Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the situation when you need to restore a accidentally deleted file or view a purchase history in an online store. The user interface of the MIUI shells and the new HyperOS has its own unique features that can confuse those who are used to “pure” Android or iOS. Searching for the “Basket” feature may not be obvious, since its location depends on a particular application, whether it is a Gallery, Explorer or Google Play services.
In this article, we will discuss all possible options for accessing remote elements and transaction history, where temporarily deleted photos are stored for 30 days, how to find a shopping cart in standard Explorer, and why this feature may not be available in some system applications, and we will also touch on the topic of cleaning the cache of app stores, where download data is often hidden.
Understanding your device's file system structure will help you avoid losing important data. We'll look at not only standard methods, but also the nuances of working with cloud services, which often duplicate local storage. It's important to know that at the system level, Android doesn't have a single global shopping cart for all applications at once, each service manages the removal independently. Let's figure out where to look for the right partitions in your particular case.
Recycle Bin in Xiaomi and Redmi Gallery
The most common request for users is to restore deleted photos and videos. The standard Gallery app on Xiaomi smartphones has a security mechanism that allows you to return files deleted by mistake. To get into this section, you need to open the application and go to the Albums tab. Here, scroll down to the very end, you will find a special folder called Deleted.
Inside this folder, all media files that you deleted from the main stream are stored, and their storage period is limited to thirty days, after which the system automatically clears the space, and recovery becomes impossible without using specialized software. If you use synchronization with Xiaomi Cloud or Google Photos, deleted elements can be duplicated in cloud storage, which increases the chances of saving data.
The standard allocation and complete deletion functions are available to manage the contents of this folder, and you can select specific pictures or clear the entire cart immediately to free up space on the internal drive.
- 📸 Open the Gallery app on the home screen.
- 📂 Go to the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen.
- 📉 Scroll through the album list to the bottom.
- 🗑️ Click on the Remote folder to view the contents.
⚠️ Note: Files in the Deleted folder take up space in your phone's memory. If you run out of space, check this folder first before clearing the cache of other apps.
The folder interface allows you to sort files by deletion date, which is especially useful if you deleted a large number of photos on different days and want to restore only those that were erased yesterday.
Search for deleted files in the Explorer
The situation with document files, APK installation packages and archives in Xiaomi’s standard File Manager app is different from media files. Many users mistakenly believe that a deleted document falls into the same basket as a photo, but this is not the case. In the classic MIUI Explorer, the file basket function was not implemented, and deletion occurs instantly.
However, newer versions of HyperOS and updated versions of MIUI 14 have started to change, with some Explorer modifications getting the “Recently Deleted” feature, but it’s not available on all device models, and if you don’t have a corresponding item on your menu, it means your version of the software doesn’t support soft file deletion.
To check for this feature, you need to open the Explorer app and carefully examine the top toolbar or side menu. Often the basket icon is hidden under the three-dot or strip menu button. If you do not find this item, then when you delete the file, you erase it without the ability to quickly restore it through standard system tools.
The absence of a shopping cart in the Explorer is an architectural solution designed to keep the system running, but it poses risks to the user, so it is important to be careful when dealing with documents.
- 📁 Start the File Manager (File Manager) application).
- 🔍 Click on the menu icon (three stripes or dots) in the corner.
- 🗑️ Look for the item “Basket” or “Recently deleted».
- 📂 If the item is not, the function is not supported by your version. MIUI.
⚠️ Note: In the absence of an integrated basket in Explorer, deleted files cannot be restored by standard methods. It is recommended that immediately after deleting important data, stop writing new information to your phone.
If you work with documents regularly, it makes sense to install a third-party file manager that has its own accidental deletion protection system.Such applications create a virtual security layer by intercepting the deletion command and placing the file in its isolated buffer.
Recycle Bin in Google Photos and Cloud Services
For many Xiaomi smartphone users, the primary storage of photos is not local memory, but Google Photos. This app has its own, very convenient shopping cart that syncs across all devices. Even if you clean the phone gallery, copies can stay in the cloud, and vice versa.
To find deleted photos in the Google ecosystem, open the Google Photos app (flower icon) and select the Library tab in the bottom menu, then click the Recycle Bin button, which stores all photos and videos deleted from your Google account, regardless of which device they were erased from.
The storage life of items in the Google Photos Recycle Bin is 60 days if you back up, and 30 days if the photos are stored only on the device, which is significantly longer than in the standard Xiaomi Gallery, which gives you more time to make a recovery decision.
