Modern Xiaomi smartphones, which are based on the shells MIUI or the new HyperOS, have powerful functionality, but over time they begin to require more resources. Users often face a situation when the device starts to work slower, applications fly out, and the system notifies about the lack of space, this is due to the accumulation of temporary files, cache of applications and duplicate photos, which quietly occupy gigabytes of usable space.
Cleaning up internal memory is not just about removing old photos, but a comprehensive maintenance process for the Android operating system. Unlike other manufacturers, Xiaomi implements its own memory management algorithms that require a specific approach. If you ignore overflow signals, the phone can go into emergency resource saving mode, making it almost impossible to use.
In this guide, we will break down all effective ways to free up space, from built-in tools to manually removing system debris. You will learn how to safely delete unnecessary data without risking losing important contacts or documents. Proper maintenance of the device extends its life and ensures stable operation even a few years after purchase.
⚠️ Before starting a large-scale cleanup, be sure to back up important data in the Xiaomi Cloud or on your computer to avoid accidental loss of information.
Analysis of storage occupancy through settings
The first step is always to diagnose. You need to know exactly what's taking up space on your drive. The MIUI and HyperOS shells have a great analyzer built in that visualizes the distribution of data. Go to Settings menu → About Phone → Storage to see a detailed breakdown by category: apps, images, videos, documents and system files.
The system automatically counts the amount of content each type occupies, and it often turns out that the lion’s share of memory is occupied by messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, which store media files for years, and a significant amount can consume the cache of streaming services and games with heavy resources.
Notice the "Other" section, which often hides the remnants of deleted applications or misclassified files, and the storage analyzer allows you to quickly go to the leading folders for consuming space and decide to clean them.
- 📊 Visual occupancy scale helps to assess the criticality of the situation.
- 📁 Size sorting allows you to instantly find the most “heavy” folders.
- 🗑️ Quick Cleaning Button Offers to Delete Safe Temporary Files.
- 📱 A separate section for applications shows the weight of the cache and data of each program.
Using the "Security" application and cleaning the cache
Each Xiaomi smartphone has a Security system app preinstalled, which is the main optimization tool, combining antivirus, garbage cleaner and memory accelerator functions. Launch the app and press the Cleanup button. The system scans the device for temporary files, uninstall residues and advertising debris.
Special attention should be paid to the cache of applications. Cache is temporary data that speeds up programs, but over time grows to enormous sizes. For example, the cache of a browser or social networks can take several gigabytes. In the Security application, you can selectively clear the cache of specific applications without deleting their basic data.
Deep Clean allows you to find large files you may have forgotten to delete or duplicate photos, but beware: the algorithm may suggest you delete files you really need, so always check the list before confirming.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
⚠️ Note: Do not use third-party accelerators from the Play Market, as they often contain ads and may conflict with system optimization. MIUI.
Cleaning messengers: Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber
Messengers are the main memory eaters on any Android smartphone. Telegram, for example, saves all the photos and videos you've viewed to the gallery by default, which quickly clogs up storage. To fix this, open the messenger settings, go to Data and Memory → Memory Use and click Clear Cache. This action is safe and will not delete your correspondence.
On WhatsApp, the situation is similar. Go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. Here you will see a list of chats sorted by place you occupy. You can delete media files from specific dialogs or clear the entire cache at once. It is also recommended to turn off auto-save to the gallery for group chats.
For Viber and other similar applications, the procedure is similar: Regularly manually cleaning media files inside apps is more effective than deleting the application itself and re-installing it, since with reinstalling you will lose your correspondence history if you did not backup.
| Annex | The path to cleanup | Is it safe? | Recommended frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Settings → Data and memory | Yes, chats are saved. | Once a month |
| Settings → Data and Storage | Yes, the media is gone. | Once every 2 weeks | |
| Viber | More. → Settings → Memory. | Yes. | Once a month |
| Phone settings → Applications | Yeah (cache cleansing) | Once a week. |
Why can't the cache be ignored?
Removal of duplicates and large files
Over the years, hundreds of duplicate photos accumulate in memory, especially if you used different cameras or synced data from other devices. The standard Gallery or Files app often has a feature to search for similar images. If this feature is not available, you can use Xiaomi's File Manager file manager.
Sort files by size. Often, download folders or social directories (TikTok, YouTube) are left with hundreds of megabytes of video that you've watched. Deleting those files is the fastest way to free up a few gigabytes. Be careful when you delete files from your Android/data folder, because that's where game and app data is stored.
Search for keywords like “video”, “backup” or “log.” System logs and error reports can take up a lot of space if not cleaned in time. Deleting files from the.thumbnail folder in hidden system directories can instantly free up to 5-10 GB of space, as it stores thumbnails of all your photos.
- 🎥 Look for folders with social media names – there are often auto-saved content.
- 📄 Files with the.apk extension in the download folder are installers that are no longer needed.
- 🗑️ The basket in the gallery and file manager also takes up space, do not forget to clean it.
Optimization of work with photo and video
Media files are the main source of memory consumption. Modern Xiaomi cameras shoot in high resolution, and one minute of video in 4K can weigh hundreds of megabytes. The first step should be to adjust the settings of shooting. If you are not planning to print photos in large format or edit professional video, lower the resolution or turn on the HEIF option (for photos) and H.265 (for videos), which provide better compression without loss of quality.
The second important step is to set up cloud sync. Xiaomi Cloud or Google Photos allows you to store originals in the cloud, leaving only optimized copies on your device. In the gallery settings, enable the "Free Space" function if available, or manually delete local copies after successful sync.
Check the "Recently Deleted" albums regularly, and the files are stored for 30 days and take up space, and it's also worth checking out the hidden albums that users often forget.
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Turn on the "Saving data" mode in the camera settings if you shoot a lot of videos for social networks - this will significantly reduce the weight of files without visible quality loss on the smartphone screen.
Removal of unused applications and their residues
The apps you don't use take up space, but they can run in the background, using resources. Go through the list of all the installed programs. MIUI has a handy "Recommendations" feature that tells you which apps you haven't used in a long time. Removing heavy games and services is a radical but effective method.
However, simply removing an icon doesn't always erase all data. Some applications leave behind folders with settings and cache. ADB-commands, but for the average user it is enough to go to Settings → Annexes → All applications, select the program and click Clear before deleting.
Note the Xiaomi and Google system applications that can't be removed in the standard way, which can only be disabled, which will also free up some resources, albeit in a smaller amount. Don't delete system components if you're not sure about their purpose, this can lead to unstable work.
⚠️ Note: When removing system applications through ADB or third-party utilities you risk disrupting the system, so act only if you understand what a particular package is responsible for.
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Comprehensive approach: The combination of cache cleaning, deletion of duplicates and transferring media to the cloud gives a better result than just removing applications.