How to clean the cache in the Xiaomi smartphone: the complete guide

Xiaomi’s current Android smartphones, which use MIUI or HyperOS, have powerful functionality that requires maintenance over time. One of the most common causes of device slowdowns, interface artifacts, or application launch problems is overflowing the system’s storage with temporary files, which is data known as cache that accumulates during operation and can take up gigabytes of usable space.

Regularly cleaning up this data not only makes room for your photos and videos, but also often resolves software failures when apps stop responding to commands or work incorrectly.Unlike a complete reset, deleting temporary files does not affect your personal data, contacts or installed programs, making this procedure safe and necessary to keep the gadget running.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods of cleaning cache on Redmi, Poco and Xiaomi devices. You will learn how to use the built-in tools of the system, how to delete data from specific applications and in which cases you need to use an engineering menu or computer. Proper memory management is the key to a long and stable operation of your smartphone.

Why cache fills memory and how it affects the smartphone

Cache memory is a buffer designed to speed up access to frequently used data. When you open an application for the first time, it downloads all the necessary resources — images, scripts, logos — from the Internet or internal memory. When you start it again, the system reads this data from the cache, which makes the program work instantly.

Temporary files can accumulate due to errors in the application code, when old data is not deleted automatically, or because of the peculiarities of the algorithms. For example, messengers can store thousands of thumbnails of images viewed, and browsers can store copies of pages visited. When the amount of free memory is critically reduced, the operating system begins to work slower, because it lacks resources for background processes.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t confuse cache cleaning with app data deletion. If you choose Clear Data or Erase Everything, the app will return to state immediately after installation, and you will lose logins, correspondence and settings inside it.

In addition to slowing down the interface, a crowded cache can cause specific programs to malfunction. For example, if a thumbnail file is damaged in the YouTube or Instagram cache, the video may stop downloading or the application will close when you try to play it, in which case cleaning is the only way to restore normal functionality without reinstalling the software.

There is a myth that constantly cleaning the cache extends the battery life, and it's not quite true that although the system has to index files less, the process of writing and deleting data also consumes resources. However, if the cache has grown to a giant size, removing it will actually reduce the load on the memory controller and the processor, which can indirectly positively affect the autonomy.

Using the built-in “Security” app for quick cleaning

The easiest and safest way to free up space on Xiaomi smartphones is to use the regular system application Security, which is preinstalled on all devices with the MIUI and HyperOS shell and has deep access to system files, which allows you to remove garbage without touching important documents.

To get started, you need to find an icon on your desktop or in the Tools folder called Security and a green shield. Once you run the app on the home screen, you'll see a Cleanup button showing the amount of garbage. Pressing this button will start scanning the file system, which takes 5 to 15 seconds depending on the amount of data you've accumulated.

It will prompt you to delete the files you find. It's important to note that a standard cleaner often finds not only the cache, but also the residual files of deleted applications, APK installer packages and advertising files. Before confirming the cleanup, look carefully at the list of categories.

• 🗑️ Garbage: Temporary system and application files that can be removed without fear.
• 📦 Installation packages:.apk files left over after installing programs, their removal is safe.
• 📸 Large files: Videos or archives of large size that you may have forgotten to delete.
• 📱 Apps: list of programs that take up the most space (you need to be careful here).

Once the procedure is complete, the system will report how many megabytes or gigabytes were released, and it is recommended to do this prevention at least once a week to keep the smartphone in good shape. If the standard cleaning did not give the desired result and the space is freed minimally, it is worth moving to a deeper analysis of the storage.

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Turn on the “Security” function in the “Schedule Cleanup” settings of the app so that the smartphone automatically frees up space when you are not using it, for example, at night.

Manually clearing the cache of individual applications through settings

Sometimes the problem is not the total amount of garbage, but the malfunction of one particular application, in which case the most effective way to manually clean the cache is for this service, which eliminates authorization errors, freezes or content display problems.

To get into the app's memory management menu, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. In the list that opens, find the program you want (like Chrome, TikTok or Viber) and click on it. The app card will open where you are interested in the Memory or Storage section.

