Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face a situation where the device suddenly starts to run slower, and notifications appear warning about the lack of space. MIUI operating system, despite its functionality, tends to accumulate a lot of temporary files that over time take up gigabytes of usable space. It is not just system debris, but also the remnants of remote applications, messenger cache and duplicate photos.
Timely memory cleaning allows not only to return the speed of the interface, but also to extend the life of the drive, as crowded flash memory works in a stressful mode. In this article, we will discuss proven methods of freeing up space that are safe for your personal data and do not require root rights. You will learn to distinguish between the system cache and important files, and learn about hidden shell functions that many users do not even know.
There are several levels of cleaning, from the banal removal of unnecessary applications to deep storage analysis through an engineering menu. It is important to understand that automatic cleaners are not always effective, as they often skip heavy social media folders, which is why manually checking and using Xiaomi’s regular tools give the best result.
Use of the built-in Security application
The first and most affordable tool for any Xiaomi owner is the System Security app, preinstalled on all the brand’s devices and integrated directly into the MIUI shell core. By running this tool, you get access to the Cleanup feature, which scans the device for temporary files, residual debris and large files that can be deleted without risk to the system.
However, be careful: the automatic scanner sometimes suggests removing files you may need, such as downloaded documents from work chats. So before clicking the "Clear All" button, it is recommended to go to the "Analysis" section and manually view categories. Pay special attention to the "Big Files" section, where often forgotten videos or archives are hidden.
📊 How often do you clean your memory on your phone?
Once a week.
Once a month
Only when the phone starts to brake
Never clean.
To get a deeper look at storage, the Security app has a Memory tab, and here it visualizes disk space, showing which applications take up the most space, and the cache data can be selectively cleared without removing the app itself and its logins, which is especially useful for browsers and navigators that accumulate gigabytes of maps and time pages.
⚠️ Note: When you clean up your messaging data (WhatsApp, Telegram) through a system tool, you may lose your email history if it wasn’t saved to the cloud.
- 🧹 Run a standard scanner in the Security app regularly to remove surface debris.
- 📂 Manually check the Downloads section before global cleanup to avoid removing important documents.
- 🗑️ Use the Deep Cleanup function only after backing up critical data.
💡
Turn on the Auto Clean in the Security settings so that the phone itself frees up space when less than 1 GB is free.
Cleaning cache and data in applications
Social networks and instant messengers are traditionally the biggest consumers of memory. Apps like Telegram, Viber and Instagram store every photo and video you see into your device’s internal memory. Over time, the cache of these programs can reach 5-10 GB. To clean, you need to go to Settings → Applications → All applications, select the right one and click on Memory.
Here, it is important to distinguish between Clear Cache and Clear Everything (or Erase Data) buttons. The first option is secure and only deletes temporary files, speeding up the application. The second button completely resets the application to the “just out of the store” state, removing your logins, settings and local correspondence history. Use the data reset only in extreme cases when the application is not working correctly or you want to completely clear its traces.
Some versions of MIUI have a smart feature that allows you to clear the cache for all applications at once with a single click. It is on the Settings → Memory → Memory → Cleanup. The system will prompt you to delete the cached data of background processes. This action is safe for personal information, but can temporarily slow down the launch of applications when they first open after cleaning, as they will have to reload resources.
Video and navigation apps deserve special attention. Navigation maps can store offline maps of entire regions that occupy a huge amount of space. If you rarely use navigation without the Internet, delete the downloaded maps in the navigation settings itself, which will make room more effectively than any third-party utility.
- 📱 Check the cache size of heavy apps (TikTok, YouTube) once a week.
- 🚫 Do not click “Clear All” in banking applications, so as not to reset your biometrics settings and pin codes.
- 🔄 Reboot your phone after mass cache cleaning for proper resource redistribution.
Removal of duplicates and large files
Over the years, thousands of images have been accumulated in the smartphone gallery, often with identical copies. Xiaomi has implemented algorithms to find similar images in the standard explorer and gallery. To find them, open the Gallery app, go to the Albums tab and scroll down to the Similars section.
You should also look at the DCIM →.thumbnails folder, which stores thumbnails of your photos for quick display in the gallery. If you deleted all the photos but the memory didn't get free, the problem could be right here. The files in this folder can weigh several gigabytes. They can be safely deleted through the file manager, but the system will recreate them the next time you open the gallery, so it's better to do this periodically.
