What is clogged memory on the Xiaomi phone: hidden reasons and ways to clean

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi (be it Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or Mi 11) is slowing down and the space on the internal drive is melting away? Even after you delete the photos and apps, the memory is back up in a couple of days. What's the matter? The fact is that MIUI is actively caching data, and some processes are running in the background, stealthily eating gigabytes.

In this article, we will not just list the obvious reasons like photos and videos, we will reveal 10 hidden factors that cause memory to clog even on new smartphones, and show you how to free up up to 30% of space without deleting important files. You will learn which system folders can be cleaned and which are dangerous to touch, why Google Play Services takes up gigabytes and how to disable unnecessary MIUI functions that work secretly from the user.

1. App cache: why it's growing like a snowball

Cache is a temporary file that creates apps to speed things up, like Instagram saving thumbnails of Stories and YouTube saving video previews, and the problem is that MIUI doesn't limit the size of the cache, and over time it can take 5 to 15 GB.

Especially sinning with this:

• 📱 Social networks (Facebook, TikTok, VK) – cache media files even after viewing.
• 🎮 Games (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile – save textures and updates.
• 🌍 Maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Maps) – download offline maps and routes.
• 📺 Streaming services (Netflix, Film Search) – store downloaded movies.

How to check and clean the cache:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Telegram) and click Storage.
3. Tap Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – it will delete your account!).

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If you want to automatically clean the cache, turn on garbage cleaner in Settings → Memory → Cleanup. But beware: frequent cleaning can slow down the launch of frequently used applications.

2. System garbage: what are thumbnails, log and temp

MIUI creates hidden folders with temporary files that are rarely deleted automatically.

To see these folders, enable the display of hidden files in any file manager (e.g., in Mi File Explorer: ☰ → Settings → Show hidden files).

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Don't delete Android/obb folders, which store game data (like Genshin Impact) and delete them will cause you to reset your progress.

⚠️ Note: If you use Root access, do not delete folders /system or /vendor. This can lead to a “brick” (breakdown) of the phone.

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

When you transfer files from your phone to your computer or use cloud services (Google Photos, Mi Cloud), duplicates are often created, and they can take up to 10-20% of memory, and you do not even know they exist.

How to detect them:

• 🔍 Use apps like Files by Google (Cleanup tab) → Duplicate).
• 📁 Manually check the folders: DCIM/Camera — camera; DCIM/Screenshots — Screenshots; Pictures – uploaded images.

Pay particular attention to:

• 📸 Photos from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram), which are automatically saved in Pictures.
• 🎥 Videos from TikTok or Reels that are downloaded when viewing.
• 🖼️ Images from the browser (Chrome, Mi Browser), which are saved in Download.

Once a week |

Once a month |

Only when the place ends.|

Never cleaned |

4. MIUI background processes: what eats memory unnoticed

MIUI is known for its ability to run unnecessary processes in the background, and the main culprits are:

• 🔄 Auto-update apps (Google Play, Mi App Store) APK-file.
• 📡 Mi Cloud – syncs photos and contacts, creating local copies.
• 📊 Analytics MIUI — collects data about the use of the phone (folder) MIUI/analytics).
• 🎵 Mini-player – Caches music from Mi Music even if you don’t use it.

How to disable unnecessary functions:

1. Turn off auto-update: Google Play: Settings → Network settings → Application auto-update → Never. Mi App Store: Settings → Auto-update → Off..

Stop syncing Mi Cloud:

Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Off.

Stop the analytics:

Settings → About the phone → Reviews and analytics → Send reviews → Off.

⚠️ Note: If you turn off Google Play Services (via Settings) → Applications, some apps (Gmail, Maps) will stop working. Instead, limit background activity: Settings → Annexes → Google Play Services → Battery → Background activity → Limit.

5. “Invisible” applications: what takes up memory without your knowledge

Some apps are installed with MIUI and they work in secret, they don't show up on the menu, but they take up space and traffic.

• 📦 System applications: com.miui.analytics – statistics collection; com.xiaomi.midrop – file transfer over Wi-Fi; com.miui.player – built-in video player.
• 🔗 Pre-installed services: Mi Video, Mi Music – even if you don’t use them; GetApps – Xiaomi’s proprietary app store; Mi Browser – duplicates Chrome.

How to remove or disable them:

1. Through ADB (no root): adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics Replace com.miui.analytics in the name of an unnecessary package.
2. Through Settings (Partial Disconnection): Settings → Apps → Show all apps → [name] → Disable.

Check the list in Settings → Applications → All applications |

Disable unnecessary use of Disable |

Remove system systems through ADB (experienced only)|

Clear the cache of remaining applications-->

If you’re not sure what to delete, use the App Inspector app (available on Google Play) to show you which apps are safe to disable.

6 System Updates: Why They Take Gigabytes

Every update MIUI weight 1,5–3 GB, but the problem isn't with the firmware file itself, it's that the system doesn't delete the old versions. /cache and can borrow up to 5–10 GB.

How to clean:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI.
2. Press three points (☰) in the upper right corner and select Remove the downloaded service pack.
3. To remove old firmware versions, use the ADB command: adb shell rm -rf /cache/*.zip

Also check the folder. Downloaded_rom In internal memory – there may be undeleted firmware files.

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If you use Custom Recovery (for example, TWRP), clear the file /cache and /sdcard/Downloaded_rom After every firmware, it will release until 2–4 GB space.

7.Messaging: Why WhatsApp and Telegram are eating away at memory

Messengers are one of the main memory eaters, for example, Telegram saves all media files by default to the Telegram/Telegram Images folder, and WhatsApp saves all media files to WhatsApp/Media. When used actively, these folders can grow to 5-15 GB.

How to control:

• 📥 Turn off autoboot: In Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Never on WhatsApp: ☰ → Settings → Warehouse and data → Autoboot media → Only on Wi-Fi.
• 🗑️ Clean manually: On WhatsApp: ☰ → Settings → Warehouse → Storage management (you can sort files by size) in Telegram: Use the Clear cache function in the settings.

Also check the Android/media/com.whatsapp folder – there may be duplicate photos and videos.

8 Games: Why Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile are taking so much

Modern mobile games are not just apps, but full-fledged monsters that take 2-10 GB each, and this is not only the game itself, but also:

• 🎮 Cash textures and models;
• 📦 Updates (apatche);
• 💾 Preservations and logs.

How to make room:

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder Android/obb for games, unless you want to download them again. Instead, use the built-in cache cleaning features.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions