Why you can’t remove photos from the gallery on Xiaomi Redmi 9: the complete guide

The situation where Xiaomi Redmi 9 stops correctly deleting images is a common problem that users face after updating the system or overflowing internal memory. You can click the "Delete" button, see the animation of the disappearance of the file, but when you re-enter the album, you find that the picture has remained in place. It is not just a visual glitch of the interface, but often a symptom of a deeper conflict of software processes or errors in the file system.

The main reason is that the Android operating system, in conjunction with the MIUI shell, processes requests to change the data structure in real time. When you try to erase a file, the system sends a command to the memory controller, but if this process is blocked by background scanning of media files or synchronization with the cloud, the operation is interrupted, which creates the illusion of success, although the physical data remains on the drive.

It's important to understand that ignoring this problem can lead to a critical overflow of storage. When memory is filled with junk files that cannot be deleted in the standard way, the smartphone starts to work slower and new images may stop being saved. In this article, we will take a look at all the technical aspects of the failure and provide working algorithms to force the gallery to be cleaned.

Sync conflict with Google Photos and Mi Cloud

The most common culprit for not deleting photos is active synchronization with cloud services. When your Redmi 9 uploads to Google Photos or Mi Cloud, the local copy of the image may be in a state of waiting for confirmation from the server. If the Internet connection is unstable or the server is busy, the local file manager is denied the change of status of the object when you try to delete the image.

Data protection prevents file deletion until a command is received from the cloud that the backup is created or, conversely, deleted. This creates a vicious circle, especially if you are trying to clean the gallery in a batch. Often users see a cloud icon next to the thumbnail, which signals that the file is under the control of an external service.

⚠️ Warning: Attempting to disconnect the Internet during mass sync may result in albums being out of sync.

To solve the problem, check the sync status, go to your Google or Mi Account settings and see if the process is hanging in the Waiting status, sometimes by temporarily disabling the Mobile Sync function or logging in completely again.

Cache overflow of media scanner and gallery

The Android operating system uses a special system process called Media Scanner, which indexes all new media files for quick display in the gallery. On Xiaomi smartphones with a MIUI shell, this process often conflicts with its own Gallery application. If the thumbnails database is corrupted or overcrowded, the system cannot correctly update the file list after the deletion command.

So you delete the file, but the cache keeps showing the thumbnail, and when you update the page, the file reappears, which is a classic error of desynchronization between the actual content of the folder and its index in the SQLite database, which is especially common on the Redmi 9 model after upgrading to new versions of MIUI, where the algorithms for compressing previews change.

To fix this, you need to clear the system component data, and it's not going to delete your photos, it's just going to reset the index base, forcing the phone to scan the memory again, and it's a safe procedure that solves 80 percent of the problems with the immortal files.

Problems with access rights and system permissions

With the release of new versions of Android (10, 11 and higher), which are based on the current firmware Redmi 9, a strengthened security model Scoped Storage was introduced, which restricts applications from accessing the file system. If the Gallery app loses permission to modify files in a particular folder, it will not physically be able to send a command to delete, even if the interface responds to clicks.

This often happens after manually moving the photo folders to the system directories or after installing third-party launchers and file managers. The system perceives the deletion attempt as an unauthorized action and blocks it at the kernel level. At this point, the system logs record an access error (Access Denied), but the user does not show this.

You need to manually recheck the permissions you have issued. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Gallery → Rights. Make sure that access to Photo and Video and Memory is allowed. If the slider is already on, try turning it off, restarting the phone and turning it on again. This will force you to update the access tokens.

File system errors and sector damage

The internal drive of a smartphone, like any digital media, is subject to wear and logic errors. If the Redmi 9 does not delete photos, this may indicate damage to the file table. In this case, the operating system “sees” the file, but when you try to record changes (in this case, a deletion record), the memory controller returns a read/write error.

This often happens when the phone suddenly shuts down while taking a photo or saving a file. The file system labels the sector as "busy" but cannot properly manage its contents. Standard interface tools cannot delete such a file, since the request is simply ignored by the hardware.

You can use built-in tools or a PC connection to diagnose and fix it. Running a disk scan through a computer can identify logical errors and suggest that they be corrected. Also, formatting a memory card if the photos are stored on it is an effective method, but this requires prior backup.

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Use the CHKDSK command when connecting to a PC. Connect your phone in File Transfer mode, find your smartphone drive in My Computer, right-click → Properties → Service → Check.

Failures in the work of third-party applications and antiviruses

The applications you install can interfere with the standard gallery. Antiviruses, memory cleaners, or file managers with deletion protection (such as Recycle Bin or Vault) can block deletion of files. If the photo has been moved to a secure folder or is under antivirus surveillance during scanning, the system will block any change operation.

This is especially common with the SEO apps that the user installs to speed up Xiaomi. They create a virtual layer above the file system, and the standard deletion command can't get through that layer. Visually, it seems like the phone is getting stuck, but in fact, there's a battle for priority.

It is recommended to perform an audit of installed applications. Try to delete the photo through the standard File Manager Explorer, not through the Gallery. If there is no deletion, try to start the phone in Safe Mode. In this mode, third-party applications do not start, and you can see if third-party software is to blame.

⚠️ If photos are not deleted even in safe mode, the problem lies deeper in the system files. MIUI or hardware.

Radical methods: ADB and resetting settings

When software methods are exhausted, developer tools come to the rescue. ADB (Android Debug Bridge) debugging interface allows you to manage smartphone files from a computer, bypassing the limitations of the graphical interface. ADB commands have a higher priority and can force you to remove a “stuck” file.

This requires enabling developer mode, activating USB debugging, and connecting your smartphone to your PC. Using the command line, you can directly access the file system, which requires care, as a command error can lead to the wrong files being deleted.

adb shell rm /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/IMG_20231025_123456.jpg

Even if ADB fails, the last option is a full reset to factory settings (Wipe Data), before you make sure to back up important data to the cloud or computer, reset will delete all user data and restore the original structure of the file system, which is guaranteed to eliminate software errors.

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Using ADB is the most effective way to delete files that are blocked by system interface errors, but require a computer and drivers.