Memory Cleanup on Xiaomi Mi 5: A Complete User Guide

Xiaomi Mi 5 is a legendary smartphone that is still used by many users, but over the years its memory is clogged with unnecessary files, app cache and system debris. If your device starts to slow down, issue notifications about space shortages or spontaneously close applications, the problem is precisely in the crowded memory. In this article, we will examine all possible ways of cleaning, from standard MIUI tools to hidden functions and third-party utilities.

It's important to understand that the Mi 5 was built with 32 or 64 GB of internal memory (without microSD card support), so every megabyte counts. We won't offer trivial tips like "remove unnecessary photos" - instead, focus on deep cleaning, which will really free up gigabytes of space. All methods are tested on current versions of MIUI 12/14 (including ported firmware) and are safe for the system.

1. Standard cleaning through "Safety"

So to start with the most obvious, but often ignored, method, MIUI has a built-in garbage cleanup tool that deletes temporary files, cache and uninstalled applications to take advantage of:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleanup tab (or Accelerate in older versions).
3. Click Check and wait for analysis.
4. Select the categories for cleaning (we recommend marking all ticks) and confirm the action.

This method typically frees up from 500MB to 2GB, depending on how long you've been cleaning, but it doesn't affect the deep cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui), which can take up hundreds of megabytes.

⚠️ Note: If after cleaning, the “Other Files” section still shows a lot of occupied space (e.g., 5)+ GB), this could be a result of a corrupted file system, in which case only resetting to factory settings or flashing the firmware will help.

2. Manual cleaning of the app cache

Many apps (especially social networks, instant messengers, and games) accumulate cache that can reach several gigabytes, such as Facebook or Telegram easily eat 1-2 GB per cache of media files.

Method 1: Through application settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as YouTube or Instagram).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

Method 2: Mass cleaning (requires developer rights)

If there are many applications, manually cleaning each one is inconvenient. Turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in your phone settings), then:

1. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers.
2. Activate the option to Do Not Save Actions (this will disable caching for all applications).
3. Reboot the phone.

The downside of the second method is that some applications (such as maps or streaming services) will load data longer, but you will save up to 3-5 GB of space.

📸 Google Cash Photos (can weigh 1-3 GB)

🎵 Cash of music applications (Spotify, Yandex Music)

🎮 Games (especially if you haven’t played in a long time)

📱 Cash of system applications (MIUI Launcher, Theme)

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3. Delete unnecessary system files

MIUI is known for leaving behind a lot of junk files, especially after updates, which are usually hidden from the user, but can be found and removed manually.

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. Open the Internal Storage folder and enable the display of hidden files (in Windows: View → Hidden Items).
3. Delete the following folders (if any): 🗑️.thumbnails – thumbnails (can weigh up to a maximum of two images) 1 GB). 🗑️.estrongs – Temporary File Manager Files ES Conductor. 🗑️ lost.dir – files recovered after a crash (usually empty or corrupted). 🗑️ MIUI/backup/AllBackup — backups.

Important: The Android/obb folder contains game data – delete its contents only if you are sure that the games will not be needed (or saves are synced with the cloud).

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders MIUI, Android or the system completely, it will lead to the collapse of the system!

4. Cleaning through Recovery Mode (for power users)

If the phone is slowing down and standard methods are not working, you can use Recovery mode, which deletes all temporary files, Dalvik cache and update residues, but does not affect user data.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power before the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
5. Restart the phone (Reboot).

This method is particularly useful if:

• 📱 Phone hangs on loading.
• 🔄 After updating MIUI glitched.
• 🗃️ The storage settings display "Occupied by the system" 10+ GB without cause.

5. Use of third-party utilities (without root)

If the built-in MIUI tools don't work, you can use third-party apps, and we tested a few and selected the most effective ones for the Xiaomi Mi 5:

• 🧹 SD Maid cleans up the leftovers of deleted applications, empty folders and duplicate files. The free version is limited, but even it finds up to 1-2 GB of garbage.
• 🗑️ Files by Google is a simple file manager with a cleanup function.
• 🔍 CCleaner is a classic of the genre, but it works worse on Android than on a PC.

Example of working with SD Maid:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Run the analysis in the CorpseFinder section (search for remnants of remote applications).
3. Delete the files found (usually folders in /data/data).
4. Go to AppCleaner and clear the cache for all apps.

⚠️ Note: Some utilities (such as Clean Master) may display false threats or offer to buy a premium version.

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Before using third-party cleaners, create a restore point in TWRP (if installed) to help roll back if critical files are deleted.

6. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all the previous methods didn't work, and the phone still makes errors about the memory shortage, it's a complete reset, which will delete all the data, including apps, photos and settings, but return the phone to a "clean" state.

1. Create a backup of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Delete all data (reset).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 5-10 minutes).

After discharge:

• 📱 Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It may contain the same garbage.
• 🔧 First, update all apps through Google Play.
• 🚫 Don’t install memory cleaners right away – let your phone run “clean” for a couple of days.

Critical information: on the Xiaomi Mi 5, reset via Settings and through Recovery works differently.Recovery has a Wipe Data/Factory Reset option that cleans more deeply, including some system settings.

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Resetting to factory settings is the only way to remove the “unremovable” system updates that take up space in the /system section.

7.Memory optimization to prevent filling

To avoid recurring problems, follow these tips:

• 📁 Transfer your photo/video to the cloud (Google Photos, Yandex Drive) and enable automatic cleaning of local copies.
• 🎵 Turn off music caching in streaming apps or limit its size (e.g. 500MB).
• 📱 Install “light” versions of applications (Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite, Twitter Lite).
• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 weeks) through Settings → Warehouse.
• 🚫 Avoid "cleaners" like that. DU Speed Booster – They only fill up memory with advertising.

It is also useful to disable automatic updates of applications via the mobile network:

1. Open Google Play.
2. Go to Settings → Auto-Update applications.
3. Choose Only via Wi-Fi or Do Not Update Automatically.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleaning on Xiaomi Mi 5