What can be removed on Xiaomi Redmi 7 without harming the system: a step-by-step guide

Xiaomi Redmi 7, released in 2019, is still a popular budget smartphone due to balanced performance and support for MIUI. However, over time, even 32 or 64 GB of internal memory begins to get clogged with unnecessary files, cache and preinstalled applications. In this article, we will discuss what can be safely removed on Redmi 7 to free up space, speed up the system and not disrupt its stability.

It's important to understand that not all files are equally useful, for example, deleting system applets like com.android.cts.ctsshim can cause MIUI crashes or update issues, while Google Play Services cache or duplicate photos in DCIM/.thumbnails are safely cleared without consequences, and we'll analyze every type of data that takes up space on your Redmi 7 and give clear recommendations for deleting it.

This article is relevant for all MIUI versions (including MIUI 12/13/14) installed on Redmi 7. If your phone runs on custom firmware (e.g. LineageOS or Pixel Experience), some points may not apply – specify the parts for your build.

1. System cache and temporary files: what can be cleaned without risk

Cache is a temporary file that creates applications and a system to speed up work. On Redmi 7, the cache can take anywhere from 500 MB to 3-4 GB, depending on the intensity of use. Cleaning it will not delete your data (photos, messages, accounts), but it can slightly slow down the first application download after cleaning.

Where to find the cash:

• 📱 Cache of individual applications: Settings → Annexes → Select an application → Warehouse → Clear cache. Especially voracious Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google Play Services.
• 🗑️ Dalvik-cache: located in the folder /data/dalvik-cache. It is best to clean it with Recovery Mode (see section below).
• 🖼️ Image sketches: folder DCIM/.thumbnails — It's where you store thumbnails of photos and videos. You can delete them completely, they'll recover automatically.
• 📁 Downloads: Download folder is often clogged with outdated files (APK, PDF, Check it manually.

For deep cache cleaning without manual search, use the built-in MIUI tool:

1. Open Security. → Cleanup.
2. Click Deep Clean and select Cash applications.
3. Confirm the action. The system will show how much space will be vacated.

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If after cleaning the cache, the application began to work slower, just restart it - the cache will recover automatically the next time you use it.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Clear cache and Clear data! The second action will delete all settings and application files (e.g. saves in games or chats in Telegram).

2. pre-installed applications (bloatvar): what can be removed and what can be disabled

Xiaomi Redmi 7 comes with a set of pre-installed apps (bloatwar), many of which duplicate functions or are not used at all. Some of them can be removed completely, and some can only be disabled (deactivated).

Applications that can be removed without consequences:

• 🎵 Mi Music – if you use Spotify or YouTube Music.
• 📺 Mi Video - replace it with VLC or MX Player.
• 📖 Mi Browser: Better to use Chrome or Firefox.
• 📧 Email – if you do not use an email client MIUI.
• 🎮 Game Turbo is only useful to gamers, others can be removed.

Apps that can only be turned off (cannot be removed!):

• 🔧 Security – responsible for virus scanning and cleaning.
• 📱 Mi Drop – a system tool for transferring files.
• 🔄 Updater – Responsible for Updating MIUI.
• 📡 Mi Remote - remote control for technology (may be useful).

How to remove or disable applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the appropriate application.
3. If you have a Remove button, press it. If you only turn it off, use it.

Make a backup copy of important data

Check if the application is being used by the system

Use ADB only if you are confident in the action.

Reboot your phone after mass removal-->

⚠️ Note: Removing system applications through ADB or root rights can lead to loss of warranty and problems with OTA-If you're not sure, you'd better turn it off, not delete it.

3. Update files and backups: where they are stored and how to clean them

MIUI backs up and downloads update files that can take up 1 to 5GB of storage, and these files often stay on the device even after installing updates or restoring data.

Where to look:

• 📦 Update files MIUI: folder /sdcard/Download/rom or /sdcard/downloaded_rom. They're kept here. ZIP-firmware files (e.g, miui_HMNote7Global_V12.0.1.0.QFLMIXM_...). After installing the update, you can delete them.
• 🔄 Backup copies MIUI: folder /MIUI/backup/AllBackup. It contains archives with settings and application data. If you don't need backups, clean up.
• 📱 Google Play Update Cache: Folder /data/app/com.android.vending-1/cache. This is where temporary application update files are stored.

