What to safely remove from Xiaomi Redmi 9: a complete list of unnecessary files and applications

Xiaomi Redmi Smartphone 9 his 32/64 GB of internal memory quickly gets clogged with unnecessary files, especially if you actively use it. Over time, the device begins to slow down, applications fly out, and free space melts in front of your eyes. But not all files can be deleted without risk - some system data is critical for stable operation. MIUI. In this article, we will discuss what can be safely removed from Redmi. 9, to free up space and speed up the phone without disrupting its functionality.

Redmi 9 features an abundance of pre-installed apps from Xiaomi and Google, many of which duplicate features or are not used at all, and it actively caches data, backs ups and logs that take up gigabytes of memory over time, and we’ll analyze all types of junk, from obvious temporary files to hidden system folders that can be cleaned without consequences, and you’ll learn which apps can be removed completely and which ones can only be turned off so as not break updates or key features.

It is important to understand that even if you have never installed a game or a heavy program, MIUI by itself, it takes up 10-12 GB of memory on Redmi 9. And if you consider that the system reserves more 3-5 GB for updates and cache, the actual available space is much less than indicated in the specifications, so regular cleaning is not a luxury, but a necessity.

1. Xiaomi and Google pre-installed apps: what can be removed

Redmi 9 comes with a dozen pre-installed apps, many of which duplicate features or impose unnecessary services, some of which can be removed completely, some of which can only be disabled, and here is a complete list of what 99% of users will definitely not need:

• 📱 Mi Browser is a browser from Xiaomi with aggressive advertising. You can delete if you use Chrome or Firefox.
• 🎵 Mi Music is a music player with limited features. Uninstall if you're listening to music on Spotify or YouTube Music.
• 📺 Mi Video is a video player with unnecessary recommendations. VLC or MX Player.
• 📊 Mi Pay is a payment service Xiaomi, which does not work in Russia and most CIS countries.
• 📖 Mi Reader is a book-reading app. Uninstall if you use Moon+ Reader or FBReader.
• 🎮 Game Turbo is a gamer utility. If you're not playing hard games, take it easy.
• 📡 Mi Remote is a remote control for technology, useful only if you have a smart home Xiaomi.

Google apps are more complicated, some of them critical to the system, for example, Google Play Services or Google Services Framework can not be removed, it will lead to a crash. MIUI. These can be safely deactivated:

• 📰 Google News is a news feed that almost no one uses.
• 🎬 Google Play Movies & TV — Film rental service, irrelevant in 2026.
• 📚 Google Play Books is a book reader app that duplicates other services.
• 🎵 Google Play Music is an outdated service replaced by YouTube Music.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete Google Play Market, Google Account Manager or Google Contacts Sync, which will cause account and sync problems.

To remove or disable pre-installed programs, go to Settings → Annexes → App management, select the one you want and click "Delete" or "Disable." If the delete button is inactive, the application is system-based, it can only be deactivated.

2.Cache and temporary files: how to clean without harming the system

Cache is a temporary file that creates applications to speed up their work, and over time, it grows to a few gigabytes, taking up precious space. On Redmi 9, the cache is divided into three types:

1. App cache – data from individual programs (for example, photos on Instagram or videos on TikTok).
2. System cache - files MIUI, including updates and logs.
3. Dalvik cache – files of the Android virtual machine that are created when installing applications.

Cleaning the cache can be done in several ways:

• 🧹 Through Settings: Go to Settings → Memory. → Clean up and select "Clear cache." This will delete the temporary files of all applications.
• 🔧 For individual applications: C Settings → Apps select the program and click "Clear cache".
• 📱 With Files by Google: Install an official Google app that will show you which files can be deleted.
• 💻 Through Recovery: Enter Recovery Mode (Switch Off) → Hold the Power. + Volume Up and select Wipe Cache Partition.

System cache (/cache) and Dalvik cache (/dalvik-cache) They are automatically cleaned when you update the system, but if you haven’t updated in a long time, you can manually remove them through the system. TWRP (If installed, do not delete the folder. /data/dalvik-cache manually through the file manager – this will lead to the collapse of applications.

