How to clean up Xiaomi memory on Android: the complete guide

Modern Xiaomi smartphones, which run on Android and the MIUI or HyperOS shell, have powerful functionality that requires a significant amount of free space. Users often face a situation where the device starts to run slower, and notifications of space shortages appear at the most inopportune time, due to the accumulation of temporary files, app cache and duplicate photos that cover gigabytes.

The need to make room is especially acute when you need to install a major system update or download a new game with heavy graphics. Built-in cleaning mechanisms do not always cope with the deep debris left after remote programs. So it is important to understand what methods are really effective and safe for the file system of your gadget.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways to optimize storage, from using standard tools to manually removing system debris, you will learn how to find hidden files, clean the messenger cache and properly manage cloud storage so that your smartphone will fly again.

Use of the built-in Security application

The first and most obvious step is to turn to a standard tool from shell developers: each Xiaomi device has a Security app preinstalled, which contains a memory cleaner module, which is suitable for quick daily cleaning and removing obvious debris.

Launch the app and select Cleanup. The system will scan and suggest that temporary files, deleted app residues and advertising debris be deleted. However, it is worth noting that the standard algorithm is often too conservative and leaves a significant amount of data on the device that can be safely deleted.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t rely on automatic cleaning alone. Standard scanners often ignore the cache of heavy apps like Telegram or TikTok, which can take up tens of gigabytes.

To do more work, click on the Recycle Bin icon or go to the in-app storage management section, and here you will see a detailed breakdown by file category. Cleaning through this interface allows you to selectively delete large videos or APK installation files left over from software updates.

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Run a standard cleaning at least once a week to prevent critical system partition filling and slowing down the interface.

Storage analysis and removal of large files

Often users are not even aware of what content takes up the lion’s share of space. In the system settings, there is a built-in analyzer that visualizes the distribution of data. Go to the Settings menu → About the phone → Memory (or Storage) to see a color diagram of occupied space.

You can find forgotten downloads, long, low-quality videos, or offline maps of the navigator. By clicking on different sectors of the chart, you get to a file manager with size-sorted objects. Deleting even a few unnecessary movies can instantly free up 5-10 GB.

Special attention should be paid to the Download folder and social network directories. Many messengers by default save all received media files in the memory of the device, checking these folders allows you to find thousands of unnecessary images and voice messages.

Use the file manager's size sorting function, and it often turns out that it's not thousands of small pictures that occupy the space, but a few archives or video files that you've forgotten about, and regular monitoring of the storage helps keep things under control.

Cleaning the cache of applications and messengers

The most voracious consumers of memory are traditionally social networks and instant messengers, apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber and TikTok store huge amounts of temporary data to quickly load content, and over time this cache grows to incredible sizes, slowing down the system.

To clear the cache of a particular application, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the desired program in the list and select Memory or Storage. There will be a button Clear cache. It is important not to confuse it with the Clean All (or Erase Data) button, since the second option will delete your correspondence and logins.

There are also built-in memory management tools inside the messengers themselves, for example, on Telegram you can go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use and clear the cache with a single button, and you can set up autodelete media files so that they do not save to the phone gallery.

Cleaning your cache regularly is the most effective way to get your phone back up without losing your identity. If you’re a video user, check the YouTube and browser cache where gigabytes of temporary information are stored.

⚠️ Note: When cleaning your browser data, make sure you remember passwords from important sites, as the logins saved in the browser will be deleted along with your browsing history.

Removal of duplicates and similar photos

Xiaomi’s camera of modern smartphones takes high-quality shots that take up a lot of space. Often users take serial shots, save screenshots or simply forget to delete failed shots. MIUI Gallery has a built-in tool for finding similar photos, but it’s not always perfect.

You can use third-party solutions to make things better, or you can take a closer look at albums. The standard gallery has a Screenshots and Edited album, where digital trash often accumulates. Removing old screenshots and screenshots is a quick way to make room.

Also worth checking out is the album Recently Deleted. The files you deleted don't disappear immediately, but are stored there for 30 days, continuing to take up space.

Pay attention to the format of the images. If you shoot in RAW or high resolution 108 MP, one file can weigh 20-30 MB. Put the camera in standard shooting mode for everyday photos to save space.

Working with cloud storage and Google Photos

One of the most effective ways to free up memory is to transfer media files to the cloud, and Google Photos offers a "Free Space" feature that removes photos and videos from your device that have already been safely stored in the cloud.

To use this feature, make sure that sync is enabled and complete. Then open the Google Photos app, click on the profile avatar and select Free Space. The system will automatically delete local copies of files, leaving them available in the cloud.

A similar principle works with Xiaomi Cloud and other services like Yandex.Disk or Dropbox, setting up automatic unloading allows you not to worry about data loss when cleaning your phone, which is especially true for owners of models with a small amount of internal memory.

Using the cloud turns your smartphone into a terminal for accessing data, rather than storage, and it changes the way you use memory and allows you to avoid thinking about space shortages for years.

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Transferring photos and videos to the cloud is the only way to forget about the memory problem on a smartphone with a small drive.

Removing Unused Applications and Games

Applications are not just the installation file, but the data they generate as they are used. 5-10 GB each. If you haven't played the game for a month, there's no point in keeping it on your device.

Go to Settings → Apps → All apps and sort the list by size. You'll be surprised to find programs you don't use that take up gigabytes. Deleting those apps is the fastest way to get free space.

Also worth noting are pre-installed apps, often called "bloatware," some of which can be removed, others can only be disabled, and disabling system applications that you don't use (such as superfluous browsers or Google services) also frees up space a little and reduces the workload on the processor.

⚠️ Be careful when removing root-enabled system applications or through ADB. Removing critical system components may result in the inability to boot your phone.

For games with heavy cache (data files), simply removing the icon from the desktop sometimes doesn't remove the entire cache.Use the file manager to check the Android/obb and Android/data folder for remnants of deleted games.

Extended cleaning through file manager

For advanced users, a manual cleaning method is available through built-in Explorer, and folders with temporary files, error logs and remnants of remote programs can be found here. Particular attention should be paid to the MIUI/Gallery/cloud/cache folder, where garbage from the gallery often accumulates.

Also check the Android folder. It's got app data inside it. If you delete an app but it's still got data, you can safely delete it manually, but be careful: deleting active app folders will cause them to reset or lose progress.

Search for keywords such as “log”, “temp”, “cache” to help you find scattered files that are not visible during normal browsing, and the file manager gives you complete control over the contents of your drive.

Resetting to factory settings as an extreme measure

If none of these methods worked and the memory is filled up instantly, it could be that the system has crashed or that there's a lot of software debris, and in this case, an effective but radical solution is to completely reset to factory settings.

Before this procedure, make sure to back up all your important data, reset will delete everything: contacts, photos, apps and settings, and the phone will return to the state it was in when you bought it.

To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. Once you reboot, you will get a clean system with maximum free memory.

This method is recommended to be used every 1-2 years of active operation of the device, it not only frees up memory, but also eliminates many software errors, returning the phone to its original speed.