Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face situations where the device is slowing down or no longer accepting new photos, a direct signal that internal storage is crowded, but to effectively manage the space, you need to clearly understand where the files are physically and softwarely located, and which partitions occupy the lion’s share of resources.
Unlike computers, the Android file system is more complex and the /data root directory is closed by default for the average user. In this article, we will look at how to find folders visible to the user, where application caches are hidden, and how the system labels different types of data in the MIUI or HyperOS shell.
Understanding the structure of memory is key to your gadget’s long life, and we won’t go into the complex technical details of the Linux kernel, but we’ll cover the practical aspects of navigating the file system that will help you free up gigabytes of free space without installing questionable cleaners.
Physical location and logical structure
Physically, the internal memory is a microchip. NAND-The flash is soldered directly on the smartphone motherboard, and unlike microSD cards, it is impossible to remove it without special equipment, and logically, this chip is divided into many partitions, each of which is responsible for its own tasks: bootloader, system partition, recovery partition and user data.
The user section, which we see as the "Internal Drive", in the Android system is based on the file system. ext4 or f2fs. This is where your photos, downloads, installed apps and their data are stored. USB-You only access a certain part of this structure because access to system files is restricted by root rights.
⚠️ Note: Attempt to manually delete files from system folders through ADB or file managers with root rights can lead to "bricking" of the device.
It is important to distinguish between memory and storage. RAM is responsible for running applications and internal memory (ROM) is responsible for storing data. When people say that “phone memory is out,” they almost always mean that PZU (permanent storage) is overflowing.
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Xiaomi’s internal memory is a non-removable module logically divided into system and user sections that are accessed by Android access rights.
Navigation of the file system through the Explorer
For most users, the main tool for accessing files is the standard File Manager app, preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones. To get to the root folder of internal storage, launch the application and click on the folder icon at the top of the screen or select "Internal Drive".
Here you'll see a list of directories whose names often correspond to the names of the installed applications. DCIM It stores photos and videos from the camera, Download files from the browser, and Android contains application data and cache. Android/data often grows to giant sizes, taking place with the cache of messengers and games.
The folder structure may look chaotic, but it obeys Android standards. Below is a table of the major directories you will find when you study the content:
| The name of the folder | Contents | Can I remove it? |
|---|---|---|
| DCIM | Photo and video from the camera | Only unnecessary files. |
| Download | Downloads from the browser | Yeah, unless you have to. |
| MIUI | Data shells (topics, notes) | Carefully. |
| Android | Cash and application data | Better through the settings |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth files received | Yes. |
When deleting files from these folders, be careful: cleaning the DCIM folder will delete all your pictures, and cleaning the Android/data/com.whatsapp folder (if there is one) can erase your correspondence history if you don’t make a backup.
Hidden folders in the Explorer
Use of built-in cleaning utility
The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS come with a powerful built-in memory management tool that users often ignore, and can be found through the Security app (green icon with shield) → Cleanup tab. This tool scans internal memory and identifies files that can be safely deleted.
Unlike third-party applications, the system utility knows which caches can be touched and which are needed to run the system quickly. It can find duplicate photos, large video files, old APK installation packages and remnants of remote applications. This is the most secure way to make room for inexperienced users.
- 🧹 Deep Cleanup: allows you to find and delete forgotten files in messenger folders that are not visible during normal browsing.
- 📸 Photo analysis: grouping similar pictures and suggests removing blurred or unsuccessful frames, saving space.
- 📦 Delete applications: shows a list of rarely used programs that take up a lot of space in internal memory.
Regular use of this tool, at least once a week, helps to keep the performance of the smartphone at a high level, the system itself tells which parts of memory are critically filled, and suggests specific actions.
Analysis of storage through system settings
For a more detailed understanding of what exactly takes up space, the best way to use a system analyzer is to go to Settings → About Phone → Memory (or Storage), and here is a visual diagram of the space distribution.
The system breaks up the memory you're using into categories like "Apps," "Images," "Video," "Audio," "Documents" and "Other." Clicking on "Apps" will show you a list sorted by size, and it often turns out that the lion's share is eaten by Telegram, Instagram, or TikTok by the accumulated cache.
When you go to a specific app card, you see two buttons: "Clean" and "Delete." The "Clean" button is divided into "Clean Cache" and "Clean All." The first action is safe and deletes temporary files, the second one resets the application to a state immediately after installation, removing logins and settings.
⚠️ Warning: The Clean All feature in the app settings will delete your messaging messages unless cloud backup is configured!
The "Other" section is often questionable, as it may be hiding system update files, offline navigator maps, or data that the system cannot classify. Cleaning this section through phone settings is usually safe, but it doesn't always give you a significant boost in free space.
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If the "Other" partition takes up an abnormally large amount of space (more than 10-15 GB), try to restart your smartphone. Sometimes the system file indexer "hangs" and incorrectly displays the amount of data.
Access to hidden system folders via PC
For advanced users who need full access to the file system, including hidden folders, the best solution is to connect the smartphone to the computer. However, the standard file transfer mode (MTP) still hides some of the system directories. Full access requires Root rights or the use of USB debugging (ADB).
If you have root rights (obtained through Magisk, for example), you can use file managers like Root Explorer or MIXplorer, which will open access to the root of the system. / Here you can see the system, vendor, data partitions. But again, tampering with these partitions without deep knowledge can bring the phone down.
A safer way to work with a PC is to use debugging mode. Enable it in Settings → Advanced Settings → Developers → Debugging via USB. By connecting your phone to a PC, you can use programs like Android Debug Bridge to transfer commands.
adb shell ls /sdcard/Android/dataThis command, executed in the computer's command line, will output a list of application folders. Through ADB, you can delete files that are not deleted through the phone's interface, but this requires caution and understanding the path structure.
☑️ Preparation for working with the file system
Typical problems and their solution
One of the common problems Xiaomi users have is when memory is busy with “system data” but clearing the cache doesn’t help, often because the Media Storage app is incorrectly indexing files, or the.thumbnails folder has accumulated gallery thumbnails that weigh several gigabytes.
Another common problem is the “junk” from remote applications: if you normally delete a program through a menu, its folder in Android/data or in the root of the storage can remain, such “tails” should be searched and removed manually through Explorer, checking folders with the names of remote services.
If the space disappears by itself, check the settings of messengers. Telegram, for example, is the default autoload media, and the cache can grow to tens of gigabytes. Clearing the cache in such applications is better done through their own settings, not through the file manager, so as not to damage the database.
- 📉 Slow work: a sign that there is less free memory 10-15% total.
- 🚫 Installation error: occurs when there is not enough time to unpack updates.
- 📷 Not shooting video: The camera blocks the recording if it can’t create a new file on a crowded drive.
Regular monitoring of storage conditions avoids critical situations, and if the phone is constantly signaling a shortage of space, you should consider buying cloud storage or transferring archived photos to your computer.