Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to find a specific file, clear a place, or move data, but the MIUI or HyperOS shell interface can be confusing. Internal storage is not just a hidden folder, but a complex directory system accessed through system applications. Understanding how your Xiaomi smartphone’s file system works allows you to effectively manage gigabytes of photos, app cache, and uploaded documents.
There are several ways to get to the data you need, and the choice of method depends on your ultimate goal: whether you want to just look at a photo, delete junk files or connect your phone to your computer as a flash drive. The Android/data system folder in new versions of MIUI is hidden by default for increased security, which often raises questions among advanced users. In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to navigate through the device’s memory.
Search for System Storage through Settings
The easiest way to estimate the amount of space you're using and find the main categories of files is through the settings menu, so you won't see the folder structure here, but you'll get detailed statistics on how you use internal memory, and you'll need to open the settings menu and select a item that might be called differently in different versions of the firmware.
The path is usually Settings → About Phone → Storage or Settings → Memory. In this section, the system automatically analyzes content and sorts files by type: apps, images, video, audio, etc. This is the perfect tool for quickly diagnosing space shortages.
You can click on any category in this menu to see the list of files that occupy the most space, and the system will suggest clearing the cache or removing unnecessary items, but for deep work with the file system, this interface is not enough.
Importantly, this shows the total volume, including system files that cannot be manually deleted. If you see that the “Other” category takes up a disproportionate amount of space, this often indicates an accumulation of temporary messenger files or residual data from remote applications.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete files in system partitions through settings unless you are sure of their purpose.
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The settings menu gives the overall picture, but does not allow you to work with individual files directly.
Use of a Standard Conductor
The main tool for navigating files in Xiaomi smartphones is the File Manager app, which has a bright yellow icon and is pre-installed on all the devices of the brand, and this is where all the folders and documents are visually displayed.
To open up the entire storage, run the app and go to the Folders tab (or Review) and you'll see the root directory of the internal drive here. The standard path to user data is usually /storage/emulated/0/.
This section contains the main directories: DCIM (camera photos and videos), Download (browser downloads), MIUI (screenshots and voice recorder), Bluetooth and others. Navigation is carried out by a simple tap on the name of the folder.
The Explorer also allows you to sort files by date, size, or type, which makes it much faster to search, so you can select groups of files and do operations with them: copy, move, rename, or send them via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
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Use a file name search at the top of Explorer if you know the name, but don’t remember which folder it is in.
For more advanced management, you can enable the display of hidden files in the settings of the Explorer application itself, which will allow you to see files starting from a point that is usually hidden from the user's eyes.
Access to hidden Android and OBB folders
Starting with Android 11 and newer versions of the MIUI 12.5/13/14 shell, Google has restricted access to Android/data and Android/obb system folders. This is done for security reasons so that apps can not interfere with each other's work. However, access is necessary to install mods in games or clear Telegram cache.
When you try to open these folders through standard Explorer, you may see an empty directory or a restriction message, the system will suggest using special tools or confirmation, in some cases, using a third-party file manager, such as Total Commander or Files by Google, helps.
To access, you sometimes need to give permission to view all files in the system. When a third-party manager first starts, the system will ask for confirmation: "Allow access to all files?"
- 📂 The data folder contains cache and data of installed applications.
- 💿 The obb folder stores heavy game files (graphics resources).
- 🔒 Access to these sections may be restricted by the superuser's rights on some firmware.
Why the folder Android/data idle?
Keep in mind that manually cleaning these folders can result in resetting app settings or losing progress in games. Be extremely careful when deleting files with obscure names inside these directories.
Connecting to a computer to manage memory
The most convenient way to move files mass or back up the entire storage is to connect your smartphone to your PC (MTP-Mode), and you see the entire file system in "My computer".
To activate the mode, connect the device with a USB cable to your computer. The smartphone screen will display a notification "Charge over USB." Click on it and select "File Transfer" or "File Transfer" mode. Without this step, the computer will not see the internal storage.
Once you select a mode, a new device will appear in Windows Explorer with the name of your smartphone, and when you open it, you will be at the root of internal memory, and the folder structure will be identical to that you saw in Mobile Explorer.
This method is especially convenient for transferring large amounts of data, as copying speeds via USB 3.0 are much faster than over the air.You can back up photos and videos to your computer's hard drive, freeing up space on your phone.
⚠️ Attention: Do not turn off the cable USB During copying or deleting files, this can cause file system damage and data loss.
If your computer is not responsive to the connection, try replacing the cable or installing Mi PC Suite drivers, although in modern versions of Windows 10 and 11, drivers are usually installed automatically.
Cleaning the storage and handling the garbage
Over time, internal storage is filled with unnecessary data: residual files, duplicates and cache. Xiaomi smartphones have a built-in security utility that includes the Cleanup function.
Run the Security app (a green icon with a shield) and select the Cleanup tool. The system will analyze the memory and suggest removing temporary files, APK installer packs and debris from the applications. This is a safe way to free up a few gigabytes.
WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber store all received photos and videos in the memory of the device, you can find them on the MIUI/Gallery/cloud/cache path or in the folders of the Android/media applications themselves.
Regular cleaning of the gallery basket is also necessary, and deleted photos do not disappear immediately, but move to the folder "Deleted", where they are stored for 30 days, continuing to occupy space in the storage.
- 🗑️ Delete old files in the Download folder, they are often forgotten by users.
- 📸 Clean up the serial shooting in the Gallery, where hundreds of identical frames are stored.
- 📱 Turn off WhatsApp status autosave if you don’t use this feature.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Expansion of storage by memory card
Many Xiaomi and Redmi models support microSD card installation, which allows you to increase the amount of space available for photos, videos and music without affecting the system partition.
To use the card, insert it into the tray. SIM-Once turned on, the phone will suggest setting up the card, which can be used as Portable Storage (available from any device) or as Internal Storage (available only from this phone, the data is encrypted).
When you select the internal storage mode, the system formats the card and it merges with the main memory, which allows you to install applications on it, but you can not remove the card without losing data. U3 or V30 comfortable.
| Type of use | File availability | Installation of applications | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portable | PCs, other phones | Limited. | Low. |
| Internal. | Just this phone. | Complete. | High (if card breaks) |
| Cloud (Mi Cloud) | Internet everywhere. | Not applicable. | Minimum |
Remember to back up important data from your memory card regularly, as they are less reliable than the built-in memory card. NAND-smartphone-memory.