How to Clean Memory on Xiaomi Redmi 4A: The Complete 2026 Guide

Xiaomi Redmi 4A is one of the most popular budget smartphones, but its modest 16 GB of internal memory is quickly clogged with photos, app cache and system files. If your phone starts to slow down, issue a notification “Not enough memory” or refuse to install updates, it’s time to act. In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to clean up memory, including hidden MIUI features that work even on outdated versions of the firmware.

The Redmi 4A feature is that there is no memory card slot in the base version (16 GB), which means that every megabyte counts. We will not advise the trivial things like “delete unnecessary photos” – instead, we will show how to find and remove hidden debris that takes up to 30% of memory: cache system applications, duplicate files, remnants of deleted programs and even temporary files from MIUI that are not cleaned by standard means.

Important: all methods are tested on Redmi 4A with MIUI 8-12 firmware. If you have custom firmware (like LineageOS), some points may differ. For owners of models with 32 GB of memory, the instructions are also relevant - you just have more margin in terms of volume.

1. The analysis of occupied memory: what exactly eats the place?

Before you clean it, you need to figure out which files take up the most space. MIUI has a built-in analyzer, but it's hidden in the depths of the menu. Here's how to find it:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Slip on the schedule "Busy" - will open the detail.
3. Click on Memory Analysis (may be called Details).

The system will show the distribution by categories: Apps, Images, Videos, Audio, Documents and Others. Pay attention to the item “Other” – there are often up to 5-7 GB of garbage (cache, logs, temporary files).

Typical memory eaters on Redmi 4A:

• 📸 Photo and video in Telegram/WhatsApp: Messengers by default save all media files to the folder DCIM/.thumbnails.
• 🎮 Game cache: Even after deleting the game, its cache can remain in the folder Android/obb.
• 🗑️ Update residues: firmware files (.zip) weigh up to 1.5 GB and are not automatically deleted.
• 📁 Duplicate files: MIUI Sometimes they make copies of photos when editing.

⚠️ Note: If the "Other" section is more than 3 GB occupied, this is a sign of clogged system cache. it can not be removed manually, you will need to reset the cache through Recovery (about this in section 5).

2. Cleaning the application cache without data loss

Cache is a temporary file that speeds up applications, and over time it grows to giant sizes. On Redmi 4A, Google Play Services cache can weigh up to 500 MB and social media can weigh up to 1-2 GB.

How to clean the cache selectively:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Facebook or YouTube).
3. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – it will delete accounts!).

For mass cleaning:

1. Open Settings → Memory → Cleaning.
2. Tap "Clear the cache" (the system will show how much space will be freed).
3. Confirm the action.

Close all applications (cache is cleared only for closed programs)

Check that you do not delete game data (for example, progress in Clash of Clans)

Do not clear the Google Play Store cache – it could disrupt updates

After cleaning, restart the phone.-->

How much space will be available? On average, 500MB to 2GB, depending on the number of apps installed, for example, Instagram cache on Redmi 4A often reaches 800MB, and Google Chrome - 300-400MB.

⚠️ Warning: Do not cache system applications like com.android.systemui or com.miui.home, which can cause interface failures. If you are not sure what you are doing, use only bulk cleaning through the Memory menu».

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Redmi 4A has many system applications (bloatware) that cannot be removed by standard means, but can be disabled or removed with ADB (advanced users).

List of safe applications to remove (does not affect system stability):

• 🎵 Mi Music (com.miui.player) is a standard player that duplicates Google Play Music.
• 📰 Mi Browser (com.android.browser) can be replaced with Chrome or Firefox.
• 📱 Mi Drop (com.xiaomi.midrop) is a rarely used file transfer service.
• 🎮 Game Center (com.xiaomi.gamecenter.sdk.service) is useless for most users.

How to disable pre-installed applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unneeded app (such as Mi Browser).
3. Click “Disable” (if the button is inactive, the application is critical to the system).

