Memory Cleanup on Xiaomi Redmi 9: A Complete Guide to Freeing Up Place

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 9 often face the problem of memory shortage, especially if the device has been in use for several years. Even with 64 or 128 GB of internal storage, the system eventually gets “cluttered” with unnecessary files, application cache and remnants of remote programs. In this article, we will discuss 7 effective ways to clean up memory that will help return the Redmi 9 to its original speed – without resetting to factory settings and losing important data.

Features of Redmi 9 (models) M2003J15SC, M2004J19G etc.) in that it operates on the basis of MIUI — Xiaomi's proprietary shell, which actively caches data to speed up work, on the one hand, this is a plus, but on the other hand, without regular cleaning, cache can take up gigabytes of memory. In addition, many users are unaware that even after deleting applications, their residual files continue to be stored in the system, we will show how to find and remove this “garbage”, and also optimize the operation of the phone to prevent re-clogging.

Important: All methods in the article tested on Redmi 9 with versions MIUI 12-14 and Android 10-12. if your phone runs on older firmware (e.g, MIUI 11), some menu items may differ - in this case, update the system through Settings → The phone. → Update MIUI.

1. Analysis of occupied space: what exactly is the memory?

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand which files occupy space on your Redmi 9. MIUI There's a built-in tool called a storage analyzer that will show you the distribution of memory into categories: applications, media, documents, cache, etc.

How to open the analyzer:

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Click on the chart at the top of the screen (or the “Device Memory” line).
3. Wait for the scan to be completed (it may take 10 to 30 seconds).

After you analyze it, you'll see a detailed report broken down by file type, and you'll notice the following categories:

• 📱 Apps — the most "heavy" programs are displayed here, and often the culprits of the clogging are messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), social networks (TikTok, Instagram), and games.
• 🗑️ Cache is a temporary file that creates applications to speed up work. On Redmi 9, cache can take up to 5-10 GB!
• 📸 Multimedia — photos, videos, and audio files, and even if you deleted them from the gallery, they could still be in the application folders (e.g., the files were in the app folders, DCIM/.thumbnails or WhatsApp/Media).
• 📄 Other – here get log files, system dumps, remnants of remote applications and other “invisible” data.

If the “other” section is more 2–3 GB, this is a signal about the need for deep cleaning (about this in the section). 5). Also pay attention to the folder. Android/obb — This store stores additional game files (such as Genshin Impact cache or Call of Duty Mobile) that can be safely deleted if the game is no longer in use.

2.Cache cleaning applications: a quick way to free up 1-3GB

Cache is a temporary file that creates applications to speed up content loading, such as YouTube caches videos, Google Maps maps, and Instagram thumbnails of photos, and over time the cache grows to a few gigabytes, although it can be safely deleted without losing data.

How to clean the cache for all applications:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Sort by size.
3. Select an app (like Facebook or Telegram) and click Clear cache.
4. For mass cleaning, go to Settings → Memory. → Clear the cache (button at the bottom of the screen).

On Redmi 9, the following applications are especially voracious (cache can reach 500 MB-2 GB):

• 🎵 Spotify/Yandex Music – cache songs for offline listening.
• 🗺️ Google Maps/2GIS – store downloaded cards.
• 📺 YouTube/TikTok — Save videos for quick download.
• 💬 Telegram/WhatsApp — cache media files from chat rooms.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Clear cache and Clear data! The second option will delete all the settings of the application (such as logins and passwords), and it will have to be reconfigured. The cache can be cleaned every day - it is absolutely safe.

Check the cache volume in Settings → Memory.

Remove cache for the most “heavy” applications

Clean up the Google Play Services cache (often takes 1)+ GB)

Restart the phone after cleaning-->

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Many Redmi users 9 They can install dozens of applications, but they only use a few, and even after they're deleted, they can still have files in their memory. Android/obb or Android/data, a messengers - backup copies of chats.

How to remove the application and its residues correctly:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the unnecessary app and click Remove.
3. To delete residual files, use a file manager (e.g., built-in file manager) MI File Manager):

Pay special attention to pre-installed applications MIUI, Some of them can be turned off so that they don't take up memory or waste resources:

• 📱 Mi Browser – Xiaomi browser (can be replaced with Chrome or Firefox).
• 🎵 Mi Music – Music Player (if you use Spotify or VC Music).
• 📺 Mi Video - Video player (you can turn off if you watch videos on YouTube or Kodi).
• 💼 Mi Pay – payment service (does not work in Russia, you can safely turn off).

To disable system applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Mi Browser) and click Disable.
3. Confirm the action. The app will disappear from the menu and stop updating.

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable system services called com.android., com.google. or com.xiaomi. - This can lead to unstable phone operation. If you are not sure, you should leave the application on.

4. Optimization of multimedia: photo, video and audio

Photos and videos are the main memory eaters on Redmi 9. Even if you regularly delete unwanted pictures, they can be duplicated in different folders or saved in low resolution for previews.

Step 1: Removing duplicates and similar photos

MIUI has a built-in tool for finding duplicates:

1. Open the Gallery and tap three dots in the upper right corner.
2. Select Control. → Duplicate.
3. Look at the proposed duplicates and remove the unnecessary ones.

