and selecting “Delete”.

Pay special attention to the following folders (you need to open them through “Show hidden files” in the file manager settings):

If you delete the folder.thumbnails, gallery MIUI Create it again the next time you run, but this will help free up to 1-2 GB of memory on filled devices.

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Before mass deletion, copy important photos to a PC or external drive. DCIM/Camera It may not only contain your photos, but also the camera’s service files (for example, the camera’s files, DNG for RAW-photo).

4. Deletion of photos from messengers and social networks

Photo from WhatsApp, Telegram or VK They're often duplicated in the gallery, even if you haven't saved them, and it's about setting up autoload media files to clear them:

For WhatsApp:

1. Open the File Manager → cross over storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images.
2. Remove unnecessary photos (they usually have names of the species) IMG-20260515-WA0001.jpg).
3. To prevent automatic saving in the future: Open WhatsApp → «⋮» → «Settings» → «chat» → «Visibility of media files» → Take the tick off.

For Telegram:

• 📸 Deleted photos from chat rooms remain in the folder Telegram/Telegram Images. Hand-clean it.
• 🔄 To disable autosave: Telegram settings → Data and memory → Auto-preservation media → Choose "Never».

For VK, Instagram and other social networks:

Photos from stories, feeds or messages can be saved in folders:

• 📷 Pictures/VK (for VK)
• 📸 Pictures/Instagram (Screenshots and saved posts)
• 🎭 DCIM/Snapchat (If you use Snapchat)

⚠️ Note: Some messengers (for example, Viber) store media files in encrypted form. manually deleting them is not recommended - use the built-in cleaning functions in the application itself.

5. irrevocable deletion: how to erase a photo without the possibility of recovery

If you sell a phone or want to be guaranteed to delete sensitive photos, standard deletion is not enough, and even after cleaning the cart, you can restore files using programs like DiskDigger or Recuva.

Method 1: Encryption and formatting

1. Transfer all important data to another medium.
2. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Encryption and passwords → Encrypt the phone.
3. After encryption, reset to factory settings: Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Delete all data.

Method 2: Use of specialized applications

Applications like Secure Eraser or iShredder allow you to overwrite files with random data, making recovery impossible.

1. Install Secure Eraser from Google Play.
2. Select "File Cleanup» → Please include the photo folders (for example, DCIM/Camera).
3. Select the rewrite method (recommended DoD) 5220.22-M» — 7 passes).
4. Confirm removal.

Method 3: Manually filling memory

If you do not want to install third-party applications:

1. Create a large random file on your PC (for example, using the fsutil file command to create new randomfile.txt 1000 billion in a computer). CMD).
2. Transfer it to your phone and fill the memory "to the end".
3. Delete the file and reset the settings again.

6 How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Photos

If you deleted the photo by mistake, don’t panic – you have 30 days (for a cart) MIUI) Or 60 days (for Google Photos) to return them:

Recovery from the basket MIUI:

1. Open the Gallery» → «Basket” (batch on the bottom menu).
2. Select the desired photos and click "Restore".
3. The photos will return to the original album (e.g. Camera or Screenshots).

Recovery from Google Photos:

1. Open Google Photos → «Library» → «Basket».
2. Tap the photo and select “Restore”.
3. If the basket is empty, check the Archive folder (there are photos deleted more than 60 days ago, but not completely erased).

Recovery through third-party programs (if the cart is cleared):

If the photos are deleted, try the programs:

• 📱 For Android: DiskDigger, Dumpster (requires root for deep scanning).
• 💻 For PC: Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery (Plug your phone in mode) MTP and scan as an external disk).

Important: Do not save new files to your phone after deleting it, which reduces your chances of recovery.

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The faster you start recovering, the better the chances of returning a photo, and once you overwrite the memory (for example, installing updates or taking new photos), the data is lost irretrievably.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When you delete a photo, Xiaomi users often face typical problems, and here’s how to prevent them:

Error 1: Photos are returned after deletion

Reason: Sync with Mi Cloud or Google Photos enabled.

Solution: Turn off autosynchronization (see section 2) and manually remove the photo from the cloud.

Error 2: The.thumbnails folder is not deleted

Reason: The folder is protected by the system or used by the gallery.

Solution: Reboot your phone and try again. If it doesn't work, use Root Explorer (root rights required).

Error 3: After resetting the settings, the photos remain

Reason: The reset does not affect the memory card (SD-card) or the internal memory has not been encrypted.

Solution: Before resetting, remove SD-map and format it separately.

Error 4: There is not enough space, although photos are deleted

Reason: Cache galleries or duplicates in hidden folders.

Solution: Clear the gallery cache (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the cache) and check the folders.trash,.thumbnails.

Mistake 5: I can't delete a photo from the album "Favorites"

Reason: Photos added to favorites in Google Photos or Mi Cloud.

Solution: Remove them from your favorites in the relevant cloud service.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions