Cleaning RAM on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus: the full guide

Despite its age, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus remains a popular device due to its balanced screen and metal body, but over time, owners often face a lack of RAM, which manifests itself in the form of sudden closures of background applications, delays in switching between running tasks and a general slowdown in the response of the interface. Understanding how to properly manage the resources of the MIUI system becomes critical to extending the comfortable life of the gadget.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all available optimization methods, from standard shell tools to advanced methods for experienced users. You will learn which processes can be safely completed and which should not be touched so as not to disrupt the stability of Android. The right approach to managing RAM will allow your device to work much faster without the need to buy new equipment.

Before we go into radical measures, it's important to realize that full memory freeing isn't always a boon for modern versions of the operating system. MIUI algorithms are designed to keep commonly used applications in a folded state to run them instantly. However, when the free space runs out, the system starts to aggressively unload processes, which causes the lags we see when using heavy programs or games on Redmi 5 Plus.

Analysis of the current state of RAM

The first step to optimizing should be diagnostics, and you need to know exactly how many gigabytes of RAM you have available and what percentage of RAM you are currently using. Redmi 5 Plus owners typically have 3 or 4 GB of storage on board, which is a modest metric for today's standards, requiring careful monitoring. Standard Task Manager provides basic information, but more detailed data is required for in-depth analysis.

For accurate information, go to Settings → About Phone and click on the MIUI version several times to activate advanced features if they are hidden. A more professional tool is available through the developer menu, where you can see a real-time memory usage schedule, which will help identify “voracious” applications that consume resources even in the background, unobtrusive to the user.

Note processes that are marked as system-based but consume significant amounts of resources. Sometimes third-party launchers or widgets can cause memory leaks that are not visible on a surface inspection. Using third-party monitoring utilities can give a more graphic picture, showing the history of consumption in the last hours of the device.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t try to keep free. 90-95% Empty memory is wasted memory, because the system has nothing to cache, which can lead to longer loading of frequently used applications.

It is important to distinguish between cached data and active processes. Cache can and should be cleaned, whereas active system services processes should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Understanding this difference will help avoid errors that can lead to unstable smartphone performance. Below is a table showing the typical memory distribution in different use cases.

Standard cleaning tools in MIUI

The MIUI shell installed on the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus has a powerful tool called Security built in, which is the central node for performance management and does not require additional software installation. To quickly clean up, you just run a scan, after which the system will promptly free up memory by closing the background processes, this method is the most secure for inexperienced users.

However, standard cleaning is often superficial and does not affect deep-seated processes. For more efficient work, it is recommended to configure the acceleration settings in the Security application itself. Go to the settings of this application and activate the automatic memory release function when a certain filling threshold is reached, which will allow the system to maintain the balance without your intervention.

Also worth looking at is the Memory Extension feature, if available in your firmware version via Settings → Additional Settings → Memory Extension. This technology allows some of the internal flash memory to be used as virtual RAM, which can help with multitasking. Although the speed of virtual memory is lower, it prevents applications from crashing when physical RAM is scarce.

⚠️ Attention: Using the memory expansion feature increases wear on the device's internal flash memory. On older models such as the Redmi 5 Plus, this can shorten the life of the drive when used intensively.

Remember to regularly clean the cache of specific heavy applications, such as browsers and instant messengers. They tend to accumulate temporary files that take up space not only in storage, but also affect the speed of the operational buffer. Do this through the application management menu, choosing “Clear cache”, but not “Clear everything” so as not to lose logins and passwords.

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For quick cleaning without logging in to the menu, use the Cleanup widget on your desktop. Add it through long pressing on the blank spot of the screen and select Tools → Memory Cleanup.

Manual control of running applications

Manual process control gives Redmi 5 Plus users maximum control over the situation, you can decide for yourself which programs should work in the background and which should be stopped by force. To do this, go to the Settings menu → Apps → All applications or use the menu of recent tasks, swiping left to the end.

When manually closing applications, it is important to understand their priority. System services such as Google Play Services or MIUI shell components are best left unattended, as relaunching them may require more resources than being in memory.

There's also a hidden method of managing through the engineering menu, available under code ##4636## (not working on all firmware versions), and you can see detailed statistics on how memory is used by each process, and if you see an application that consumes disproportionately many resources for its functions, that's a reason to remove it or find an alternative.

