Previous PostPrevious Photos on Xiaomi: Reasons and 100% working solutions

You open a gallery on your Xiaomi to show your friends fresh photos, but instead of the expected photos you see chaos: the same images are repeated over and over again. 2-3 The problem of duplication of photos is one of the most common complaints of users of Redmi smartphones, POCO and Mi, but the reasons are not always obvious.

In this article, we will not just list the possible sources of duplicates, but will analyze the mechanisms of their appearance at the work level. MIUI, You'll learn how to distinguish false takes from real copies, why photos can multiply like mushrooms after a system update, and what to do if the gallery shows the same pictures in different folders. And most importantly, get step-by-step instructions for cleaning memory without losing the originals.

Warning: Some “solutions” from the Internet (like mindlessly deleting a folder) DCIM/.thumbnails) We have collected only proven methods that are used by Xiaomi engineers in service centers.

1. Cloud sync: why Google Photos and Mi Cloud are doubling photos

The most common reason for duplicates is the conflict between local storage and cloud services. Xiaomi smartphones are integrated with Mi Cloud by default, but many users use Google Photos in parallel, as a result, the same photo can be saved:

• 📁 In the local memory of the phone (folder) DCIM/Camera)
• ☁️ In Mi Cloud (Automatic Synchronization) MIUI)
• 🖼️ In Google Photos (if backup is enabled)
• 🔄 Download folder (if you downloaded photos from the cloud back)

The Xiaomi gallery displays all instances as separate files, although they can only physically take up space in the cloud. MIUI not always correctly processes the metadata of synchronized files, which is why duplicates receive different creation dates.

Mi Cloud|Google Photo|Both options|Other service|Don't use the cloud.-->

To check if cloud sync is to blame, open the Mi Cloud settings (Settings) → Accounts and synchronization → Mi Cloud → Gallery) and see if automatic backup is enabled. Do the same for Google Photos (Settings) → Google → Backup: If both services are active, you've found the source of the duplicates.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling sync in Mi Cloud won’t remove already uploaded photos from the cloud, but will stop creating new takes.To free up space, first download the archive from the cloud to your PC, and then clear the storage through the web version of i.mi.com.

2. Mistakes MIUI: How the system creates ghost copies

Branded shell MIUI It has a peculiarity: it actively caches thumbnails and metadata of photos to speed up the work of the gallery. MIUI 12-14) this process is flawed, and:

• 📸 The gallery shows the same photos in the "Recent" and "All Photos" sections»
• 🔍 Search finds duplicates with the same name, but in different ways (/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/... vs /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/...)
• 🗑️ After removing the photo, it is “restored” from the cache

The bug is most often detected after a system update or reset, and the fault is com.miui.gallery, which incorrectly indexes media files. MIUI 13.0.4 Users complained about duplicate images taken in Pro Mode.

If your model and version MIUI It's in the table, it's probably a software problem:

1. Update to the latest stable version (check in Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).
2. Clear the gallery cache: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear the cache.
3. Reset Gallery settings: Settings → Annexes → gallery → Additionally. → Reset the settings.

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Before clearing the gallery cache, close all apps that work with photos (such as WhatsApp or Instagram), which will prevent damage to thumbnails in instant messengers.

3. Doubles from messengers: how WhatsApp and Telegram fill the memory

Messengers are the second most popular source of take, and when you get a photo on WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber, it automatically saves to the Pictures or Download folder, even if the original is already in the gallery.

• 📥 WhatsApp creates a folder WhatsApp Images and duplicates all the images received.
• 📎 Telegram saves photos in the form of Telegram/Pictures, But it can also cache them in DCIM/.thumbnails.
• 🔄 If you edit a photo in the messenger (for example, cut), another copy is created.

Telegram is particularly insidious: it can save multiple versions of a single photo — the original, a compressed preview, and an edited copy — and as a result, one image takes up space in triplicate copies, with different names (for example, a single image takes up space in three copies, photo_1.jpg, photo_1_1200x900.jpg, photo_1_edit.jpg).

How to check:

1. Open a file manager (such as Mi File Manager).
2. Go to the internal drive. → Pictures.
3. See if there are folders with messenger names (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.).
4. Compare the contents of these folders to the main gallery (DCIM/Camera).

Disable autosave in the settings of each messenger

Delete WhatsApp folders Images/Telegram Pictures via File Manager

Check the Download folder for duplicates

Clear the messenger cache in the application settings-->

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder WhatsApp/Databases — It stores backups of chats, and don't touch files with the.nomedia extension (they hide media files from the gallery).

