Memory Cleanup on Xiaomi 9C: From Cache to Deep Reset

Xiaomi 9C

Mi CC9e

Xiaomi 9C

"Memory is full."

In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to clean up memory, from basic (delete unnecessary files) to radical (reset to factory settings), focus on hidden MIUI features that help make room without losing important data, and find out which applications can be safely removed and which are better transferred to a memory card.

We warn you that not all methods are equally effective, for example, cleaning the cache will give a temporary increase in memory, but will not solve the problem forever. SD-map or disable duplicate services MIUI They can significantly extend the life of your smartphone. To avoid wasting time, start with the simplest and move on to the hardest only when necessary.

1. The analysis of occupied memory: what exactly eats the place?

Before you clean, you need to understand what exactly takes up memory on your Xiaomi 9C. MIUI has a built-in analysis tool – it will show which apps, photos or system files take up the most space.

To open the memory analysis:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Wait for the scan to be completed (it may take 10 to 30 seconds).
3. Click on the category (e.g., "Applications", "Multimedia" or "System Data") for detail.

Pay attention to the following points:

• 📱 Apps: Social networks (Facebook, TikTok), instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and games often weigh 1-3 GB each, and their cache can exceed the size of the application itself.
• 📷 Photo and video: Xiaomi 9C It takes pictures in 48 MP resolution and videos in 1080p — Even a minute clip takes 100-150 MB.
• 🗑️ System data: This includes updates MIUI, Log files and temporary data. If this partition takes up more than 5GB, it's time to clean up.

If you see several gigabytes of unknown files in the Other section, it could be debris from deleted applications or corrupted downloads, which are not visible in the gallery, but can be found through the file manager (more on this in the next section).

2. Clearing cache and temporary files

The fastest way to free up 1-3 GB of memory is to delete the application cache and system temporary files. Cache is needed to speed up the program, but over time it grows to unreasonable sizes.

Method 1: Clearing the cache for individual applications

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as YouTube or Instagram).
3. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – this will delete all settings and accounts!).

Method 2: Mass cleaning of the cache

To avoid cleaning each application manually:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
2. Click "Clean" (the system will automatically find unnecessary files).
3. Check the boxes next to the "App Cache" and "Temporary Files".

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache for system applications like com.android.systemui or com.miui.home – this can cause malfunctions. MIUI.

Method 3: Removing garbage through Safe Mode

If the smartphone is slowing down so much that you can not open the settings, try to boot into Safe Mode (safe mode):

1. Press the power button until the shutdown menu appears.
2. Keep your finger on “Switch off” until you request to switch to Safe Mode.
3. Only system applications work in this mode – delete unnecessary files through the file manager.

3. manually delete unnecessary files

MIUI hides many files from the user, but they can be found through a file manager or third-party utilities.

Where to look for unnecessary files:

• 📁 Download folder: This includes all downloads from the browser, messengers and mail. APK-file, PDF archives.
• 🗃️ folder DCIM/.thumbnails: So these are miniatures of photos and videos that the system automatically creates, and you can delete them, and they're restored when you open the gallery.
• 📥 folder Android/data: It's where game and application data is stored, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact can be used to 10 GB on cache cards and updates.
• 🔄 folder MIUI/backup: Backups created by the system. If you don't plan on recovering old data, you can delete it.

How to delete:

1. Open the standard Files (or install Solid Explorer from Google Play).
2. Go to the internal memory and find the folders.
3. Select unnecessary files and click "Delete".

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from folders:

• MIUI (other than backup) is system data.
• Android/obb – this is where game data is stored (deleting will cause crashes);
• Files with the.db or.xml extension are application databases.

If you're not sure if you can delete a file, move it to a separate folder (like Temp) and check if the system is broken. If everything works, delete it safely.

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To quickly find large files, use size sorting in the Solid Explorer file manager: click three dots → Sort → Size (decreasing).

4. Data transfer to memory card

Xiaomi 9C supports microSD cards up to 256 GB, but not all data can be transferred to an external drive.

What can be transferred to SD-map:

• 📷 Photo and video: Gallery MIUI It allows you to move multimedia to the map without loss of quality.
• 🎵 Music and podcasts: Format files MP3, FLAC, M4A passable.
• 📄 Documents: PDF, DOCX, XLSX and other office files.
• 🎮 Some games: Only those that support the installation of SD (Asphalt 9 or Clash of Clans).

