Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones sooner or later face unpleasant notification of a shortage of free space: the MIUI or HyperOS operating system starts to run slower, apps open longer, and new photos simply have nowhere to save, this is due to the accumulation of system debris, app cache and forgotten downloads that take up precious gigabytes of internal memory.
In this article, we will take a look at how to effectively and safely clean up unnecessary files without damaging important data, learn how to distinguish between system cache and user data, find hidden garbage folders, and learn which tools are best for deep cleaning your device.
Regular maintenance of a smartphone is the key to its long and fast operation. You do not need to be an expert in programming to clean up the file system, just follow the proven algorithms that we will describe below, using both built-in tools and third-party utilities.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The easiest and most affordable way to start cleaning is to use the standard tool preinstalled on each Xiaomi device.Security is integrated into the MIUI shell and has access to system partitions that ordinary programs from the Play Market cannot penetrate. Launch it and click on the Cleanup button.
The system will perform a quick analysis and suggest removing temporary files, remnants of deleted applications and advertising debris. However, the automatic analyzer is not always ideal: it can miss large files in messenger folders or duplicate photos. Therefore, after automatic cleaning, it is recommended to go to the Cleanup section and manually check the categories "Large files" and "Apps".
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Start the built-in cleaning once a week to prevent critical memory filling that causes interface brakes.
It is important to understand the difference between the application data and its cache: Deleting the data will return the program to the post-installation state, retaining only the basic settings, whereas cleaning the cache will only delete temporary files, speeding up the work, but not affecting your accounts.
- 📱 Click on the Security app icon on your desktop.
- 🧹 Select the “Cleanup” function and wait for the scan to be completed.
- ✅ Tick the category to remove and click "Clear».
- 🔍 Go to the Deep Cleanup section to find forgotten files.
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The built-in tool removes up to 80% of safe debris, but requires manual inspection for maximum efficiency.
Analysis of the storage through system settings
If the automatic tools don't give you a complete picture of what's taking up space, a system analyzer will come to the rescue. Go to Settings → Memory (or Settings → Phone → Storage) Here you'll see a color diagram of the space distribution, where you can clearly see how many apps, images, videos and system files are taking up.
Click on Apps to sort them by size. It often turns out that social networks like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Viber have grown to several gigabytes because of stored media files. In this section, you can safely delete the cache of heavy apps without deleting the programs themselves.
⚠️ Note: When you clean messenger data through system settings, you may lose your correspondence history if it was not saved to the cloud».
The system partition "Other" often raises questions, it can contain update files, error logs and archives, if this partition takes up suspiciously much space (more than that). 10-15 GB, it's worth checking the folder. MIUI/debug_log Or use a third-party disk analyzer, which we will talk about below.
Manual cleaning through the file manager
For those who prefer full control, the standard File Manager will be an indispensable tool. Going to the root directory of internal memory, you can manually delete folders with logs, temporary files and remnants of remote games.
Special attention should be paid to the Download folder. This is where all files from the browser, documents and installation packages APK are saved by default. Often users forget about them, and they take up space for years. Also check the Bluetooth folder if you have ever transferred files over the air.
Which folders can be removed safely?
In the Android file system, there are hidden folders that start from a dot, like.thumbnails. They store thumbnails of gallery images. Over time, this folder can grow to gigabytes. It can be safely cleaned, but it will refill the next time you open the gallery, so it only makes sense to do this when there is an acute shortage of space.
| folder | Description | Can I remove it? |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI/debug_log | Logs of system debugging | Yeah, unless you debug the software. |
| Android/obb | Heavy gaming cache (data) | No, the games will stop working. |
| Android/data | Application data | Only specific garbage folders. |
| DCIM/.thumbnails | Photo and video miniatures | Yes, it's safe. |
| Tencent/MicroMsg | Cash WeChat/WhatsApp | Careful inside the correspondence. |
When working with a file system, the rule is always: "Seven times measure, one cut." If you are not sure about the purpose of the file with an unclear name, you should leave it or pre-copy it to the computer.
Cleaning up garbage in social networks and messengers
Memory consumption leaders are traditionally messengers. Telegram, for example, defaults to save all viewed photos and videos in the memory of the device. To change this, go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use and set a limit on auto-save or enable auto-cleaning cache.
WhatsApp has a similar situation. Inside the app, go to Settings. → Data and storage → Storage management. Here you'll see a chat list sorted by the amount of space you occupy, and you can select a specific dialog and delete only the video or just the video. GIF-animations, leaving text and important photos.
- 🗑️ Open the settings of a specific messenger.
- 💾 Find the "Storage" or "Data" section».
- ⏳ Set a timer for auto-deleting the cache (for example, 3 days or 1 week).
- 📂 Manually remove large video files from important chat rooms.
Remember, cleaning the cache inside the app is safe for your accounts, and you won't log in or lose contacts, and this only frees up space that is occupied by temporary copies of media files.
Using third-party snails for deep cleaning
When built-in tools are scarce, specialized tools come to the rescue. One of the best Android solutions is Files by Google, which can find duplicate files, screenshots that are no longer needed, and offers to delete them in one click. The application interface is minimal and devoid of intrusive advertising.
Another powerful tool is SD Maid, which specializes in finding Corpse and system debris that other cleaners ignore, and provides special permissions through ADB or root rights to work with system partitions in SD Maid, but even in base mode it works more than standard tools.
☑️ Check before installing the cleaner
⚠️ Warning: Avoid installing accelerators and antiviruses of dubious origin, many of which are themselves sources of advertising and can slow down your smartphone instead of speeding up.
Only use proven high-rated applications.Do not install more than one active memory cleaner, as they may conflict with each other while trying to access the file system at the same time.
Removal of duplicates and large files
Often, memory is filled not with small debris, but with forgotten large files: high-resolution movies, backups or series of series. The built-in Explorer app has a file sorting function by size. Select sorted by size and view the top-10 heavyweight.
Duplicate photos are another common problem: they can appear after resetting settings, transferring data from an old phone or crashing when downloading from the cloud. Manually search for the same photos for a long time, so you should use the “Similar images” feature in the gallery or specialized applications for finding duplicates.
Deleting large files frees up space instantly. One forgotten movie can weigh 2-4 GB, which is equivalent to thousands of documents. Check the Video folder and downloads in instant messengers regularly.
Where to find hidden large files?
Prevention of memory overflow
To avoid returning to the cleanup issue every month, set up automatic maintenance, enable sync photos with Google Photos or Mi Cloud, and activate the “Free Space” feature, which removes from the device pictures already uploaded to the cloud.
Also, consider your smartphone habits: Turn off auto-save incoming media in instant messengers unless absolutely necessary, check the list of installed apps regularly, and remove those that haven’t been used for more than three months.
Compliance with digital hygiene prolongs the life of the smartphone. The optimal state is when at least 15-20% of the total internal memory is free, this ensures the correct operation of the mechanisms for writing and reading flash memory data.