How to clean Xiaomi smartphone from garbage and unnecessary files: 7 proven ways

Why Xiaomi is “clogged” faster than other Android smartphones?

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI are known for their functionality, but many users face one problem: over time, the device begins to “brake”, and free space on the disk melts before your eyes. What is the reason?

According to research, up to 30% of Xiaomi’s internal memory can take up system debris after 6 months of use – remnants of deleted applications, duplicate photos from MIUI Gallery, log files of delayed updates and cache of advertising services.

In this article, we’ll look at 7 deep cleaning techniques, from manual methods to hidden MIUI features that aren’t even mentioned in the official documentation, how to safely remove garbage without affecting important data, and which apps actually help (and which only mimic work).

Method 1: Built-in MIUI tools – what do they actually clean?

To start with, there's a common cleaning tool in Xiaomi called Settings → About Phone → Memory → Cleaning. But few know that it doesn't remove everything. Here's what happens when you press the Clean button:

• 🧹 Application cache — temporary files that programs create to run quickly, secure to delete, but will recover the next time they run applications.
• 🗑️ Files. APK — Remains of installed (and already removed) applications.
• 📁 Downloads -- folder /Download, But only if you have not manually excluded it from cleaning in the settings.
• 🚫 What NOT to be deleted: duplicate photos, system log files, Google Play Services cache and pre-installed applications (Mi Video, Mi Music, etc.).

To expand the capabilities of the built-in tool, do the following:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three points in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
3. Find apps called com.miui.* (like com.miui.gallery) and manually clear their cache.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete system application data (the “Delete Data” button) – this can lead to malfunctions MIUI. Clear the cache only!

Method 2: Manually clean folders – where to look for hidden junk?

Even after using the built-in tools, Xiaomi still has gigabytes of unnecessary files, which can be found manually through any file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).

Pay special attention to /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb folder – it stores additional game files (up to several gigabytes!). If you haven’t played Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile in a long time, feel free to delete the corresponding folders.

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Before deleting folders, back up your important data, connect your phone to your PC and copy the DCIM, Pictures, and Documents folders to your computer.

Method 3: Cleaning with Recovery Mode – When Standard Methods Don’t Work

If Xiaomi’s smartphone is unbearably slow and less than 1GB of free memory is left, recovery mode can help, which removes Dalvik-cache, a system cache that often causes lags.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (use volume buttons for navigation, power button for confirmation).
4. After cleaning, restart the device (Reboot → Reboot to System).

This method does not affect user data, but resets some system settings (such as application permissions). After a reboot, the first MIUI start can take up to 5-10 minutes, which is normal.

⚠️ Warning: Do not confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! The second option will erase ALL data on your phone, including photos, contacts and apps. Use it only before selling the device or in case of critical crashes.

Method 4: Remove pre-installed applications (bloatware) without root

Xiaomi is famous for its abundance of pre-installed apps that can't be removed by standard means, including Mi Browser, Mi Music, Mi Video, GetApps, and others, which not only take up space, but also work in the background, using up battery power.

You can turn them off without rooting, using ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

1. Enable USB Debugging in the Developer Settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version – Tap 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and install it. ADB-driver.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices


adb shell




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.browser




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.video




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.music




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.market

Once the commands are executed, the applications will disappear from the menu, but their data will remain in memory (in case you want to return them back).The full list of packets to delete can be found on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums.

Method 5: Optimize storage with third-party applications

There are hundreds of SEOs and cleaners on Google Play, but most of them are either useless or they're a wastebuster themselves. We tested 15 apps and we selected 3 that actually work:

• 🛠️ SD Maid is a deep cleaning of databases, empty folders and duplicates, and CorpseFinder and AppCleaner plugins find remnants of deleted programs.
• 🗃️ Files by Google is a simple interface for finding large and unnecessary files, especially useful for cleaning the Download folder.
• 🔍 1Tap Cleaner: Clears the cache of all applications in one click, supports automatic cleaning on a schedule.

How to use SD Maid correctly:

Run the scan in the CorpseFinder section

Remove found “body” (remnants of deleted applications)

Go to AppCleaner and clear the cache for all apps

In the SystemCleaner section, delete empty folders and temporary files.

Check out the Duplicates section to find repetitive photos/videos-->

Important: Avoid applications like Clean Master or CCleaner – they aggressively remove cache, which leads to re-downloading of data the next time programs run (and, as a result, traffic and battery consumption).

Method 6: Clearing the cache of Google Play Services and other “unkillable” services

One of the main memory eaters at Xiaomi is Google’s services, especially Google Play Services, which cache data to speed up work, but often grow to several gigabytes. You can’t clean it with standard methods, the system blocks the “Clear Cache” button.

Bypass:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Google Play Services and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse → Space Management → Clear all data.
4. Confirm action. After that, you may need to re-enter your password from your Google account.

Similarly, clean:

• 📱 Google Play Store (cache of updates)
• 🎵 Google Play Music (if not used)
• 📺 YouTube (cash video)

⚠️ Note: After cleaning up Google Play Services, some features (such as app geolocation or push notifications) may temporarily not work properly.

Method 7: Resetting to factory settings – when nothing helps

If all previous methods failed, and the phone is still choking on memory, the last resort is a factory reset, which deletes ALL data, including:

• 📸 Photos and videos (if not saved to the cloud)
• 📱 Installed applications and their data
• 📞 Contacts and messages (if not synced to Google account)
• ⚙️ All system settings

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Create a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset or manually copy files to your PC.
2. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select to erase all data (reset to factory).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (can take up to 20 minutes).

After discharge:

• 🔄 Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It may contain the same garbage. You'd better selectively transfer only the right files.
• 🚫 Don’t install apps right away – let the system stabilize within an hour.
• ⚡ Turn off automatic download of updates for apps on Google Play.

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Factory reset is not just a cleanup, it's a complete reinstallation, and only use it if your phone is completely inoperable or you're preparing the device for sale.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi cleanup