How to completely clean the storage on Xiaomi Redmi 7A: from cache to factory settings

Xiaomi Redmi 7A is one of the most popular budget smartphones of the brand, but its modest 16 or 32 GB of internal memory often become a headache for users. Even after installing several applications and taking a couple of photos, the system begins to issue warnings about the shortage of space. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to clean the storage — from basic to radical, and also tell you how to avoid re-clogging memory.

The Redmi 7A is powered by MIUI, Xiaomi’s proprietary shell, which uses cache and temporary files. In addition, the budget-friendly stuffing of the smartphone (Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 and 2 GB of RAM) makes the system more likely to access storage, which speeds up its filling. But don’t rush to buy a new phone: proper cleaning can free up to 40-50% of memory without deleting important data.

1. Analysis of occupied space: what exactly eats memory?

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand which files are taking up space. Redmi 7A has built-in tools for this:

1. Storage menu: Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here you will see a diagram of the memory distribution by category (applications, media, cache, etc.).
2. File Manager: Open the Files app (folder icon), then go to the Analysis tab. The system will show large files and unnecessary data.

Typical memory eaters on Redmi 7A:

• 📸 High-resolution photos and videos (especially if the camera is set to shoot at 12 MP).
• 🎮 Cash games, for example, PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty can be used for 1-2 GB).
• 📱 Updates MIUI, which are automatically downloaded and remain in memory.
• 🗑️ Residual files after deleting applications (folders) Android/obb and Android/data).

If you see a category "Other" in the Warehouse menu that's larger than 1 GB, it's a litter accumulation signal, and most of the things that are hidden are:

• 📄 System Logs (.log files).
• 🔄 Temporary download files (.tmp,.part).
• 📂 Empty folders from remote applications.

2.Cleaning App Cache: A Quick Way to Free 500MB-1GB

Cache is a temporary file that applications create to speed up work, and over time, it accumulates and can take up to 1-2 GB of memory. On Redmi 7A, you can clear the cache in two ways:

Method 1: Clearing the cache for all applications at once

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sort by size.
3. Slip the Clear Cache button (usually located at the bottom of the screen).

Method 2: Selective cleaning for individual applications

Some programs (e.g. YouTube, Telegram, Google Chrome) accumulate a particularly large amount of cache to clear it:

1. In the same Application Management menu, find the desired application.
2. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
3. For radical cleaning, click Delete Data (but this will reset the app settings!).

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache for system applications like com.android.systemui or com.miui.home, which can cause interface failures.

3. Delete unnecessary files and multimedia

Photos, videos and music are the main culprits of memory loss, and can be deleted in several ways on Redmi 7A:

Automatic cleanup through Files

The file application from Xiaomi can find duplicates and large files:

1. Open Files → Cleanup tab.
2. Select categories: Duplicates, Large Files, Screenshots.
3. Mark unnecessary files and click Delete.

Hand-sorted folder-by-folder

The most "heavy" folders on Redmi 7A:

• 📷 DCIM/Camera — photo and video.
• 🎵 Music - audio files.
• 📥 Download – downloads from the browser.
• 🎮 Android/obb — game-file.

💡 Useful tip: Transfer important photos and videos to your computer or cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud), and then delete them from your phone. 7A PC-only USB (Select File Transfer Mode in the Notification Curtain).

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Turn on the Redmi 7A option "Compress Photo" (Camera Settings → Additional → Photo Quality → High (compressed)) This will reduce the weight of the images by 2-3 times without noticeable loss of quality.

4. Removal of unused applications and their residues

Many users delete applications, but forget about their “tails” – files in folders Android/data and Android/obb. On the Redmi. 7A it can take up to 500 MB–1 GB.

How to completely remove the application?

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unnecessary application → Delete.
3. Then open Files → Internal Memory → Android and manually delete the folders with the name of the remote application in data and obb.

List of applications that can be safely removed

Redmi 7A preloads a lot of unnecessary Xiaomi services, and this is something you can remove without risking to the system:

• 📱 Mi Browser (if you use Chrome).
• 🎵 Mi Music and Mi Video (replace with Mi Video) VLC or YouTube Music).
• 📊 Mi Pay (if you don’t use Xiaomi payments).
• 📰 Mi Community and GetApps (Xiaomi app store).

⚠️ Warning: Do not remove system applications like com.android.phone or com.miui.securitycenter, which will cause the phone to work in an unstable way. If you want to disable them, use the adb command (requires unlocking the bootloader).

5. Clean up system files and MIUI updates

MIUI He likes to download updates in the background, even if you don't install them. 500 MB–1,5 GB and in the folder. /sdcard/Downloaded_rom.

How to remove unnecessary updates?

1. Open the files. → Internal memory.
2. Find the file. Downloaded_rom Delete all files inside (are.zip extension).
3. Also check the MIUI → Cache folder – there may be temporary update files.

Cleaning the system logs

Logs are created for debugging, but rarely are they needed.

1. In the Files, go to the /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log.
2. Delete all files with the.log or.txt extension.
3. Also check the /sdcard/log folder – there may be logs from third-party apps.

6. Radical methods: reset to factory settings

If the memory is so clogged that none of the above methods work, it will be a complete reset, which will delete all data, including apps, photos and settings, but return the phone to a “clean” state.

How do you reset?

There are two ways:

1. Through settings: Go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset. Choose to Erase All Data. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.
2. Using Recovery: (if the phone doesn't turn on) Turn off Redmi 7A. Press Volume Up + Power before the Mi logo appears. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.

⚠️ Attention: After the Redmi reset 7A If you forget your password, it can take up to 72 hours to unlock your Mi Account (by Xiaomi rules).

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Before resetting, be sure to save your phone's IMEI! On Redmi 7A, type *#06# in the call and take a picture of the screen, which will help restore the network if the connection goes missing after the reset.

7.How can we prevent future memory clogging?

To avoid cleaning the Redmi 7A every week, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Autocleaning cache: Include in Settings → Warehouse → Cleaning option Automatic cleaning.
• ☁️ Cloud Storage: Set up automatic photo uploads in Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 📵 Restriction of background activity: C Settings → Battery → Power management applications turn off background work for unnecessary programs.
• 🛑 Blocking Automatic Updates: C Settings → The phone. → System Update Turn Off Autoboot over Wi-Fi.

Also, install easy alternatives to standard applications:

• 🌐 Chrome Lite instead of Mi Browser.
• 📷 Open Camera instead of the standard camera (less weight).
• 🎵 VLC instead of Mi Video.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Redmi 7A