Why Xiaomi is fast running out of RAM: a full analysis of the causes and solutions

You've noticed that your Xiaomi is slowing down, apps are spontaneously shutting down, and the Task Manager says "Not enough memory"? These are classic symptoms of RAM overload. Unlike internal storage, where photos and files accumulate, RAM is responsible for multitasking - and when it's not enough, the smartphone turns into a "brick" even with 8-12 GB of RAM.

Even the flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra or POCO F5 Pro models may suffer from a lack of RAM due to aggressive optimization of MIUI, background processes or viruses. In this article, we will not just list the culprits, but show you how to determine exactly what is eating RAM on your Xiaomi, and give working ways to free up memory without resetting to factory settings.

Spoiler: 60 percent of the time, it's not heavy games that are to blame, it's system services that can be manually disabled, and you'll also learn why RAM is "less" after the MIUI update, and what to do if the smartphone, after cleaning the Task Manager, shows 90 percent RAM boot again after 5 minutes.

1.MIUI Optimized: The Hidden RAM Eater

Xiaomi’s main “invisible enemy” is the com.miui.optimized system process, which is a built-in MIUI optimizer that should speed up the smartphone, but often does the opposite in practice: it aggressively caches applications in the background, duplicates tasks, and can take up to 1.5-2 GB of RAM on devices with 6-8 GB of memory.

The problem is exacerbated by the MIUI updates: newer versions (starting with MIUI 14) have made the optimizer even more intrusive, such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, where users complain that the free RAM update leaves less than 2 GB in closed applications.

• 🔍 How to check: Open Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI and press "Kerole" 5 times. Turn on Developer Mode, then go to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers → Memory. Here you'll see how much RAM eats com.miui.optimized.
• ⚙️ How to disable: In the same developer menu, find the option to Limit Background Processes and select "No Background Processes." Then turn off MIUI Optimized through ADB-Command: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.optimized
• ⚠️ Side effect: After disconnecting, some functions may stop working MIUI (For example, fast camera start with a double press of the power button).

⚠️ Attention: On models POCO F4/F5 Xiaomi 12T Disabling com.miui.optimized may cause disruptions NFC. Before experimenting, back up through Settings → System system → Backup.

2.Found applications: why they don't close

MIUI is known for not killing background processes, but for freezing them in a special mode, which should save battery life, but in practice, even after cleaning the task manager, the RAM is clogged again after 10 minutes.

• 📱 Social networks: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and VKontakte keep in memory 2-3 processes at the same time (for example, the main application). + notification + analytics).
• 🎮 Game launchers: Xiaomi Game Turbo and POCO Launcher continues to work in the background even after the game closes, taking up to 500 MB RAM.
• 🔄 Auto-updated widgets: Weather, currency rates, news feeds (Yandex, Google Discover) are updated every 15-30 minutes.

The most insidious thing is that MIUI hides some of the background from the user, for example, in Task Manager you won't see com.xiaomi.mipicks (advertising module) or com.miui.analytics (statistics collection), although they are actively consuming memory.

How to clean the background processes correctly:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Instagram) → Battery → Limit background activity.
3. Use it for complete shutdown. ADB: adb shell cmd appops set com.instagram RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND deny

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If the memory is clogged again in 5 minutes after cleaning the Task Manager, check the sync settings in Settings → Accounts. Turn off automatic sync for unnecessary services (such as Mi Cloud or Google Fit).

3. Viruses and Advertising Software: Hidden Parasites

One of the most frustrating scenarios is when RAM is fed by malware masquerading as system processes, especially in smartphones that have pirated apps or APKs installed from unverified sources.

• 📈 RAM It is clogged even after resetting to factory settings.
• 🔋 The battery goes down in 3-4 hours without active use.
• 📱 Unknown applications like com.system.update or android.service.secure appear.

Frequent culprits:

• 🦠 Advertising Trojans: com.adservice, com.push.service – display banners and collect data.
• 🕵️ Spyware: Masquerades as com.android.settings or com.qualcomm.qti.
• ⛏️ Miners: Use smartphone resources to mine cryptocurrency (e.g. com.miner.gate).

How to check and delete:

1. Install Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light and scan the system.
2. Check the list of installed apps in Settings → Apps → All apps. Pay attention to programs with unusual names or an installation date that you don’t remember.
3. To remove system viruses, root rights or ADB command will be required: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 title.package

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi firmware (especially global versions for the Redmi Note 11 and the Redmi Note) POCO X3 Pro) viruses can be embedded in the system APK-In this case, only flashing through Fastboot will help.

