How to Free RAM on Xiaomi with MIUI 12: The Complete Guide

Why Xiaomi on MIUI 12 “slows down” and how it relates to RAM

If your Xiaomi MIUI 12 is slowing down, slowing down when switching between applications or suddenly closing the background processes, it is not always the fault of “weak hardware.” Most often the problem lies in the lack of free RAM. MIUI 12, despite the optimization, actively uses RAM to caching and speed up work, but sometimes this mechanism fails.

In this article, we will discuss the unique MIUI 12 ways to free RAM that do not require root rights or complex manipulations, learn how to manually clean memory, what settings affect the system consumption, and why standard cleaning products from the Play Market are often useless (and sometimes harmful). All methods are tested on the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Mi 10T and POCO X3 NFC models with the latest updates.

Important: MIUI 12 aggressively controls the background, which is not a bug, but a shell feature, but if there is less than 300-500 MB of free memory, the system starts to glitches, and our goal is to get back that back without losing functionality.

Method 1: Manual cleaning of RAM through the “Safety” menu

The fastest and safest method is to use built-in MIUI tools, which do not delete important data, but only close down unnecessary processes.

Instructions:

  1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
  2. Go to Optimization (or Acceleration in some versions).
  3. Click Clear Memory – the system will show a list of working applications.
  4. Choose Clean All or manually mark unnecessary processes (such as games that have not been used in a long time).

⚠️ Note: Do not clean system processes called com.android. or miui. – This can cause interface failures.

Games (e.g. PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact)

Social networks (Facebook, Instagram) if not used

Background services of messengers (except active chats)

Applications for photo/video editing (CapCut, Lightroom)

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After cleaning, check the free memory in Settings → About Phone → System Status → Memory. If the value has increased to 1-1.5 GB, the problem is solved. If not, move to the next method.

Method 2: Setup autocleaning RAM in MIUI 12

MIUI 12 allows you to set up automatic memory cleanup when you lock your screen, a feature that is useful if you often forget to close applications.

How to turn on:

  1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance.
  2. Choose Memory Optimization (or Memory Management).
  3. Activate the Cleanup Switch when you lock.
  4. In the Exclusions section, add apps that should not be closed (such as a music player or navigator).
ParameterRecommended valueExplanation
Cleaning up when lockingIncluded.Frees up RAM when the screen is turned off
Deep cleaningOff.Can close important background processes
Optimizing gamesIncluded.Reduces RAM consumption in games without losing FPS
ExceptionsMessengers, navigatorsApps that should work in the background

⚠️ Note: If notifications from instant messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) have stopped coming after auto-cleaning is enabled, add them to the exceptions. MIUI 12 Sometimes Too Aggressively Covers Background Processes.

Once a day.

When the phone starts to brake

Never clean.

I use third-party cleaners.-->

Method 3: Disabling unnecessary background processes

Many applications continue to work in the background even after closing, consuming RAM. In MIUI 12, you can limit their activity.

Instructions:

  1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
  2. Select the application you want to restrict (such as TikTok or AliExpress).
  3. Press Permissions → Autostart and turn it off.
  4. Go back and select Battery → Background Activity → Limit.

Applications that can be safely restricted:

  • 🎮 Games (except those you play regularly)
  • 🛒 Store Apps (Wildberries, Ozon)
  • 📺 Streaming services (KinoPoisk, IVI), if you don't look offline
  • 📊 Social media (except the main messenger)

⚠️ Note: Do not limit your system applications to com.miui., com.android. or com.google.*. This can lead to errors in your phone, such as missing notifications or network connection issues.

💡

If, after limiting background activity, the app stopped updating content (for example, Instagram doesn’t show new posts), temporarily remove the restriction or add it to the auto-clean exceptions.

Method 4: Using Light mode to save RAM

MIUI 12 has a hidden “Light” mode that reduces memory consumption by simplifying animations and turning off some visual effects, which is especially useful on devices with 3-4 GB of RAM (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO M3).

How to turn on:

  1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
  2. Click 5 times in a row on the MIUI version until you become a developer!
  3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
  4. Find the Lite Mode (or Light Mode) option and activate it.
  5. Reboot the phone.

What changes in the "Light" mode:

  • 🎨 Simplified animation transitions between screens.
  • 🔄 Background effects are turned off (for example, blurring in the menu of recent apps).
  • 📱 Cache of system applications is reduced.
  • 🔋 Reduced RAM consumption by 150-300 MB.

⚠️ Note: In the mode “Light” may disappear some visual chips MIUI 12, for example, smooth transitions to Control Center or icon animation, and if you care about the beauty of the interface, this is not the way to go.

How do you get back to standard?
To turn off Light mode, re-enter Settings → For Developers and deactivate Lite Mode. After rebooting, all animations and effects will recover.

