How to go to the cart on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the situation when you need to find deleted files or clear space in the memory of the device. In the Android operating system, and in particular in the shell of MIUI or HyperOS, the concept of “basket” is not always as obvious as on a personal computer. Many people search for a separate icon on the desktop, unaware that the functionality is hidden deep inside system applications or cloud services.

It's important to understand that the way you store deleted data depends on how you delete it, whether it's a standard file manager, a gallery, a Mi Cloud cloud storage, or a third-party cleanup application, and that file recovery is only possible if it hasn't been permanently deleted or if it's not expired in a temporary buffer. Let's look at all the ways that you can access this feature.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the architecture of remote storage on the Chinese brand devices, learn how to activate hidden features, where to look for recently deleted photos and how to properly manage system files so as not to lose important documents. Deleted files in the standard Xiaomi shopping cart are stored for exactly 30 days, after which they are irretrievably erased from the server or memory of the device.

System basket in the annex Gallery

The most common scenario where a user needs to access remote data is the accidental erasure of photos or videos, which is the responsibility of Xiaomi’s built-in Gallery app, which has its own local clipboard that functions independently of cloud services if they were not synchronized at the time of deletion.

To get into this section, you have to open the app and go to the Albums tab, and scroll down to the very end, you find a folder called Deleted, and it stores all the media you sent to the bin through the standard interface, and it's a system-regulated, 30-day storage period.

The folder interface allows you to perform basic management operations. You can select a single file or select multiple objects at once for mass recovery, and there is a full cleanup feature that will instantly free up space, but make recovery impossible without the use of specialized software.

• 📸 Open the Gallery app and go to the Album tab.
• 📂 Scroll down the list to the bottom of the Remote section.
• ⏳ The files are stored here for 30 days, then deleted automatically.
• ♻️ Select the photos and click Restore to return to the album.

⚠️ Note: If you clean the basket in the Gallery manually, it will be impossible to restore photos with standard system tools.

It’s worth noting that the amount of memory in this section can be significant, especially if you’re shooting high-resolution 4K or 8K video. Regularly checking this folder helps keep things in order and make room for new shots.

Working with files through a conductor

Unlike desktop operating systems, the standard Android file manager does not always have an explicit basket for all file types. However, in the shells from Xiaomi, the situation varies depending on the version of MIUI. In new versions, the functionality is expanded, but the basic principle remains the same: deleting a file often means its immediate disappearance if a special feature is not included.

The best way to manage documents, APK installation files, and archives is to use File Manager. In some firmware versions, when you delete a file through this manager, a pop-up pops up with a suggestion to send an object to the Recycle Bin. If you missed this moment or this option was not active, the file is deleted immediately.

To check for deleted documents, open Explorer and look at the settings menu or the recent section. Updated versions of the HyperOS shell have the ability to view the history of operations, but a full basket for all file types is not implemented everywhere.

If you are working with important documents, you should not rely on the system basket in the file manager, but rather use cloud services or third-party applications that ensure the safety of remote data for a given time.

The Mi Cloud Cloud Cart

Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers a powerful backup and storage tool, the Mi Cloud. This is perhaps the most reliable way to find remote information, as the cloud stores copies regardless of your phone’s memory status. Even if you reset your device to factory settings, the data in the cloud will remain.

To enter the cloud storage bin, you need to go to the Mi Account settings, where the cloud section selects a data type (like a Gallery or a Recorder) and there is a separate section called Deleted, which is a feature of this method that files can be stored there for up to 60 days, which is twice as much as in the local gallery.

Synchronization plays a key role in this process: if the Internet was turned off or sync was suspended at the time of deleting the file, the file will only be deleted from the device, but will remain in the cloud. Conversely, when synchronization is enabled, the deletion on the phone is duplicated in the cloud.

• ☁️ Go to Settings. → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud.
• 🖼️ Select category (Gallery, Contacts, Notes).
• 🗑️ Find the Removed Elements section.
• 🔄 Restore data or clean up the storage.

If the cart is full, new files may not sync, and old files may not be saved.

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Check the fullness of the Mi Cloud regularly, and if the space runs out, the sync of new photos will stop, and you risk losing data if your phone breaks down.

Third-party applications for cleaning and recovery

Standard tools aren’t always enough for comfortable memory management, so many users install utilities like Clean Master, SD Maid, or Files by Google, which often have their own shopping cart that intercepts the process of deleting files.

The advantage of these programs is the flexibility of settings: you can set up automatic cleaning of the basket after a certain time or, conversely, install perpetual storage, and many of them are able to analyze junk files and offer secure removal, leaving important system data intact.

However, using third-party software requires careful permissions, and the application needs access to the entire file system, which theoretically poses privacy risks, and only choose proven, high-ranking solutions on the Google Play Store.

Below is a table comparing the capabilities of different methods of storing deleted files on Xiaomi devices:

Recovery of deleted data

If you find that the file you want has been deleted and it's not in the standard recycle bin, don't panic. There are different recovery scenarios depending on how long ago and how it was deleted. The first step should always be to check all possible storage locations: the local recycle bin, the cloud and backups.

You can use a computer to search deeper, and if you plug your phone into USB debugging mode, you can try to scan the memory with specialized software, but modern versions of Android have strong protection against unauthorized access, so the chances of success without Root rights are reduced with each new version of the system.

Recovery from the Mi Cloud is the easiest and most secure process, log in to i.mi.com, go to the appropriate section and click the recovery button, and the files will return to the device the next time you turn on sync.

If a file was deleted more than 30 days ago and was not synced to the cloud, the probability of its return tends to zero.

Setting up automatic cleaning

To ensure that Xiaomi’s smartphone memory is not overflowing with “garbage”, it is recommended to configure automatic cleaning. the built-in Security app has functionality for analyzing and removing temporary files, cache and residues of remote applications.

You can set a schedule in the cleaner settings, for example, the system will automatically check the memory every night at 3 a.m. when the phone is not in use, which allows you to keep the system running at a high level without user intervention.

Also worth paying attention to the settings of specific applications: messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp can accumulate gigabytes of cache, and in their settings there is a item called “Data Use and Storage”, where you can set autodelete media files in a week or a month.

⚠️ Warning: Automatic cache cleaning can cause heavy applications (such as maps or games) to load slightly longer than usual when they are next run.

Competent setting of these parameters will save you from the need to manually search for where the free space has disappeared, and regularly clean the basket.

Frequent problems and their solution

Users often experience the fact that the Deleted folder does not appear or files disappear prematurely, this may be due to errors in the MIUI shell or overflow of the system cache, in which case cleaning the cache of the Gallery application itself through the smartphone settings menu helps.

Another common problem is de-synchronization with Mi Cloud, and if files are not restored, check your account status, or your extended storage subscription may have expired, or your date and time on your device may have gone off, which disrupts security protocols.

In rare cases, resetting network settings or re-authorizing your account helps. If the problem is systemic and occurs on many devices of the same model, you should expect a firmware update from the manufacturer.

Following these guidelines will allow you to effectively manage the space on your Xiaomi device and not be afraid of accidentally losing important data.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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Regularly checking the Remote folder and setting up sync with the cloud are the only reliable ways to ensure that your data is safe on Xiaomi smartphones.