⚠️ Note: Do not cache applications that use offline data (such as maps in Google Maps or music in Spotify) and delete downloaded files and have to be downloaded again.

3. Unnecessary system files and folders: what can be manually deleted

Redmi 9 has a lot of folders and files that take up space but are not needed for everyday work, and can be deleted through a file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer), but only if you know exactly what they are responsible for.

• 📁 /DCIM/.thumbnails — Delete the miniatures of photos and videos if you're not afraid that the gallery will take longer to load.
• 📁 /DCIM/Camera/Burst — Serial photos if you don’t use them.
• 📁 /Download — All files you downloaded and are no longer needed.
• 📁 /MIUI/Backup — old backups of applications and settings.
• 📁 /MIUI/bug_report — Error logs sent to Xiaomi can be deleted if you don’t plan to send reports.
• 📁 /MIUI/screen_recorder — Screen recordings if you don’t save them.
• 📁 /Android/obb — Game and app files, only delete if you delete the game.

Pay special attention to the folder /MIUI — It stores temporary theme files, wallpapers and system updates:

• 🎨 /MIUI/theme — You can use a standard theme, you can delete all the content.
• 🔄 /MIUI/updater — Update files. If the update is already installed, you can clear the folder.
• 📱 /MIUI/wallpaper — wallpaper you don't use.

Also check the folder. /Android/data — This is where the application data is stored. Only delete folders that are from programs that have been deleted, for example, if you deleted a game long ago, but the cache folder is still there, you can clean it.

4.Duplicate files: how to find and delete unnecessary photos, videos and documents

One of the biggest problems with Redmi 9 — These are duplicate files that are automatically created, like when you edit a photo in a gallery, the original is saved, and you create a copy with modifications, and the same thing happens when you send files through messengers or cloud services, and as a result, you can store it on your phone. 3-5 copy!

To find and remove duplicates:

1. Use applications like Files by Google (Cleanup tab) → Duplicate files").
2. Manually check the folders: /DCIM/Camera — main photos and videos. /DCIM/Screenshots — Screenshots (often duplicated in the clouds). /Pictures — photo from messengers and social networks. /Download — Downloaded files that could be duplicated.

Google Photo

Mi Cloud

Yandex.Disk.

Pay special attention to the folder /WhatsApp/Media (This is where all the media files from the chat rooms are stored, and they're often duplicated in the main gallery:

1. Open WhatsApp, go to Settings → Warehouse and data → Storage management.
2. Sort files by size and remove unnecessary ones (like memes or old videos).
3. Turn off auto-download media in the chat settings.

Also check the folder. /Telegram/Telegram Images — Gigabytes of unnecessary photos and stickers can be stored here, and Telegram’s settings allow you to limit cache or clear it completely.

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Before mass deletion of duplicates, back up important files to your computer or cloud. Sometimes the duplicate algorithms get wrong, and you may lose unique photos.

5 Logs, dumps and debugging files: Hidden garbage that takes up gigabytes

MIUI It actively logs the system, which helps developers track bugs, but for the average user, these files are useless and take up a lot of space:

• 📜 /data/log — Basic system logs (root rights required to delete).
• 📜 /data/anr — logs of appendices.
• 📜 /data/tombstones — memory dumps when applications crash.
• 📜 /MIUI/debug_log — Xiaomi debugging logs.
• 📜 /sdcard/MIUI/bug_report — Error reports that can be sent in support.

Without root rights, you can only clean folders on /sdcard (internal memory:

1. Open Mi File Manager.
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the settings.
3. Move to the /MIUI/bug_report and /MIUI/debug_log.
4. Delete all older files 1-2 week-long.

If you have root access, you can also clear the system logs:

1. Install Root Explorer or FX File Explorer.
2. Go to /data/log and delete all files.
3. Clear the folders. /data/anr and /data/tombstones.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in /data/system or /data/data — It's going to crash the system, and don't touch the folder either. /data/dontpanic, It is needed to recover from failures.

