Cleaning the Documents folder on Xiaomi Redmi: a complete guide with hidden life hacks

The folder “Documents” on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones is a real “black box”: here automatically fold PDF-It's a huge amount of data, contracts, note screenshots, messenger archives, and even some apps' cache, and it's growing over time to take up 10 to 15 GB of storage, even though you remember that you only saved a couple of files there, and the problem is compounded by the fact that you've only saved a few files there. MIUI hides some of the system files from the user’s eyes, and the standard File Manager does not always show the full folder size.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven cleaning methods - from basic to advanced, including working with the ADB You'll learn how to distinguish garbage from important data, why the folder fills up again after cleaning, and how to configure Redmi so that it doesn't happen, and the only reliable way to return files deleted by mistake from Documents without rooting permissions.

Spoiler: If you’ve never cleaned this folder, be prepared to find 2019 files, duplicate.heic photos, and even temporary files from TikTok or AliExpress that you forgot to delete after you’ve been there.

Why Xiaomi Redmi’s Documents folder is filling up so quickly

On Xiaomi smartphones folder "Documents» (/storage/emulated/0/Documents) It doesn't act like a regular directory, but like a garbage collector for dozens of applications:

• 📄 Auto-save from instant messengers: Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber by default download documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX) It's here, not in Downloads, even if you didn't open them.
• 📁 Application cache: some programs (for example, WPS Office or Google Drive create temporary copies of files here to speed up work.
• 🖼️ Screenshots with markup: if you edited a screenshot in a standard editor MIUI, A copy of it is saved in the Documents in.png or.jpg format.
• 🔄 Duplicates from cloud services: Mi Cloud, Google Drive, and Yandex Drive can sync files to this folder by creating copies of the file.
• 🤖 System logs: rarely, but it happens that error reports (.log or.txt) from the system are included here. MIUI stock-app.

The main problem is that there is no single rule on which files end up in Documents, such as Samsung clearly distinguishing Downloads from Documents, and Xiaomi allows apps to store data anywhere, which turns the folder into a digital dump, where important contracts and junk temporary files are mixed.

Warning: If you use Redmi for work, be sure to check the folder for files with.docx,.xlsx or.pptx extensions before cleaning – these are often saved by office applications in the background.

Method 1: Manual cleaning through the "File Manager» MIUI

The safest, but also the most time-consuming method, is suitable if the folder is small or you know exactly what it is.

How to open the Documents folder:

1. Launch the File Manager app (blue folder icon).
2. Go to Local Storage (or Device in new versions) MIUI).
3. Slip on the folder "Documents" (on some firmware it may be called "Documents" in Russian).

How to sort files for easy cleaning:

• 📅 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → «Sorting» → Select "Date" (new first) so you will see fresh files that are likely to be up to date.
• 🔍 Use the search (magnifying glass at the top) and enter the junk file extensions:.tmp,.log,.bak.
• 📂 Click "Categories" (grid icon) → Check the unneeded files → «Delete».

⚠️ Note: if you see files with names like com.xiaomi.market_20260515.apk or update.zip, Do not delete them – it can be backups of firmware or data to restore the system.

Method 2: Automatic cleaning with built-in MIUI tools

Xiaomi built into MIUI There are a few tools to clean up memory, but they don't work so clearly, like the Cleanup feature in the settings, which basically removes the app cache, not the files from the Documents.

How to start a deep cleaning:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Slip "Clean" (or "Free space" in new versions).
3. Select “Deep Clean” (fingerprint confirmation may be required).
4. In the "Files" section, find the "Documents" item and tick it.
5. Click on “Clean” and wait until it is completed (may take 5-10 minutes).

What removes this function:

• 🗑️ Temporary application files (e.g. cache) WPS Office or Adobe Acrobat).
• 📄 Empty documents (files 0 KB in size).
• 🔄 Duplicates with the same content (but not always with the same name!).

⚠️ Note: Deep Cleaning does not affect user-generated files (e.g., files you downloaded). PDF or DOCX). To remove them, you will have to use a manual method or third-party applications.

How to speed up the process:

If the deep cleaning is “hang” during the scanning phase, try:

1. Close all background applications (especially instant messengers and office programs).
2. Connect your phone to charge — MIUI Limits cleaning performance on low battery charge.
3. Restart the device and try again.

