Where to look at Xiaomi memory: all the ways for smartphones and TVs

Have you bought a new Xiaomi smartphone or a Mi TV, but aren’t sure how much space is left on the device? Or want to check whether unnecessary apps are eating away at memory? In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to view the amount of internal and RAM on Xiaomi devices, from basic methods through the settings menu to advanced tools like ADB.

It is important to understand the difference between the types of memory: embedded (ROM) stores your files, applications and system, while RAM is responsible for multitasking. On Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO) and Mi TVs, the paths to this information are different. We will show current instructions for MIUI 14/15 and older versions, and also explain why sometimes the data in different menus may not coincide.

If you’re faced with memory disappearing for no apparent reason, the end of the article is an FAQ with answers to typical questions, such as why MIUI “hidden” part of the volume or how to clear the cache of system applications.

1. How to view memory on a Xiaomi smartphone through MIUI settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI shell tools, which works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones regardless of the firmware version (even on the outdated MIUI 12).

Open the Settings app (cog icon) and follow the following steps:

• 📱 Go to About Phone (in older versions – About the device).
• 📊 Find the Storage or Memory block – this shows the total amount of internal memory (ROM) free space.
• 🔍 To see the detail (what exactly takes place), tap on the Storage line - a graph will open with the distribution by categories: Apps, Images, Videos, etc.
• 📉 To check the RAM (RAM) Go back to the main settings menu and select About Phone → Memory and performance (or Memory Status in new versions).

Note that in some firmware (for example, on POCO F5), the path may be slightly different. If you do not find the Storage section in About Phone, try the alternative path: Settings → Memory (a separate item in the main menu).

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If the Storage section displays less memory than the device box shows, that's fine. Part of the volume is occupied by the MIUI system and pre-installed applications. For example, on a smartphone with 128 GB, ~112-115 GB is actually available.

2 Memory check through "Security" and "Cleaning"

The Security app (or Global Firmware Security) not only protects the device, but also provides detailed information about memory usage, a method that is convenient if you want to make room immediately.

Instructions:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleanup tab (or Boost in some versions).
3. At the top of the screen, you'll see a pie chart with the memory distribution by file type, and tap it for detail.
4. To find out the amount of RAM, go back to the home page of the application and look for the Performance or Memory Status block.

The advantage of this method is the ability to quickly clear the cache directly from the interface. For example, if you see that the System cache takes several gigabytes, click Clear and confirm the action. However, be careful: clearing the cache of some applications (for example, Google Play Services) can lead to temporary crashes.

3.Using Xiaomi File Manager

The integrated File Manager (or Files by Google on some models) also shows memory information, but with a focus on custom files, which is useful if you want to see which folders take up the most space.

How to check:

• 📁 Open the Files app (Folder icon).
• 📊 At the top of the screen, you'll see total storage and free space. Some firmware will have to tap three points (⋮) Select the storage analysis.
• 🔎 For details, go to the Category tab – here the files are grouped by types: Images, Videos, Audio, Documents and Applications.
• 🗑️ To make room, select unnecessary files and click Delete. To delete system files (such as cache) root rights will be required.

The file manager is handy for manual cleaning, but does not show RAM. It also does not take into account hidden system files, which can take up to 5-10 GB (for example, backups of MIUI updates).

4.Memory check on Xiaomi TVs (Mi TV)

On Xiaomi Mi TVs (including Mi TV 4S, Mi TV Q1, Redmi Smart TVs), the interface is different from smartphones. There is no MIUI shell, but there is a custom menu with memory information.

Instructions for Mi TV:

1. On the remote, press the Settings button and select Settings.
2. Go to Device → Storage (or About Device → Memory in newer PatchWall versions).
3. The screen will display a diagram with the memory distribution: System, Applications, Media Files and Free.
4. To check RAM, go back to Settings → About Device → Memory Status.

Xiaomi TVs often have a memory problem due to the small amount of built-in storage (for example, 8 GB on the Mi TV 4A). If the free space is less than 1 GB, the system starts to slow down, and applications (for example, Netflix or YouTube) may not update, the solution is to clear the cache or connect an external drive via USB.

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Xiaomi TVs with 8 GB of memory can not install more than 10-15 applications. USB-storage FAT32 (Up to 32 GB) or exFAT (over 32 GB) for media storage.

5. Advanced Methods: ADB and Engineering Menu

If standard methods don’t show the full picture (for example, you suspect that memory is “disappearing” due to system errors), you can use tools for developers. This is relevant for power users, as it requires a PC connection and knowledge of commands.

Method 1: Checking with ADB

This will require:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 📱 On your smartphone, turn on debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).
• 🔌 Connect the device to the PC by USB (Select the File Transfer Mode).

Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type:

adb shell df -h

You'll get a table with partitions of memory. We're interested in the lines:

• /data – user data (applications, files).
• /system is the MIUI system files.
• /cache – update cache and temporary files.

To see the use of RAM, type:

adb shell dumpsys meminfo

Method 2: Engineering menu (smartphone only)

In the application Phone combination:

##4636##

You'll open the Test menu. Go to the Battery Information tab -- here's the Usage line at the bottom, with the memory data, but this method only shows RAM, not the built-in memory.

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC|Download Platform Tools (ADB)|Enable debugging on USB smartphone|Connect the device in the mode "File transfer"|Run the command line on behalf of the administrator-->

6.Why can memory data differ from menu to menu?

Xiaomi users often find that Settings displays one memory, File Manager displays another, and ADB displays a third. This is not a bug, but a feature of the system.

• 📁 Hidden System Files: Settings and File Manager do not take into account protected partitions (e.g, /vendor or /recovery).
• 🗑️ Cache and Temporary Files: Some apps (like Google Play Services) create a cache that is not always visible to the user.
• 🔄 Difference between binary and decimal gigabytes: Manufacturers specify memory in decimal GB (1 GB) = 1,000,000 bytes, and the system shows in binary GiBs (1 GiB) = 1,073,741,824 bytes. For example, 128GB on a box. = ~119 GiB in the system.
• 🔒 Reserved space: MIUI reserve ~5-10% of the memory for system updates and recovery.

If the difference between the box and the actual volume exceeds 10-15%, this may indicate a device tampering or partition markup error (for example, after an unofficial firmware).

adb shell du -sh /system

This will show the size of the section. /system human-readable.-->

7.How to free up memory on Xiaomi without losing data?

If less than 10% of the space is left, the system will slow down and the applications will fly out. Here are safe ways to clean up (without deleting important files):

• 🧹 Cleaning the app cache: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management, select an app (like Facebook) and click Clear Cache.
• 🗑️ Removal of unnecessary APK: In File Manager, go to the Download folder and delete outdated.apk files (application installer packages).
• 📂 Transfer of files to SD-Map: In Settings → Warehouse → You can transfer photos and videos to an external drive (does not work on all models).
• ☁️ Download to the cloud: Use Mi Cloud or Google Photos to back up your media files.
• 🔍 Search for large files: In File Manager, select Categories → Large files and delete unnecessary videos or backups.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use deep cleaning applications (such as Clean Master or CCleaner) that often delete important system files, leading to crashes. MIUI. Also, do not clear the cache of system applications (for example, com.miui.home) – this can disrupt the interface.

If the memory is still running out quickly after cleaning, check the device for viruses (via Security → Scanner) or reset to factory settings (Settings → Additional → Resetting).

❓ Frequently asked questions