Why Xiaomi Phone Photos Are Not Deleted: System Bugs, Access Rights, and Hidden Folders

You try to make room on Xiaomi, but the photos are stubbornly not deleted - neither through the gallery nor through the file manager, POCO and Black Shark. 80% In some cases, it is not the pictures themselves that are to blame, but the features of firmware. MIUI, Access rights conflicts or hidden system processes, such as photos from a folder DCIM/.thumbnails The files can be restored automatically, and files from the Mi Cloud can only appear deleted.

In this article, we’ll look at 10 real reasons why photos aren’t deleted from Xiaomi, from the clichéd cache of the gallery to the bugs of the F2FS file system used in new models. You’ll get exact commands for ADB if standard methods don’t work, and learn how to disable automatic backups that interfere with cleaning, and a compatibility table for different versions of MIUI (12 to 14).

1.Cash galleries and thumbnails: why photos come back after deletion

The most common reason for undelete photos on Xiaomi is the thumbnail cache. When you delete a picture from the DCIM/Camera folder, the system can leave a copy of it in the hidden DCIM/.thumbnails directory or in the Gallery app cache, and the next time you open the gallery, these thumbnails are reloaded, creating the illusion that the photo has “resurfaced.”

How to check:

• 🔍 Open any file manager (e.g., Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
• 📁 Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM →.thumbnails (enable the display of hidden folders in the manager settings).
• 🗑️ Delete all files in this folder – they will be restored automatically, but without the ghosts of old photos.

If the problem persists, clear the cache of the gallery itself:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Gallery (or Google Photos if you use it).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

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After cleaning the cache, restart the phone – this will speed up the update of the media database.

2 Access Rights and Protected MIUI Folders

MIUI firmware is heavily using secure folders for sensitive data. If you're trying to delete photos from folders like MIUI/Extra, MIUI/Camera/Private or Android/data/com.miui.gallery, the system can block action due to insufficient rights, especially for devices with unlocked bootloader or root rights.

How to check your rights:

• 🔐 Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Root Explorer). FX File Explorer).
• 📂 Go to the problem folder, hold your finger on the file and select Properties → Permits.
• 🔄 If the rights are set as r--r--r-- (Read only, change them to rw-rw-rw- (full access).

For MIUI folders, you may need to disable protection:

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Special permissions → Access to files.
2. Find the Gallery and disable access to the Secure Folders.
3. Repeat the removal attempt.

3. Cloud backup Mi Cloud and Google Photos

If your Xiaomi has automatic backup enabled to Mi Cloud or Google Photos, deleted local photos can be synced back when you next connect to the Internet, including the Mi Cloud/Backup/Photos folder and Google Photos albums, where files are stored in compressed form but take up cache space.

How to turn off synchronization:

After the synchronization is disabled:

1. Remove photos from the cloud manually (via the web version of Mi Cloud or Google Photos).
2. Clear the cache of cloud applications in Settings → Apps.
3. Reboot the phone.

Mi Cloud|Google Photo|OneDrive|Yandex.Disk.|Don't use the cloud.-->

File system errors: F2FS vs ext4

New Xiaomi smartphones (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ Xiaomi 13 Ultra uses a file system F2FS opportunistic ext4. It is optimized for flash memory, but has bugs with large file processing (for example, for example, RAW-photo 4K). If you see an error in the file being used or not enough rights, the problem may be in the corrupted metadata. F2FS.

How to check the file system:

• 📱 Connect the phone to the PC and perform in ADB team:
• 🔍 If there is a line in the conclusion with f2fs sectional /data, Your device uses this file system.
• 🛠️ To correct errors, follow:

If the commands didn’t help, try resetting the partition cache (does not delete data, but requires a reboot):

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Power + Volume Up to Enter Recovery.
3. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Reset the device.

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F2FS is sensitive to sudden power outages. If the phone often runs to zero, it can damage the file system and cause file deletion problems.

5. Viruses and malicious applications

Some viruses (e.g. Android.Trojan.HiddenAds) block deleting files to hide their presence, they can disguise themselves as system processes (e.g. com.android.system) or fake gallery apps. If photos are not deleted, and in Settings → Battery you see unknown processes with high consumption, this is an excuse to check the phone for viruses.

How to Detect and Remove the Virus:

• 🛡️ Install Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light and perform a deep scan.
• 🔍 Check the list of installed applications in Settings → Annexes → Note programs with names like Gallery Helper, Photo Manager or System Update (unless you installed them).
• 🚫 Remove suspicious apps and clear the Google Play Services cache.

If the virus blocks removal:

1. Go to Safe Mode (press the power button → Safe Mode).
2. Repeat the attempt to delete the photo.
3. If you can, remove the virus and restart the phone.

Install antivirus (Malwarebytes/Dr.Web)|Scan the system.|Check the list of applications|Delete suspicious programs|Clear the cache of Google Play Services-->

6. Damaged SD-maps and external drives

If the photos are stored on SD-card or external drive (for example, Xiaomi) OTG-The problem may be in damaged memory sectors. Xiaomi’s system does not always correctly handle read/write errors, which makes files seem “indestructible.” U1 or fake storage.

How to check SD-map:

• 📱 Connect the card to the PC through the card reader.
• 🖥️ In Windows, open Command Prompt (on behalf of the administrator) and execute:
• 🔄 Replace E: with the letter of your disk.
• 🔍 If errors are found, the card is better to replace - data recovery may not help.

If the card is correct, but the photo is not deleted:

1. Copy all important data on the PC.
2. Format the map in FAT32 or exFAT (via PC or in Settings) → Warehouse → SD-map → Format).
3. Return the files (except for the problematic photos).

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To check the speed SD-maps use the app A1 SD If the write speed is below 10MB/s, the card is fake or badly worn.

7. MIUI system bugs: known problems and workarounds

Some versions of MIUI have critical media file processing bugs, such as:

• 🐞 V MIUI 12.5 There was an error that caused the files to be in the folder. Pictures/Screenshots not removed through the gallery (resolved by updating the MIUI 13).
• 🔄 V MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 13 and Redmi K60 A bug with “ghost” files appeared in the gallery, but were physically absent from the disk.
• 📁 V MIUI for POCO Sometimes the paths to folders are confused, and the photo from DCIM/Camera duplicated MIUI/Camera.

Bypasses for system bugs:

If your problem is not on the list:

1. Check the relevance of the firmware in Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Clear the Gallery app data (in Settings → Apps → Gallery → Storage → Clear data).
3. Create a themed post on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forum, with the phone model and MIUI version listed.

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Before updating MIUI, back up your photo on your PC – in rare cases, the update can result in data loss in the DCIM folder.

FAQ: Frequent questions about undeleteable photos on Xiaomi