Telegram messenger on Xiaomi devices (whether Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or flagship Xiaomi 14) over time turns into a real “memory eater.” Even with careful use, the application can take several gigabytes — and it’s not only chats, but also cache, media files, bot data and temporary MIUI files. Unlike the iPhone, where cleaning is done through the iOS settings, Xiaomi has to combine the system tools and functions of the messenger itself.
The problem is compounded by the fact that MIUI (Xiaomi’s Android shell has its own memory management mechanisms that don’t always interact correctly with Telegram. For example, the standard Memory Cleanup feature in smartphone settings can only remove part of the cache, leaving intact downloaded stickers, gifs and files from secret chats. In this article, we will analyze all available cleaning methods, from basic to hidden, including working with the file system through the use of a computer. MI File Manager and even File Manager ADB-Teams for Advanced Users.
1. Basic cleaning through Telegram settings
Start with the obvious, the built-in tools of the messenger, which allow you to delete unnecessary media files and cache without losing important data. Importantly, these actions do not affect messages in chat rooms, only attached files.
Open Telegram and go to Settings → Data and memory. Here you are interested in three sections:
- 📁 Memory usage shows how much space media files (photos, videos, documents) occupy in each chat, can be sorted by size and removed.
- 🧹 Clear cache – deletes temporary files, such as image previews or cacheted stickers. On Xiaomi, this section is often hidden: if it is not, update Telegram to the latest version.
- 🔄 Autoclean Media – Configures Automatic Deletion of Older Files 3/7/30 Good for saving space in the long run.
Pay special attention to the item Secret chats — their contents are not displayed in the general memory usage list. To clear them, you need to go to each secret chat separately and manually delete files through the menu... → Clear the history.
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If there are no large files in the Memory Use list, but Telegram still takes up a lot of space, check the /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/cache folder through MI File Manager – there may be temporary files that are not deleted through the application interface.
2.Deep cleaning through MIUI Storage
The system Memory menu in MIUI allows you to delete the Telegram cache and other unnecessary data, but this does not always work intuitively. For example, if you just click Clean in the application information, only a part of the files will be deleted.
To clear all Telegram memory via MIUI:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find Telegram in the list and tap it.
- Go to Memory (or Storage in newer versions of MIUI).
- Click Clear Cache, then Clear Data (this will remove all settings and authorization!).
⚠️ Note: Clear Data will reset Telegram to “as after installation” and you will have to re-log in and set up notifications, only use it if the messenger is more than 5 GB and other methods have not helped.
For more point cleaning:
- 📂 Come in. MI File Manager → Categories → Annexes → Telegram.
- 🗑️ Remove the cache, telegram-images and telegram-video folders (if any).
- 🔍 Check the Download folder – sometimes Telegram saves files there instead of its directory.
3. Cleaning through ADB (for advanced users)
If Telegram is persistently taking up gigabytes of memory and standard methods are not helping, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for users who are not afraid of the command line and are ready for the possible risks.
Connect Xiaomi to your computer, enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times, then return to Additional Settings → For Developers) and execute the commands:
adb shell pm clear org.telegram.messengerThis command will completely reset Telegram, removing all data, including cache and settings. A softer option is to clean only the cache:
adb shell pm clear --user 0 org.telegram.messenger.cache⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) ADB You may not see Telegram folders due to restrictions MIUI. In this case, only manual cleaning through the MI File Manager with root rights (if any).
What if the ADB can’t see the device?
4. Media File Management: What Can Be Safely Deleted
Telegram stores media files in multiple folders, and not all of them are visible through the app interface. On Xiaomi, these folders are usually located along the path:
/storage/emulated/0/Android/media/org.telegram.messenger/Here is what you can remove without risking the messenger:
| folder | Contents | Can I remove it? | Effects of consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram Audio | Voice messages and music | Yes. | The files will remain in chat rooms, but you will have to download them again. |
| Telegram Documents | PDF, APK, ZIP and other documents | Yes. | Files will disappear from chat rooms, but they can be downloaded again |
| Telegram Images | Photos and pictures | Partially. | Only local copies will be removed; miniatures will remain |
| Telegram Video | Video files | Yes. | Videos will disappear from the gallery, but will remain in chat rooms |
| cache | Temporary files | Yes. | Some display settings may be reset |
Don’t delete the entire Telegram folder, it will cause messaging, and beware of files with the.tdb or.map extension, which are chat databases.
Make sure important files are saved in the cloud or on PC
Check if files are used in active chat rooms
Close Telegram before deleting (so as not to damage the database)
Make a backup of the Telegram folder to a memory card or PC-->
5. Hidden sources of memory consumption: bots, channels and stickers
Many users are unaware that bots and channels can take up hundreds of megabytes of memory, such as music or video download bots (@vid, @MusicDownloaderBot) saving files to the Telegram Documents folder, and meme channels clog Telegram Images with thousands of pictures.
How to clean:
- 🤖 Bots: Go into chat with a bot, tap … → Clear the history. Then check the Telegram Documents folder for any remaining files.
- 📢 Channels: In Channel Settings (… → Channel management → History: You can delete all messages older than a certain date.
- 🎨 Stickers: Telegram Stickers folder can weigh up to 500MB. Remove unnecessary sets via Settings → Stickers.
- 🎮 Games: If you played @gamee or @gamebot, Check the Telegram Games folder – cached data may remain there.
⚠️ Note: Some bots (for example, @ManyBot or @GroupHelpBot) Create hidden files in a folder Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/files. You can only remove them with root rights or through ADB.
6. Cleanup automation: Telegram and MIUI settings
To avoid manually clearing the memory, set up automatic data management:
On Telegram:
- 📥 Enable Auto Download Media for Wi-Fi Only (Settings) → Data and memory → Downloading media).
- 🗑️ Activate Clear Cache when leaving the application (in some versions of Telegram this option is hidden - you need to turn on Developer Mode in the settings).
- 🔄 Set up Auto Clean Media to delete files older than 30 days.
MIUI:
- 🛡️ Enable Memory Optimization in Settings → Memory. → Settings.
- 📊 Add Telegram to the list of Cleaned Applications (Settings) → Battery and productivity → Memory management).
- 🔄 Set up Autoclean for files older than 7 days in MI File Manager.
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The most effective way to save space is to disable auto-downloading of media in mobile data and clear the cache once a week, which will reduce memory consumption by 40-60% without loss of functionality.