How to completely clear the clipboard on Xiaomi: all ways

The clipboard on Xiaomi smartphones is a temporary storage for text, images and links that you copy. Over time, it becomes filled with unnecessary data, which can slow down the device or create risks of leaking confidential information. Unlike iOS or standard Android, MIUI firmware has its own features of managing the clipboard, which are not always obvious to users.

Many Redmi, POCO or Mi owners are faced with a problem: copied data is stored longer than necessary, and the automatic cleaning function is unstable. In this article, we will analyze all available methods, from standard settings to hidden commands that will help completely erase the history of the clipboard, and you will learn how to disable saving copies at all and why this can be useful for security.

Why you need to clear the clipboard on Xiaomi

The clipboard in MIUI doesn't just temporarily store data, it actively indexes it for easy access, which means that all copied passwords, card numbers, or private messages can stay in the device's memory for up to 30 days (depending on the firmware version).

• 🔒 Data security: preventing access to sensitive information through leaks or malicious applications.
• 📱 Performance: Reducing the load on RAM, especially on budget models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3).
• 🗑️ Garbage data: removing old links, pictures, and text that take up space in the cache.
• 🔄 Application conflicts: Some programs (such as password managers) may conflict with buffer history.

In MIUI 12-14, the clipboard is integrated with Smart Clipboard, which analyzes the data being copied, which is convenient but creates additional risks, for example, if you copied a credit card number, it can be displayed in sentences when you type text in other applications.

⚠️ Note: On root-access devices, the clipboard history can be retrieved even after a soft reset, SD Maid).

Method 1: Standard cleaning through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use built-in firmware tools, which is suitable for most models (Xiaomi 13, Redmi Note 12, POCO F5, etc.), but may not be available on older versions of MIUI (below 11).

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the section Additional → Clipboard (on some devices the path may be different: System and device → Clipboard).
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Clear History.
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If the clipboard is not on the menu, then your version of MIUI uses a simplified version of the interface, in which case try alternative methods from the following sections.

Close all active apps (especially messengers)

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Turn off buffer sync with Xiaomi account (if enabled)

Backup important data (in case of failure)-->

On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 11 with MIUI 13), the history can be restored after cleaning up when you reboot it, due to the Cloud Clipboard feature, which syncs data with Xiaomi servers, to disable it:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Find the Sync section and turn off the slider opposite the clipboard.

Method 2: Cleaning through the Security App

The MIUI Security app (or Global Firmware Security) contains deep cleaning tools, including a clipboard, which is more effective than standard, since it removes not only history, but also associated cache files.

Instructions:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleaner (or Cleaner) tab.
3. Press Deep Clean and wait for the scan to be completed.
4. In the results, find the clipboard or Clipboard data item and tick it.
5. Click Clean and confirm the action.

On some devices (e.g., POCO X3 Pro), there may be an option to accelerate instead of Deep Clean.

1. Choose Acceleration. → Cleaning up memory.
2. Scroll down the list and find clipboard data.
3. Remove them and restart the device.

⚠️ Note: If, after cleaning through Security, the clipboard continues to store data, check the permissions for the com.miui.securitycenter application in the settings (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Permits: Lack of storage rights may block clean-up.

Once a week.

Only when memory ends

Never cleaned.

I don't know what that is.-->

Method 3: Use of Recovery Mode

If standard methods don’t work (e.g., on devices with corrupted firmware or after a failed update), you can clear the clipboard through Restore Mode, which is also useful if you plan to sell or transfer your smartphone to another person.

Important: the method will reset all the buffer data, but will not affect personal files (photos, videos).

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press the button combination to enter Recovery: For most models: Volume up + Power. For POCO F1/F2: Volume down + Power.

Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache

Advanced → Wipe Clipboard Data

Reboot → System

On some devices (such as the Xiaomi Mi A2 with pure Android), the Wipe Clipboard Data item may not be available, in which case only a full reset (Wipe All Data) will help, but this will delete all user data.

Method 4: Cleaning through ADB (for advanced users)

If you’re familiar with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can delete clipboard history using the command line.This method works on all Xiaomi devices, including those that lack graphical cleaning tools.

Before starting, make sure that:

• The device has USB Debugging enabled (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
• Xiaomi drivers and ADB tool are installed on your computer.

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB and select File Transfer mode.
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type: adb devices Make sure the device is defined.
3. Follow the command to clear the buffer: adb shell pm clear com.miui.clipboard If an error occurs, try the alternative command: adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.CLIPBOARD_CLEAR
4. Reset the device.

Some firmware (e.g. MIUI 12.5 on Redmi K40) may require an additional command to reset the buffer service:

adb shell cmd clipboard clear

💡

If ADB does not recognize the device, try reinstalling the drivers through the official Xiaomi Mi USB Driver tool. Also check that the developer settings include the USB Debugging (security options).

Method 5: Disable the history of the clipboard

If you don't want to clean the clipboard regularly, you can turn it off completely, and that will prevent data accumulation, but it will deprive you of the convenience of quickly accessing the copied items.

Method 1: Through MIUI settings

1. Go to Settings → Additional → clipboard.
2. Turn off the save story slider (or Clipboard history).
3. In some versions, you also need to disable the Smart Clipboard.

Method 2: Through Developer Settings

For devices with MIUI 13+:

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 taps according to MIUI version in About Phone).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the option to Limit clipboard and turn it on.

Method 3: For global firmware (without MIUI)

On pure Android devices (e.g. Xiaomi Mi A3 or POCO X3 NFC on Android One):

1. Install the Clipboard Manager app from Google Play.
2. In the application settings, turn off Autosave.
3. Remove permissions to access the clipboard for unnecessary applications in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Clipboard.

⚠️ Note: Disabling clipboard history does not delete data already stored. To clean it, first use one of the methods from the previous sections, and then disable the function.

💡

Disabling clipboard saving increases security, but makes it impossible to quickly access previously copied data.

Additional tips for working with the exchange buffer

Besides cleaning, there are a few tricks that will help you manage the clipboard on Xiaomi more efficiently:

• 📋 Use alternative apps: Clip Stack or Clipper offer advanced history management features without restrictions MIUI.
• 🔄 Automatic cleaning: In Settings → The clipboard can be installed to automatically delete data older than 1-7 days.
• 🔍 Permissions Check: Regularly check which apps have access to the clipboard (Settings) → Confidentiality → Permits → buffer).
• 📲 Quick Access: Press and hold the text input field, then select the clipboard to view the history (does not work on all firmware).

On devices with MIUI 14, Smart Select has been introduced, which analyzes copyable text and suggests actions (such as translation or search). If you are not using this feature, turn it off in Settings → Additional → Smart Select to reduce the load on the system.

For POCO owners with custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience), standard MIUI methods don't work.

• Use the clipboard management apps from Google Play.
• Clear the cache of the Android System application through Settings → Apps.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When cleaning up the clipboard on Xiaomi, users often encounter typical errors.

If the clipboard continues to save data after all the manipulations, the problem may be the corrupted system file.

1. Update the firmware to the latest version through Settings → System Update.
2. Resetting settings to factory (Settings → Additional → Resetting settings).
3. Flashing the device via Fastboot (requires a PC and an official MIUI image).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions