Cache Cleanup on Xiaomi Phones: A Complete Guide for All Models

Smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO eventually begin to slow down due to crowded cache — temporary files that accumulate after the application, browsers and the MIUI system itself. If your phone has become slower to respond to commands, often overheats or gives errors “Not enough memory”, the problem is likely to lie in the cache. Clearing this data will not only free up space on the internal drive, but can also increase the performance of the device by 15-30% (based on tests on Xiaomi 12T and Redmi Note 11 with MIUI 14).

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to clean up cache, from standard tools in settings to hidden functions through Recovery Mode. You’ll learn how to remove the cache of individual applications, system processes, and even Dalvik cache, which affects the speed of startup programs. The instructions are relevant for all modern models, from the budget Redmi A2 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra, running on Android 11-14 and MIUI 12-14.

Why you need to clean up the cache on Xiaomi

Cache is a temporary file that is created to make apps faster, for example, when you open Instagram, it saves thumbnails of photos so that it can upload them faster the next time you run them.

• 📱 Take up gigabytes of memory – on phones with 64-128 GB of internal storage, cache can “eat” up to 10-15 GB.
• 🐢 Slowing down the system — MIUI It starts to “hang” when searching for the right data among thousands of temporary files.
• 🔥 Cause overheating – the processor spends more resources on processing damaged cache files.
• 🚨 Lead to failures – outdated data may conflict with new versions of applications.

In our experience, cache cleaning helps solve 70% of the lag problems on Xiaomi, especially after major MIUI updates. For example, after switching from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14, many POCO F4 users complained about the brakes in the Google Play Store - the problem disappeared after cleaning the cache of Google services.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t confuse cache with user data! Cache cleaning won’t delete your photos, messages, or account settings. However, some applications (such as games) may reset progress if the developer stores it in cache.

Method 1: Clearing the cache through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It is suitable for all models, including the Redmi 10C, Xiaomi 13 Lite and POCO X5 Pro.

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sort by size so you will see the most voracious programs.
4. Select an app (like Facebook or TikTok) and tap Clear Cache.

For mass cleaning:

1. Return to Application Management and click Clear Cache at the bottom of the screen (the option will appear after selecting any application).
2. Confirm the action – the system will remove the cache of all installed programs.

This method is safe, but has a limitation: it does not clear the system cache (for example, data from MIUI Launcher or Google services).

Method 2: Using the built-in Optimizer

MIUI has a hidden security tool (formerly Optimizer) that automatically finds and deletes unnecessary files, including cache.

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon) if it's not on the home screen, search the system.
2. Go to the Cleaning tab (broom icon).
3. Press Deep Clean and wait for the scan to be completed.
4. Tick the Cash points of the applications and Residual files, then tap Clean.

The advantage of this method is that it removes not only the cache, but also:

• 🗑️ Residual files after uninstallation of applications.
• 📁 Empty folders in the device memory.
• 🔍 Log files (logs) that the system creates.

⚠️ Warning: If your phone is slower after cleaning through Security, restart it. MIUI Reboot is needed to re-index the file system.

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To speed up scanning in the Security app, close all background processes through Recent Apps (swipe up from the bottom bar) before starting.

Method 3: Cleaning the cache with Recovery Mode (for experienced)

If the phone is slowing down or not responding to commands, it can help to clear the cache through recovery mode. This method removes the Dalvik cache, special files that Android creates to speed up the launch of applications. Use it only if the standard methods did not help, as improper actions in Recovery can lead to resets.

Instructions for Xiaomi with MIUI 12-14:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up at the same time and hold for 10-15 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select the language (if you have an option), then tap Wipe & Reset.
4. Choose Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe Data – it’s a complete reset!).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 1-3 minutes).
6. Reboot your phone with Reboot → Reboot to System.

After the reboot, MIUI will automatically restore the necessary system files, a method that is especially effective after firmware updates when the old cache conflicts with the new version of MIUI.

Method 4: Cleaning the cache with ADB (for advanced)

If you are familiar with command prompt, you can delete the cache via Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This method is useful when the phone does not respond to touches or you need to clear the cache for all users (for example, in guest mode).

Procedure:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. Turn on your phone to USB Debug in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable and select File Transfer Mode.
4. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices

(The name of your device should appear)

adb shell pm clear --user 0 com.android.providers.media

(This will clear the media provider's cache, which often slows down the gallery)

To clean the cache of all applications, use:

adb shell pm trim-caches -f 100

This is a way of being careful, because the wrong team can delete important data, and only use it if you're confident in what you're doing.

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Cleaning through ADB is the most powerful method, but only for users with command line experience. For normal tasks, built-in MIUI tools are enough.

Method 5: Automatically cleans the cache with third-party applications

If you don't want to manually clean the cache, you can use specialized utilities. We tested several popular programs on Xiaomi 13 Pro and Redmi Note 12, and the best results were:

• 🧹 SD Maid removes cache, duplicate files, and empty folders. CorpseFinder is a feature for finding remnants of remote applications.
• 🚀 CCleaner is a simple interface that cleans the cache and browser history. Supports task scheduler.
• 🔍 Files by Google is the official Google app that finds and deletes unnecessary files, including cache.

How to use (as an example of SD Maid):

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Start and grant access to memory.
3. Go to the CorpseFinder or SystemCleaner tab.
4. Click Scan, then select files to delete.

⚠️ Note: Some “optimizers” (e.g. Clean Master) may display false virus warnings or offer paid features.

Frequent Cache Cleaning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many Xiaomi users experience problems after cleaning the cache, and here are the most common errors and solutions:

• 🔄 The phone started to brake even more, which is a temporary phenomenon. MIUI It re-indexes files, which can take 10 to 30 minutes. Restart the device and wait.
• 📱 Apps are constantly rebooted – some programs (such as Facebook or Facebook) VK) They store the session data in cache, and after cleaning, you have to re-enter the username/password.
• 🚫 The cache of system applications is not deleted – root or use rights are required for this. ADB. Without them. MIUI Blocks the cleanup of critical files.
• 🔋 The battery drains quickly after cleaning, which is normal: the system spends resources on the recovery processes. After 1-2 charging cycles, energy consumption is normalized.

If there are serious failures after cleaning the cache (for example, calls or the Internet are not working), try:

1. Reboot your phone to Safe Mode (hold the shutdown button → Safe Mode).
2. Reverse the latest updates through Settings → Applications → Three points → Show system → Software update.
3. Reset network settings: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions