How to speed up MIUI 12 on Xiaomi smartphones: the full guide 2026

Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 shell is known for its striking design and abundance of features, but over time, many users face slowdowns, hangs and unreasonably high battery consumption. The problem is especially acute on budget models (Redmi Note 8 Pro, Poco X3) or devices with 3-4 GB of RAM, where the system begins to “brake” after 6-12 months of active use.

The reason for the slowdown is in the MIUI architecture: the shell aggressively caches data, runs background analytics (Mi Analytics, User Experience Program) and loads the system with unnecessary visuals. Fortunately, most problems are solved without flashing or resetting to factory settings - just fine-tuning the system and cleaning it up from digital debris. In this guide, we have collected 10 proven ways to help speed up MIUI 12 on any Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco smartphone.

Important: All methods are tested on current firmware versions (up to MIUI 12.5.10) and do not require root rights. If your device is running MIUI 13/14, some of the recommendations will remain relevant, but some menu items may differ.

1. Cleaning up cache and junk files

The first step to speed up is to remove temporary files that are stored in the system. Application cache and system debris can take up to 5-10 GB of memory, which is critical for devices with 32 or 64 GB of storage. MIUI 12 has a built-in tool for this, but it does not always cope effectively.

How to clean the cache correctly:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Warehouse → Clean up and click "Clean up." This will remove garbage from standard apps.
• 🧹 For deep cleaning, use the settings → Annexes → App management, select each of the commonly used apps (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Mi Browser) and click Clear Cache».
• 🗑️ Delete unnecessary files manually through Mi File Manager: check the Download folders, DCIM/.thumbnails (photo-picture), Android/data (game-cash).

The hidden point: once the cache is cleared, some applications (like Google Play Services) may temporarily consume more resources to re-upload data, which is normal and will pass in 10-15 minutes of active use.

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If after cleaning the cache, the application began to work slower, restart the smartphone - this will reset the background processes and accelerate the re-initialization of data.

2. Disable animations and visual effects

MIUI 12 is known for its smooth transition animations, but they also slow down the system on weak devices, and turning off visual effects can reduce interface response time by 20 to 30 percent.

How to remove animations:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and find items: Scale of window animation → No animations Scale of transition animation → No animation Duration of animation → Disable

Additionally, you can disable blur effects in Settings → Screen → Lock screen style (select “Simple” instead of “Blurr”). This will reduce the load on the processor when unlocked.

3. Optimization of background processes

MIUI 12, by default, allows applications to run in the background even when they're not in use, which consumes RAM and battery power, and to speed up the system, you need to limit background activity.

Optimization methods:

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Battery and productivity → Battery management and select Charge Saving mode, which will limit background activity for all applications.
• 🚫 Manually prohibit auto-run of unnecessary applications: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Autorun. Turn off autorun for social media, messengers (except the main ones) and games.
• ⚡ Use the settings. → Special facilities → System Acceleration (not available on all devices) This feature prioritizes resources for active applications.

Critical: Do not disable auto-run for system applications (such as Mi Security or Google Play Services) – this can cause malfunctions in the smartphone.

Disable Auto-Run for Unnecessary Applications|Set charge saving mode"|Limit background activity in battery settings|Reboot the device after changes-->

4. Update of firmware and system core

Slowdowns are often associated with an outdated version of MIUI or Android kernel. Xiaomi regularly releases patches to optimize performance, so a firmware update can fix the problem without additional manipulation.

How to update correctly:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update and check for updates.
2. If the update is available, connect to Wi-Fi and charge your phone to at least 50%.
3. After installing the update, reset the cache through Settings → Storage → Cleanup → Cash.

If automatic updates don’t help, you can try the manual firmware through the Mi Flash Tool (for power users only!). Read more about this in our Xiaomi firmware guide.

5. factory reset (last resort)

If none of the methods worked, the last option is a complete reset.This will delete all data from the device, so pre-backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

How to reset your settings:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Reset settings.
2. Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.
3. After resetting, set up the phone as new, but don’t restore data from backup – this can bring back old issues.

⚠️ Note: Resetting won’t help if the decelerations are caused by physical wear and tear on the drive (e.g. on devices older than 3 years).In this case, consider replacing the eMMC with a faster module.

6. Alternative launchers and shells

If MIUI 12 seems too congested, you can install a launcher side, which won't speed up the system itself, but will make navigation smoother with optimized code.

The best launchers for Xiaomi:

• 🚀 Nova Launcher – lightweight, with flexible animation settings.
• ⚡ Lawnchair is an open source project based on Android 12, without advertising.
• 🎨 Microsoft Launcher – Windows integration and minimalist design.

After installing the launcher, disable the standard MIUI Launcher through Settings → Applications → Application Management → Launcher (click “Disable”).

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The side launcher doesn’t replace MIUI completely — it runs on top of the system. Complete MIUI removal will require custom firmware (like LineageOS), but it requires unlocking the bootloader and root rights.

7.Storage optimization: transferring data to SD-map

If you don't have enough space in your phone, it slows down because of fragmentation, so the solution is to move some of the files to the phone. SD-card (if the device supports it).

How to transfer data:

• 📁 In Mi File Manager, select files (photos, videos, music) and click Move. SD-map (e.g., map, /storage/1234-5678/DCIM).
• 🎮 For games, use the Settings function → Annexes → Application management → [Game] → Warehouse → Change (not available for all applications).
• 🔄 If SD-Slow card (class) 4/6), It can slow down, and the best way to do that is to use a Class card. 10/UHS-I.

⚠️ Attention: don't put it on SD-Map system applications or data messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) – this can lead to synchronization errors.

8. Disabling unnecessary system services

MIUI 12 contains a variety of background services for statistics, advertising and analytics, and turning them off will free up resources and speed up work.

What services can be disabled:

• 📊 Mi Analytics (com.miui.analytics) – collects usage data.
• 🎯 MSA (Mi Service Framework (com.xiaomi.msa.global) – responsible for targeted advertising.
• 🔍 Mi Browser (com.android.browser) – if you don’t use a standard browser.
• 📢 Mi Push Service (com.xiaomi.xmsf) – sends notifications from Xiaomi.

How to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → All applications.
2. Find the service you want by name or package (see the list above).
3. Click “Disable” (if the button is inactive, first click “Stop”).

⚠️ Warning: Disabling Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms) or Mi Security (com.miui.securitycenter) may disrupt the app store and device security.

FAQ: Frequent questions about MIUI 12 acceleration