OnePlus: Empty the Recycle Bin in the Gallery App

Photos and videos you delete from the Gallery app do not disappear immediately. OnePlus moves them into a Recently deleted folder inside Collections, where they stay for 30 days before the system removes them automatically.

This safety buffer protects you from accidental deletions but can also tie up storage space, especially after clearing out large video files or bursts of photos. If your device still reports low storage right after a cleanup, the Recently deleted folder is usually the reason.

To free up space immediately, empty the folder manually instead of waiting for the automatic 30-day cycle:

Open the Gallery app ➔ Tap on Collections ➔ Tap on Recently deleted ➔ Tap on Delete ➔ Confirm with Delete

This action removes every file in the folder at once, not just individual items. Once confirmed, none of the affected photos or videos can be recovered, so check the folder content before deleting.

If you only want to get rid of a few files, open individual items in Recently deleted and delete them one by one instead of clearing the whole folder. Use the full deletion only when you are certain none of the remaining files are needed.