What really takes up memory in Xiaomi smartphones: system files, cache and hidden processes

Have you ever gone into Xiaomi's settings and been surprised to find that out of 128 GB of memory, only 20-30 GB is free — with almost nothing installed? Or a few gigabytes suddenly disappears after the MIUI update? It's not a system glitch or a bug. Xiaomi smartphones (like other Android devices) have a lot of hidden files that take up space but don't show up in the standard file manager.

In this article, we’ll go into detail about what’s eating up memory in your Redmi, POCO, or Mi, from system partitions and a MIUI cache to temporary update files and duplicate photos, which files can be safely deleted and which ones shouldn’t be touched so as not to break the system, and we’ll show you how to find those files through hidden menus and third-party utilities, and we’ll give you a checklist to free up space without risk.

1. System partitions: why "The Other" takes 10-20 GB

If you open Settings → Memory, you will see the “Other” section (or “System” in the newer versions of MIUI), which takes from 10 to 25 GB. It’s not garbage or cache – it’s a reserved space for Android and MIUI to work, which includes:

• 📁 Section /system — It stores firmware files, kernels and pre-installed applications, and its size is fixed and does not change (usually). 3-6 GB).
• 🔄 Section /vendor — drivers and proprietary components for iron (camera, modem, sensors). 1-3 GB.
• 🛡️ Section /recovery — Image of system recovery (about) 100-300 MB).
• 📦 Section /product — component MIUI (topics, fonts, localizations. 2-4 GB.

These sections can’t be deleted or reduced without root rights and the risk of “bricking” the phone, but in some cases they can be optimized. For example, if you use Xiaomi.eu or custom firmware, some pre-installed apps (bloatwear) can be removed via ADB:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.weather2


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.scanner

⚠️ Warning: Removing system applications may disrupt the work MIUI. Before that, make a backup copy through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.

2. MIUI and Google Cache: Why It's Bloating to Gigabytes

Cache is a temporary file that creates applications and a system to speed up work. At Xiaomi, cache is divided into three types:

1. Application cache (in /data/data/) – saves data for quick launch (for example, thumbnails in the gallery or game data).
2. Dalvik cache (in /data/dalvik-cache/) are optimized files for the Android virtual machine. After the update, MIUI can weigh 1-2 GB.
3. Google Play Services cache – often inflated to 500MB-1GB due to background processes.

The problem is that MIUI doesn't always clean the cache properly after updates, such as when you switch from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14, the old dalvik cache can stay and take up space, and you can check this out through DiskUsage (the Play Market app):

If the Google Play Services cache is constantly inflated, try:

3 MIUI updates: why they eat up memory twice

Each MIUI update (even a minor one) takes place twice:

1. Downloaded service pack (usually) 1.5–3 GB) stored in /data/ota_package/.
2. After installation, the old version of the system remains in place. /data/ota_backup/ kickback.

As a result, after 2-3 updates, you lose 5-10 GB of memory. You can check this through File Manager + (turn on the display of hidden files in the settings):

To remove old updates:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI.
2. Press three points. → "Remove the downloaded package".
3. To remove backups, root rights or command are required: adb shell rm -rf /data/ota_backup/*

⚠️ Attention: If you delete ota_backup without root, the system can restore it the next time you update it. Use MiXplorer with root folder access enabled.

Duplicate photos and videos: where they hide

Xiaomi creates duplicate media files in several cases:

• 📸 gallery MIUI automatically saves miniatures in the /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails (can weigh up 1 GB).
• 🎥 The camera app duplicates the video in /MIUI/Camera/ and /DCIM/Camera/.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud creates local copies to synchronize in the /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/.

To find and remove duplicates:

1. Use Files by Google (the Cleanup tab → File Duplicates).
2. In MiXplorer, type in.jpg or.mp4 and sort by size.

💡

If you use Google Photos, turn off the "Save Originals on Device" feature in the app settings, which will prevent duplicates from being created.

5 Logs and dumps: why they take up gigabytes

The MIUI system maintains detailed logs for debugging, which can take up to 3-5 GB. They are stored in:

• 📜 /data/log/ — basic logics.
• 🔧 /data/anr/ — application error dump (ANR — "Application Not Responding").
• 📊 /data/tombstones/ — crash-report.

These files can be deleted, but they will be restored after the reboot, to clear them:

1. Use SD Maid (Section "CorpseFinder").
2. Or run through ADB: adb shell rm -rf /data/log/* adb shell rm -rf /data/anr/* adb shell rm -rf /data/tombstones/*

⚠️ Note: If logs are constantly inflated, this may indicate unstable firmware or application conflict. Check for updates or reset via Settings → Resetting settings.

6. Pre-installed annexes and bloatvear

Xiaomi installs dozens of pre-installed apps on smartphones, many of which cannot be removed without root.

To remove unnecessary apps without root, use ADB:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks  # GetApps


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.video      # Mi Video

A complete list of removal packages can be found on XDA Developers (look for a theme for your model).

💡

Removing system applications through ADB is safe, as long as you don’t touch critical services (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.home).

7. How to free memory without risk: step-by-step instructions

If you don’t want to dig into ADB or risk data, follow this algorithm:

For advanced users:

1. Install MiXplorer and enable access to root folders.
2. Check the folders: /data/log/ — Log (can be deleted). /data/ota_backup/ — old-fashioned. /data/app-lib/ — cache.

SD Maid

If there is a critically small amount of space (less than 10%), the system will slow down, as Android uses memory for caching, in which case only resetting to factory settings or installing custom firmware (for example, Xiaomi.eu without a bloatvear) will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory in Xiaomi