Where to look for memory on Xiaomi phone: from basic settings to hidden folders

Why Xiaomi’s memory is “disappearing” and where to look

Have you ever encountered a situation where Xiaomi shows that there is critically little memory left even though you haven't downloaded anything? Or vice versa - the phone claims that 20 GB is free but new photos are not saved? The problem lies not only in the obvious files, but also in system cache, duplicate MIUI and hidden partitions that do not appear in the standard Explorer.

In this article, we will look at all possible data storage locations on Xiaomi, including those that are not written in the official instructions, you will learn how to find lost gigabytes, which folders can be cleaned without risk, and which ones can not be touched categorically. And yes, we're not just going to touch on the internal memory, but also SD-map, OTG-Drives and even cloud storage Mi Cloud.

Spoiler: On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO F3) up to 15% of the memory can be occupied by backup partitions for updates that are not visible to the user, but they can also be “freed” – this is the section about ADB.

Method 1: The MIUI Standard Conductor – What it Shows and What It Hides

Let's start with the obvious, the built-in file manager from Xiaomi, which is on all smartphones with a MIUI shell (from Redmi 9A to Xiaomi 13 Ultra).

1. Slip on the Files icon** (yellow folder with blue tick).
2. In the lower menu, select the Device tab – this displays internal memory.
3. For SD-maps go to the tab SD-map (if installed).

What you'll see:

• 📁 Application folders (Android, DCIM, Downloads, etc. – here you can store your photos, videos and downloads.
• 🔄 App cache -- folder Android/data and Android/obb (game-file).
• 📱 System files — MIUI, Xiaomi and other hidden directories.

But there's a caveat: MIUI Explorer doesn't show hidden files by default (those that start with a dot, like.thumbnails).

1. Open Settings → Display → Additional → Show hidden files.
2. Or in the conductor itself, tap three dots in the upper right corner → Settings → Show hidden files.

💡

If you connect your phone to your computer but don’t see some folders, turn on File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification curtain. Windows may also need to install Mi PC Suite drivers.

Method 2: Memory analysis through Settings – where gigabytes are hiding

There's a built-in tool in the Settings menu that shows you what data is taking up space, from apps to garbage, which is useful if you don't want to go through folders manually.

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Memory (on some models, the path: Settings → Storage).
2. Wait for the system to analyze the data (it can take up to 1 minute).
3. Slip on any section (such as Apps, Images, or System Data) to see details.

What's important here:

• 📱 Apps: sort by size – often old games or instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) take 1-2 GB per cache.
• 🗑️ Garbage: Cleanup section will show temporary files that can be deleted with one tap.
• 🔍 System data: This can be duplicate photos from Mi Cloud or backup updates.

Method 3: Find hidden folders and system files

If you notice that you're taking up more memory than you should be, the hidden system files are to blame. They're not visible in standard Explorer, but they can take up to 5-10 GB.

• 🔍 The.thumbnails folder is where you store thumbnails of all your photos and videos. You can delete them (they will be restored automatically).
• 🔍 folder.MIUI — backup copies of themes, wallpapers and settings MIUI. Only remove if you do not use customization.
• 🔍 folder Android/obb — Game files (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) can weigh in on the game. 2–4 GB.
• 🔍 folder MIUI/Backup — Automatic backups of the system. If you haven't reset, you can clean it up.

How to access hidden folders:

1. Use a third-party explorer, such as Solid Explorer or FX File Manager (they show hidden files by default).
2. Or connect your phone to your PC and enable the display of hidden files in Windows Explorer (View → Hidden Items).

Check backup of important data|Make sure you don’t delete folders with com.android names.*|Do not touch files with the.odex or.vdex extension|After cleaning, restart the phone.-->

Method 4: Memory Checking with ADB for Advanced Users

If you're ready to dive deeper, the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) will show the full memory partition, including parts that can't be seen even through the conductor. This is true for models with MIUI 12/13/14, where some of the memory is reserved for updates.

What you'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-driver.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → For developers).

Memory analysis commands:

adb shell df -h # Shows all memory partitions


adb shell du -sh /data/* # folder size in /data




adb shell ls -la /storage/emulated/0/ # List of files in internal memory

What you might find:

• 📊 Section /cache — Temporary update files (can be cleared by adb shell su command) -c "rm -rf /cache/*").
• 📊 Section /data/ota_package — Here are the firmware files (you can delete them if you don’t plan to update them).
• 📊 folder /data/app — installed applications (here you can see the "weight" of each APK).

💡

Do not delete /system, /vendor or /boot folders through ADB, this will result in a phone blink (completely inoperable).

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB They require root rights to be fully accessible, and without them, you will only see a fraction of the data. If you are not sure about your actions, use secure methods (sections 1-3).

Method 5: Checking external memory (SD-map OTG)

If you use SD-map USB-storage OTG, They also need to be checked for junk, especially for microSD cards, which over time become clogged with temporary files.

How to check:

1. Insert the card into the phone (or connect the flash drive through the phone). OTG-adapter).
2. Open the files. → SD-map USB-accumulator).
3. Pay attention to the folders: 📁 Android – cache of applications transferred to the map. 📁 DCIM — Photos and videos taken by the camera. 📁.Trashes – Recycle Bin (if the card is formatted as internal memory).

What to do if the card is not visible:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🔧 Format the map (Warning: All data will be deleted!) for this: Settings → Warehouse → SD-map → Format.
• 🛠️ Check the card on another device – if it doesn’t work, it may be damaged.

⚠️ Note: If you are formatting SD-The card is like an internal memory, which you can't just pull out, and it'll cause errors in the application. First, you can transfer the data back to the internal memory.

Method 6: Mi Cloud Cloud Storage – Forgotten Backups

Many Xiaomi users are unaware that their phone automatically syncs data to the Mi Cloud.

• 📸 Photo and video (automatic download from the gallery).
• 📱 Backup copies of messages, notes and calls.
• 🎵 Music and documents (if you have used Mi Cloud Drive).

How to check what is stored in the cloud:

1. Open your Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud
2. Put it on the vault control.
3. View the sections Photos, Videos, Notes, etc.

How to make room:

• 🗑️ Remove unnecessary backups (Backup section).
• 🔄 Turn off automatic photo/video sync (Mi Cloud settings) → Synchronization of photo).
• 📥 Download important files to your phone and then delete them from the cloud.

Important: Mi Cloud only gives 5GB for free, and if you exceed the limit, no new backups will be created, and old data can be deleted automatically.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When working with memory on Xiaomi, users often make the same mistakes.

• 🚫 Deleting the entire Android folder will lead to the collapse of all applications.
• 🚫 Formatting SD-Cards as internal memory on weak phones (e.g. Redmi) 8A) — It slows down the system.
• 🚫 Ignoring cache – many don’t clear the cache of Google Play Services or Mi Video, which can weigh up to 1-2GB.
• 🚫 Using Play Market cleaners – they often delete files or show false warnings.

How to clean your memory correctly:

1. First, check the Settings section. → Memory.
2. Remove unnecessary applications and their data (Settings → Applications → Delete Data).
3. Clean the cache manually (do not use "car cleaners").
4. Check the hidden folders (Section 3).
5. If nothing helps, reset your phone to factory settings (Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions