The constant appearance of notifications about the lack of space is a familiar problem for many owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, which significantly slows down the device. When internal storage is overflowing, the MIUI system begins to work with delays, cameras can not save new pictures, and applications stop updating, this is because the Android operating system requires free space for temporary files and proper virtual memory.
In this article, we will explore not only standard cleaning methods, but also hidden shell features that are often overlooked. You will learn how to safely remove system debris, analyze messenger folders and use special tools for deep scanning. The right approach to file management will allow you to extend the life of your gadget without having to buy a new model.
Before you start taking drastic measures like resetting, it’s worth trying to optimize the current state of the system. There are many nuances surrounding how Android manages data on MIUI devices. Understanding these processes will help you keep your smartphone in perfect condition for years to come.
Analysis of occupied space by built-in tools
The first step is always diagnostics. Xiaomi device owners have access to a powerful built-in tool that allows you to study in detail what exactly is clogged up in storage. The standard conductor and system settings provide enough information for the initial analysis, but many users ignore this data.
To start, you need to go to the settings menu and find the storage section, where the system visualizes the information by showing the percentages of different file types, which helps quickly identify the heavyweights that occupy the lion's share of the volume.
- 📱 Click on the Settings icon on your desktop or in the notification curtain.
- 📂 Select “About Phone” or immediately go to “Memory” (depending on version) MIUI).
- 🔍 Wait for the analysis to be completed, the system will automatically calculate the amount of applications, photos, videos and system files occupied by the system.
Note that the Other category is often questionable, and this section of MIUI includes app cache, remnants of deleted programs, temporary update files, and messenger data that were not automatically recognized, and cleaning up this category requires a more careful approach, which we will talk about later.
Using a built-in analyzer is the safest way to get the big picture, but to do a deeper job, you'll need specialized tools that come with the phone, so you can not just see the volume, but you can also go straight to removing the unnecessary.
Using the “Security” app and cleaning the cache
Each Redmi and Xiaomi smartphone has a Security system app pre-installed, not just an antivirus, but a whole system maintenance harvester that includes a powerful garbage cleaner, and using it regularly helps keep the system on track.
Launch the app and select Cleanup, and the system will quickly scan and prompt you to delete cache files that are not critical to the operation of the programs. Cache is temporary data that speeds up the launch of applications, but over time can inflate to gigabytes.
☑️ Daily cleaning of the smartphone
It is important to distinguish between cache and important data. In a standard cleanup, only temporary files are deleted, your logins, passwords and correspondence are saved, but if you decide to use Deep Cleanup, carefully check what is ticked so that you do not accidentally delete the documents you want.
⚠️ Warning: Don't use third-party "accelerators" from the Play Market aggressively.built-in tool MIUI has deeper access rights to system folders and works more efficiently without loading the battery with background processes.
After a standard cleaning, you should look at the “Big Files” section, where the system will show videos and archives larger than a certain threshold (usually 10 MB), often where old screen recordings or downloaded movies are forgotten.
Working with garbage in messengers and social networks
The main source of memory bloat on modern smartphones are messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber have the feature of storing all received media files in the memory of the device, even if you have never opened them. Over time, the folders of these applications can take up to 20-30 GB.
Unlike standard cache cleaning through Android settings, messengers require a customized approach, and internal settings allow you to flexibly manage autoload and store data only in the cloud, a critical step for owners of devices with a small amount of internal memory.
Let’s consider the main actions for popular applications:
- 📸 Telegram: Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Click on Clear Cache and enable Media Auto Delete slider, setting a time limit for, for example, 3 days or 1 week.
- 💬 WhatsApp: Go to Settings → Data and storage → Storage management. You can select specific chat rooms and delete only heavy videos, leaving text messages.
- 📹 Viber: In the menu "More» → Settings → Memory. Turn on the "Save in the Gallery" option to the off state so that duplicate photos do not fall into the general gallery.
Regularly checking these settings allows you to free up gigabytes of space in just a few minutes, and remember that deleting the cache inside the app itself is safe for your correspondence unless you have chosen the option to delete the entire history.
Cleaning system folders and galleries
The MIUI shell creates many service folders that eventually become trash, and one of the heaviest is the folder of screenshots and saved images from browsers, and users often forget what they screened a few years ago, and these files simply lie dead weight.
Use the built-in Gallery app to sort, and it has a smart album called Screenshots and Recents, and go through them and delete whatever's out of date, and it's worth checking the DCIM →.thumbnails folder, where the thumbnails are stored, and it's safe to delete them, but they'll be recreated the next time you open the gallery.
In the file manager, pay attention to the folder MIUI → debug_log. This is where the system can reset error reports, and if you're not a developer and you're not debugging the system, you can delete files painlessly.
| Type of folder | Location. | What can be removed | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screenshots | DCIM/Screenshots | All the old pictures | Minimum |
| Downloads. | Download | APK installers, PDF | You can delete the file you want. |
| Cash cart. | Android/data/com.google.android.maps | Offline maps | I'll have to swing again. |
| Logs of the system | MIUI/debug_log | Text records | Safe. |
Pay special attention to the Download folder. Browsers by default save all downloaded files there, often there you can find old versions of apps, presentations or music tracks that are no longer needed.
Removal of applications and work with duplicates
Often memory is occupied by applications you have stopped using. Unlike other systems, MIUI makes it easy to manage rights and application sizes. Go to settings, select Apps → All Apps, and sort the list by size.
You'll be surprised to find that simple-looking programs can take up several gigabytes, as is the case with navigators, streaming services and games, and if you don't need an app, remove it completely, rather than just erase the label from your desktop.
It’s also worth checking for duplicate files. Xiaomi’s file manager has a built-in duplicate search function that analyzes the contents of memory and finds the same photos or documents, even if they are called differently or in different folders.
⚠️ Be careful when removing system applications through ADB Removing critical Android components (such as Google Play services or system framework) can result in an endless reboot (bootloop).
For games, use the Delete Data feature before deleting completely if you plan to reinstall the game later, which will save progress in the cloud (if the game supports cloud storage), but clear the local resource cache.
Additional methods and resetting settings
If none of the above methods have worked, more radical but effective measures can be considered: resetting to factory settings is a “nuclear option” that guarantees the phone’s “out of the box” state.
Before this procedure, make sure to create a full backup. In MIUI, this is done through the Advanced Settings menu → Reset and Recovery. Select Reset all settings (or Erase all data for complete cleanup).
There is also a less radical method, which is to clean the cache partition through Recovery Mode, turn off the phone, press the button combination (usually Volume Up + Power), and select Wipe Cache from the Recovery menu.
Regular maintenance, cloud services and attention to installed applications will help you forget about the problem of memory shortage. Modern smartphones Xiaomi and Redmi have powerful tools for self-service, the main thing is to know where they are.