Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 7A often face a lack of space. Built-in 32 or 64 GB quickly fill up with system updates, photos, videos and instant messenger data. When the drive is full, the device starts to work slowly, and new applications simply do not install, which is why the question of how to clean the memory in the Xiomi 7A phone becomes critical for comfortable use of the gadget.
MIUI offers powerful built-in tools for managing files, but many users are unaware of their full capabilities. There are also hidden folders and cache that are not deleted by standard methods. In this article, we will explore in detail all ways to free up space, from simple cleaning to advanced techniques for working with system files. You will learn how to safely delete excess without disrupting the operating system.
Before we start taking drastic measures, we need to do a basic diagnostics that will help us understand what is taking up the lion's share of your storage, and it often turns out that half the space is occupied by forgotten TV shows or a copy of WhatsApp chats that can be transferred to a memory card.
Analysis of storage occupancy
The first step is always to visualize data. The standard MIUI explorer can plot file allocations, which makes it much easier to find heavyweights. You don't have to guess where it went -- it will show you a diagram of applications, images, videos and system debris in color sectors.
Note the Apps section. Often social networks like Telegram or Instagram grow to several gigabytes because of the automatic storage of the media files viewed. The cache of these programs can take up more space than all your personal photos combined. Deleting data in this context does not mean losing an account, but requires re-authorization.
โ ๏ธ Note: Before clearing these applications, make sure you remember the logins and passwords from your accounts, as after the login procedure you will have to perform again.
You can use the built-in Cleanup tool to do deep analysis, and it scans the device in seconds and suggests that you delete temporary files, but remember that the automatic analyzer doesn't always see large files uploaded to the Download folder, so manual verification is also necessary.
Use of the Standard Security Application
Each Xiaomi smartphone has a Security system app preinstalled, not just an antivirus, but a powerful harvester to maintain the system, and the Cleanup section hides a feature that allows you to quickly remove up to several gigabytes of garbage accumulated over time.
When you start scanning, it looks for temporary files, deleted app residues, and junk advertising. Pressing the "Clean" button safely deletes that data. However, if you want to get the most out of it, you need to go to the "Deep Clean" section, where the algorithms work more carefully, checking large files and rarely used applications.
And you should pay special attention to the "Applications" tab, where you can sort programs by the size of the memory you use, and if you see an application that you don't use, but it takes 500 MB or more, you better delete it or at least clear the data.
โ๏ธ Checklist for quick cleaning
It's important to understand the difference between cleaning up cache and cleaning up data. Cache is a temporary file that speeds up applications, but can be recreated. Data is your correspondence, settings and stored logins within the application. Be careful when choosing the "Clear all data" option.
Manual deletion of files through Explorer
The standard file manager, MIUI shell Explorer, allows you to manually manage folder structure, which is the most effective way to deal with randomly scattered files. Going to the root directories of internal memory, you can find folders with the names of applications that store their downloads there.
For example, files received on Telegram often lie in the Android/data/org.telegram.messenger folder or in a separate Telegram directory at the root. WhatsApp videos take up space in the WhatsApp/Media folder. By deleting the contents of the Video and Image folders inside them, you free up space without losing text messages.
It's also worth checking the Download folder. Browsers and torrent clients save everything they download by default, and you can often find APK installation files from older versions of programs that are no longer needed and are only taking up space.
| Type of folder | Location. | What can be removed | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Android/data | Temporary files, thumbnails | Applications will be loaded longer at the first launch |
| Downloads. | Download | APK, PDF, archives | You can delete the required document or installer |
| Media messengers | WhatsApp/Media | Videos and photos viewed | Delete the history of media files in chat rooms |
| Screenshots | Pictures/Screenshots | Old screenshots | Loss of important visual information |
Hidden system folders
Cleaning messengers: WhatsApp and Telegram
Messengers are the main memory eaters on modern smartphones. WhatsApp and Telegram by default store all received photos and videos in the gallery. Over time, this collection can grow to 10-20 GB, which for Xiaomi Redmi 7A with its modest memory capacity is critical.
Inside WhatsApp itself, there's a built-in memory management tool. Go to Settings โ Data and storage โ Storage management. You'll see a chat list, sorted by volume, and you can select a specific dialog and delete only the video or just the video. GIF-animation, leaving text and important photos.
Telegram stores media files in the cloud, but caches them on the device for quick access. In the application settings (Data and Memory โ Memory Use), you can set up automatic cache cleanup. It is recommended to set a timer, for example, "3 days" or "1 week", which will allow the application to store in memory only what you have watched recently.
โ ๏ธ Note: The Telegram Cache Clear feature does not remove your correspondence and files from the cloud.
Also check the offline download settings in both instant messengers. Turn off autosave to the gallery for group chats and channels, where heavy video files are often posted, and this will prevent future memory overflows.
Working with a microSD memory card
Xiaomi Redmi 7A supports microSD card installation, which is a great solution to the problem of space shortage. However, just inserting a card is not enough - you need to configure the system correctly. Modern versions of Android and MIUI allow you to use the card as part of internal storage or as a portable drive.
It is recommended to transfer all media files to the map: photos, videos, music and documents. To do this, select the desired folders in Explorer and select the option "Move" by pointing the path to the following: SD-The camera can also be set to save the photo directly to the external media through the settings menu of the Camera application.
Some applications allow you to choose the way to save data in your internal settings, for example, in navigators (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps) you can download offline maps directly to the Internet. SD-This card will save hundreds of megabytes of internal memory.
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Use UHS-I or higher speed memory cards, and slow cards can cause system braking and delays in video shooting.
The system allows you to move only a part of the data, and the main files are still in the internal storage, so focus on media files.
Removing system debris and hidden files
There are files that you can't see in a normal view, but they take up space, system logs, error reports, and temporary update files, and you need more in-depth knowledge or special utilities to access them, but there are also safe ways to clean them.
One of the most effective methods is to clean the folder. MIUI It's in the internal vault. It has a folder inside it. debug_log, If you're not a developer and you don't send reports to Xiaomi, the contents of this folder can be safely deleted. It's also worth checking the backup folder, which often contains old system backups that take up gigabytes.
Another source of garbage is the thumbnails folder, which stores smaller copies of your photos for quick display in the gallery, and with a lot of photos, this folder can grow to 1 GB. It can be cleaned, but the system will recreate it the next time the gallery opens.
For advanced users, there is a possibility of using ADB-commands to remove system applications you don't use (Bloatware), which frees up not only space, but also RAM.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayerThis command, for example, will remove Xiaomi's standard video player if you prefer third-party solutions.Be careful when entering packet names so as not to remove systemically important components.
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Regular cleaning of folder debug_log And old backups can be released to 2-3 GB space without loss of personal data.