Inside, you'll see two main buttons: Clear Cache and Clear Everything (or Erase Data), the first button only deletes temporary files, the second button resets the app to factory status, and most performance issues just need to be solved by pressing the first.

Pay particular attention to messengers and social networks. Telegram, for example, can cache tens of gigabytes of videos viewed. The app itself has a handy built-in tool for managing cache, which is often more efficient than the system. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use and click Clear cache.

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Cleaning the cache of a particular application is the best way to fix its unstable operation without affecting the rest of the data in the smartphone.

Delete residual files and work with the Android folder

Even after deleting applications, the system often has folders with their names, containing logs, pictures and settings, and many programs create shared folders at the root of internal memory, requiring a file manager, such as a standard Explorer or a more advanced Files by Google.

Open the file manager and go to the internal storage. Notice the Android folder. It has data and obb subfolders inside it. It stores application data in the data folder, and obb stores hard game cache files. If you delete a game but the folder with its name is still there, you can delete it manually.

It is also worth checking the root directory for folders with names of applications that have been deleted long ago (for example, com.facebook.katana or folders from video editors). Often users forget that downloaded files from instant messengers (for example, a folder). WhatsApp/Media) They also take up space, although formally the cache system does not apply to the cache.

• 📂 Download folder: often forgotten installers and documents lie here.
• 📸 DCIM/.thumbnails: hidden folder with gallery miniatures that can be cleaned.
• 📝 Log files: text log files created by various services.

When working with a file system, it is important to be careful: only delete folders that you understand the purpose of, or those that are left over from already deleted programs. System folders with names like MIUI, Android (whole), System can not be touched, this can lead to the failure of the smartphone.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.obb extension for games you continue to play, and deleting them will require you to download gigabytes of data again every time you run the game.

Deep Cleanup with Recovery Mode and ADB

For advanced users who have experienced serious system errors or want to clean the system as much as possible, there is a method of cleaning through recovery mode (Recovery Mode), which allows you to delete temporary files that are blocked by the operating system.

To get into the Recovery menu, you need to turn off your smartphone. Then press the volume button and the power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then the main menu opens. With the volume buttons, select Wipe Cache (if available in your version of Recovery) or Wipe Data. Be extremely careful: the Wipe Data item will completely delete all your files!

A safer, but computer-intensive method is the use of debugging. ADB (To do this, you need to turn on the developer mode in the smartphone settings (7 times click on the build number in the “About Phone” item) and activate “Debugging by phone” USB».

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999999

This command forcibly trims the cache of all applications to a specified limit (in bytes). By putting a huge number, you actually delete the entire cache. It's a powerful tool that runs faster and deeper than standard cleaning tools.

• 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC through the original USB-cable.
• 💻 Install the drivers. ADB to the computer and start the command line.
• ✅ Confirm the request for debugging on the smartphone screen.

Using ADB requires basic command line knowledge. If you're not sure what you're doing, you'd better limit yourself to standard cleaning methods through settings. Errors in typing commands in the terminal can lead to the wrong data being deleted.

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Before using deep cleaning techniques, be sure to back up important data to the Mi Cloud cloud or your computer.

Automation and prevention of memory overflow

To keep the memory problem from coming back too often, it makes sense to set up automatic prevention. The MIUI shell and HyperOS have good tools for this, but they need to be configured correctly.

The Security app has a Memory Acceleration feature that can be set to automatically start when a certain memory filling threshold is reached, and it is also useful to disable auto-save media files in instant messengers if there is no urgent need to do so.

Check the list of installed applications regularly. Often we install "one-time" programs, and they continue to hang in memory and generate cache. Removing unused software is the most effective way to free up space.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t install third-party accelerators and cleaners from Play Market. Xiaomi’s built-in funds are more than enough, and third-party programs are often a source of advertising and junk.

Digital hygiene and regular file revisions will allow your Xiaomi smartphone to work quickly even a few years after purchase. Remember that the system needs free space for the proper functioning of virtual memory and background processes.