How to completely remove Thumbnails folder on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

The Thumbnails folder on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most mysterious to users, it takes up gigabytes of memory, but it can't be deleted by standard methods. It stores thumbnails (previews) of all the photos and videos you've ever viewed in the gallery. Even after deleting the original files, Thumbnails continue to take up space because the system doesn't clean the cache automatically.

Compounding the problem, different MIUI versions (12 to 14) and models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.) have different ways of removing the device. Some people advise simply formatting the device, but this is an extreme measure — we will show you how to clean Thumbnails without losing data. In this article, you will find current methods for 2026, including hidden settings of the developer and ADB commands.

What is Thumbnails and why it can’t be deleted in the usual way

Thumbnails folder (or.thumbnails) is a system cache that creates the Gallery app (or Google Photos, if installed) and contains compressed, low-resolution copies of images (usually 96×96 or 256×256 pixels) to speed up the preview loading when scrolling through an album.

• 📁 Hidden folder: by default it is not visible in the file manager without enabling the display of hidden files.
• 🔒 Systemic protection: MIUI Blocks removal through the standard interface, as this can disrupt the gallery.
• 🗑️ Autocleaning doesn’t work: even after cleaning the cache, the folder stays in place.
• 📈 The size grows uncontrollably: on devices with a large number of media files, Thumbnails can take up to 5-10 GB.

For example, on the Xiaomi 12 Pro with 5000 photos in the gallery folder.thumbnails weighed 7.8 GB — and this is despite the fact that the originals took only 22 GB. The situation is complicated by the fact that after the update MIUI folder structure can change, and the old instructions stop working.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete Thumbnails folder through ES Explorer or other file managers with root rights without backup (POCO F4, Redmi K50) This leads to a failure of the gallery and the need to reset settings.

Method 1: Clean through gallery settings (without root)

The most secure method that works on all versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 on Xiaomi 13 Ultra) does not require superuser rights and does not disrupt the system.

1. Open the Gallery app (or Google Photos if you use it).
2. Tap the three-point menu (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to About (or Additional → Clear data on older versions).
4. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – it will delete all albums!).
5. Reset the device.

This method only removes the current session cache, but does not touch the.thumbnails folder itself. To completely clean it, repeat the procedure 2-3 times at intervals of several days. On some devices (Redmi Note 11), the folder is then reduced to 50-100 MB.

If the Thumbnails folder has not shrunk after cleaning the cache, move on to the next method. On some firmware (MIUI EU), this method does not work due to the modified gallery.

Method 2: Delete via file manager (with hidden folders)

This method is suitable for users who have access to hidden system folders. Importantly, not all file managers show.thumbnails by default. We recommend using MiXplorer or Solid Explorer (with Root mode enabled if you have superuser rights).

Instructions:

1. Install MiXplorer from XDA Developers (the official store may not show hidden files).
2. Open the manager and go to the root directory (/).
3. Follow the path: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails or (on some devices): /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.thumbnails
4. Select all files in the folder (long press → Select all) and click Delete.
5. Reboot your smartphone.

If the folder is not deleted, try:

• 🔄 Rename the folder (for example, in the.thumbnails_old), then remove.
• 📱 Connect the device to the PC through MTP Remove it through Windows Explorer.
• 🛠️ Use it. ADB (described in Method 4).

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 13+ When you delete.thumbnails through MiXplorer, you may see an "Operation not allowed" error, which means that the folder is protected by the system. ADB root-access.

Method 3: Reset the gallery cache via Android settings

If previous methods didn’t work, try resetting the Gallery app data through system settings, which is a more radical way, but it doesn’t affect user files (photos and videos will stay in place).

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Gallery app (or Mi Gallery, Google Photos).
3. Slip on the Warehouse → Clear the cache and Clear the data.
4. Confirm the action (this will remove all gallery settings, including albums and tags).
5. Reset the device.

After the reboot, MIUI will automatically recreate the.thumbnails folder, but it will be minimal (10-50 MB) minus the method: you will have to reconfigure the albums and hidden folders in the gallery.

On devices with MIUI 14 (such as Xiaomi 13 Lite), you may need to adjust the permissions to access media files further after resetting the gallery. Go to Settings → Privacy → Application Permits and check the permissions for the Gallery.

💡

If the gallery is slow after reset, open it and wait for the full indexing of the files (may take up to 10 minutes).

Method 4: Remove via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work and root rights don't, then you have to use ADB, which is Google's official tool for managing system files through a computer, and it works on all versions of MIUI, but it requires preparation.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 📱 Cable USB Type-C (original to avoid connection issues).
• 🔧 Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB (You can download from the Android website).
• 🔓 Included debugging by USB smartphone.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times)
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.
4. Open the command prompt (CMD on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and type in: adb shell rm -rf /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails
5. If the folder is elsewhere, use the command: adb shell find /storage/emulated/0 -type d -name ".thumbnails" -exec rm -rf {} +
6. Reset the device.

If you have a "Read-only file system" error, your firmware will block the entry to the system folders, in which case only root rights or factory resets will help.

Method 5: Full formatting (last resort)

If none of the methods worked and the Thumbnails folder takes up a critical amount of space (e.g., 15+GB on the Xiaomi 11T Pro), all that remains is a factory reset, a radical way to remove all data from the device, including apps, photos and settings.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Create a backup through Settings → About Phone → Backup or manually copy files to your PC.
2. Open Settings → Additional → Resetting settings.
3. Choose to Erase All Data (not Settings Reset – it will only delete settings, not files!).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 5-15 minutes).

After discharge:

• 📲 The.thumbnails folder will be deleted along with all system caches.
• 🔄 When the gallery is first launched, it will create a new folder the size of the ~10MB.
• ⚠️ Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It could bring back the old Thumbnails!

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and HyperOS (such as Xiaomi 14) may need to re-assign your Mi Account after a reset!

💡

Factory reset is the only way to guarantee Thumbnails removal, but only use it if other methods have not worked.

How to prevent the Thumbnails folder from growing again

Even after successful deletion, Thumbnails will eventually fill up again if you don't take action.

• 📷 Use Google Photos instead of the standard gallery – it stores the cache in the cloud and does not clog the device’s memory.
• 🗃️ Clean the gallery cache regularly (once a month).
• 🚫 Turn off automatic backup of media files in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud.
• 🔍 Install the app SD Maid or Files by Google to automatically clean up unnecessary files.
• 📁 Keep the photos on. SD-map (if supported) – Thumbnails are less likely to be created for them.

On POCO F5 and other devices with MIUI 14, you can turn off the creation of thumbnails through ADB:

adb shell


settings put global thumbnails_enabled 0

However, this can lead to slow downloading of previews in the gallery.

If you often work with a lot of media files (for example, editing videos), consider using an external drive or cloud storage (Google Drive, Yandex Drive), which will reduce the load on internal memory and reduce the size of Thumbnails.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the Thumbnails folder on Xiaomi