Xiaomi phone is lagging and slowing down – what to do to speed up work?

Your Xiaomi has started to hang, apps are late, and the interface twitches when scrolling? This is a common problem that can occur even on flagship models like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or the budget Redmi Note 12. The causes of brakes range from overloaded memory to errors in the firmware of MIUI. In this article, we will analyze the system and software methods for eliminating lags, from simple to radical.

The first thing to understand is that slowing down isn't always about aging, often because of background processes, unoptimized updates, or conflicting apps, and we won't recommend "buying a new phone" -- instead, we'll offer 10 working ways to get your Xiaomi back on track, start with diagnostics and easy fixes, and then go deep optimization.

1.Diagnostics: Why did Xiaomi start laying?

Before you start fixing, identify the source of the problem. Brakes can manifest in different ways:

• 🐢 Interface freezes – slow scrolling menu, delays when clicking on icons.
• 🔄 Long app opening – even standard Settings or Phone loads 3-5 seconds.
• 🔥 Overheating and a sharp drop in performance - typical for games or when charging.
• 📉 Spontaneous reboots – often associated with a lack of RAM.

Main reasons:

Critical information: if the lags appeared after the MIUI update, the cause in 80% of cases is a firmware error - a rollback or clean installation is required.

2. Quick ways to remove brakes (without resetting)

Start with these methods – they do not require deep knowledge and take no more than 10 minutes:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone — press the power button for 10 seconds to force the device to turn off. This clears RAM and removes temporary freezes.
• 🧹 Cleaning the app cache - go to Settings → Annexes → App management, select frequently used programs (such as Chrome or Facebook) and click Clear Cache.
• 🚫 Turn off animation – activate Developer Mode (7 times click on Version) MIUI In Settings → About the phone, then in Settings → Additionally. → For developers, set all animation parameters on Animation disabled.
• 📵 Power saving mode - turn it into Settings → Battery: This will limit background activity, but may worsen notifications.

If after these actions the lagas remained, proceed to more serious measures.

3.Memory Optimization: How to Free Up Space on Xiaomi

Lack of space is one of the main reasons for brakes. MIUI requires a minimum of 3-5 GB of free memory for stable operation. Check the occupied space in Settings → Memory.

How to make room:

• 📸 Remove unnecessary photos and videos – use the built-in Gallery app → Albums. → Mass disposal basket. To automatically clean, turn on Garbage Cleanup in Security.
• 🎵 Transfer media files to memory card – in Settings → Memory. → Data portability (not available on all models).
• 📦 Remove the cache of system applications - in Settings → Annexes → Sort all apps by size and clear the cache from Google Play Services, MIUI System and others.
• ☁️ Enable cloud storage – Xiaomi Cloud or Google Photos automatically upload photos to the cloud and free up space.

Don’t use third-party cleaners like Clean Master, which often delete important system files and aggravate the lag.

4. Update and rollback of MIUI firmware

MIUI updates don't always improve performance -- sometimes they bring new bugs. If the lags came after the update, try:

1. Update to the latest version – go to Settings → About Phone → System Update and check for patches.
2. Reverse to stable version – if the update broke the phone, download the previous firmware from the official Xiaomi website and install it through Recovery.
3. Install custom firmware – for example, LineageOS or Pixel Experience (requires unlocking the bootloader).

To install the firmware through Recovery:

1. Download the firmware file (.zip) for your model.


2. Rename it to "update.zip" and place it in the root of the phone's memory.




3. Press the Power + Volume buttons up to enter Recovery.




4. Select Install update.zip and confirm installation.

Attention! Firmware rollback erases all data. Pre-back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

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If the phone gets hot after the upgrade, check the processor settings. Some versions of MIUI include an aggressive performance mode that overloads the chipset. Turn it off in Settings → Battery → Performance Mode.

5. Reset to factory settings: when necessary

If no method works, it's a hard reset, which will delete all the data, but it will return the phone to its original speed.

1. Back up your contacts, photos and important files (for example, via Mi Cloud or Google Drive).
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Erase all data.
3. Enter the password (if set) and confirm the reset.
4. After the reboot, set your phone up as new – don’t restore data from the backup to avoid carrying errors.

Alternatively, if the phone is not responding:

1. Turn off the device.


2.Put Power + Volume up for 10 seconds to enter Recovery.




3. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (use volume buttons for navigation).

Critical information: On models with an unlocked bootloader (for example, after installing custom Recovery), a reset may result in a device lock, in which case you will need to re-unlock through the Mi Unlock Tool.

6. Optimization for games and heavy applications

If Xiaomi is playing games (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile) or editing videos, try:

• 🎮 Enable the game mode - in Settings → Special facilities → Game mode activate the option and add apps to the list.
• ⚡ Turn off background activity - in Settings → Battery. → Power management applications set for games mode Without restrictions.
• 🔧 Lower your graphics settings – in games, choose Balanced or Energy Saving Mode instead of Ultra.
• 🧊 Use cooling – if the phone overheats, buy a cooling stand or play when charging <50% (This reduces the load on the processor).

For models with a Snapdragon processor (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro), you can activate the performance mode:

1. Enable Developer Mode (as described above).


2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.




3. Find the Force 4x MSAA option and turn it off (this improves performance in 3D- games).

7.Verification for viruses and malware

Malware can not only steal data, but also load the processor, causing lags.

1. Install antivirus (Malwarebytes or built-in security from Xiaomi).
2. Start a deep scan – pay attention to the Download and APK folders.
3. Check the list of installed apps in Settings → Apps – remove suspicious ones (for example, with names like System Update or Flash Player if you haven’t installed them).

Signs of infection:

• 📥 Unknown applications appear on their own.
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge even in standby mode.
• 📤 Suspicious traffic in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Using traffic.

Attention! Some Google Play "optimizers" contain malicious code themselves. Use only proven antiviruses with a rating above 4.5.

8 Hardware problems: when to carry in the service

If the software methods did not help, the reason may be iron:

How to check the status of the battery:

1. Enter the number ##4636##.
2. Select Battery Information.
3. Check the wear level (if >20%, it is time to change the battery).

To diagnose overheating, use the CPU Monitor app – it will show the temperature of the processor cores in real time.

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If the phone only lags when connected to a charger, the problem is with the power controller or cable.Try another adapter (original from Xiaomi) before visiting the service.

FAQ: Frequent questions about lags on Xiaomi