Are you trying to make room for Xiaomi Redmi, but photos persist in returning to the gallery after deleting? Or files disappear from the folder, but the space occupied does not decrease? This problem is familiar to owners of Redmi Note 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10 and other models on MIUI 12-14. 80% of cases are not the fault of the hardware, but the software features of the firmware - from Media storage bugs to conflicts with Google Photos.
In this article, we'll look at all the possible causes, from the banal cache to the hidden.thumbnails system folders, which take up gigabytes invisibly, and you'll get step-by-step instructions with ADB commands for advanced users, simple solutions for beginners, and why deleted photos can "resurrect" in a month and how to prevent it.
1.Cash galleries and Media Storage: Why 'ghost' photos are coming back
The most common cause is a contaminated cache of the Gallery and MediaProvider apps, which index all media files on the device and can show deleted images when they crash, especially for Redmi with MIUI 13+, where the cache can weigh up to 500 MB.
How to check:
- 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management
- 🔍 Find a Gallery and Media Storage (or Media Storage)
- 🗑️ Look at the cache size – if it’s over 100MB, it needs to be cleared.
Important: After cleaning the cache, the gallery will temporarily freeze for 10-30 seconds, which is normal, there is a re-indexing of files. If the photos come back anyway, move on to the next step.
2. Sync with Google Photos: Hidden Copies in the Cloud
Google Photos automatically backs up all images, even if you turn it off in the settings, and the files can be stored in a hidden folder called.backup or DCIM/.thumbnails, which the standard gallery doesn't show, but they take up space.
How to remove cloud duplicates:
- Open Google Photos → Photos → Cart → Clean the basket
- Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization and turn it off
- Install a file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager) and manually check folders: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.backup
⚠️ Note: If you use Mi Cloud, removing a photo from the gallery may not free up space - files stay in the cloud and sync back. → gallery → Synchronization.
3..thumbnails and.trash system folders: where gigabytes of garbage hide
Xiaomi Redmi has hidden system folders that store thumbnails (.thumbnails) and temporarily deleted files (.trash) that can take up to 2-3 GB and not appear in the standard gallery.
How to find and clean them:
- 📁 Use Mi File Manager or Total Commander with the option “Show hidden files” enabled»
- 🔍 Cross the path: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails /storage/emulated/0/.trash
- 🗑️ Delete all the contents of these folders (they are automatically restored)
| folder | What it keeps. | Can I remove it? | Size (example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| .thumbnails | Miniatures for fast loading of the gallery | Yeah, totally. | 100MB - 1GB |
| .trash | Temporarily deleted files (basket) | Yeah, unless you need files. | 500MB - 3GB |
| DCIM/.backup | Backup photos before MIUI update | Yes, if the update is successful | 200 MB - 1.5 GB |
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If they come back after you delete the folders, that's OK. The system automatically creates them, but they're empty and they won't take up space.
4. MediaProvider bug: resetting media storage settings
Redmi with MIUI 12-14 has a well-known MediaProvider bug that is responsible for indexing media files, and if it doesn't work properly, the gallery may show deleted photos or not update the file list.
How to reset MediaProvider:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management
- Find a media storage (or media storage)
- Click Warehouse → Clear the data and Clear the cache
- Reboot the phone.
After the reboot, the gallery will rebuild the media database (it can take 5-10 minutes).
Connect the phone to a PC with USB debugging enabled
Open the command line and enter adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.media
Reset the device
Check the gallery-->
5. Conflict with cleaning applications (Clean Master, Security)
Applications like Clean Master, Security (built into MIUI) or CCleaner often “optimize” the system, but they also damage the database of media files, which leads to the gallery showing non-existent photos or not updating the list.
What to do:
- 🚫 Remove all “cleaners” through Settings → Annexes
- 🔄 Reset your Media Storage settings (see previous section)
- 🛠️ If the problem persists, reset the gallery settings: adb shell pm clear com.miui.gallery
⚠️ Note: After using adb shell pm clear, all gallery settings (albums, favorites) will reset.
6.A damaged file system: when to format
If none of the methods worked, the problem could be the file system damage (especially after improper extraction). SD-In this case, the photos are not physically deleted, but only marked as deleted.
Signs of damage:
- 📉 Phone memory disappears for no apparent reason
- 🔄 Files are returned after rebooting
- 🚨 Errors like this are happening «SD-map damaged»
Decisions:
- For internal memory: Back up and reset to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset)
- For SD-Maps: Connect it to your PC, check for errors (chkdsk X: /f In the Windows command line and format in FAT32 exFAT
What if the reset didn't help?
7.Alternative galleries: Why they show other files
The standard MIUI gallery doesn't always display all files. If you use Google Photos, Simple Gallery or QuickPic, they can show images from system folders that the main gallery ignores.
How to check:
- 🔍 Install Files by Google or FX File Explorer
- 📂 Enable the display of hidden files and check folders: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/... Here you can store cached images from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) or games.
If you find any files you don't need, delete them manually, but be careful, some folders (Android/data) contain important application data.
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Use only one gallery to manage your photos. Conflict between MIUI Gallery and Google Photos is a common cause of "resurrection" images.