How to Free Up Space on Xiaomi Redmi 9: A Complete Guide with Proven Methods

Why Redmi 9 is running out of memory and what to do about it

Xiaomi Redmi 9 is one of the most popular budget smartphones, but its main drawback is only 32/64 GB of internal memory. Even if you do not install games, the system and pre-installed applications take up to 10-12 GB, and cache, updates and junk files complete the job, and after a couple of months of use, you see the message: "Memory is full. Make room for normal phone operation."

To make matters worse, MIUI actively caches data, and many apps (especially social media and instant messengers) keep media files in the background. For example, Telegram defaults to download all photos and videos to the gallery, and WhatsApp stores backups of chats. In this article, we will discuss 10 proven ways to free up space on Redmi 9 without resetting to factory settings, from basic to advanced.

It's important to understand that just removing a few photos or cleaning a shopping cart is not enough, you have to work with system debris, duplicate files, app cache and hidden folders, and let's start with the simplest and move on to more sophisticated methods.

1.Cleaning App Cache Is A Quick Way To Free Up 1-3GB

Cache is a temporary file that applications save to make things faster, accumulates over time and takes up gigabytes of memory. On Redmi 9, the cache can be cleared in two ways: for individual applications or for all at once.

To clear the cache for a specific application:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Select an app (such as YouTube or Facebook).
Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

For mass cleaning:

📱 Open the Settings. → Warehouse.
🧹 Tap the Cache Data section.
✅ Confirm the cleanup (this is secure, will not delete your data).

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After clearing the cache, some apps (such as maps or social media) can take longer to load when you first run it – that’s normal.

How much memory will be free? Depends on your use, but on average, it's 500 MB to 3 GB. For example, the cache of Google Play Services can weigh up to 1 GB, and Instagram can weigh up to 500 MB.

📊 How often do you clear the cache on your smartphone?

Once a week.

Once a month

Only when memory ends

Never cleaned.

2. Remove unnecessary files and duplicates using built-in tools

MIUI has a built-in memory cleanup tool called Cleanup (or Security in the international version), and it analyzes the system and finds:

🗑️ Garbage files (remains of deleted applications, temporary files).
📁 Large files (video, APK, archive).
🔄 Duplicate photos and documents.
📥 Downloads (old files from the Download folder).

How to use:

Open the Cleanup app (icon with broomstick).
Press Deep Clean and wait for analysis.
Select file categories to delete (e.g. Residual files or Duplicates).
Confirm the cleanup.

Note the Large Files section – it often hides forgotten high-resolution videos or undeleted ones. APK-files after installing applications. For example, one episode of the series in 1080p weigh 1-2 GB.

3. Transfer applications and data to a memory card

Redmi 9 supports microSD cards up to 512GB, and it’s a great way to offload internal memory. However, not all data can be transferred – there are limitations:

Type of data	Can I move it to SD?	How to do this.
Annexes (APK)	✅ Yes (partially)	Settings → Applications → Select the application → Storage → Change → SD card
Photographs and videos	✅ Yes.	Gallery → Select files → Move → Memory Map
Documents and downloads	✅ Yes.	File manager → Select → Move it
Cash and application data	❌ No.	They remain in the internal memory.
System updates	❌ No.	Always in the internal memory.

An important point: even if you transfer the application to the SD-The card, some of its data (such as cache or settings) will remain in internal memory, and not all applications support portability – for example, WhatsApp or Banking applications usually block this feature for security reasons.

⚠️ Attention: If you extract SD-The map, the applications that are transferred to it will stop working. Always use high-speed class cards. UHS-I (U1/U3), escaping.

Social media and instant messengers are the main memory eaters, such as:

📸 Telegram saves all media files to the Telegram Images folder by default.
💬 WhatsApp Stores Photos and Videos on WhatsApp Media.
🎵 TikTok caches video in the TikTok folder (can take up to 5 GB!).
📺 YouTube is keeping the video offline in YouTube/Offline.

How to clean:

Open File Manager (or Files by Google)
Go to the Inner Memory → Application folders.
Find social media folders (such as WhatsApp, Telegram) and delete unnecessary files.
For WhatsApp, you can also clear backup chats in WhatsApp/Databases (remove files with dates other than the latest one).

