How to completely clean memory on Xiaomi 7A: from cache to factory settings

The Xiaomi Mi 7A (released in 2018) is still a popular budget smartphone, but its modest 16/32GB of internal memory often becomes a headache. Even after removing photos and apps, the system stubbornly shows "Memory is full" and performance drops. What's the matter? It's the system cache, residual files of remote programs and hidden MIUI data, which occupy up to 30% of the total volume.

In this article – 7 proven ways to clean up memory on Xiaomi 7A, From basic (hand cache removal) to radical (factory reset) we will discuss how to find and delete unnecessary files without harming the system, which applications are "eating" memory unnoticed, and why the standard "Cleanup" function is used in the system. MIUI It's often inefficient, and we also have a lot of questions about whether we can migrate apps to other applications. SD-Map, why memory has become less after updating, and how to return the "lost" gigabytes.

1. Memory Occupation Analysis: What Takes Place?

Before you delete something, you need to know which files are eating up memory. The Xiaomi 7A has built-in tools for this, but they don't always show the full picture. Here's how to check the occupied space as accurately as possible:

Open Settings → Phone → Memory. Here you will see a diagram of the allocation of memory into categories: System, Applications, Media and Other Files. Notice the Other Files section, which is where the main garbage is often hidden: log files, temporary data and remnants of deleted programs.

• 📊 System (10-15 GB): firmware MIUI, Android kernel and pre-installed apps. You can't delete them, but you can reduce the cache.
• 📱 Applications (3–8 GB): Installed programs + This is where the most cache is accumulated (for example, on YouTube or Telegram).
• 🎵 Media (1–5 GB: Photos, videos, music. Even after you delete the files from the gallery, they can stay in the folder. DCIM/.thumbnails.
• 🗑️ Other files (2-10 GB): the most insidious partition, including downloads, updates, log files and garbage from the MIUI.

If embedded tools show incomplete data, use third-party utilities like Files by Google or SD Maid. They scan the memory deeper and find files that the system is hiding (for example, Google Play Services cache or duplicate photos).

⚠️ Note: If the partition system takes more than 16 GB on a 32-gigabyte model - this is a sign of bloated firmware or error after the update.

2. Cleaning the application cache and system

Cache is a temporary file that creates applications to speed up work. Over time, they accumulate and can take up to 5-7 GB. On Xiaomi 7A, the cache is cleared in two ways: manually for each application or globally for the entire system.

Method 1: Clearing the cache of individual applications

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook or Chrome) and click Storage.
3. Tap Clear cache. Don't click Clear data, it will delete all settings and accounts!

Method 2: Global cleaning of the system cache

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click Clean in the Cash section (may be called Garbage depending on the MIUI version).
3. Confirm action. The system will delete the cache of all Google apps and services.

After cleaning the cache, the smartphone can run slower for the first 10-15 minutes – this is normal, since applications need to re-upload temporary data. If the memory is quickly filled again after cleaning, check the applications for automatic downloads (for example, Telegram or WhatsApp can secretly download media files).

Delete the Google Play Services cache (can weigh up to 1GB)

Clear Chrome/Mi Browser cache (especially if you surf the internet frequently)

Check YouTube cache (high-resolution videos take hundreds of megabytes)

Delete Facebook/Instagram cache (social networks actively caching content)

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3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Even after deleting applications on Xiaomi 7A, their folders with data and cache often remain, for example, after uninstalling TikTok, the com.zhiliaoapp.musically folder weighing 200-300 MB may remain in memory.

Step 1: Remove pre-installed applications (bloatwar)

Many MIUI system applications (e.g. Mi Music, Mi Video, Mi Browser) cannot be removed by standard means, but they can be disabled:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unnecessary app (such as Mi Pay) and click Disable.
3. Confirm the action. The app will disappear from the menu and stop updating.

Step 2: Find and remove remnants of remote programs

You will need a file manager with root rights (such as Root Explorer) or a regular Files by Google:

1. Open the file manager and go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/.
2. Find folders with names of remote applications (for example, com.whatsapp or com.instagram.android).
3. Delete these folders manually. They can weigh anywhere from 100MB to 1GB.

Step 3: Removing System Application Updates

Some system applications (e.g. Google Play Services or Mi Security) take up more space after the upgrade, and can be rolled back to the factory version:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Google Play Services) and click on it. ⋮ → Remove updates.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete folders called com.android. or com.xiaomi. MIUI. Removing them can lead to the collapse of the system and the need for flashing.

Social networks (Facebook, Instagram)

Games (PUBG, Free Fire)

Xiaomi's standard programs (Mi Music, Mi Browser)

Google Apps (Duo, Play Books)

Nothing removed.

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4. Clean Download folder and hidden files

Download is one of the most crowded places on the Xiaomi 7A. Updates, archives, documents and media files that you have long forgotten are accumulated here.

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Download — It's a standard download folder. APK-files of manually installed applications (weigh by 50–200 MBT each).
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — Photo and video miniatures. 1 GB, even if the originals have been deleted long ago.
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/ — game cache files (e.g, PUBG Call of Duty: One file can weigh 1–2 GB!
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/ — It's a temporary firmware and update file, and it could be old versions. MIUI weight 1,5 GB.

How to clean:

1. Open any file manager (e.g., built-in Explorer or Files by Google).
2. Go to the folders above and delete the files you don't need, and pay special attention to the files with extensions:.apk - application installers;.obb - game cache;.tmp - temporary files;.log - system log files.

If you’re not sure if you can delete a file, check the name on Google. For example, com.miui.gallery* files are gallery files and should not be touched, and update.zip is a firmware archive that can be safely deleted after an update.

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Before mass deletion, back up your files to your computer or the cloud, for example, a DCIM folder can be copied to a PC and then removed from.thumbnails, freeing up to 500MB of original photos without losing them.

5. Data transfer to SD-card (if supported)

Xiaomi Mi 7A It officially supports microSD cards up to 256GB, but there are nuances: not all applications can be ported, and some features (for example, Adoptable Storage) are unstable. SD-map:

Method 1: Transfer files (photos, videos, music)

1. Put it in. SD-card in the slot (hybrid, so you have to choose: either the second one) SIM, memory card).
2. Open the Settings. → Warehouse → Memory and click Transfer data to SD-Card (if the option is available).
3. Manually copy DCIM, Music and Downloads folders to the map through the file manager.

Method 2: Application portability (partial)

You can only transfer some applications to MIUI, and then not all of them, just cache and some data.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Spotify) and click Storage → Change. → SD-map.
3. Confirm the transfer. Please note that some apps (like WhatsApp) do not support this feature.

Method 3: Set up the camera to shoot SD-map

To make sure that new photos and videos are immediately saved to the memory card:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Press on. ⚙️ Settings → Preservation site → SD-map.

⚠️ Attention: If you are using SD-card as internal memory (Adoptable Storage function), be prepared for slowing down of the smartphone. 7A Not optimized for this feature, and the class maps are UHS-I can slow down.

6. Reset to factory settings (radical method)

If all previous methods failed and the memory is still full, the last chance is Hard Reset, which will delete all data, including accounts, apps and settings, but return the smartphone to its original state.

How to reset:

1. Save important data to your computer or cloud (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset → Resetting.
3. Choose Delete all data and confirm the action.
4. Wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

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Regularly cleaning the cache and removing unnecessary files extends the life of the Xiaomi 7A by 20-30%. If memory runs out more than once a month, this is a sign that it is time to either reset the smartphone to factory settings or consider buying a model with a large amount of storage.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Xiaomi 7A memory