Why are photos not deleted from the gallery on Xiaomi Redmi and how to fix it

You're trying to clean up the gallery on your Xiaomi Redmi, but the photos keep coming back after being deleted? This problem is familiar to many owners of the brand's smartphones, from the budget Redmi 9A to the flagship Redmi K60 Pro. The reasons can lie in both banal synchronization settings and deep system failures. In this article, we'll take a look at all the possible scenarios why the gallery ignores your commands, and offer proven solutions, from simple to technically complex.

The problem is that it often masquerades as the "normal behavior" of the system, for example, you delete a photo, and an hour later it reappears -- it's not a bug, it's cloud synchronization. Or the gallery shows thumbnails of deleted images -- it could be a cache artifact. We'll teach you to distinguish real malfunctions from false alarms and save time on diagnosis.

Important: The solutions in this article are relevant for all Xiaomi MIUI 12-14 devices (including HyperOS), but some methods may require superuser rights (root).

1. Cloud sync: why photos come back after deletion

The most common cause of undelete photos is automatic sync with Mi Cloud, and even if you delete it locally, it can recover from the cloud the next time you connect to the Internet, and it's not an error, it's a planned MIUI behavior.

How to check if Mi Cloud is to blame:

• 🔄 Open the Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Gallery and see if synchronization is enabled.
• 📁 Check the folder Mi Cloud in the gallery – if there are copies of “deleted” photos, the problem is in the cloud.
• 🌐 Make sure you do not use third-party cloud services (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk), which can also restore files.

Decisions:

1. Turn off gallery sync in Mi Cloud (but remember, this will remove the photo from the cloud forever).
2. Delete the photos first from the cloud and then locally. 1. Go to Mi Cloud via browser (cloud.xiaomi.com) 2. highlight unnecessary photos → Delete 3. Wait 5-10 minutes and delete them from your phone
3. If photos come back even after that, clear the Mi Cloud app cache in the settings.

⚠️ Note: Disabling sync does not automatically delete photos from the cloud. They need to be manually erased via a web interface or app. Also note that when you reset your phone to factory settings, all cloud data will return if the sync was enabled.

2.Cash galleries and miniatures: why photos are "ghostly" remain

Sometimes photos are physically removed from the device, but their thumbnails are still displayed in the gallery, because MIUI caches the preview for quick download.

• 🖼️ Displayed as blurred or low-quality versions.
• 🚫 Do not open when pressed (issue an error "File not found").
• 🔍 Disappear after restarting the phone or cleaning the cache.

How to clean the cache of the gallery:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
3. If the thumbnails are left, try Clear the data (this will reset the gallery settings).

For deep cleaning:

1. Install a file manager (e.g. FX File Explorer)


2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails folder




3. Delete all files in this folder




4.Reboot the phone

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If you're uploading photos for a long time after cleaning the cache, don't panic, it's okay. The system re-indexes the media files, which can take up to 10-15 minutes.

Access rights and system restrictions

On MIUI (especially newer versions with HyperOS), the gallery may not delete the photo due to access restrictions, most often in the following cases:

• 🔒 Photos are on SD-The map, and the permissions for it were lost.
• 🛡️ Children's Mode or Guest Mode Enabled.
• 📱 Third-party applications are installed to block access to files (for example, AppLock).

How to check access rights:

1. For SD-maps: Settings → Warehouse → Storage settings → Rights of access SD-Make sure the gallery has permission to record.
2. For Restriction Modes: Settings → Special Features → Mode for Kids Disable it and try to delete the photo again.
3. For third-party blockers: Check the settings of AppLock or similar apps - it's possible the gallery is blocked from changes.

If the problem occurs after the MIUI update, try resetting the access rights:

Settings → Applications → Permissions → Resetting Application Permissions

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) coded SD-The gallery card may not delete the photo until the card is decrypted, and you need to re-extract it and re-paste it by entering the password.

4. Damaged files and file system errors

If the photos are not deleted and give an error like "File failed to delete" or "File used", the problem may be file system damage.

• 📸 Photos copied from other devices (e.g., a camera).
• 💾 Files on SD-A card that was retrieved without being safely disconnected.
• 🔄 Photos that have been edited in third-party apps (e.g. Snapseed or Lightroom).

Solutions:

To check the file system via PC:

1. Connect your phone to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Open This Computer → Find Your Redmi → Right-Click on Disk → Properties → Service → Check.
3. Wait until the check is over and restart the phone.

5. MIUI system bugs and how to bypass them

Some versions of MIUI (especially MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 13) had bugs that prevented the gallery from deleting photos or “forgetting” to delete them after the reboot.

• 🐞 Bug with MediaProvider - system process responsible for indexing media files, could "hang" and not update the gallery.
• 🔄 Problems with Scoped Storage (new file storage system in Android 11)+), Because of which applications lost access to files.
• 📱 HyperOS shell conflicts on new models (Redmi Note 13 Pro, Redmi) K70).

How to get around system bugs:

Clear the cache and data of the application "Media Storage"

Restart your phone in Safe Mode and check the gallery

Remove the MIUI update (if the bug appears after the update)

Reset the gallery settings to factory-->

To reset the gallery settings:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear data

On Redmi models with HyperOS (like the Redmi Note 13 Pro+) a rollback to MIUI 14 via Fastboot can help, but it requires unlocking the bootloader and risks voiding the warranty.

6.Alternative galleries and file managers

If the standard MIUI gallery stubbornly refuses to delete photos, try using third-party apps, which often bypass system limitations and offer more tools to manage files.

Best alternatives:

How to delete photos from FX File Explorer:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Provide all the requested permissions.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera (or another folder where the photos are stored).
4. Select unnecessary files → Delete → Confirm the action.
5. If files are not deleted, try using the built-in Root mode (if you have root rights).

⚠️ Note: When using root-access file managers, you may accidentally delete system files, which will cause the phone to function unstable. Always check file paths before deleting them.

Extreme measures: dumping and flashing

If none of these methods worked, there are radical ways -- resetting or flashing -- that you should only use when you:

• 🔧 The problem affects not only the gallery, but also other system functions.
• 📱 The phone started to brake, overheat or make mistakes.
• 🔄 You have tried all the other methods in this article.

Reset options:

1. Soft reset (not affecting user data): Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Reset This will return the settings of the gallery and media provider to the factory, but will not delete your photos.
2. Hard reset (complete data deletion): Settings → About phone → Settings Reset → Delete all data Attention: this will remove ALL from the phone, including photos, contacts and apps. Backup first!
3. Fastboot flashing: This method requires an unlocked bootloader and is only suitable for power users. Instructions for a particular Redmi model can be found on the XDA Developers forum or 4PDA.

If you are going to make a hard reset, follow this checklist:

Create backup photos on PC or cloud

Record logins/passwords from accounts (Mi Account, Google)

Make sure your phone has enough charge (at least 50%)

Get out. SD-map SIM-Card (if not required for recovery)-->

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Resetting is the last chance to fix software errors, and if the problem persists after reset, it is likely hardware (such as damaged memory) and the phone needs to be brought to service.

FAQ: Frequent questions about gallery issues on Xiaomi