How to Clean Memory on Xiaomi Phone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Modern Xiaomi smartphones have a powerful hardware, but over time, even flagship models start to work slower. The main reason for the performance drop is often crowded internal storage. The MIUI or HyperOS operating system actively accumulates temporary files, app cache and remnants of remote software, which inevitably leads to a shortage of free space.

When the space is running out, the device starts to slow down, photos are no longer saved, and new applications are not installed. Memory cleaning is not just about removing redundant images, but a complex system maintenance process. In this article, we will explore all the available ways to free up space, from standard tools to advanced methods for power users.

Regular maintenance of the gadget prolongs its life and keeps the performance at a high level. You do not need to be a programmer to perform these actions. It is enough to follow our instructions to return your Xiaomi to its previous speed and get rid of annoying notifications about space shortages.

Use of the standard "Security" application

The easiest and safest way to start cleaning is to use the built-in system tool, which has a Security app in the MIUI shell that combines antivirus and cliner functions, and scans the device for junk files that are not needed to function properly.

Launch the app and click on the Cleanup button, and it will automatically find temporary files, installer residues, and other digital debris. It's important to understand that this tool only deletes secure data without affecting your personal photos or documents. After scanning, you'll see a list of files that can be deleted with a single click.

For a deeper analysis, go to the Cleanup section inside the application, where you can select file categories to delete, such as large files or rarely used applications, and use this method regularly helps keep the file system in order without risking damaging important data.

• 📱 Open the Security app on the home screen.
• 🧹 Click the “Clean” button for quick scanning.
• 🗑️ Confirm the removal of found garbage files.
• 📂 Use the Deep Cleansing section to analyze large files.

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An integrated cleaner is the best tool for daily maintenance, but it is not a substitute for manually cleaning the cache of heavy applications.

Manual cleaning of app cache and messengers

Social media and instant messengers are the main consumers of free space. Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber and Instagram store every photo and video they see in cache. Over time, the folders of these applications can grow to tens of gigabytes, taking up the lion’s share of memory of your Xiaomi.

To clear the cache of a particular application, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Select the desired program from the list and click Memory. Here you will see the "Clear Cache" button. Don't confuse it with the "Clear All" button, as the second option will delete your logins, passwords and correspondence.

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Use the built-in cleaning inside Telegram (Settings → Data & Memory → Memory Use) to delete the cache only for a certain period, such as a week or a month.

Special attention should be paid to the messaging gallery, which often stores commercials and postcards that have been sent to group chats, and by removing them through the file manager or chat settings, you free up more space than by standard cache cleaning.

• 📸 Go to the storage settings of a specific application.
• 🗑️ Click on “Clear Cache” to delete temporary files.
• 💬 In messengers, use the function “Memory Cleanup” in chat settings.
• ⚠️ Be careful with the “Erase Everything” button to avoid losing your accounts.

Storage analysis and removal of large files

Often memory is not occupied by small debris, but by forgotten videos, archives, or game installation files. MIUI has a handy analysis tool that visualizes space, and it shows which folders weigh the most, allowing you to pinpoint the unnecessary.

Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. The system will plot a graph where the color is highlighted for file categories. Click on Documents or Video, and you'll be placed in a file list sorted by size. Deleting one forgotten movie can free up more space than clearing the cache of ten lightweight apps.

Note the Download folder, which is where browsers and instant messengers often save all downloaded files, and check the contents, which may contain older versions of the apps, PDF-Files or pictures you no longer need.

Cleaning through file manager and hidden folders

For advanced users, you can work with the file system directly. Xiaomi's Standard Explorer allows you to see hidden folders and system directories. Here you can find the remnants of remote games, error logs and empty folders that take up space.

Turn on hidden files in Explorer settings (usually through a three-dot menu). Look for folders with names of remote applications - they often remain dead weight. It's also worth checking the MIUI/gallery/cloud folder, if you're not using the cloud, there may be duplicates of deleted photos.

⚠️ Note: When manually cleaning in a file manager, never delete files from folders Android/data Or system directories, if you're not sure what they're supposed to do, and that can lead to some kind of instability. MIUI.

Search by file size in Explorer. Set a filter to "More than 100MB" to instantly show the heaviest objects on your drive. Users are often surprised to find forgotten records of a recorder or on-screen recorder that take up gigabytes.

• 📂 Open the Explorer app and enable hidden files.
• 🔍 Use size sorting to search for heavyweights».
• 🗑️ Delete folders with names of remote games and programs.
• 💾 Check the folder. DCIM for the presence of duplicate videos.

Synchronization with the cloud and data transfer

If the phone’s physical memory is limited, the best solution is to transfer media files to the cloud. Xiaomi Cloud, Google Photos or Yandex Drive allow you to store photos and videos online, freeing up space on the device. Google Photos’ “Free space” feature automatically deletes copies of those photos from the phone that are already uploaded to the cloud.

Set up automatic gallery sync. This ensures that even if you accidentally delete a photo from your phone, the copy will remain online. For Xiaomi users, the option of storage optimization is also available, with only thumbnails on the device and the originals stored on the server.

In addition to photos, you can move documents and archives to the cloud, and many email services and cloud storage are integrated into the system, and by moving old projects to the cloud, you can delete local copies of them, while still accessing them from any device.

⚠️ Warning: Before deleting the original photos, make sure the sync is successful and files are opened in the cloud.

Radical Methods: Resetting and Formatting

If none of these methods worked and the memory fills up on its own, it could be that the system has crashed or has accumulated a critical amount of errors, in which case a full factory reset helps, a cardinal solution that puts the phone back into a store-like state.

Before resetting, make sure to make a full backup of your data. Go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The process will take a few minutes, after which the phone will be completely clean. All apps, settings and files will be deleted.

Settings → About the phone → Reset settings → Erase all data

After reset, take your time to restore all the applications at once. Install them gradually, watching the memory fill up. This will help identify the application virus or malfunctioning software that caused the problem. Often, after reset, the phone works much faster, as all system debris is removed over the years of use.

• 💾 Make a full backup on your PC or to the cloud.
• 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 50% before resetting.
• 🔄 Reset via the Settings menu or Recovery.
• 📲 Install applications selectively, avoiding questionable software.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)