To prevent automatic storage of media files:

In Telegram: Settings → Data and Memory → Media Autoboot → Disable for Mobile Data and Wi-Fi.
On WhatsApp: Settings → Storage → Storage Management → Delete unnecessary files.

How to find hidden social media folders?

In the file manager, enable the display of hidden folders (usually in the Settings → Show Hidden Files menu). Folders like.thumbdata or.nomedia can weigh hundreds of megabytes!

5. Removal of unused applications and their residues

Many users install apps for one time and forget to delete them, like the photo editor you used a year ago or the game you don't play anymore, but even after deleting the apps, they often leave behind junk files in the Android/data and Android/obb folders.

How to remove applications and their residues:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Sort by size (slip on the filter icon at the top right).
Remove unnecessary apps (e.g., pre-installed games from Xiaomi like Mi Game Center).
To remove residues, use the file manager: go to Internal Memory → Android → data and delete folders with the names of remote applications.

Some system applications (bloatware) cannot be removed by standard means, but they can be disabled:

In the same app management menu, select the unnecessary (e.g. Mi Video or Mi Music).
Click Disable (this will remove its updates and hide it from the menu).

⚠️ Note: Do not remove system applications with administrator rights (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter) – this can lead to unstable phone operation.

6.Use of cloud storage for backups

If you don't want to lose photos or documents but they take up too much space, move them to the cloud. Xiaomi offers its own solution - Mi Cloud, but its free fare is limited to 5GB. Alternatives:

☁️ Google Photos (15GB free, photo compression).
☁️ Yandex Disk (10GB free).
☁️ Mega (20GB) Free to Register).

How to set up automatic download in Google Photos:

Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
Open the settings → Backup and synchronization.
Turn on the function and select High (non-original) quality to save space.
After downloading the photos can be deleted from the phone (they will remain in the cloud).

For documents and archives, it is convenient to use Yandex Drive or Dropbox, the main thing is to check that the files have successfully downloaded before you delete them from your phone.

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Cloud storage saves space, but requires a stable Internet connection to access files. Always keep local copies of important documents!

7. Resetting the thumbnail cache and media database

The.thumbnails folder stores thumbnails of all your photos and videos so that they can be displayed faster in the gallery. Over time, it grows to 500 MB - 1 GB. The system also creates a database of media files (media.db), which can be corrupted and take up extra space.

How to clean:

Open the file manager and enable the display of hidden files.
Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM →.thumbnails.
Delete all files in this folder (they will be restored automatically).
To reset the media base, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Media Storage and click Clear Data.

After this procedure, the gallery will rebuild the thumbnails, which can take a few minutes, but you will free up up to 1 GB of storage.

8 Advanced Methods: ADB and Manual Cleaning of System Folders

If all of the above methods didn’t work, you can use the Android debugging bridge (ADB) for deep cleaning, which is suitable for advanced users.

What can be done through ADB:

🔧 Remove unnecessary system applications (debloat).
🗃️ Clear the folders. /data/local/tmp and /data/log, where the logs of the system are stored.
📦 Reassign part of internal memory to user data (requires root).

Example of command to remove cache of all applications:

adb shell pm trim-caches 1000000000

To remove a specific system application (e.g., Mi Game Center):

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.gamecenter.sdk.service

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause your phone to fail.Before experimenting, back up your data through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

If you are not sure about your actions, you should use specialized utilities like SD Maid (requires root) or Files by Google for safe cleaning.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I make room on Redmi 9 without removing photos?

Yes, first clean the app cache, remove duplicate files through Cleanup, transfer applications to SD-You can also check the downloads section, which often accumulates unnecessary files.

Why does the memory reset quickly after cleaning?

This is due to background activity of apps (especially social networks and instant messengers), automatic updates and caching. Turn off autoload media in the application settings and regularly clean the cache.

Can I increase the internal memory of Redmi 9?

Physically, no, because the eMMC is soldered into the motherboard. SD-card as a memory extension (Adoptable Storage function, requires formatting the card as an internal drive).

Which apps are best not to remove from Redmi 9?

Do not remove system services called com.android., com.miui., com.google. — this can disrupt the phone.

How to check which files take up the most space?

Use the built-in Storage tool in your settings or install the DiskUsage app from the Play Market – it visualizes the occupied space by folders.