After removing / disabling applications, be sure to clean their residues:

1. Install a file manager (e.g. FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /sdcard/Android/data/ and delete the folders with the names of the disabled applications.
3. Check the /sdcard/Android/obb/ folder, and you can still have files up to 1-2 GB of games.

4. Clean Download folder and duplicate files

Download folder on Redmi 4A is a real dumpster.

• 📄 APK-installed application files (weigh 50-200 MB each).
• 📎 Archives (.zip,.rar) after unpacking.
• 📊 Exported contacts, notes, backups.
• 🖼️ Images and documents from mail/messaging.

How to clean Download:

1. Open any file manager (e.g., built-in Explorer).
2. Go to /sdcard/Download/.
3. Sort files by date or size and delete unnecessary ones.

💡

Use Files by Google, which automatically finds duplicate files, old memes, and large unused files. On Redmi 4A, it frees up an average of 1-1.5 GB per pass.

To search for duplicates:

1. Install Duplicate Files Fixer or CCleaner.
2. Run scanning of DCIM, Pictures, Download folders.
3. Remove duplicates (especially relevant for screenshots and photos from messengers).

Example: on one of the Redmi test 4A I found it in the Download folder. 12 duplicate APK-WhatsApp file (total weight — 600 MB! DCIM/Screenshots lay 150 screenshot 2019 year-end.

5.Cache reset via Recovery Mode (for experienced)

If standard methods don't work and the memory is still clogged with "Other", it's time to use hard cleanup via Recovery, which removes all temporary system files, including update cache, log files and debris from MIUI.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power before the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Don't choose Wipe Data, it'll reset the phone to factory settings! We only need Wipe Cache. After the procedure, it can take up to 5 minutes for the first turn on, which is normal.

How much space is freed up? 500MB to 3GB, depending on the degree of clogged, for example, after the MIUI update, the cache remains firmware files (.zip) that weigh up to 1.5GB.

💡

Recovery cache dumping is the only way to remove system debris that is not visible on the standard Memory menu.

6. Transfer applications to a memory card (if there is a slot)

Redmi 4A models with 32GB of memory have a microSD slot, but even they suffer from space shortages.

How to do this:

1. Insert a memory card (class 10 or UHS-I is recommended).
2. Format it as internal memory (all data on it will be deleted!): Settings → Memory → SD card → Configure as internal.
3. After formatting, go to Settings → Apps, select the application and click "Move to" SD-map».

Limitations:

• ❌ Not all applications support portability (especially system applications).
• ❌ The card must be permanently on the phone – when retrieved, the transferred applications will stop working.
• ❌ The speed of applications from the memory card is lower than from the internal.

What applications should be transferred:

• 🎵 Music Players (Spotify, VK Music).
• 📚 Readers of books (Moon)+ Reader, FBReader).
• 🎬 Video players (MX Player, VLC).
• 📁 File managers (ES Explorer, Total Commander).

⚠️ Note: Do not transfer messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) to the memory card - this can disrupt notifications. Also avoid transferring games with online mode (PUBG, Clash Royale).

7.Alternative methods: cloud storage and file compression

If, even after all the manipulations, memory is catastrophically lacking, consider cloud solutions:

• 📁 Google Photos: Automatically uploads photos/videos to the cloud and allows you to delete them from your phone (saves up to 5-10 GB).
• 📎 Mi Cloud: 5GB free for backups (but running slow on Redmi) 4A).
• 🎵 Yandex.Disk or Dropbox: for storing documents and archives.

For file compression:

• 📂 ZArchiver allows you to archive folders with photos in.zip (compression up to 30-50%).
• 🎥 Video Compress – compresses videos without severe loss of quality.

Example: a folder with 1000 photos weighs ~2 GB. After archiving in.zip - 1.2 GB. And video length of 5 minutes (1080p) can be compressed from 300 MB to 80 MB without noticeable loss of quality.

💡

Configure Google Photos to automatically upload only over Wi-Fi and delete the originals after backup. This will free up space without you.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleanup on Redmi 4A