How to clean up memory on Xiaomi Redmi phone without removing apps and photos: 7 working ways

Memory on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones is not only clogged for photos and apps, most of it is occupied by temporary files, cache of systems and residual data of remote programs. Many users face a situation where the phone writes “Not enough memory”, but the gallery only has a couple of hundred pictures and installed applications – no more than a dozen. In this article, we will discuss how to make space on Redmi without deleting important data using built-in MIUI tools and hidden Android functions.

The problem of memory shortage is especially relevant for budget Redmi models (for example, Redmi 9A, Redmi Note 10 or POCO M3), where the amount of internal drive is often limited to 32-64 GB. Even if you do not install games, the system over time “swells” due to:

• 📁 Application cache (especially messengers, social networks and browsers).
• 🗑️ Residual files after updates MIUI or remote programs.
• 🔄 Duplicates and garbage in the folder Download and basket.
• 📊 System logs and dumps that Xiaomi creates for diagnostics.

We tested all methods on the current versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS (2026) – they work on most Redmi models, including older devices on MIUI 12/13. Importantly, some methods require developer rights or PC connection, but we marked them separately so you can choose the most convenient option.

1. Cleaning the application cache and system

The fastest way to free up 1-3 GB of memory is to delete the accumulated cache. Unlike these applications, the cache does not contain important information and is restored automatically the next time you use the program.

To clean the cache of individual applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like WhatsApp or Chrome) and tap “Clear Cache.”
3. For mass cleaning, use the built-in tool: Settings → Memory → Cleaning (the broom icon in the upper right corner).

The system cache (including the MIUI cache) is cleared through the recovery mode:

Turn off the phone.

Press the Power button + Volume up before the Mi logo appears

Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache

Confirm the action and restart the device-->

⚠️ Warning: Do not confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data - the second option will reset the phone to factory settings! Also, after cleaning the system cache, the first turn on can take up to 5-10 minutes.

Once a week.

Once a month

Only when memory ends

Never cleaned.-->

2. Deletion of residual files and MIUI "junk"

Xiaomi is known for often leaving their data in /data/data or /sdcard/Android/obb folders after deleting applications. These files can take up hundreds of megabytes, but are not displayed in the standard file manager.

To find and remove them:

1. Install a file manager with access to root folders, such as FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer (enable root if you have superuser rights).
2. Go to /sdcard/Android/obb and delete folders with the names of remote games or programs.
3. In /data/data (requires root), find folders with the names of remote application packages (e.g. com.tencent.mm for WeChat).

For users without root rights, the built-in Deep Cleanup tool in MIUI is suitable:

• 🔍 Open Security. → Cleanup → Deep cleaning.
• 🗑️ Select the category “Residual Files” and click “Clear».
• 📦 In the "Big Files" section, check the Download folders and DCIM/.thumbnails (Here are the photos that can be safely removed).

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If you see a file in the Big Files list that is a few gigabytes in size, com.miui.analytics.log is the MIUI analytics log, and you can delete it, and it will recover automatically, but with a smaller size.

3.Storage optimization through Google’s Files

Google Files (or Google Files) is often more effective than the built-in MIUI manager for finding garbage, which analyzes memory and suggests that you delete:

• 📄 Duplicate photos (e.g. screenshots with the same content).
• 🎵 Unused audio files (downloads from messengers, voice messages).
• 📺 Cache streaming video (for example, from YouTube or TikTok).

Instructions:

1. Install Google Files from the Play Market.
2. Open the “Cleaning” tab and wait for the analysis to be completed.
3. In the “Recommendations” section, mark unnecessary files and click “Clean”.

Important: The app may suggest removing files from the Android/data folder, which is game and program data, and only delete them if you are sure they are not needed (e.g., remote game cache).

4. Transfer applications to a memory card (if supported)

Some Redmi models (such as the Redmi Note 8 Pro or Redmi 9T) support microSD porting, which allows you to free up to 50% of internal memory, but there are some nuances:

• ⚠️ Not all apps can be ported (especially system and some games).
• ⚡ The speed of applications from a memory card is lower than from an internal drive.
• 🔄 After the transfer, some functions (such as widgets) may stop working.

How to move the application:

1. Insert a memory card (preferably class A1/A2 for better performance).
2. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Select the app and click on “Storage” → “Change” → “Memory Map”.

⚠️ Warning: If you remove the memory card after the transfer, the applications will stop working. SD Messengers (such as Telegram or WhatsApp) – this can cause you to lose messages.

5.Using the Lite Mode function in MIUI

Xiaomi has added a MIUI mode called Light Mode, which optimizes the system to save memory and battery power.

• 🔄 Background activity of applications is limited.
• 🗑️ Cache is automatically cleaned when free memory is low.
• 📴 Visual effects and animations are turned off.

How to turn on:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Lite Mode.
2. Activate the switch and select the optimization level (“Balanced” or “Aggressive”).
3. Reboot the phone.

This mode is especially useful for older Redmi models (like the Redmi 5A or Redmi 6) where memory is sorely short, but note that some features (like split screen or transition animations) will be disabled.

6. Clean Thumbnails folder and thumbnails

The DCIM/.thumbnails folder stores thumbnails of all photos and videos on the device, which can grow to 1-2 GB over time, although the original files remain intact. These thumbnails are automatically restored by the system, so they can be safely deleted.

How to clean:

1. Open any file manager (e.g., the built-in Mi File Manager).
2. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM →.thumbnails.
3. Delete all files in this folder (or the folder itself).

Similarly, you can clear the thumbnail cache for video:

• 🎥.thumbnails-video folder in the same directory DCIM.
• 🖼️.cache folder at the root of internal memory (there are temporary gallery files stored here).

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder DCIM The whole thing -- it stores the original photos -- also don't touch the.nomedia file, otherwise the gallery will start displaying the system folders.

7 Hidden MIUI functions for memory release

MIUI contains several hidden tools that are not obvious to most users, such as Memory Compression, which allows you to temporarily free RAM and internal memory by archiving unused data.

How to turn on memory compression:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap on the MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the option “Memory Compression” and turn it on.

Other useful hidden functions:

⚠️ Attention: Disconnection MIUI Optimization can disrupt some functions (such as dark theme or navigation gestures) and only use this method if other methods have not helped.

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Memory compression and back-end limitations are the safest optimization methods that do not require root rights and do not disrupt the system.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleanup on Xiaomi Redmi