How to completely clean internal memory on Xiaomi Redmi: from cache to factory settings

The internal memory of Xiaomi Redmi smartphones has the unpleasant property of getting clogged with garbage: remnants of deleted applications, MIUI cache, duplicate photos and unnecessary system files. Even after deleting programs, free space is often not restored - and after a month you see the notification "Memory is full." In this article, we will analyze all working methods of cleaning, including hidden firmware functions and tools for advanced users.

Redmi (unlike the flagship Xiaomi or POCO) has a limited amount of internal memory in budget models (32-64 GB), while MIUI aggressively reserves space for updates and utility files, leaving the user even less space. We tested the methods on Redmi Note 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10 and Redmi A1/A2 models – all solutions work independently of the firmware version (including HyperOS).

Important: Before cleaning, check what exactly takes up space. Go to Settings → About Phone → Memory and see the categorization. If the System partition takes >20 GB, the problem may be MIUI updates that are downloaded but not installed automatically.

1. Cleaning the application cache and system

The fastest way to free 1 to 5 GB is to delete temporary files (cache), and there are two types of cache in MIUI: custom (from applications) and system (from firmware), which need to be cleaned differently.

To remove the application cache:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management
• 🔍 Select an app (such as YouTube or TikTok) → Warehouse → Clear the cache
• 🧹 For mass cleaning, use the settings → Memory. → Clean (remove the cache of all applications at once)

The Dalvik-cache is only cleared through Recovery, a more radical method, but it helps if the phone is slowing down:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power before the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (use volume buttons for navigation).
4. Confirm the action and restart.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! second option will reset the phone to factory settings.

2. Delete unnecessary files through the "Cleaner"

MIUI has a built-in Cleaner tool (formerly called Security) that finds junk files, duplicates and large documents, and it works more efficiently than manual cleaning, but often skips hidden folders.

How to use:

• 🧹 Open the Cleaner app (icon with broomstick).
• 🔍 Press Deep Cleanup. → wait for the scan.
• 🗑️ In the section "Junk files" mark all items and click Clear.
• 📁 In the “Big Files” section, check the list – often forgotten videos or archives are here.

Note the Duplicate Photos section. Xiaomi often creates copies of images when editing in a gallery or sending via instant messengers. Remove duplicates manually - automatic cleaning can erase important frames.

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If you see a MIUI or com.xiaomi folder >1 GB in the Large Files section, don't manually delete it! These may be firmware files. Instead, use the Update Cleanup feature in your memory settings.

3. Transfer data to a memory card or cloud

If internal memory is full of photos, videos or music, transfer them to microSD or the cloud. Xiaomi Redmi (except Note Pro models) supports memory cards up to 1 TB, but there are nuances:

For transfer to the memory card:

• 📁 Insert microSD into the slot (on some models you need to remove the tray for the slot). SIM-map).
• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Memory. → Memory map → Transfer data.
• 📷 Select the file type (photo, video, audio) and confirm the transfer.

For cloud storage:

• ☁️ Use Mi Cloud (5GB for free) or Google Photos (15GB per account).
• 🔗 In Google Photos, enable Autoboot in the settings – new photos will immediately be uploaded to the cloud.
• 🗑️ After downloading, delete local copies via Free up space in the app menu.

⚠️ Note: Not all apps support memory cards, such as WhatsApp and Telegram will not be able to save media files to your memory card. SD by default – you need to change the settings manually in each messenger.

Make sure your memory card is formatted in FAT32 (for <4GB files) or exFAT

Backup of important files on PC

Check the free space on the map (should be at least 20% more than the volume of data transferred)

Disable autosynchronization of photos in the cloud during transfer-->

4.Remove MIUI Updates and Unnecessary APKs

MIUI automatically downloads firmware updates, even if you don't plan to install them, and these files can take up to 2 to 4 GB and aren't deleted through a standard cleaner.

Method 1: Through Settings

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Remove the downloaded package.

Method 2: Manually through the file manager

• 📂 Open Explorer (or any other file manager with root rights).
• 🔍 Go to the folder. /sdcard/Download/rom or /sdcard/DownloadedRom.
• 🗑️ Delete files with the.zip extension (this is firmware archives).

Also check the /sdcard/MIUI/backup folder, which can be backed up by applications created by the system, and you can delete them if you don't plan to restore old versions of programs.

5. Reset to factory settings (hard reset)

If all previous methods failed, and there is a critically low amount of free memory, you will have a complete reset, which will delete all data, including accounts, photos and apps, so back up first.

How to reset Redmi to factory settings:

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Resetting settings.
• 📱 Select Delete All Data (can be called Delete All Data).
• 🔐 Enter the password (if installed) and confirm the action.

Alternative method (if the phone is not turned on):

1. Press Volume Up + Power to Enter Recovery.
2. Choose Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
3. Confirm and wait for the reboot.

⚠️ Note: After resetting, Xiaomi Redmi may require you to enter a Mi Account if you previously enabled the Device Protection feature!

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Factory reset is the only way to remove system debris that is not visible to the user (for example, remnants of deleted updates or corrupted MIUI files).

6. Hidden Ways: ADB and Engineering Menu

For power users, there are advanced cleaning techniques that are not available through the standard interface: they require a PC connection and the use of ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

Method 1: Clear /data/log folder (system logs)

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*

Method 2: Remove unnecessary APKs from the system partition (requires root)

adb shell


su




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks # Removes the Mi Picks app




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics # Removes the Analytics Module

Method 3: Reset ART/Dalvik cache (accelerates the system)

adb shell


su




rm -r /data/dalvik-cache/*

⚠️ Attention: Su commands require root rights. Misuse ADB This can cause data loss or phone locking.Before experimenting, backup with adb backup.

You can also use the engineering menu to diagnose memory, and you can get there.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the code ##4636##.
3. Go to Storage for detailed information.

7.Memory optimization: how to prevent filling

To avoid clearing your memory every month, set up Redmi to auto-optimize:

• 🔄 Enable Auto Cleanup in the Cleaner app (set the schedule for weekly cleanup).
• ☁️ Set up autoload photos in Google Photos or Mi Cloud (in gallery settings).
• 📵 Limit the background activity of applications: Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime → Choose apps that don’t need to work in the background.
• 🚫 Turn off auto-update apps in Play Market: Settings → Auto-update → Never.

You should also check the Download folder regularly, where you can find installation files (.apk), documents and archives, and delete anything older than 3 months.

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If you install apps outside of the Play Market (APK-Create a separate folder on the memory card for them so they don't clog the internal storage.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning Xiaomi Redmi memory