Memory Cleanup on Xiaomi Redmi: A Complete Guide for All Models

Your Xiaomi Redmi is slowing down, apps are crashing, and the system is constantly warning about memory shortages? The problem is familiar to most smartphone owners of this line - even flagship models face overflow of storage over time, not only your photos and videos, but also hidden system debris, app cache, duplicate files and unnecessary updates.

Unlike the iPhone, where memory cleaning is reduced to a few tapas, Android smartphones (especially those with a MIUI shell) require a comprehensive approach. It is important not only to delete unnecessary files, but also to properly configure automatic optimization so that the problem does not return every week. In this article, proven methods that work on all Redmi models (from Redmi 4X to Redmi Note 13 Pro+), including devices with 64 GB and 128 GB of memory.

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

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand which files are taking up space. MIUI has a built-in analysis tool, but it often hides some of the data. Here's how to get the full picture:

Open Settings → About Phone → Memory. Here you will see a diagram of the allocation of memory by category: System, Applications, Multimedia, Files and Cash.

• 📁 System files – if they are more 15-20 GB, this is a sign of accumulated debris from updates MIUI.
• 🎵 Multimedia - photo in DCIM, Video in Movies, downloads from instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp).
• 📦 Apps – games (Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile) can weigh in on the game. 5-10 GB.
• 🗑️ Cache and Residues – Temporary Files that are not automatically deleted.

For detailed analysis, use third-party utilities like Files by Google or SD Maid.

• 🔍 Duplicate files (especially relevant for photos from Google Photos or Xiaomi Gallery).
• 🧹 Large files (such as error logs or memory dumps after crashes).
• 📂 Empty folders left after deleting applications.

⚠️ Note: If the System partition takes up more than 25 GB on a smartphone with 64 GB of memory, this may indicate a damaged firmware.

2. Hand-cleaning of cache and debris

The fastest way to free 1-3 GB - remove the app cache and system debris. MIUI It's done this way:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Sort by size."
3. Open each large app (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) and click Clear Cache.

For deep cleaning:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
2. Press "Deep Clean" and wait for the scan to be completed.
3. Delete all files found except for the "Logs" (they may be needed for diagnosis).

If the built-in tools don't help, use SD Maid (requires root rights for a complete cleanup) or CCleaner.

• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications in the Folder /data/local/tmp.
• 📄 Empty files with.nomedia extension (they interfere with multimedia scanning).
• 🔄 Duplicate APK-file /data/app (Remains after unsuccessful updates).

Close all background applications|Connect the charger (the process may take place) 10-15 minute)|Make a backup copy of important data|Do not interrupt cleaning until completed-->

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their data

Many Xiaomi Redmi users are unaware of how much space pre-installed apps (called bloatware) take up, such as Mi Browser, Mi Music, Mi Video and Google's backup services can eat up to 5GB along with their data.

To remove them without root rights:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unneeded app (such as Mi Pay or GetApps).
3. Click "Delete" or "Disable" (if deletion is blocked).
4. To delete data completely, click "Storage" → "Clear Data".

List of safe to remove system applications (does not affect stability):

• 🌐 Mi Browser (can be replaced with Chrome or Firefox).
• 🎵 Mi Music and Mi Video (alternatives available on Google Play).
• 📦 GetApps, Mi Game Center, Mi Credit (advertising services).
• 📡 Mi Remote (if you do not use an IR port).

⚠️ Note: Do not delete applications called com.android. or com.xiaomi. unless you are sure of their purpose. For example, com.xiaomi.mipicks is responsible for the themes of the design, and its removal will lead to failures in the settings of the display.

For advanced root-right users, you can use Titanium Backup or ADB to remove:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mibrowser.global


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

4. Optimization of multimedia: photos, videos and downloads

Photos and videos are the main memory eaters, and even if you regularly transfer them to your computer, Xiaomi Redmi continues to store:

• 📸 Miniatures in a folder /DCIM/.thumbnails (can weigh up 1-2 GB).
• 🎥 Cash Stories from Instagram/TikTok into /Android/data/com.instagram.android/cache.
• 📥 Downloads from instant messengers (especially Telegram, which by default saves everything in the app) /Telegram/Telegram Images).

How to clean:

1. Photos and videos: Use Google Photos with Free Space (it deletes local copies, leaving files in the cloud). manually check the DCIM/Camera, DCIM/Screenshots, Pictures folders.

Messengers:

• In Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Clear the cache.
• WhatsApp: Settings → Memory → Memory Management (sorts files by size).
• Downloads: The /Download folder often contains outdated APKs, PDFs, and archives. Delete everything except current files.

To automate the process, set up autocleaning:

• 🔄 In Google Photos: Enable Delete Copies from Device after Backup.
• 🗑️ Files by Google: activate the “Dumpster Cleanup” on a schedule.

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If you shoot 4K or 60 FPS videos frequently, switch to 1080p/30 FPS in the camera settings. The difference in quality is minimal, and space is saved by 2-3 times.

5. Transfer data to a memory card or cloud

If your Redmi supports microSD (models like the Redmi Note 10 Pro or Redmi 9A), transferring some of the data to a memory card can free up to 10-30 GB.

To transfer applications to the memory card:

1. Insert microSD (UHS-I U3 or higher is recommended).
2. Format it as “Inner Memory” in Settings → Memory → SD Card.
3. Go to Settings. → Apps, select the application and click "Move to" SD-map".

⚠️ Note: Formatting the card as "internal memory" will make it unreadable on other devices, and after extracting the card, some applications may stop working.

The alternative is cloud storage:

• 🌥️ Google Drive – 15GB free, Google Photos integration.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud – 5GB free, but synced only with your Xiaomi account.
• 📁 Yandex Drive – 10GB free, easy to back up.

6. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all previous methods failed and there is less than 1-2 GB of free memory, you will have to do a complete reset, which will delete all data, including:

• 📱 Applications and their settings.
• 📂 Photos, videos, music (unless synced to the cloud).
• 🔑 Google, Xiaomi accounts, Wi-Fi passwords.
• 📋 SMS, call logs, notes.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Back up: Use Mi Cloud (Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup) or connect your smartphone to your PC and copy the DCIM, Download, WhatsApp folders.
2. Reset: Go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. Enter a password (if installed) and confirm.

After discharge:

• Do not restore the backup completely – select only the necessary data (photos, contacts).
• Don’t install all apps at once – do it gradually to avoid getting littered again.

Third-party utilities:

• 📊 DiskUsage – visualizes occupied space in the form of a diagram.

Settings to save space:

• 📸 In the Chamber: Turn off the save "RAW-Photos and reduce video resolution to 1080p.
• 📥 In Chrome: Configure the default file upload to the cloud (Settings) → Downloads. → Preservation site).
• 🎮 In Google Play: Turn off “Auto-App Update” or limit it to Wi-Fi only.

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Regularly cleaning the cache and moving media to the cloud can save up to 30% of memory without losing functionality.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleanup on Xiaomi Redmi