Difference Between Local and Cloud Deletion
It’s important to note that cleaning up your shopping cart in Google Photos frees up space in your Google account that’s limited (15GB free) and checking this section regularly helps keep order in the cloud and not overpay for extra space.
- ☁️ Open the Google Photos app».
- 📚 Go to the Library tab at the bottom of the screen.
- 🗑️ Select the item "Basket».
- 🔄 Restore the photos or clean the cart.
The Google Photos Recycle Bin allows you to recover groups of photos at once, which is convenient if you accidentally deleted an entire album from a vacation, and the system will offer to return all selected items to the original albums on the device and in the cloud.
Download and purchase history in Play Market and GetApps
When it comes to “basket” in the context of app installation, users often have download history or a shopping list in mind. Google Play app stores and Xiaomi’s branded GetApps don’t have a classic shopping cart where you can put an item and pay later, as in online stores.
Instead, there is a section called "Library" or "Apps and Device Management" that stores the history of every program ever installed, and if you delete a game or utility, you can find it on the "Not on this device" list and install it again for free (if the app is paid but was purchased earlier).
In GetApps, download history is available through a user profile, and by clicking on the avatar in the corner of the screen, you will be taken to the menu where there is an item called “Downloads” or “History”; this is the analog of a shopping cart where all the actions performed with the Xiaomi account are displayed.
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If you have removed a paid app, don’t buy it again. Go to Google Play → Management → Library, find the app and click “Install” – the money will only be rewritten when you buy it again, not when you download it again.
Cleaning the app store cache does not delete your purchase history, as it is tied to your Google or Mi Account account.However, clearing the app data may reset the store's settings, but will not delete the list of purchased content.
| Shop | Location of history | Storage period | Ability to delete history |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | Profile → Application Management | Indefinitely | Hiding from history |
| GetApps | Profile → Downloads / History | Indefinitely | No. |
| Galery (Mi) | Albums → Deleted | 30 days | Yes (auto/manual) |
| Google Photo | Library → Basket | 60 days | Yes (auto/manual) |
Understanding the differences between these services helps you find the information you need faster, and if you're looking for a remote app, you don't need the Gallery settings, and if you're looking for a photo, you don't need to dig into the history of the Play Market.
Third-party file managers with a basket
Because standard MIUI Explorer doesn’t always meet users’ file security needs, many Xiaomi owners install alternative solutions, and applications like ES Explorer, File Commander, or Solid Explorer have built-in shopping cart features that run on top of the standard system.
When you delete a file through a manager like this, it doesn't physically erase it, but moves to the hidden folder of the application itself. This creates a robust buffer. Even if you clean the Recycle Bin in the Gallery, a file deleted through a third-party explorer can remain accessible in its own storage.
Configuring these applications requires advanced permissions, you'll need to give access to all the files on the device, and without that, the application won't be able to intercept the deletion command and redirect the file to its buffer.
☑️ Set up a safe removal
The use of third-party managers is especially important for those who often work with confidential documents, and an additional layer of protection allows you to avoid accidental data loss in the case of blind deletion.
- 📲 Download a reliable file manager from the Play Market.
- ⚙️ In the application settings, find the "Basket" section».
- 🔓 Allow access to the Android file system.
- ✅ Make sure the function is activated for all file types.
⚠️ WARNING: When you reset your phone to factory settings or remove a third-party file manager, files in its “basket” will be lost irrevocably, as they are stored in hidden system folders of the application.
It is recommended to periodically check the settings of such applications to make sure they do not consume too much resources in the background.Some managers may aggressively cache previews of deleted files by taking up space.
Data recovery and frequent questions
If you cleaned the Recycle Bin in the Gallery or deleted files past the Explorer buffer, you can't get them back with standard system tools, and more sophisticated methods that require root rights or use specialized PC software come into force.
Data recovery software such as Dr.Fone, DiskDigger, or Recuva (for memory cards) scan the device’s physical memory for tails of deleted files, but the effectiveness of these methods on modern Xiaomi smartphones with data encryption is extremely low without superuser rights.
Android encryption makes memory sectors marked as free unreadable to third-party software immediately after rebooting or cleaning. So the best strategy is to proactively set up cloud sync and regular backups to your computer.
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The most reliable way to avoid losing data on Xiaomi is to automatically sync with Google Photos and Xiaomi Cloud, rather than hoping to recover from deletion.
To conclude, we will consider the most common questions users have when searching for remote information, which will help close the remaining gaps in understanding the system.