How to completely remove photos from Xiaomi Redmi 8: safe ways and recovery

Xiaomi Redmi 8 is a popular smartphone with 64 GB of internal memory, but even this amount is not enough over time. Photos take up the lion’s share of space: one.HEIC or.JPEG can weigh from 2 to 10 MB. If you are facing a memory shortage or just want to clean up the gallery, it is important to know how to properly delete files so that they do not remain in hidden folders or baskets.

In this article, you will find 5 working methods for deleting, from standard MIUI tools to advanced PC methods, and we will also discuss how to permanently erase photos (so that they can not be restored), and what to do if the images are not deleted due to system errors, a separate block is devoted to recovering accidentally deleted files in case you overdo it with the cleanup.

1.Removal through the standard MIUI gallery

The easiest way is to use the built-in Gallery app, which automatically sorts photos by album and supports batch removal.

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Go to All Photos or select a specific folder (like Camera or Screenshots).
3. Press and hold your finger on any picture to activate the selection mode. Tick boxes for unnecessary files.
4. In the bottom panel, tap the “Baskbasket” icon (or “Delete”, depending on the version of MIUI).
5. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

⚠️ Attention: The photos that are deleted through the gallery are taken to the basket and stored there for 30 days. To make room immediately, you need to clean the basket manually: Gallery → Basket → Clean up.

If you delete a photo from a memory card, make sure it is not connected to a PC in mode. USB-Or the files may not be displayed in the gallery.

2.Using a MIUI file manager or third-party applications

The file manager gives you more control over deletion, especially if the photos are stored in non-standard folders (for example, in the file manager, DCIM/Thumbnails or Pictures/Telegram). Instructions:

• 📁 Open Files (Icon with folder) or install Solid Explorer/FX File Manager from Google Play.
• 🔍 Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera (or other folder with a photo).
• ✅ Select files with a long tap or through the menu.
• 🗑️ Click "Delete" and confirm. MIUI files will also get into the basket, in third-party managers - will be deleted immediately.

The advantage of this method is that you can see the weight of each file, and you can sort through the size of the images to remove the heaviest ones, like panoramas or Pro pictures often take 15 to 20 MB.

💡

To quickly find large files, use a filter in Solid Explorer: open the folder → ⋮ → Sorting → By size (in descending order)

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder DCIM It can disrupt the camera, and avoid erasing files with the.nomedia extension, otherwise the gallery will display service data.

3. PC Removal: A Reliable Way to Mass Clean

If you need to delete thousands of photos (for example, after traveling), it is more convenient to do it through a computer. Connect Redmi 8 to your PC via cable and follow the instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your computer using the original USB Type-C cable.
2. On the smartphone screen, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On PC, open “This Computer” → find the Redmi 8 device.
4. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera (or another folder).
5. Select unnecessary photos and click Delete (or Shift + Delete for Remove without a cart).

Important: When connecting via MTP, the data rate is limited to ~10-15 MB/s. If you need to transfer or remove tens of gigabytes, use a microSD card reader.

If your PC can’t see your phone, check:

• 🔌 Cable (try another, preferably original).
• 📱 Connection mode on the smartphone (Settings) → Additionally. → Regime. USB).
• 🖥️ Drivers. MIUI on your computer (download from the official website).

4. How to permanently delete photos (so that they can not be restored)

In standard deletion, files are not physically erased, they are simply marked as free space, and you can restore them with programs like DiskDigger or Recuva, and if you want to guarantee that you erase sensitive images, use one of the solutions:

Method 1: Rewriting files

Install Secure Delete or Shreddit from Google Play, which overwrites deleted files with random data, making recovery impossible.

1. Open Secure Delete and select File Shredder.
2. Specify the path to the photo folder (e.g. /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera).
3. Select the rewrite method (DoD 5220.22-M is recommended - 7 passes).
4. Start the process and wait until it is completed.

Method 2: Encryption + reset

For maximum confidentiality:

1. Encrypt your phone: Settings → Lock and Protection → Encryption.
2. Delete the photo in the standard way.
3. Perform reset to factory settings: Settings → About phone → Reset settings.

After resetting, it will be extremely difficult to restore data even with the help of professional software.

5 What to do if the photo is not deleted

Sometimes the system will produce errors like "Failure to delete" or "File used."

If the photos are not deleted even after the reboot, try to delete them via ADB:

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (stick 7 times) → Additional → For Developers.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux).
3. Enter the commands: adb devices adb shell rm -f /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/photo.jpg (replace photo.jpg with your file name).

⚠️ Warning: The rm command deletes files irrevocably, bypassing the shopping cart!

6. Recovery of accidentally deleted photos

If you delete important images, don't despair, they can be returned within 30 days (if they are in the basket) or with specialized programs.

Method 1: Basket in the MIUI Gallery

Open Gallery → Recycle Bin, select the photos you want, and click Restore. Files will return to the original folder.

Method 2: Recovery programs

If the cart is cleaned, use:

• 📱 DiskDigger (for Android) – scans internal memory without root.
• 💻 Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery (for PC) – connect your phone in mode MTP.
• ☁️ Google Photos – Check the Archives or Recycle Bin folder in the cloud.

Important: The less you use your phone after deleting, the better the chances of recovery. New files can overwrite old data.

💡

If photos are synced with Google Photos, they can be restored within 60 days through the web version of the service: photos.google.com → Recycle Bin

7. Optimizing photo storage: how to avoid memory overflow

To avoid having to massively delete the photo, set up automatic optimization:

• ☁️ Cloud Storage: Enable autoload in Google Photos or Mi Cloud (Settings) → Synchronization).
• 📊 Photo Compression: In Google Photos, select Quality → Economy (photos will take up 2-3 times less space).
• 🗃️ Archiving: Transfer old pictures to a memory card or external drive.
• 🧹 Cache Clearing: Regularly delete thumbnails and temporary files through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.

It is also useful to disable auto-save photos from messengers:

• 📸 WhatsApp: Settings → Warehouse → Autoboot media → disconnect for mobile data.
• 📎 Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Choose Never.

💡

In Google Photos, you can set up automatic removal of photos from your phone after uploading them to the cloud: Settings → Free up space.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing photos on Xiaomi Redmi 8