4 MIUI Updates: Why RAM Has Been Less Since the Update

Many users notice that after updating MIUI free RAM has decreased by 10-30%, which is not an illusion - new versions of firmware often add background services that are constantly hanging in memory.

• 🆕 MIUI 14+: The com.miui.hyperos process (preparation for HyperOS) is added, which takes 300-500 MB.
• 🎨 Themes and Wallpapers: com.android.themes caches themes even if you don’t use them.
• 🔒 Security: com.miui.guardprovider scans the system in real time.

Another reason is the change in memory management policy: in older versions of MIUI (up to 12.5), the system aggressively killed background processes, and now tries to keep them in the cache "just in case", which should speed up the re-launch of applications, but on weak smartphones (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO M3) leads to brakes.

How to get back to your previous productivity:

Roll back firmware via Fastboot (if the update brings critical lags)|

Turn off automatic theme loading in Settings → Wallpaper → Theme settings |

Clear the cache of system applications through Settings → Storage → Clear the cache |

Install the Disabler MIUI patch (requires Magisk)

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If after the update, the smartphone began to unbearably slow down, try to roll back to the previous version of MIUI.

1. Download the necessary firmware from the site en.miui.com.
2. Go to Fastboot (clip Volume Down + Power).
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: fastboot flash all name file.zip

5 Games and Heavy Apps: How They Boot RAM

An obvious but often underrated item is resource-intensive apps, and even if you close a game, it can leave tails in your memory:

• 🎮 Genshin Impact: After closing, it leaves the RAM up to 1 GB (cache of textures and shaders).
• 📹 CapCut/KineMaster: Video editors keep render processes in mind even after export.

The problem is that MIUI doesn’t always clean the game cache correctly, for example, after an hour of playing Call of Duty Mobile on the POCO F4 GT, up to 1.5 GB of garbage can remain in memory, which the system does not release even if there is a lack of RAM.

How to reduce the load:

• 🔧 In the game settings, turn off Background resource loading (in Genshin Impact this is Settings). → Others → Resource preloading).
• 🗑️ After the game manually clean the cache through Settings → Annexes → [play] → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🛠️ Use the Game Turbo to limit your FPS background (turns on in the notification curtain during the game).

Hardware problems: when the "iron" is to blame

If all the software methods have been tried, but RAM still clogs in minutes, the problem could be in the hardware.

• 🔌 Faulty memory: Microcracks on a chip RAM or problems with soldering (relevant for smartphones after falls).
• ⚡ Overheating: At temperatures above 60°C memory controller starts to work unstable, which leads to leaks RAM.
• 🔋 Worn-out battery: At a discharge below 15%, the system forces the closure of processes, but sometimes this works with errors.

How to check for iron:

1. Install AIDA64 and check the Memory → Use RAM section. If free memory drops to 0% for no apparent reason, it’s a sign of hardware malfunction.
2. Run a stability test in the 3C Toolbox (Benchmark section) If the smartphone reboots or crashes into the Fastboot, there is a problem with RAM.
3. Check the temperature with ##4636## (test menu) If the CPU/GPU is heated above 70°C in a simple, you need to replace the thermopaste.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi models 11T redmi K50 There's a chip soldering defect LPDDR5, which occurs in random reboots when loading RAM If your smartphone falls under this series, contact the service center for soldering.

7.How to Free RAM on Xiaomi: Step-by-step instructions

If you don’t want to dig into the settings, here’s a quick checklist for freeing up RAM:

Close all applications through Task Manager (swipe up) |

Turn off auto-start for unnecessary applications in Settings → Battery → Auto-start |

Clear the cache of system applications through Settings → Storage → Clear the cache |

Reboot your smartphone (this resets all background processes)|

Turn off animation in Settings → For developers → Animation scale (off)

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For advanced users:

• 🛠️ Install Greenify (requires root) for forced hibernation of apps.
• 🔧 Use Magisk. + module GMS Doze to Optimize Google Play Services.
• 📉 Configure swappiness (the kernel parameter responsible for using the device) RAM) Kernel Adiutor (30–50 for balanced work).

If nothing works, the last option is to reset to the factory settings.

1. Create a backup through Settings → System → Backup.
2. Write down the IMEI (type *#06#).
3. Reset through Settings → About Phone → Reset settings.

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On Xiaomi smartphones with 6-8 GB of RAM, the optimal value of free memory in simple is 1.5-2.5 GB. If it is below 1 GB, then the system is overloaded with background processes or viruses.

FAQ: Frequent questions about RAM on Xiaomi