How to completely clean the memory of Xiaomi phone: from cache to system files

Noticing that your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO is slowing down, apps are crashing, and the system says "Not enough memory"? The problem isn't hardware - 90% of cases are due to clogged internal memory. Even on the new 256GB models, users face space shortages due to MIUI and HyperOS features that aggressively cache data and create duplicate files.

In this article, 7 proven ways to clean up memory, from basic (hand-held garbage removal) to advanced (system partition cleaning via ADB), we will discuss how to make room without losing photos, contacts and apps, and what to do if the phone says “Memory is full” but you haven’t downloaded anything. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 and the new HyperOS (including Xiaomi 14, Redmi Note 13, POCO F6 and other models from 2023-2026).

1. Memory Analysis: What's taking up space on your Xiaomi?

Before you clean, you need to understand which files are eating up memory. MIUI and HyperOS have an inbuilt analyzer, but it often hides system data. Here's how to get the whole picture:

Open Settings → Memory (or Storage in newer versions) and the system will show the distribution by category: Apps, Images, Videos, Audio and Other.

• 📱 System data - here is hidden cache MIUI, Error logs and temporary update files often take 5-15GB for no apparent reason.
• 🗑️ Garbage – remnants of remote applications, image thumbnails, Google Play Services cache.
• 🔄 Duplicates – Xiaomi automatically creates copies of photos when editing in the gallery.
• 📦 APK-Files are the application installers that remain in the Download folder or APK.

If the built-in analyzer shows less than 10 GB of occupied space, but the phone writes about a lack of memory, the problem is in hidden system partitions. To clean them, you will need root rights or ADB commands (see section 6).

2. Cleaning cache and garbage without programs

The fastest way to free up 1 to 5 GB is to delete temporary files. In MIUI/HyperOS, it is done in 3 clicks:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sort by size.
3. For each major app (e.g. YouTube, Telegram, Facebook) click Clear Cache and Clear Data (Warning: This will reset the app settings!).

For mass cleaning:

1. Open Security → Cleanup (or HyperOS Optimization)
2. Click Deep Clean and select all categories: Cash, Advertising Garbage, Residual Files.
3. Confirm the removal. The system will show how much space has been vacated.

Delete the Google Play Services and Services Framework cache

Clear the Gallery data (miniatures take up to 1 GB)

Delete the DCIM/.thumbnails folder (hidden previews)

Check Download folder for old APKs and archives-->

Important: Do not cache system applications like com.android.systemui or com.miui.home – this can lead to resetting wallpaper, widgets and launcher settings.

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Many users delete apps but forget about their residual files and cache, for example, after uninstalling TikTok, up to 500 MB of garbage can remain in memory.

Method 1: Through Settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the unnecessary app and click Remove.
3. After deleting, go back to Cleanup (Security section) and start searching for residual files.

Method 2: Through MI File Manager (for power users)

• 📂 Open Explorer and enable the display of hidden files (Settings) → Show hidden files).
• 🔍 Go to the folders: /Android/data/ — This is where application data is stored (remove only remote program folders!). /Android/obb/ — cache of games (can be deleted if the games are not used).

💡

If you can’t uninstall a system app (such as Mi Video or Mi Music), disable it: Settings → Apps → Select an app → Disable. This will stop background processes and free up to 200MB of RAM.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete folders with the names com.android, com.google or com.xiaomi – this can lead to a system crash.

4. Optimization of photos and videos

Photos and video are the main memory eaters. Even on Xiaomi with a 108 MP camera, one RAW image weighs 50 to 80 MB, and a minute of video in 4K weighs up to 400 MB.

Step 1: Move to the cloud

• 🖥️ Use Google Photos (15GB free) or Mi Cloud (up to 10GB for Xiaomi accounts).
• 🔄 Enable automatic download and deletion of originals after backup.

Step 2: Compression without loss of quality

Step 3: Removal of duplicates

In MIUI, duplicates are created automatically when:

• 📸 Photo editing in the Gallery (the original is saved) + edited).
• 🔄 Sync with Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 📁 Transfer files between folders.

Use Files by Google or Duplicate Files Fixer to find duplicates.

5. Cleaning system files and updates

MIUI and HyperOS system files can take up to 20GB, half of which is garbage.

1. Update cache (OTA)

• 📦 folder /cache — It's where temporary update files are stored:

2. Error logs and dumps

Files with the.log and.dmp extensions are created when they crash and can be deleted via ADB:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*




rm -rf /data/tombstones/*

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /system or /vendor root-free will lead to a device blink. Use only the commands above!

6. Advanced cleaning through ADB (no root)

If standard methods don’t work and the phone still says “Memory is full,” try cleaning through ADB. This method doesn’t require superuser rights, but removes deep system caches:

Step 1: Installation of ADB

• 🖥️ Download Platform Tools from Android Developers.
• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC and enable debugging. USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press to unlock Developer Mode).

Step 2: Cleaning commands

Open the command line in the ADB folder and type:

adb devices


adb shell pm clear com.miui.cleanmaster # Cleaning the built-in cleaner




adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.media # Reset media cache




adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job # Optimization of Dalvik cache

Step 3: Remove the cache of all user applications

adb shell "su -c 'find /data/data -name 'cache' -exec rm -rf {} +'"

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ADB commands do not delete personal data (photos, contacts), but reset the settings of some applications.

7.Extreme measures: reset to factory settings

If none of these things work, and there's less than 500MB of free space, you'll have a hard reset, which will delete all the data, including apps, photos and accounts, but it will bring the phone back to its original state.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Save important data to your PC or cloud (see Section 4).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose Delete all data and confirm.
4. After restarting, set your phone as new.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) may require re-assignment of the Mi Account after resetting!

If the reset didn’t help (for example, the memory still shows 0 bytes free), the problem is in the damaged /data partition, in which case only flashing through Fastboot will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi memory cleanup