How to manually clean:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Open the folders listed above through Windows Explorer or Total Commander.
3. Delete unnecessary files (such as old firmware or backups).

For automatic cleaning, use the built-in tool:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Storage.
2. Click Free Space and select Update Files or Backups.

4. Google Play Services and other Google services cache: how to clean up without consequences

Google Play Services is a background service that powers many of Android’s features, from push notifications to geolocation. Its cache can grow to 1-2 GB, but it needs to be cleaned carefully so as not to disrupt the application.

How to securely clear the cache of Google Play Services:

1. Open Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Find Google Play Services (an icon with a multi-colored triangle).
3. Go to the Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. Do not click Clear Data, this will cause your Google account to sync to failure.

Other Google services that you can clean up are:

Critical information: If push notifications (such as WhatsApp or Viber) stop working after clearing the Google Play Services cache, restart your phone and check your sync settings in your Google account.

5. Duplicate photos, videos and downloads: how to find and delete

The DCIM folder on Redmi 7 is often littered with duplicate photos, screenshots and unnecessary videos. For example, WhatsApp and Telegram save media files into separate folders, and Google Photos can create copies when editing. Here's how to find and delete excess:

Where to look for duplicates:

• 📸 DCIM/Camera — basic photos and video from the camera.
• 📱 Pictures/Screenshots — Screenshots (often hundreds of unnecessary ones).
• 💬 WhatsApp/Media — Media files from chat rooms (can be cleared if they are already saved in the gallery).
• ☁️ Google Photos – If you have autoload enabled, you can have copies of the photo here.

How to find and remove duplicates:

1. Use the Files by Google app (free in the Play Market):
2. For manual check:

Tip: Before mass deletion, enable the display of hidden files in the Explorer (for example, the.thumbnails folder can weigh several gigabytes!).

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Regular cleaning of the Download folder and duplicate photos can free up to 3-5 GB of memory on Redmi 7 without risk to the system.

Logs and dumps of the system: can they be removed?

Android and MIUI create logs (error logs) and dumps (memory snapshots) for diagnostics, which are usually hidden and take anywhere from 100MB to 1GB. They can be deleted, but with caution.

Where logs and dumps are stored:

• 📜 /data/anr — Application error tracing (requires root).
• 📊 /data/tombstones — dams.
• 📁 /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log — logic MIUI (rootless).
• 🔍 /sdcard/log — various magazines (e.g. from Google Play Services).

How to clean:

1. For folders on sdcard (e.g, /MIUI/debug_log):
2. For system folders (/data/anr, /data/tombstones):

⚠️ Note: Delete files in /data If you don't have root, you can lose data or crash applications. If you're not sure, don't touch system logs.

7 Cleaning through Recovery Mode: When needed

If the phone is slowing down and standard cleaning methods are not working, you can use Recovery Mode, a special recovery mode. On Redmi 7, it allows you to:

• 🧹 Clear the partition cache (does not delete user data).
• 🔄 Reset to factory settings (deletes everything except files on the SD-map).
• 📦 Delete update files if they are damaged.

How to get in to Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up and hold for 10 seconds.
3. Release the buttons when the Mi logo appears.
4. Use volume buttons for navigation, power button for selection.

How to clean the cache of the section:

1. In Recovery, select Wipe & Reset (on some versions, Wipe cache partition).
2. Confirm the action.
3. After cleaning, select Reboot to reboot.

8 Cleaning Automation: MIUI settings and third-party applications

To avoid manually clearing memory, set up automatic optimization in MIUI or use third-party utilities to help keep the Redmi 7 clean without constant monitoring.

Built-in MIUI tools:

• 🤖 Auto Cleanup: Go to Security → Cleanup → Settings (cogs) Turn on Auto Cleaning and set up a schedule (e.g. once a week).
• 📉 Restricting background activity: Open Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery management.Select Limit background activity for unnecessary applications.

Party of the cleaning annex:

Tip: Avoid "optimizers" who promise to "speed up the phone by 300%" and many of them consume resources themselves and display false warnings about "critical errors."

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning Xiaomi Redmi 7