What is the memory on Xiaomi Redmi: hidden “eaters” of the place and how to remove them

You open a gallery on your Xiaomi Redmi to take a photo, but you see a notification saying, "Not enough memory." Or the phone starts to brake, even though you haven't installed anything. Familiar? On Redmi smartphones (be it the Note 12 Pro+, K50 or the budget Redmi A2), memory is clogged not only because of your files — the system creates tens of gigabytes of "junk" that you don't even know you're having.

In this article, we will not just list the obvious reasons, like photos or apps, but we will show the hidden mechanisms that eat up memory on MIUI (including HyperOS), tell you how to find and delete unnecessary files without breaking your phone, and give you a checklist to release 5-20 GB in 10 minutes, and also understand why even after cleaning the memory is refilled - and how to stop it.

1. App cache: why it takes up to 10GB and whether it can be removed

Cache is temporary files that create fast-paced apps, like YouTube saving thumbnails of videos, Google Maps saving maps, and TikTok saving preloaded videos, and Redmi can grow to 5 to 10 GB of cache, especially if you’re actively using social media or streaming services.

The problem is that MIUI doesn't always clean the cache automatically, so when you update an application, old files can stay in memory and new ones can be created on top of them, and after a month, you have a few gigabytes of dead cache that the system doesn't delete.

• 📱 How to check: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management, select any app (like Instagram) and look at the Storage section. There will be a line called "Cash».
• ⚠️ What's wrong: If the cache takes more than 500 MB, it's not normal. Telegram or VKontakte, it can go up to 2-3 GB.
• 🧹 How to Clean: Click on Clear Cache for each application manually or use the built-in Cleanup utility (broom icon in the settings menu).

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache for system applications like com.miui.home or android.process.media – this can cause malfunctions. MIUI. It is better to remove the cache only for user programs.

2. MIUI Updates: Why They Aren't Deleted Automatically

Every update MIUI or HyperOS weighs from 1,5 before 3 GB: Once installed, the system has to remove the installation package, but often it doesn't. /sdcard/MIUI/ota or /sdcard/Download/rom files with the.zip extension that occupy up to 5–7 GB.

Worse, if the update is interrupted (for example, because the battery is dead), the system can download it again, but not delete the old copy. 2026 year) service packs are sometimes stored in a hidden folder /data/ota_package, which cannot be seen without root rights.

To delete these files:

1. Open any file manager (such as embedded Files or MiXplorer).
2. Go to /sdcard/MIUI/ota.
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension and the log folder.
4. If you don’t have a folder, check /sdcard/Download/rom.

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After removing the service packs, restart the phone.This will clear the bootloader cache and free up an additional 100-300 MB.

3. Duplicate photos and videos: how to find and delete them

On Redmi, photos and videos are duplicated for three reasons:

• 📸 Google Photos: If you turn on Backup, the originals stay on the phone, and the compressed copies stay in the cloud.
• 🔄 Editing: When cutting video or applying filters in the Xiaomi Gallery, a new copy of the file is created, and the original remains.
• 📱 Transfer from other devices: When you copy a photo from a computer or other phone, files with the same content but different names may appear (for example, files with different names, IMG_1234.jpg and P_20231234_1234.jpg).

To find duplicates:

1. Install Files by Google (it is free and analyzes memory for duplicates).
2. Open the section “Clean up” → “Duplicates of files”.
3. Check the suggested groups of duplicates and remove the unnecessary ones.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete duplicates in the folder DCIM/.thumbnails — These are thumbnails that can quickly load a gallery, and cleaning them will slow down the viewing of the photo.

System Apps Garbage: What Can Be Removed Without Risk

MIUI and HyperOS install dozens of pre-installed applications, many of which are never used, but take up space and run in the background.

• 🎵 Mi Music and Mi Video – Players that duplicate the features of Google Play Music or VLC.
• 📰 Mi Browser – a browser that most people don’t need (weighs) ~150 MB).
• 📊 Security: An antivirus that consumes resources, but is useless on Android.
• 🎮 Game Turbo is a utility for gamers that takes 200+ MB and works in the background even for those who do not play.