💡

If the Documents folder is quickly filled again after cleaning, check the sync settings in Google Drive or Mi Cloud. Often these services automatically download backups of documents back to the device.

Method 3: Using third-party applications to analyze files

Standard "File Manager» MIUI It doesn't show the full size of the Documents folder and doesn't know how to sort files by content type. FX File Explorer.

Best cleaning apps (links to Google Play):

Step-by-step instructions from Files by Google:

What these apps are looking for:

• 🗃️ Duplicates: Files with the same content but different names (e.g. contract.pdf and dogovor.pdf).
• 🧹 Temporary files: with extensions.tmp,.temp,.bak.
• 📂 Empty folders: Often left after deleting applications.
• 🔍 Old files: not opened for more than a year.

⚠️ Note: if the application offers to delete files with names like miui_bugreport_*.zip, don't agree - these are archives of error reports MIUI, which may be necessary to diagnose problems.

Method 4: Cleaning through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods did not help, and the Documents folder still takes gigabytes, it’s time to connect to the Android debugging bridge (ADB). This method allows you to delete system files that are not visible through a regular file manager.

What you need:

Cleanup commands:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and start the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your Redmi.
3. Go to the Documents folder: adb shell cd /storage/emulated/0/Documents
4. See the list of files (including hidden files): adb shell ls -la
5. Delete unnecessary files (e.g. all.tmp): adb shell rm *.tmp
6. To delete a folder (e.g.,.cache): adb shell rm -r.cache

What can be safely removed through ADB:

• 🗑️ Folders with names:.thumbnails,.cache,.temp.
• 📄 Files with extensions:.log,.bak,.swp.
• 🔄 Duplicates with postfixes like copy, backup.

⚠️ Note: Never remove through ADB name-file:

• miui_*.zip - backup copies of firmware;
• persist_*.img - system images;
• boot_*.img - boot files.

Deleting them can make it impossible to load the phone!

💡

ADB — If you are not sure about the team, first check its operation on an unnecessary file (for example, create a test.txt and try to delete it).

Method 5: Reset the Documents folder to factory state

If the Documents folder is so crowded that none of the methods work, the last thing you can do is to reset the contents to factory status, and this way you delete all the files, but you keep the folder structure and access rights.

How to reset a folder:

1. Back up important files (copy them to your PC or the cloud).
2. Install the Total Commander app (available on Google Play).
3. Open Total Commander and go to the /storage/emulated/0/.
4. Find the Documents folder, click on it for a long time. → «Rename» → Add the name old at the end (for example, Documents_old).
5. Create a new Documents folder (click on New Folder).
6. Reboot the phone.

What happens after the reset:

• ✅ The new Documents folder will be empty, but with the right access rights.
• ✅ Applications will start saving new files to a clean folder.
• ⚠️ Old file (Documents_old) stays in place – you can manually transfer the necessary files from it.

Why this method works:

The point is, MIUI When you create a new folder, Documents automatically configures the correct permissions and SELinux context for it, which solves the problem when the folder is filled due to a failure in the resolution of the file system.

💡

If the folder starts filling up quickly again after reset, check the sync settings in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Synchronization) and disable automatic download of documents.

How to prevent the refilling of the Documents folder

Cleaning a folder is only half the battle, so that it doesn't clog up again, you have to configure the applications and the system correctly.

Prevention checklist:

• 📱 Set up messengers: in Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Download folder → Select Downloads instead of Documents. on WhatsApp: Settings → Warehouse → Media folder → Turn off automatic downloading of documents.
• 📄 Turn off auto-save in office applications: WPS Office: Settings → Autopreservation → Select "To the Cloud" instead of "Local." In Google Drive: Settings → Backup → Turn off the synchronization of the Documents folder».
• 🔄 Use cloud services: Set up automatic download of important documents to Google Drive or Yandex Drive, and store only temporary files locally.
• 🧹 Regular cleaning: Set a reminder in Google Calendar to check your folder monthly. Use Files by Google to automatically remove garbage (in settings, turn on Weekly Reminders»).

Table: Where popular apps save files (and how to change it)

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the Documents folder on Xiaomi Redmi