4. RAW + JPEG: Why does the camera save two files at a time?

If you are shooting in Pro mode or enable saving RAW-Xiaomi creates two files for each image:

• 📷.jpg – compressed image for viewing (8-12 MB).
• 🎞️.dng is a raw file with full sensor data (20–50 MB).

The gallery displays both files as separate photos, but in fact,.dng is not a duplicate, but a source material for professional processing. MIUI They don’t always group them together, and the user sees chaos from the repetitive images.

How to tell RAW-copy-takes:

1. Open the file manager and go to DCIM/Camera.
2. Sort files by size — RAW-The files will be much heavier.
3. Duplicates usually have the same names but different formats (e.g., different formats, IMG_20230515_123456.jpg and IMG_20230515_123456.dng).

If you don't need it. RAW-Files, disable their saving:

1. Open the chamber. → press on ⚙️ Settings.
2. Select Photo Resolution → File format.
3. Install. JPEG instead RAW+JPEG.

5. Failures in file transfer: when copying becomes duplication

Doubles often appear when files are incorrectly transferred – for example, when you copy a photo from your phone to your PC and then back, or use it. OTG-It's a storage device:

• 🖥️ Copying the photo to a computer and then moving back to the same folder on the phone (the system perceives this as new files).
• 🔄 Use the Copy/Insert functions instead of Cut/Insert in the file manager.
• 📱 Connecting your phone to another device via Mi Share or Bluetooth with autosave enabled.

Transfer via Windows is especially dangerous: if copying fails (for example, the phone will run out), the system can create partial copies with names like IMG_1234.jpg.part. The gallery won't show them, but they'll take up space.

How to avoid doubles when transferring:

Always use Cut/Insert instead of Copy/Insert

Before transfer, check the free space on the target device.

Turn off auto-save in Mi Share (Settings) → Connection and sharing → Mi Share)

Use a wired connection (USB) instead Bluetooth/Wi-Fi large-file-->

If you have already seen the duplicates, find them using the Files by Google app (available in the Play Market):

1. Open the app. → select the Cleanup tab.
2. Click Duplicate File Duplicates → Photo Photo.
3. The app will show groups of identical images, highlight unnecessary copies and delete.

6 Recovery of Deleted Photos: How Reanimation Programs Create Chaos

If you've ever used a program to recover deleted files (like DiskDigger, Recuva, or Mi File Recovery), they could recover snippets of old photos that the gallery now displays as take-ups.

• 🗑️ Recovered files often have distorted names (e.g, FILE0001.CHK) dates.
• 🔍 Programs can recover thumbnails (.thumb) as separate files.
• 📂 Recovered photos are saved to folders like Restored or Recovered, but the gallery shows them along with the originals.

How to clean up garbage after recovery:

1. Open the file manager and find folders with the names Restored, Recovered, Found.
2. Sort files by date of change – recovered files usually have a current date, not a shooting date.
3. Delete files with extensions.chk,.thumb,.tmp – this is garbage.
4. For the rest of the files, check the size: if it is less than 100KB, it is likely a fragment of the photo that is not recoverable.

⚠️ Warning: If you've recovered photos from a damaged memory card, don't save them back to the same card! This can cause you to lose both the originals and the recovered files. Use internal memory or PC.

7 Viruses and malicious applications: when doubles are a symptom of infection

Rarely, but accurately: some viruses and adver applications create duplicate photos for:

• 📢 Promotional purposes (insert watermarks with links).
• 🕵️‍♂️ Data collection (copy photos to be sent to the servers of attackers).
• 💰 Frauds (replace originals with fake versions with translation details).

Signs of viral duplication:

• The doubles appear massively (dozens of copies in a short time).
• Files have suspicious names (e.g., files, photo_promo.jpg, img_free_gift.png).
• In the folders appear.apk or.exe files next to the photo.
• The phone is overheating and discharged faster than usual.

How to check and clean:

1. Install an antivirus (such as Dr.Web Light or Malwarebytes) and scan the device.
2. Check the list of installed applications (Settings) → Annexes → Delete suspicious programs (especially with names like Photo Editor Pro, Free Wallpapers) HD).
3. Clear the cache and gallery data as described in Section 2.
4. If the duplicates continue to appear, reset to factory settings (pre-saving important data).

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If the antivirus finds threats with the names Android.Trojan or AdWare, do not ignore them! Such viruses can not only duplicate photos, but also steal bank card data.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Photo Takes in Xiaomi