Some of these applications can be disabled (but not removed entirely without root):

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unneeded app (such as Mi Browser).
3. Click "Disable" (if the button is active).
4. Confirm the action. The app will disappear from the menu and stop updating.

On some Redmi models (for example, Note 11 Pro+), disabling system applications causes a failure of Google Play services. If after the shutdown, alerts or the app store stop working, return the application to its original state.

Disable unnecessary applications|Delete the cache of Google Play Services|Clear the file. /sdcard/MIUI/bug_report|Check the logs in /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log-->

Logs and dumps of the system: where they hide and how to remove them

Your Redmi is constantly logging logs for your system, which is needed for diagnostics, but files can take up to 1-2 GB.

• 📜 Logs. MIUI: folder /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log (contains crash reports).
• 🐞 Memory dumps: Folder /sdcard/MIUI/bug_report (Created with Forced Close Applications).
• 📡 Modem logs: Folder /sdcard/log (network-connection).

These files can be deleted without risk, but they will reappear after a reboot or crash to disable their creation:

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 times click on Version) MIUI» In Settings → The phone).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Turn off the option of "Enable error reporting".

⚠️ Note: HyperOS (Firmware for Redmi) 2026 The path to the logs has changed: they are now stored in the /data/log And they're not available without root. To remove them, use the command through ADB: adb shell rm -rf /data/log/*

6. cache of Google Play Services and other Google services

Google Play Services is the background process that is responsible for the operation of Google services (maps, auto-update apps, push notifications). Its cache can grow to 1-2 GB, and data up to 5 GB. The problem is that the standard cleaning of cache through settings does not always help: the system recovers files in a few hours.

To completely reset Google Play Services data:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Find Google Play Services (triangle icon).
3. Click on “Storage” → “Space Management” → “Clean all data”.
4. Confirm the action. After that, you'll have to log in to your Google account again.

Also check the /sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.gms folder – there may be temporary card files or backups that take up hundreds of megabytes.

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Cleaning up Google Play Services can lead to temporary notification issues (e.g. no messages from Telegram or Gmail) to restore work, restart your phone and wait for sync (5-10 minutes).

7.Unnecessary APK-files and residues of remote applications

When you install the app not from Google Play, but through APK-file, the system saves the installation package in the folder /sdcard/Download or /sdcard/APK. Over time, dozens of files weighing on the 50–200 MB each. Also, when you delete applications, their data often stays in folders:

• 📦 /sdcard/Android/obb/[Application name - additional game files (may weigh up to) 5 GB).
• 📂 /sdcard/Android/data/[name applications] - settings and cache.

To remove garbage:

1. Open the file manager and go to /sdcard/Download.
2. Delete all files with the.apk extension (except for those you need).
3. Check /sdcard/Android/obb and /sdcard/Android/data for folders from remote applications.

To automate the process, use SD Maid (an application with the “CorpseFinder” function, which finds the remnants of remote programs).

8 Hidden MIUI features that eat up memory

MIUI and HyperOS have several features that users are unaware of, but which are actively consuming space:

• 🎥 Screen recording in background: If you have ever turned on screen recording, videos can be saved to /sdcard/Movies/ScreenRecords (Even if you don't see them in the gallery).
• 🔊 XiaoAI Voice Assistant: Records voice commands and stores them in /sdcard/MIUI/sound_recorder.
• 📡 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Logs: Folder /sdcard/MIUI/wifi It contains reports of connections (may weigh up to a certain amount of time). 500 MB).
• 📱 Backup copies MIUI: Automatic backups are created in /sdcard/MIUI/backup and can borrow up to 3 GB.

To disable unnecessary functions:

1. Screen recording: Go to Settings → Additional → Screen recording and turn off “Save Records”.
2. XiaoAI: In Settings → Voice Assistant, turn off “Voice Command Recording.”
3. Autobacks: In Settings → System and Device → Backup Disable Automatic Backup.

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On HyperOS (Redmi firmware 2026), the path to settings for voice assistant has changed: now it’s Settings → Connected devices → Voice assistant.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory on Xiaomi Redmi