Step 2. Clean up the.thumbnails folder

folder DCIM/.thumbnails It stores thumbnails of photos and videos that are used to quickly display in the gallery, and these files can be safely deleted, and they are automatically restored the next time you view them.

How to delete:

1. Open the MI File Manager.
2. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM →.thumbnails.
3. Select all files and click Delete.

Step 3: Transfer photos and videos to a memory card or cloud

If you have a microSD installed on your phone, transfer the media to it:

1. Open the MI File Manager.
2. Select the folders DCIM, Pictures, Downloads.
3. Click Move and select a memory card (SD-card).

Alternatively, upload to the cloud (Google Photos, Yandex Drive or Mi Cloud), for example, Google Photos offers unlimited storage for compressed photos (up to 16 MP resolution).

Step 4: Removing messenger cache

Messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) automatically download media files from chat rooms that can take up gigabytes to clear them:

• 📱 On WhatsApp: Settings → Warehouse → Storage management → Sort by size and delete unnecessary files.
• 📱 In Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 📱 In Viber: Settings → Media → Clear the cache.

5. Deep Cleanup: Removing System Garbage and Log Files

Even after deleting applications and cache, there are hidden files in the system that are not visible through the standard file manager: log files, error dumps, temporary update data, etc. To delete them, special tools will be required.

Method 1. Use of built-in cleaner MIUI

Xiaomi offers its own deep cleaning tool:

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Press Clean (button at the bottom of the screen).
3. Select Deep Clean and wait for the scan to be completed.
4. Delete the proposed files (usually log files, temporary data, and update residues).

Method 2: Manual cleaning through file manager (for power users)

If the built-in cleaner fails, you can manually delete unnecessary files.

1. Install a file manager with access to system folders, for example, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer (you need to enable the display of hidden files).
2. Go to the following folders and delete their contents (if files are not deleted, skip them):

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in folders /system, /vendor or /data/app — If you are not sure, skip manual cleaning and use only built-in tools. MIUI.

Method 3: Cleaning through Safe Mode (if the phone is slowing down)

If Redmi 9 is slowing down, try booting into Safe Mode and clearing the memory:

1. Press the power button and hold your finger on the turn off option.
2. In the window that appears, select Reboot in Safe Mode.
3. In Safe Mode, remove suspicious apps or clear the cache.
4. Reboot your phone in the usual way.

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If after cleaning the phone still brakes, check the CPU load in Settings → The phone. → System status: If the CPU is 80 to 100 percent loaded, it may be the background app's fault, delete it.

6.Storage optimization with third-party applications

If embedded tools MIUI They can't do it, you can use third-party utilities to clean up your memory, and we tested some of the popular applications and we picked the best ones for Redmi 9.

Top.-3 memory-cleaning applications:

• 🧹 CCleaner - deletes cache, temporary files and analyzes the occupied space. Plus: there is a function to clean duplicate photos.
• 🗑️ Files by Google is a simple file manager with a built-in cleaner. Plus: shows junk files (like old ones). APK). Disadvantage: Does not clean deep system files.
• 🔍 SD Maid is a powerful tool for power users, plus: it finds the remnants of remote applications and cleans databases.

How to use Files by Google:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and go to the Cleanup tab.
3. Select categories for cleaning (cache, downloads, duplicates).
4. Press Clear Clear. XX MB and confirm the action.

⚠️ Note: Some cleaners (e.g. Clean Master or Clean Master) DU Speed Boosters can display false warnings about viruses or system clogs to sell a premium version.

Important for Redmi. 9: In the case of SD Maid don't clean the folder /data/dalvik-cache — This folder contains optimized files for fast application operation, and its removal requires reassembling the cache the next time the system starts.

7.Preventing Memory Blockage: Settings for Long-Term Optimization

Cleaning up memory is good, but it's even better to prevent it from clogging in the future. Here are some tweaks to help keep the Redmi 9 in order:

Setting 1. Restricting cache for applications

Some apps (such as Telegram or Google Chrome) allow you to limit cache size:

• 📱 In Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Use of memory → Set a limit (for example, 500 MB).
• 📱 In Google Chrome: Settings → Confidentiality → Clear the data → Turn off Save Site Data.

Setting 2. Automatic garbage cleaning

V MIUI There is an automatic cleaning function:

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Turn on the Auto Clean option.
3. Select frequency (e.g., “Every week”).

Setting 3. Transfer applications to a memory card

If you have a microSD installed, you can transfer some applications to it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Spotify) and click Storage.
3. Click Change and select Memory Card.

⚠️ Note: Not all applications support portability SD. Also, they may work slower after transfer, especially if the Class 4 or Class 6 memory card is used. UHS-I.

Setting 4: Disabling Automatic Media Downloading in Messengers

By default, WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber automatically download photos and videos from chat rooms.

• 📱 On WhatsApp: Settings → Data and storage → Autoboot media → Turn off download for mobile data and Wi-Fi.
• 📱 In Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Choose Never.

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Regular cache cleaning (once every 1-2 weeks) and disabling autoload media in instant messengers will save up to 50% of memory on Redmi 9 in the long run.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleaning on Xiaomi Redmi 9