How to clean Xiaomi Redmi 9A from garbage: 7 proven ways

Xiaomi Redmi 9A is one of the most popular budget smartphones, but over time even it begins to “brake” due to clogged memory, app cache and system debris. If your device is slower, applications open for a long time, and memory is constantly running out – it’s time to do a general cleaning. In this article, we will analyze all possible cleaning methods, from basic to advanced, taking into account the features of MIUI and hardware Redmi 9A.

It's important to understand that cleaning a smartphone isn't just about removing unnecessary files, it's a set of measures that include optimizing cache, removing duplicates, resetting unnecessary settings, and even controlling background processes. We're not going to recommend "magic cleaning software" (many of which only make things worse), but we're going to show you how to do it manually, quickly and safely. Let's start with the simplest and go deeper.

1. Memory Cleanup with Standard MIUI Tools

MIUI on Redmi 9A has built-in cleaning tools that many users ignore, while allowing you to free up 1-3 GB of space without installing third-party apps.

The first step is to launch the Security app (screen icon) and select the Cleanup section, which will automatically scan the device and show you which files can be deleted: app cache, temporary files, unused APKs, duplicate photos, etc. On the Redmi 9A with 32 GB of memory, this section often finds up to 500-800 MB of garbage that can be safely removed with one tap.

Please note the Deep Clean tab – you can delete:

• 🗑️ Cache of applications (including data from maps, messengers and social networks)
• 📁 Residual files after deleting programs
• 🔍 System logs (error logs that accumulate over time)
• 📱 Update files (remain after new versions are installed) MIUI)

Don’t be afraid to delete the cache – it won’t hurt apps, but it can come out of some accounts (like games or instant messengers).If something doesn’t work right after cleaning, just restart your smartphone.

⚠️ Note: Do not use the acceleration cleanup function in MIUI — It often removes useful processes, which makes the smartphone slow down even more, and it's better to manually close unwanted applications through the menu of recent tasks.

2. Remove unnecessary applications and duplicate files

Even if you haven’t installed many programs, Redmi 9A builds up system debris from pre-installed applications (called bloatware) over time, many of which can’t be removed by standard means, but can be turned off.

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management. Here:

1. Sort the list by size (click on the three dots in the upper right corner).
2. Check out apps that take up more than 100MB – often games, social media, or underutilized services.
3. Click on the unnecessary application → Delete or Disable (if deletion is blocked).

Pay special attention to duplicate photos and videos, which often take gigabytes of memory.

• 📷 Use the Gallery app → Albums. → Duplicate (if this feature is available in your version) MIUI).
• 🔍 Install third-party software, such as Files by Google (it is free and does not contain ads).

3. Cleaning the cache and application data manually

Sometimes, standard security cleaning doesn't remove all the cache, like Facebook, Instagram or Telegram, which can take 500MB-1GB of cached data to clear it completely:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, select the desired application and click Storage. Here you will see two options:

• Clear cache – Deletes temporary files (safely).
• Clear the data – resets the application to the factory settings (all settings and logins will be lost!).

For messengers (WhatsApp, Viber), it is also recommended to clean the folder with media files.

/storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp/Media/

Remove unnecessary photos, videos, and voice messages – they are often duplicated in the main gallery.

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear system application data (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.home) – this can cause a malfunction of the smartphone.

Make a backup copy of important data|Close all working applications|Connect the charger (in case of a long procedure)|Check the vacant space after cleaning-->

4.Storage optimization with Files by Google

Files by Google is one of the best solutions for cleaning Redmi 9A. It is free, without advertising (unlike many cleaners) and knows how to find garbage that MIUI misses.

Once installed, open the app and go to the Cleanup tab. Here you will see:

• 🗑️ Unnecessary files (temporary data, cache, empty folders).
• 📸 Duplicate photos and screenshots.
• 🎵 Large files (video, archives, unused files) APK).
• 📄 Downloaded files (from the browser, messengers).

The Free Space feature is especially useful, which analyzes which files have not been used for more than 30 days and suggests that they be deleted. On the Redmi 9A with 32 GB of storage, this can free up to 2-4 GB.

Another plus of Files by Google is the built-in file manager, which is easy to sort by size, so you can sort all the files by size and delete the heaviest ones that you haven't opened in a long time.

💡

If the smartphone is still slowing down after cleaning, try restarting it in safe mode (press the power button → hold off “Switch off” → confirm the transition). In this mode, only system applications work, and you can see if third-party software is to blame for the lags.

5. factory reset (last resort)

If all previous methods failed, and the Redmi 9A is still slow, it will completely reset, which will delete all data, applications and settings, returning the smartphone to the “out of the box” state.

1. Back up your photos, contacts, and important files (for example, through Google Photos or Mi Cloud).
2. Take a picture or record your Wi-Fi settings, accounts and passwords.
3. Make sure the battery is at least 50% charged.

To reset the settings:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select to erase all data (reset to factory).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 5-10 minutes).

Once reset, the smartphone will turn on as new. Don't restore all the data at once, first check it on a clean system. If the lags are gone, then the problem was in the software, not the hardware.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 9A With 2GB of RAM, resetting may not have a lasting effect if you install the same apps again, in which case it is worth considering lighter versions of programs (for example, Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite) or abandoning resource-intensive games.

6. Additional optimization methods

In addition to cleaning up memory, you can improve the performance of Redmi 9A in other ways:

Another effective way is to transfer applications to a memory card.

1. Insert microSD (class 10 or UHS-I is recommended).
2. Go to Settings. → Apps, select the desired and click Move to SD-card (if the function is active).

Note that not all applications support this mode, and the speed of work with a memory card is lower than with an internal drive.

💡

Regularly cleaning the cache and deleting unnecessary files can free up to 30% of memory on the Redmi 9A, but if the smartphone is slowing down due to a lack of RAM (2 GB), the best solution is to limit the number of simultaneously running applications or consider buying a device with 3-4 GB of RAM.

7.What NOT to do when cleaning Redmi 9A

A lot of the advice on the Internet is not only not helpful, it's also bad for your smartphone. 9A:

• 🚫 Use cleaners like Clean Master or CCleaner – they often delete useful files and show false virus warnings.

Also not worth it:

• 🔄 Often reboot the smartphone (more than 1 time a day) – it does not clean the memory, but only loads the processor.

If you are in doubt about any action, it is better to search for information on official Xiaomi forums (such as mi.com) or ask a question in the comments below.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Redmi 9A