If you are not sure if you can delete a file, check its extension:

• 📄.log,.txt - logs, can be deleted.
• 📄.dmp,.trace – memory dumps, can be removed.
• 📄.db,.sqlite - databases, can not be deleted!

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Logs and dumps can be deleted without risk to the system, but they will be recreated the next time you crash or reboot. 1-2 GB memory.

6.Residual files after deleting applications

When you delete an app through Google Play or settings, it disappears from the menu, but often leaves behind tails — folders with cache, settings and temporary files. On Redmi 9, these files can take up hundreds of megabytes and sometimes gigabytes.

Where to look for residual files:

• 📁 /Android/data/[name packet] - the main folder with the application data.
• 📁 /Android/obb/[Packet name: Additional files (e.g. game levels).
• 📁 /data/data/[Packet name: System data (requires root).

To find and delete these files:

1. Install. SD Maid or Files by Google – these will show the remaining files of the deleted applications.
2. Manually check the folder. /Android/data and delete folders with the names of remote programs.
3. For complete cleaning, use adb: adb shell pm list packages -u This team will show all applications with residual files.

Examples of folders that often remain after deleting popular apps:

• 🎮 com.tencent.ig — PUBG Mobile.
• 📷 com.instagram.android — Instagram.
• 💬 com.whatsapp – WhatsApp (leaves media files).
• 🎵 com.spotify.music - Spotify (song cache).

If you have deleted the game, but its folder is in /Android/obb It's still there, you can delete it, it won't hurt the system, but if you're planning on reinstalling the game, you'll have to download additional files again.

7. Backups and Updates: How to Make Space

MIUI It automatically backs up applications and system data that take up gigabytes of memory over time, and it downloads update files that are not always deleted after installation.

Where to look for unnecessary backups:

• 📁 /MIUI/Backup — backups of applications and settings.
• 📁 /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup — full-backs.
• 📁 /MIUI/updater — update-file MIUI.

What can be removed:

• 🔄 Old update files in /MIUI/updater (kinda update.zip).
• 💾 Backup copies in /MIUI/Backup, If you do not plan to restore old data.
• 📦 folder /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup, If you have an up-to-date backup on your computer or in the cloud.

Also check the folder. /Download For files with names like:

• MiFit_*.apk – Older versions of apps.
• update_*.zip - hand firmware.
• rom_*.zip - custom recovery (TWRP).

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder /MIUI/updater completely, it may disrupt the service center. Only delete old files, leaving the current version.

If you're updating MIUI through OTA (by air, the update files are stored in /cache/ota. They can be removed through TWRP team:

adb shell rm -rf /cache/ota/*

8.Memory optimization: what to do if the place is constantly running out

If, even after cleaning up, the memory on Redmi 9 runs out quickly, try these optimization methods:

• 🔄 Transfer applications to memory card: Go to Settings → Apps. Select the app and click "Move to" SD-map".

Please note:

Use cloud storage:

• 📷 Google Photos – Automatic uploading of photos and videos.
• 📎 Mi Cloud – Backup of contacts and notes.
• 📁 Yandex.Disk or Mail.ru Cloud - for documents.

Set up automatic cleaning:

• B Settings → Memory. → Cleaning up, turn on "Autocleaning".
• In Files by Google, set up regular cache cleanup.

Limit the cache for individual applications:

• In the app settings (such as YouTube or Chrome), limit the cache size.
• For Telegram, set the cache limit in the settings.

Also check which apps take up the most space:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis.
2. Sort the applications by size.
3. Remove or clean the cache from the most voracious.

If you often shoot high-resolution videos, reconfigure the camera:

• 🎥 In the camera settings, select permission 1080p instead 4K.
• 📸 Turn off the save. RAW-Photos unless you are a professional photographer.

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Regular memory cleaning and optimization of settings will not only free up space, but also extend the life of the battery by reducing the load on the system.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning Xiaomi Redmi 9