What I CAN'T move:

• 📱 System applications (Settings, Phone, Messages);
• 🔒 High security applications (Banking programs, Google Authenticator);
• 📱 Applications that explicitly prohibit portability (their description in Google Play will be marked with a note).

How to transfer files:

1. Open Files → select a category (such as Images).
2. Select files → press “More” → “Move”.
3. Choose. SD-destination-card.

How to move applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application → “Storage” → “Change” (if the option is active).
3. Press "SD-map" and confirm the transfer.

⚠️ Note: After the application has been moved to SD-It can be slower, and don't remove the memory card while the app is running, it'll crash.

5. Removal of duplicate and unnecessary applications

MIUI default installs a lot of apps that can’t be removed by standard means, but can be disabled or replaced with lighter ones, and duplicates are accumulated in the system, such as two browsers (Mi Browser and Google Chrome) or two music players.

What applications can be removed or disabled:

• 🌐 Duplicate browsers: Leave one (Chrome or Mi Browser).
• 📧 Mail clients: If you don't use Mi Mail, delete it.
• 🎵 Music players: Mi Music can be replaced by VLC poweramp.
• 📺 Video players: Mi Video weighs ~100 MB – if you use YouTube or MX Player, remove it.
• 🎮 Game Turbo is only useful for gamers – if you do not play, turn off.

How to remove system applications (root rights required):

If you are ready for experiments, you can uninstall embedded applications via ADB (no root rights):

1. Turn on "Debugging by" USB" In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click 7 times on the version to unlock the developer menu).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.package For example, to remove Mi Browser: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browser

⚠️ Warning: Removing system applications can lead to unstable work MIUI. Before experimenting, make a backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

List of safe packets to remove (for Xiaomi 9C):

6. MIUI Optimization: Disabling Unnecessary Functions

MIUI offers a variety of features that work in the background and eat up memory, and if you turn off some of them, you will free up to 1-2 GB and speed up the smartphone.

What functions can be disabled:

• 🔄 Auto Update Apps: Go to Google Play → "Settings" → "Auto-update of applications" → Choose "Never".
• 📡 Background data transfer: In Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery management disable background activity for unnecessary applications.
• 📊 Statistics collection MIUI: Go to Settings. → Memory. → Three points. → Settings → Send an error report and disable the option.
• 🎨 Themes and wallpaper: MIUI It's constantly downloading new themes. Turn off auto-update in Settings. → Topics → Settings → Auto-update themes.
• 🔍 Device Search: If you don’t use built-in search, turn it off in Settings → Additionally. → Search.

How to disable advertising in MIUI:

MIUI displays ads in system applications (e.g. Files or Settings) to remove them:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to unlock the developer menu).
2. Return to Settings → Additional → Special Features → Remove Ads in MIUI (if you have an option).
3. If you don’t have an option, install the patch through Magisk (root required).

⚠️ Note: Disable certain functions (e.g., "Optimization") MIUI") This can lead to increased battery consumption as the system will no longer restrict background processes.

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Turning off auto-updates and application background activity is the safest way to save memory and battery power without risk to the system.

7. factory reset (last resort)

If all previous methods failed and the Xiaomi 9C has less than 1GB of free space, you’ll have to resort to a full reset, which will delete all data, including photos, messages and installed apps, so be sure to back up.

How to make a backup copy:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and copy important files (photos, videos, documents) manually.
2. Or use Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
3. Save a backup copy to SD-Map or cloud Mi Cloud (if you have a Xiaomi account).

How to perform the reset:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select "Reset" → "Delete all data".
3. Enter the password (if installed) and confirm the action.
4. Wait until it is completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: After reset, the phone will return to the factory firmware. MIUI, You'll have to re-install the updates, and you'll also remove your Google account binding, so you'll be ready to enter your username and password after you reboot.

If the memory is quickly filled up after reset, the problem may be in the corrupted file system, in which case only flashing through Fastboot or Recovery will help.

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After reset, don’t restore the backup completely – select only the files you want (photos, contacts) to help avoid transferring garbage back to your phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleaning on Xiaomi 9C