Memory Cleanup on Xiaomi Redmi 5: From Cache to Deep Optimization

Xiaomi Redmi 5, released in 2017, is still a popular budget smartphone due to its reliability and maintainability. However, its main drawback — just 16/32 GB of internal memory — eventually turns into a headache. Even after removing photos and apps, the system persistently issues a notification “Not enough memory”, and the settings show that 90%+ of volume is occupied for no apparent reason. What is it and how to really free up space?

The problem lies in three layers: the system cache (including residual files). MIUI), App garbage (especially messengers and social networks) and hidden backups that Xiaomi creates automatically. In this article, 5 working cleaning methods, from simple to radical, with the features of Redmi 5 (codenamed rosy). MIUI 12.5 and Android 7.1.2 Nougat (last official firmware for this model).

1. Diagnosis: What exactly is taking up memory?

Before you clean, you need to understand which files are eating up space. Redmi 5 has built-in tools and hidden menus to do this.

Open Settings → About Phone → Memory. Here you will see a diagram of System, Applications, Multimedia, etc. But this data is often inaccurate — for example, the messenger cache can be displayed as Other.

• 🔍 Use File Manager from Xiaomi: Go to Categories → Memory analysis: This is the exact folders that take up the most space (most often this is the most space). /Android/data and /MIUI/backup).
• 📊 Install third-party software, such as Files by Google or SD Maid (requires root for full scanning) These applications will find duplicate files, empty folders and residual data of remote programs.
• ⚙️ Check Hidden System Files: In Explorer, enable the display of hidden folders (three dots in the upper right corner) → «Show hidden files. Pay special attention to the folders.thumbnails (image miniatures) and.cache.

Redmi 5 is often a bug: after updating MIUI folder /MIUI/backup/AllBackup grows to 1-3 GB, although backups are long irrelevant. It can be safely removed manually, the system will create a new one if necessary.

2.Cache cleanup: system and applications

Cash is the main invisible memory eater, and Redmi 5 has three types:

1. Application cache – temporary files that programs save to speed up work (for example, pictures on Instagram or videos in TikTok).
2. Dalvik cache – files of the Android virtual machine that are created when installing / updating applications.
3. MIUI cache – service shell data, including thumbnails, log files and widget residues.

You can clean them without root rights, but with nuances:

Remove the cache of individual applications in Settings → Applications

Clear Dalvik cache via Recovery (requires a reboot)

Remove /MIUI/backup folder manually

Use the built-in “Optimizer” (Settings) → Memory. → Clean up)-->

Important: Do not clear the cache of all applications immediately through Settings → Memory → Clean! This will lead to:

• ⏳ Slowdown of the smartphone for 1-2 days (applications will have to reassemble the cache).
• 🔄 Data loss in some programs (for example, WhatsApp will re-request a backup of chats).
• 📱 Reset widgets on the main screen.

It is better to clean the cache selectively:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort by size (click on three dots → “Sort by size”).
3. Select apps with a cache >100MB (usually Facebook, Telegram, Google Play Services) and click Clear Cache.

To clean the Dalvik cache (this is safe but requires a reboot):

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power to enter Recovery.
3. Select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe Data!).
4. Confirm and reboot.

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If after cleaning the cache, Redmi 5 began to slow down, reboot it twice in a row - this will reset the background processes.

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Even after uninstallation, programs often leave behind folders with data in /Android/data and /Android/obb. On Redmi 5, this is especially critical: for example, a PUBG Mobile game can leave up to 1.5 GB of garbage after removal.

How to clean:

1. Open Explorer → Internal Memory → Android
2. Go to the data and obb folders.
3. Delete folders with the names of remote applications (for example, com.tencent.ig for PUBG).

Xiaomi also has built-in system applications that can't be removed by standard means, but can be disabled.

• 🎵 Mi Music and Mi Video – if you use YouTube Music or VLC.
• 📰 Mi Browser – if you prefer Chrome or Firefox.
• 📡 Mi Remote – if you do not use the remote for technology.
• 💼 Mi Pay – if you do not pay via Xiaomi in Russia/Ukraine/Kazakhstan.

To disable:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Press three points. → «Show all the processes».
3. Find an unnecessary app, open its page and click “Disable” (not “Delete”!).

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable Mi Security or Google Play Services, as this will cause system failures and inability to update applications.

4. Optimization of multimedia: photos, videos and downloads

Photos and video are the main memory eaters. On Redmi 5 with a 12MP camera, one JPEG photo weighs ~3-5 MB, and a minute of Full HD video weighs up to 120 MB. If you don't transfer files to a PC or cloud, memory will fill up in a month.

Decisions:

• 📸 Compress the photo via Google Photos (settings) → «Free up space.The app will replace the originals with compressed copies (quality is almost not lost).
• 🎥 Change the resolution of the video in the camera settings: Camera settings → Video resolution → HD (720p) Full instead HD.
• 🗑️ Clean the Downloads folder - here accumulate APK-Files, documents and archives: Users often forget to remove application installers (.apk) that weigh between 50 and 100 MB.
• 🔄 Move the files to SD-Redmi 5 supports cards up to 256GB, but only in portable storage mode (not as an extension of internal memory).

To automate cleaning:

1. Install Files by Google and enable the “Cleanup” function in the settings.
2. Activate the option “Delete old files from Download” (in the same app).

5. Factory reset: When nothing helps

If after all the manipulations of free memory remains <1 GB, and the system is failing, it's time to do hard reset. It's a radical method, but it's going to bring Redmi back. 5 to the original state, having removed:

• 🧹 All user data (photos, videos, contacts).
• 📱 System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, brightness).
• 🔧 Installed applications and their data.

Important: Before resetting, be sure to remove SD-Map and copy important files to your PC – they will be deleted without the possibility of recovery!

Instructions:

1. Make a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local backup (if there is space).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Reset All Settings” (not “Reset Network Settings”!).
4. Enter your password (if installed) and confirm.

After discharge:

• 🔄 Do not restore backup copy through MIUI — It's going to bring back the old problems. It's better to manually transfer only the right files.
• 📥 Install applications gradually, checking the free space.
• 🔧 Turn off automatic app updates on Google Play.

⚠️ Redmi 5 may be missing after reset IMEI (If you don't have a network after you reboot, check it out. IMEI If it is not available, you will need to restore it via the Mi Flash Tool (instructions are available on the device). 4PDA).

6.Prevention: How to avoid memory filling in the future

To avoid clearing your memory every week, follow these rules:

• 📵 Turn off auto-update apps in Google Play: Settings → Auto-update of applications → Never.
• 📷 Set up the photo to the cloud automatically (Google Photos or Yandex.Disk) and turn on the option “Delete after downloading».
• 🗑️ Clean Downloads folder regularly – for example, once a month.
• 🔄 Use the “Lite” versions of applications (Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite, Twitter Lite), which weigh 2-3 times less.
• 🛡️ Turn off backups. MIUI: Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backup → Shut down.

For Redmi 5, it is especially important to:

• 🎮 Don’t install heavy games (Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile) – they require 2-4 GB of free space and fill it quickly.
• 📶 Use it. SD-class A1 or A2 for porting applications (through Settings) → Annexes → Move it to SD-map).
• 🔋 Watch the health of the battery - when wearing out >50% of the system starts aggressively cacheing data, which speeds up memory filling.

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Regularly cleaning the cache and disabling application auto-updates can free up to 3-5 GB of memory on Redmi 5 without losing important data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleaning on Xiaomi Redmi 5