How to Clean Memory on Xiaomi Redmi 5: From Cache to Complete Reset

Your Xiaomi Redmi 5 is getting slow, apps are constantly giving out a “Not enough memory” error, and photos are no longer saved? The problem is familiar to most owners of this smartphone – just 16 or 32 GB of internal memory is quickly clogged with system files, cache and debris. Even if you use a microSD, the internal drive is still overflowing, because much data (for example, updates or app cache) is stored there.

In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to clean up memory, from basic (delete unnecessary files) to radical (reset to factory settings), learn how to safely free up space without losing important data, which applications eat up the memory most, and why even after cleaning, free space can disappear again in a week. All instructions are adapted specifically for Redmi 5, taking into account the features of its MIUI firmware (including older versions).

1. Analysis of occupied space: what exactly eats memory?

Before you start cleaning, you need to know which files are taking up space. On Redmi 5, you can do this in two ways:

• 📊 Through built-in settings MIUI: Go to Settings. → Memory of the device. Here, the system will show the allocation of memory by category: "Applications", "Images", "Video", "Audio" and "Other." Click on any category to see a detailed list of files.
• 🔍 Using third-party analyzers: applications like Files by Google or SD Maid gives you more detailed statistics, including hidden files and duplicates, and they can sort files by size, which is convenient for finding heavy folders.

Pay special attention to the "Other" section - here are often hidden:

• 🗑️ Residual files of remote applications (folders) Android/obb and Android/data).
• 📁 System Logs and Error Dumps (Folder) /data/tombstones).
• 🔄 Temporary download files (Download folder or Bluetooth).

⚠️ Note: If the "System" section is occupied more than 10 GB - this is normal for the user. MIUI. Attempt to free up space by deleting system files can cause crashes.

On Redmi 5 with 16 GB of storage, the critical threshold is employment of more than 14 GB — in which case the system starts to slow down due to lack of space for temporary files. If you have 32 GB, cleanup should begin when you are over 25 GB.

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 anywhere from 1 to 5 GB. On Redmi 5, the cache is cleared in two ways:

Clearing the cache of individual applications

If a particular app is slowing down (like Facebook or Instagram), clear its cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the appropriate app (e.g. Gallery).
3. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – this will delete all app settings!).

Mass cleaning of cache of all applications

To quickly clean the cache of all applications:

1. Open Settings → Memory of the device.
2. Click "Clean" in the "Cash" section.
3. Confirm action. This will delete the cache of all applications, but it will not affect personal data.

After clearing the cache, some apps (like YouTube or Google Maps) can take longer to load on the first run – this is normal, as they recover temporary files.

Delete the cache of messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram)

Clean up the social media cache (Facebook, Instagram)

Delete the browser cache (Chrome, MIUI Browser)

Clear the cache of system applications (Gallery, Music)-->

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache of Google Play Services and Services Framework applications – this may disrupt Google services and lead to sync errors.

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Even after deleting applications on Redmi 5, they often have folders with data in /storage/emulated/0/Android/data and /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb.

3.1. Removal of pre-installed applications (bloatware)

MIUI is known for a large number of pre-installed applications that cannot be removed by standard means.

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 times click on MIUI Version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Enable "Debugging by USB" in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and use ADB to delete. For example, to delete Mi Video, type in the command line: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

List of safe to remove system applications on Redmi 5:

⚠️ Note: Do not delete applications with com.android. (except browser) and com.miui. if you are not sure about their purpose - this may lead to system failure!

Residual files manually deleted

To remove folders remaining after uninstallation of applications:

1. Connect your phone to your PC in "File Transfer" mode.
2. Open the Android/data and Android/obb folders.
3. Delete folders with the names of the remote applications (for example, com.whatsapp, if WhatsApp is already uninstalled).

4. Optimization of photo and video storage

Media files are the main memory eater on Redmi 5. One HEIF photo (which is captured by the default camera) can weigh 3-5 MB, and Full HD video can weigh up to 100 MB/min.

Change the camera settings

By default, Redmi 5 saves high-resolution photos to reduce their size:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Press on. ⚙️ "Settings".
3. Select "Photo Resolution" and set 8 MP instead of 12 MP.
4. In the Video section, select 720p instead of 1080p.

This will reduce the size of photos by 30-40%, and videos – by 2-3 times without significant loss of quality on the smartphone screen.

4.2 Automatic upload of media to the cloud

Services like Google Photos or Mi Cloud allow you to automatically upload photos to the cloud and delete them from your device.

1. Install Google Photos from the Play Market.
2. Open the app and go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Turn on the option and select “High Quality” (unlimited storage) or “Source Quality” (Google Drive counter).
4. After uploading all photos, click "Free space" - this will delete local copies, leaving thumbnails.

On Redmi 5 with 16 GB of memory, this method frees up an average of 3-7 GB by removing duplicates and old photos.

4.3 Convert video to lighter formats

If you have video on your phone, you can compress it without losing quality with apps like Video Compress or MX Player (built-in converter). For example, 1080p video can be converted to 720p at 2000 kbps bitrate, which will reduce its size by 50-60%.

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Before you delete your photo from your phone, check if you are enabled to download to the cloud. To do this, open Google Photos and make sure that the top right corner displays the cloud icon with the tick. ⚪✓.

5. Data transfer to SD-map and external drives

Redmi 5 supports microSD up to 256GB, but not all data can be transferred to a memory card.

To transfer applications to SD:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Spotify).
3. Click "Storage" → "Change" → "Memory Map".

Note that after porting, the application may run slower, as microSD is usually slower than internal memory, and some applications (such as WhatsApp) do not support card transfer.

⚠️ Attention: If you extract SD-The map, the applications that were moved to it will stop working! Always use "Safe Retrieval" in the notification curtain.

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Redmi 5 is better to use a class A1 or A2 microSD (such as SanDisk Ultra A1) – they are optimized for working with applications and reduce lags.

6. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all previous methods failed and Redmi 5 has less than 1 GB of free space, you'll have to do a full reset, which will delete all data, including:

• 📱 Applications and their settings.
• 📷 Photos, videos and music (if not on the list) SD-map).
• 📞 Contacts (if not synced with Google).
• 📧 Messages and call histories.

Before discharge, it is mandatory:

1. Save important files to your PC or the cloud.
2. Take a picture or record your Wi-Fi settings, accounts and passwords.
3. Make sure the battery is at least 50% charged.

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset.
2. Select "Settings Reset."
3. Mark “Clear internal memory” (if you want to erase everything, including media files).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

Once reset, the phone will be like new — you’ll have to reconfigure accounts, download apps, and restore data from a backup (if you have one).

7. Prevention: how to prevent overflow of memory?

To avoid recurring problems, follow these rules:

• 🔄 Regular Cleanup: Delete cache and unnecessary files once in a while 1-2 Use a cleaning planner in the week. MIUI (Settings → Memory. → Autocleaning).
• 📵 Limitation of background processes: C Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery management disable auto-run of unnecessary applications.
• 📥 Download control: Delete files from the Download folder that are older than 30 days. Set up automatic cleanup in Files by Google.
• 🔒 Ad blocking: Ad banner ads in games and browser consume traffic and cache.Use AdGuard or Blokada.

It is also worth avoiding using Redmi 5 as the main device for shooting video in 4K or storing a lot of music, for this purpose it is better to use cloud services or external drives.

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On the Redmi 5 with 16 GB of memory, it is optimal to keep at least 2 GB of free space – this prevents lags and allows the system to update.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleaning on Xiaomi Redmi 5