Method 5: Cleaning the cache of system applications

The cache of applications and systems grows over time and can take up to 1-2 GB of memory, and cleaning it will not only free up space, but also speed up the phone.

How to clear the cache:

  1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
  2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sort by size.
  3. Open apps with large cache (usually Google Play Services, YouTube, Chrome, or Galery).
  4. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – this will remove the app settings!).

System applications that can be safely cleaned:

  • 📱 com.miui.gallery – often accumulates up to 500 MB of cache.
  • 🌐 com.android.chrome (Chrome) – cache can reach 1 GB.
  • 🎵 com.miui.player – Cleaning up won’t remove your tracks.
  • 📦 com.android.vending (Play Market) – cache of updates and app images.

⚠️ Warning: Do not cache com.miui.home and com.android.systemui applications, which can cause a desktop crash and black screen after a reboot.

💡

Clearing the cache does not delete your data (photos, messages, accounts), but only temporary files. This is safe and recommended to do every 1-2 months.

Method 6: Disabling “heavy” widgets and live wallpaper

Widgets and animated wallpaper are one of the main RAM eaters in MIUI 12. For example, the animation weather widget can consume up to 100-150 MB of memory, and live wallpaper can consume up to 200 MB.

How to reduce the load:

  1. Remove unnecessary widgets: Click on the empty space on the home screen → Widgets. Find widgets you don't use (e.g. Mi Pei, Calendar, Notes). Drag them to the basket at the top of the screen.

Replace the live wallpaper with static:

  • Clutch the empty space on the screen → Wallpaper.
  • Select the Static or Color section.
  • Set wallpaper without animation (such as gradient or abstraction).

The widgets that most load the RAM:

  • 🌡️ Weather widget with animation (especially Mi Weather)
  • 📊 Google Discover widget (if installed to the left of the main screen)
  • 🎵 Music player widget with visualization
  • 📅 Calendar widget with preview of events

⚠️ Note: If the search bar on the home screen is missing after deleting the Google Discover widget, return it via Settings → Main screen screen → Google search.

Method 7: Reset MIUI 12 (last resort)

If all previous methods did not help, and the phone still brakes due to a lack of RAM, you can perform a soft reset of MIUI settings. This will not delete your data (photos, contacts, messages), but will return system parameters to factory values, which often solves memory problems.

Instructions:

  1. Back up important data via Settings → About Phone → Backup.
  2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
  3. Select Reset MIUI (not to be confused with Reset to factory!).
  4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

What's gonna happen:

  • 🔧 Screen settings (brightness, lock timeout).
  • 🔔 Notification and sound settings.
  • 📶 Network settings (Wi-Fi, mobile Internet – you will have to enter passwords again).
  • 🔒 Fingerprint and lock settings (they will need to be reconfigured).

What won't get out:

  • 📸 Photo and video at the gallery.
  • 💬 Messages in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).
  • 🎵 Music and uploaded files.
  • 👤 Accounts (Google, Mi Account).

⚠️ Attention: After resetting settings MIUI You may need to re-authorize in some applications (such as banking or social networks), make sure you remember passwords in advance or have access to email to recover.

FAQ: Frequent questions about RAM on Xiaomi with MIUI 12

❓ Why is the memory refilled after a few minutes?
This is normal MIUI 12 behavior. It actively uses free RAM to caching frequently used applications to speed up their launch. If memory is scarce, MIUI automatically releases it, closing the background processes. The main thing is to make sure that there is always at least 300-500 MB of free memory.
❓ Can I increase the RAM on Xiaomi with MIUI 12?
Physically increase the amount of RAM is impossible, but you can use the function of memory expansion (available on some models, for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro).+). It allows you to use part of the internal memory (1-3 GB) as an additional RAM. To enable: Go to Settings → The phone. → Memory. Press Memory Extension and select volume (recommended 1-2 GB). Reboot your phone. ⚠️ This won’t replace physical RAM, but it will help with multitasking.
❓ Why Games Are Flying Out Because Of Lack Of RAM Even When Memory Is Not Full?
MIUI 12 aggressively manages memory for games. If a game consumes too much RAM (like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile), the system can force it to close. Solutions: Add the game to Exceptions in battery settings. Enable Performance Mode in Settings → Special Features → Game Mode. Close all background apps before starting the game.
❓ Should I use the “cleaners” of memory from the Play Market?
No, most of these applications (Clean Master, CCleaner) are not only useless, they're also harmful. They: Shut down important system processes, which causes failures. They consume additional RAM and battery. They can collect your data (application history, geolocation). MIUI 12 has built-in memory cleaners — there's enough of them.
❓ How to Check Which App Consumes Most RAM?
Open Settings → Phone → System Status → Memory. Here you will see: Total RAM and free memory. List of applications sorted by consumption. Memory usage schedule for the last 3-6-12 hours. If an application is continuously taking >500 MB, consider removing it or limiting background activity.