• 📱 Close apps swipe up in the recent task menu for quick resource release.
• 🛑 Use the “clean” button only when you feel the interface’s obvious lags.
• ⚙️ Check the autoboot list in the application settings to remove the extra from the start.
• 🔄 Restart “heavy” applications completely if they are not working properly, instead of their background work.

Special attention should be paid to applications that have permission to work in the background. In modern versions of Android and MIUI, you can customize the behavior of each application in detail. Go to the battery settings for a particular application and select the “Restriction of Background Activity” mode, which will prevent it from working when you are not using it, saving precious megabytes of RAM for current tasks.

Set up developer parameters to optimize

For advanced users of Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, the doors to the Developer Menu are open, where powerful memory management tools are hidden. To activate this menu, you need to click seven times on the build number in the About Phone section. Once the corresponding notification appears, a new item will appear in the settings containing critical settings to optimize the system.

One of the most useful features here is the Background Process Limit. By default, the system decides how many applications to keep in memory, but you can tightly limit that number. For example, by setting a limit of No More than 2 processes, you ensure that old tasks will be unloaded immediately when new ones start. This can significantly speed up the work in games, but will make multitasking in conventional applications less smooth.

adb shell dumpsys meminfo

This command, which is entered through a computer with an ADB installed, will show detailed statistics of memory usage. By analyzing the output, you can find processes with memory leaks that gradually "eat" all resources before rebooting. If you find an application that constantly increases consumption, you better delete it or update it.

There's also a "Do Not Activity" option on the developer menu, which, when turned on, will destroy the application's activity as soon as the user switches to another task, a radical method that will free up maximum RAM, but make returning to the application a complete restart, which can be inconvenient for instant messengers.

• 🔧 Activate "Acceleration" GPU» for rendering the interface if the processor fails.
• 📉 Set the background process limit to a value of “2” or “3” for maximum performance.
• 🚫 Turn off window and transition animations to visually speed up the interface.
• 📊 Use process statistics to identify parasitic applications.

⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings in the Developer Menu can lead to system instability or data loss.Write down the initial settings so you can get it back to normal.

Use of third-party utilities and their effectiveness

The use of third-party “cleaners” and memory boosters on Android remains a controversial issue, with apps like Greenify or SD Maid offering advanced algorithms for “sedating” applications that are actually more effective than standard MIUI tools, which can force processes to stop and prevent them from starting automatically, which is especially true for older devices with limited RAM.

On the other hand, many of the popular cleaners in the Play Market store consume a significant amount of resources themselves, creating a constant background service for monitoring. This negates the benefits of their work, as they take up the space they are trying to vacate. On Redmi 5 Plus, where every megabyte counts, installing a heavy antivirus with a cleanup function can only make things worse.

If you do decide to use third-party software, choose lightweight utilities without excessive functionality. A good choice is applications that run on a schedule or require manual startup, rather than hanging in a tray all the time.

• ✅ Greenify: Effectively “freezes” applications, not letting them work in the background.
• ❌ Heavy Cleaners: Avoid apps with flashy ads and lots of widgets.
• 🚀 Lite Versions: Use Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite and analogues to save resources.
• 🛡️ SD Maid: Professional tool for cleaning system debris and residual files.

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The most effective “cliner” is the user’s habit of not keeping dozens of tabs open and removing unnecessary heavy applications in time.

Prevention and Long-Term Optimization

To prevent memory loss on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus from returning, you need to observe a certain digital hygiene. Regularly rebooting the device, at least once every 2-3 days, allows you to reset accumulated errors in the cache and free up “stuck” processes. This is a simple but extremely effective measure, which is often forgotten by smartphone owners who do not turn off the gadget for months.

It is also important to keep an eye on system and application updates. Developers often release patches that optimize memory consumption and fix leaks. However, on older models, newer versions of MIUI may instead run slower, in which case a rational move might be to roll back to a lighter firmware version or install custom Android build (like LineageOS), which lacks heavy software from Xiaomi.

Removing unused widgets and live wallpaper is another important step. Beautiful animated wallpaper can consume up to 100-200 MB of RAM all the time, which is a significant loss for a 3 GB model. Replace them with a high-quality static image, and you will immediately notice an increase in performance.