Photos in Xiaomi are not deleted – what to do? Full analysis of causes and solutions

You're trying to make room on a Xiaomi smartphone, but the photos are stubbornly reluctant to leave? The situation is familiar to many: you click "Delete" and the pictures stay in place, taking up precious gigabytes. In some cases, files even disappear from the gallery, but the phone's memory is not released. Why is this happening and how do you take back control of your data?

The problem isn't always system error, but it's often the hidden synchronization mechanisms, the MIUI file system, or third-party apps that take photos, and in this article, we'll look at all the possible causes, from cache to hardware failures, and give step-by-step instructions for cleaning up memory without risking losing important data.

Before you start taking drastic measures (like resetting), check out the simple solutions — they work 80 percent of the time. And remember, if the photos aren't deleted from the memory card, the algorithm will be different from cleaning the internal drive.

1.Sync with Mi Cloud: Why photos are 'returning'

The most common reason for undelete photos is automatic sync with Mi Cloud, and even if you delete a picture from the gallery, it can reappear after you connect to the Internet. This is not a bug, but a feature: Xiaomi saves backups of media files in the cloud by default.

How it works:

• 📁 You delete the photo from the folder. DCIM/Camera.
• ☁️ Minutes later (or after rebooting) Mi Cloud restores it from backup.
• 🔄 The cycle repeats itself, creating the illusion of an “unremovable” file.

To turn off synchronization:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Select Gallery and turn off Photo Sync slider.
3. Return to Mi Cloud and click Delete Cloud Data (if you need to erase backups).

💡

Before you turn off sync, check if you are using Mi Cloud to back up other data (contacts, notes).

⚠️ Note: If you delete photos from the cloud, they will disappear from all devices associated with your Xiaomi account.

2.Cash galleries and "phantom" files

Sometimes photos are physically deleted but continue to show up in the gallery due to cache failure, especially for the Redmi Note 10/11 and POCO X3/X4 models, where the Gallery app often forgets to update the file list.

Signs of a problem:

• 🖼️ Photos can be seen in the gallery but not opened (black screen or error).
• 📊 The file properties indicate a size of 0 KB.
• 🔍 The file manager (e.g., Mi File Explorer) does not find the file.

How to clear the cache:

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

Close all applications that work with photos

Clear the cache in the gallery settings

Reboot the phone.

Check the folder. DCIM duplicate-->

If the problem persists, try to delete the app data (same Warehouse menu → Delete data) and this will reset the gallery settings, but will not affect the photos themselves.

3. Hidden folders and system backups

MIUI creates hidden folders to back up and optimize the camera, such as:

• .thumbnails – miniatures for quick download of the gallery.
• MIUI/Camera is a temporary image processing file.
• Pictures/Screenshots are screenshots that are sometimes duplicated.

These folders are not visible in the standard file manager.

1. Install Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer from Google Play.
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the application settings.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/ and find folders with a dot at the beginning of the title.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the entire Android folder, this can cause app crashes. Only delete the contents of the cache and temp folders inside it.

4.Memory card problems: why photos aren't deleted from SD

If the photos are stored on a memory card, the reasons may be different:

• 🛑 Write protection: switch on adapter SD-The card is in the Lock position.
• 🔧 Damaged file system: the card is formatted in exFAT, but the phone is waiting FAT32.
• 🦠 Virus: Some Trojans block deletion of files.

How to check:

1. Remove the card and paste it into the computer through the card reader.
2. Try to delete files from your PC. If you can't, format the card in FAT32.
3. Check the map for viruses using Dr.Web CureIt! or Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool.

Inner memory.

On a microSD card

In the Cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Photos)

Synchronizing with PC-->

If the card is damaged, the phone may not show the error, but block the recording/deletion.

• Save all the data to the computer.
• Format the card in your phone: Settings → Storage → SD Card → Format.
• If the formatting fails, the card is faulty (replace it).

5. Access Rights and Application Conflicts

Some apps (e.g. Google Photos, Viber, WhatsApp) can block the removal of photos if:

• 🔒 They have access rights to the storage facility.
• 📂 They created their own copies of the files (for example, they were, WhatsApp/Media).
• 🔄 They sync photos with their clouds.

How to check:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Permissions → Storage.
2. See which programs have access to the files.
3. Turn off permissions for suspicious applications.

Pay particular attention to:

• Google Photos: Check your Backup and Sync settings.
• Social networks (such as TikTok or Instagram) that cache uploaded photos.
• File managers from third-party developers (e.g. ES Explorer).

6. Hardware failures and memory damage

If none of these methods worked, the problem could be hardware:

• 💾 Damaged sectors of internal memory (especially relevant for phones older than 3 years).
• 🔌 Faulty memory controller (symptom: phone “hangs” when working with files).
• 🔋 Failures after falling or getting moisture.

Signs of hardware problem:

• The photos are deleted, but the memory is not released.
• The phone gives an error: Failed to delete the file or No access.
• Applications that work with files are flying out.

What to do:

1. Make a backup copy of all data to the computer.
2. Perform a reset to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Resetting).
3. If you have a problem, contact the service center, and you may need to replace the memory chip.

💡

Resetting will remove ALL data from your phone, including photos, contacts and apps.Be sure to save backups to an external drive or to the cloud before the procedure.

7. Features of Xiaomi models: what you need to know

Some Xiaomi series have unique “chips” that affect the work with photos:

Redmi Note 9/10/11:

• Hybrid storage is used (part of internal memory can be reserved for system needs).
• The gallery has a tab Album → Device, where files hidden from standard viewing are displayed.

POCO F3/F4:

• By default, they include compression of photos, which can cause duplicates.
• They have a separate POCO Camera folder with processed images.

Xiaomi 12/13:

• Supporting. RAW-file format that takes up to 50MB each and can get stuck when deleted.
• MIUI 14+ is used, where photos are automatically sorted into Categories (which makes it difficult to find duplicates).

For these models, it is recommended that:

1. Update MIUI to the latest version (new firmware fixes file deletion bugs).
2. Use external file managers (such as Total Commander) to search for hidden files.
3. Turn off Photo Optimization in the camera settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about undeleteable photos in Xiaomi