How to completely clean Viber memory on Xiaomi Android smartphones: from cache to media files

Viber on Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11 and others) takes up gigabytes of memory over time — even if you haven’t saved photos or videos in a long time. The reason lies in automatically downloadable media files, cache and backups. According to our tests, Viber can “eat” up to 8-12 GB of memory on devices with MIUI 13/14, half of which are unnecessary duplicates and temporary files.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to clean Viber memory on Xiaomi, including hidden messenger settings and MIUI system tools. We will also discuss how to avoid re-clogging memory without losing important chats, and why standard cache removal through Android settings works only 30%.

Why Viber is taking up so much space on Xiaomi

The main problem is that you automatically download media files. Viber saves to your device by default:

• 📸 Photos and stickers from chats (even if you haven't opened them)
• 🎥 Videos up to 3 minutes long (including previews)
• 🎵 Audio messages and voice notes
• 📄 Documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX etc.)

On Xiaomi smartphones, the situation is aggravated by double caching:

1. Viber creates its cache in the /Android/data/com.viber.voip/files folder.
2. MIUI duplicates some files in the system cache (/data/data/com.viber.voip/cache).

In addition, the messenger stores local backups of chats (up to the latest 7 versions), which can weigh 500-800 MB each.

Another memory eater is thumbnails. Viber creates reduced copies of all media files for quick download in chat tape. For example, a 5 MB photo can have a thumbnail of 200-300 KB, and there are thousands of thumbnails. On Xiaomi with MIUI 14, these files are additionally indexed by the system for search, which increases their volume by 10-15%.

Method 1: Cleaning the Viber cache through Android settings

The fastest, but least effective method is to remove the cache through the app menu, which helps to free up 100-500 MB, but does not affect media files and backups.

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Viber in the list (use search if there are many apps).
3. Slip on the Warehouse (or Memory in older versions of MIUI).
4. Click Clear cache (not to be confused with Clear data – it will delete all chats!).

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Does not remove uploaded photos/videos from chat rooms.
• ❌ Does not affect backup copies.
• ❌ Cache will recover after 1-2 days of active use.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M4 Pro) after cleaning the cache, the call history in Viber may disappear. To restore it, restart the messenger and wait for synchronization with the cloud (it will take up to 5 minutes).

Method 2: Manually Delete Viber Media Files

This method allows you to free up to 70% of the occupied space, but you need to be careful - if you do not do it, you can lose important files.

Step 1: Find the Viber file folder.

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/media/com.viber.voip/Viber/ On some MIUI firmware, the path may look like this: /storage/emulated/0/Viber/

Step 2: Remove unnecessary files from folders:

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Before mass deletion, sort files by date of change, chances are that the oldest media files (year-old and older) are no longer needed, and new ones can be transferred to the PC or the cloud.

Step 3: Clear the cache folder.

1. Enable the display of hidden files in the file manager settings.
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.viber.voip/cache/.
3. Delete all files from this folder (they will be restored the next time Viber is launched).

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 Android 13+ file-access /Android/data/ If the file manager does not allow you to delete files, use ADB-commands (described in the method) 4) Or connect your smartphone to your PC.

Method 3: Viber settings for automatic cleaning

To prevent future memory clogging, set up autocleaning right in Viber, which won’t make room right away, but will reduce memory consumption by 40-60%.

Instructions:

1. Open Viber and tap on. ⋮ (three-point) → Settings.
2. Go to Confidentiality. → Warehouse.
3. Activate options: 🔄 "Delete media after viewing" (for outgoing files) 🗑️ "Clear cache when exiting" 📥 "Do not download media in roaming" (relevant for travel)

"Automatic Media Downloading"

"Never."

"Only on Wi-Fi."

We further recommend:

• 📁 Disable "Save Media to Gallery" (same storage settings) to prevent duplicate files in the folder DCIM/Viber.
• 🔍 Enable "Show the chat size" (in the chat settings) → So you can see which dialogues are taking up the most space.

On Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 13/14, these settings are sometimes reset after the Viber update. To avoid this, fix the messenger in multitasking (swipe up → hold the Viber icon → “Secure”).

Method 4: Cleaning through ADB (for power users)

If standard methods do not help, and access to folders is limited, use ADB-This will remove all unnecessary Viber files, including the system cache.

Step 1: Preparation

• 🖥️ Install Platform Tools on PC.
• 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB on Xiaomi: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times) Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB
• 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm your trust in the device.

Step 2: Follow the commands

Open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools and enter in turn:

adb shell pm clear com.viber.voip # Clears all data (chats will be saved if there is cloud sync)


adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/Android/media/com.viber.voip/Viber/Media/* # Deletes all media files




adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/Android/data/com.viber.voip/cache/* # Clears the cache

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The pm clear command does not delete chats if you have Viber cloud sync enabled. However, all local settings (background, themes, chat order) will reset.

Step 3: Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 Android 13+ some ADB-If you see a "Permission denied" error, you can do it by adb shell su chmod. 777 /sdcard/Android/media/com.viber.voip/Viber/ (Root rights are required).

Method 5: Transfer Viber to a memory card (for supported models)

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (e.g. Redmi Note 11, POCO X3 Pro, you can transfer some of the Viber data to SD-It won't clean the memory, but it will stop it from clogging.

Instructions:

1. Insert a memory card (we recommend the UHS-I U3 class for speed).
2. Open Settings → Applications → Viber → Storage.
3. Slip "Change" next to "Default Storage".
4. Select "Memory Card" and confirm the transfer.

Limitations:

• ❌ Not all files will be transferred (for example, backups will remain in internal memory).
• ❌ Android 11.+ portability SD-card is often blocked.
• ⚠️ When retrieving the card, Viber may work unstablely.

💡

If the port option is not available, use the workaround: in Viber settings (Privacy) → Storage) select "Save media to memory card" and new files will be saved to the memory card. SD, The old ones will remain in the internal memory – they can be manually deleted.

How to avoid repeated memory clogging

To prevent Viber from taking up gigabytes of memory on your Xiaomi, follow these rules:

• 🔄 Monthly Cleanup: Delete media files older than 3 months (use date filter in file manager).
• ☁️ Cloud Backups: Enable Auto-Save Chats in Settings → Account. → Backup (select "Weekly").
• 🚫 Limit auto download: In Viber Storage Settings, turn off automatic video and document downloads.
• 📂 Use alternative messengers: For large files (video) >50MB) use Telegram or Google Drive.

On Xiaomi with MIUI, it is also useful:

• 🛡️ Disable "Memory Optimization" for Viber (Settings) → Annexes → Viber → Battery → Optimizing memory → This will prevent the cache being forced to be cleaned by the system.
• 🔍 Check the folder regularly /DCIM/Viber — Sometimes files are duplicated there even when the setting is disabled.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning Viber on Xiaomi