Hidden memory-eating folders
At the root of internal memory, there are often folders with names like “tencent», «android/obb» Or "backup." The tencent folder stores the cache of games and the WeChat messenger (if installed). android/obb It contains additional files for heavy games, and only delete their contents if you are sure that the relevant games or applications you no longer need.> To find really big files you might have forgotten about, use the built-in analyzer. In Explorer, click on the menu (three bars) and select Storage Analyzer, which will show files sorted by size. Often, it's a forgotten movie, an archive, or a recorder. 500 MB lying idle more than 3 Months: First Candidates for Deletion or Moving to the Cloud. ⚠️ Be very careful with the files in the folder. Android/data. Deleting the contents of this folder can result in loss of progress in games or settings in specialized applications.File type Where to look Can I remove the risk of cache applications Settings → Applications Yes Low (will have to reload data) Photo in the basket Gallery → Albums. → Deleted Yes No (files already deleted by the user) Files.thumbnails DCIM/.thumbnails Yes Low (recreated) System Logs MIUI/debug_log Yes Low (only developers need) Cloud and Google Photos Modern smartphone should not be the only storage of your digital life. Google Photos service offers unlimited (bundle) or limited original storage. By setting up automatic sync, you can use the “Free Space” feature in the Google Photos app itself, which will remove from your device those pictures and videos that have already been successfully saved in the cloud. Mi Cloud account owners can also optimise gallery storage. In Xiaomi's cloud settings, you can enable gallery sync and select the option to delete local copies after download. This allows you to store originals in high resolution in the cloud, and only leave previews on your phone that take up minimal space. Don't forget about other cloud storage, such as Yandex.Disk or Google Drive. Many users forget that Autoboot can be enabled, but the files remain in the phone's memory. Check the settings of these applications: often there are separate previews on the service, like Netflix, you already use locally clean uploading documents on the service. These apps can download music and movies by default without the internet, taking up tens of gigabytes. Limit the cache size in the app settings themselves or set up automatic removal of downloaded content after 30 days. ☁️ Set up an automatic upload to the cloud immediately after the image is taken. 📉 Limit the quality of offline video viewing in streaming services to save space. 🗑️ Check the cart regularly in the cloud services, as deleted files also take up a quota. Special features for advanced users For those who want to get the most out of their Redmi, there are deeper cleaning methods. One of them is using developer mode to limit background processes. Go to Settings. → About the phone and seven times click on the "Version" MIUI», activate the developer menu. Then in the Advanced Settings → For developers, find the item “Limit background processes.” Setting a limit, for example, on “No more than 2 processes”, will not free up space directly, but will prevent the inflated memory and cache running applications. This indirectly affects the speed and frequency of system debris. However, be careful: too aggressive restriction can lead to notifications from messengers coming with a delay. ADBFor the bravest, there is a method of cleaning system debris through a computer and a team. ADB. Connecting the phone with the debugging enabled USB, can execute `adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999`, It's a system that forcibly trims the cache of all applications to a minimum, and it requires a PC and drivers installed.> Another powerful tool is resetting network settings. Sometimes memory problems are due to faulty network connection logs. → Connection and sharing → Resetting Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth.This action will remove stored Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairing passwords, but could solve problems with inflating the system partition associated with network services. ⚠️ Before performing any actions in the Developer Menu or resetting network settings, make sure you understand the consequences, as this can change the behavior of the system. If nothing helps and the memory fills up on its own even after cleaning, it may be a log storm, an error in which an application writes error reports endlessly. In this case, only the search for the culprit through the memory analyzer or, in extreme cases, a complete reset of the phone to the factory settings will help. ⚙️ Activate the developer menu only if you understand what each function is responsible for. 📉 Use background process limitation for older models with low RAM. 🔄 Network resetting helps if the phone warms up and quickly lands the battery along with memory filling. Prevention and good habits To prevent the question of "how to clear memory" from rising every day, it is important to develop the right habits of using the smartphone. Don't store files on your device that you don't need right now. Video files are better transferred to your computer or the cloud immediately after viewing. Apps that you haven't used for more than a month should be deleted without regret - you can always download them again. MIUI. In new firmware versions, Xiaomi engineers often optimize the work of the file system and improve cleaning algorithms. An outdated version of the system may contain bugs that misuse space. It's also worth reviewing your subscriptions to Telegram channels or WhatsApp groups. If the chat contains thousands of media files that you don't even watch, it becomes a "black hole" for memory. In the settings of each chat, you can turn off auto-save media to the gallery, leaving the ability to view them inside the application as needed. Observing these simple rules will allow your Redmi to remain fast and responsive throughout its life. The phone memory is a resource that requires management, not just passive storage of data. In the settings of each chat, you can not remove the data from the Android folder as securely as you can remove the content from it. It is not recommended to touch the obb folder if you want to save additional game files. Why does the memory fill up itself after cleaning? This is normal system behavior. Applications create new cached data for fast operation, and the system - logs. If the memory fills up critically quickly (gigabytes per hour), this is a sign of a virus or an error of a particular application. Should you install third-party cleaners (Clean Master, etc.)? This is not necessary. Embedded Xiaomi tools work more efficiently and safer because they have deep access to the system. Third-third-party applications are often a source of advertising and unnecessary debris. How to clean up the memory if the phone does not turn on the logo? If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to reset through Recovery Menu (Recovery), which will delete all data.