Xiaomi Redmi 5, despite its age, remains a popular device, but owners often face a shortage of free RAM. When the amount of available RAM resources is minimized, the system starts to run slower, applications are unloaded from the background, and the interface slows down. Understanding the principles of memory in the MIUI shell is the first step to solving the problem of low performance.
Unlike desktop operating systems, Android is designed so that full memory is often the normal state for fast work, but a critical overcrowded buffer leads to failures. Owners of budget models with 2 or 3 gigabytes of RAM need to periodically prevent the device from responding to commands instantly. In this article, we will discuss all current methods of freeing up resources.
Analysis of the current state of RAM
Before we start taking any drastic measures, it's worth evaluating how many resources are available right now. The MIUI shell provides built-in monitoring tools that show a real picture of the system's load, and to access this information, you just swipe your finger from the bottom up on the home screen or open the Security app.
This shows the load percentage and the approximate amount of free memory, and it's important to understand that the system itself reserves some RAM for its own needs, so the available amount is always less than the physical one, and if the free memory is less than 15-20% of the total, this is a direct signal to clean up.
It's worth paying attention to which processes consume the most resources, and it often turns out that social media background services or heavy games eat up the entire limit of what's available, preventing other programs from running, and visualizing this data helps you understand where the reason for slow work lies.
Standard cleaning methods through system tools
The fastest and safest way to free up space is to use the built-in optimizer. Xiaomi Redmi 5 owners do not need to install third-party software, since the system utility Security is integrated at a deep level. Click on the application icon, select the Cleanup section and wait for the scan to finish.
After analysis, the system will suggest deleting the cached data and freeing up RAM. Pressing the "Clean" button forcibly terminates background processes that are not critical to the operation of the OS. This action instantly increases the number of free megabytes.
☑️ Quick cleaning algorithm
But remember, the effect of this procedure is temporary, and Android is designed to re-start the necessary services in a few minutes, but before starting a heavy game or a navigator, this preventive measure does help to avoid friezes.
⚠️ Warning: Do not clean RAM through "Security" every 5 minutes.Constant shutdown of system processes causes the processor to work harder, which can lead to faster battery discharge Redmi 5.
Manual control of applications and background processes
A more advanced method of control is to manually control running programs. In MIUI, the multitasking menu is called by swiping from the bottom up with a delay or pressing the Menu button (square), where you can see all the active windows and force the unnecessary ones to close.
For detailed analysis, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Developer → Memory Statistics. This displays a list of processes sorted by the amount of RAM you use. You can see that even a simple application can consume hundreds of megabytes due to errors in code or accumulated cache.
If you find an application that is not in use but is actively consuming resources, you can force it to stop. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, select the desired one and click the Stop button. This action will temporarily freeze the program.
Why do you need a “Developers” menu?
You should pay special attention to autoboot. Many programs prescribe themselves in a start-up and run with your phone. Turn off autorun for instant messengers you rarely use through the Permits menu or the settings of the application itself.
Cleaning the cache and temporary files of the system
Temporary file accumulation is one of the main reasons for the lack of space not only in storage, but also indirectly in RAM, and when the system lacks space on the internal drive, it begins to work more slowly with virtual memory, which puts a strain on RAM.
Cache clearing can be done selectively for each application. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select a “heavy” application (like a browser or YouTube) and click Clear → Clear cache. This will not delete your logins and passwords, but will remove temporary data.
| Type of data | Where it takes place | Impact on speed | Security of removal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Internal memory. | High (accelerates launch) | Completely safe. |
| RAM | RAM | Critical (affects multitasking) | Safe, but the processes will restart. |
| Application data | Internal memory. | Average. | Dangerous (deletes logins and settings) |
| Download files | Internal memory/SD | Low. | Safe if you don’t need files |
It is also recommended to check the download folder and gallery regularly. A crowded gallery makes the indexing system work more actively, which also consumes processor and memory resources. Removing duplicates and unnecessary screenshots is a good way to optimize.
💡
Use the Deep Clean feature in the Security app once a week to find remnants of deleted applications and large files that are rarely used, making room for system operations.
Using Developer Mode to Optimize RAM
Xiaomi Redmi 5 has hidden settings that allow you to strictly limit the number of background processes, which can dramatically change the behavior of the system on devices with low RAM. To activate you need to click seven times on the build number in the section “About the phone”.
Once you turn on the developer mode, find the "Background Process Limit" option, which is the default "Standard Limit" option, but you can change it. Setting "No More than 2 Processes" will cause the system to aggressively unload applications from memory, leaving only the most necessary ones active.
Another useful feature is “Do Not Stay Activated,” which, if enabled, will destroy the application as soon as the user leaves the screen, guaranteeing maximum free memory, but requiring the applications to be reopened each time they switch.
⚠️ Attention: Changing the limit of background processes in the developer menu can lead to incorrect work of messengers (messages will arrive with a delay) and music players.
Also on this menu, you can find the option "Remember Activity" which can help if the system is not behaving stable, but for the average user, manual control through standard settings remains the safest option.
Radical measures: resetting and updating the system
If the software methods do not give the desired result and Xiaomi Redmi 5 continues to slow down, it is possible that the system has accumulated critical errors or conflicting files, in which case the effective solution is a complete reset to the factory state.
Before doing this, be sure to back up all your important data, as your internal memory will be completely cleared. Follow the Settings path → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset → Reset. This process will bring your phone back out of the box.
Don't install all the applications at once after reset, watch the clean system work, if the problem is solved, it's software junk or conflict software, and installing the applications gradually will help identify the culprit.
💡
Full reset is the most effective way to programmatically speed up an old smartphone, returning it to the performance of the first days of use.
While Redmi 5 may not have official updates, installing the latest available version of MIUI often includes security patches and memory optimizations.