Xiaomi’s smartphones have always been famous for their excellent price-performance ratio, but the 2019 Redmi 7 may be lacking in built-in storage today.Modern apps are getting heavier and photos and videos are taking up more space, leading to system slowdowns and inability to install new programs. Users often face annoying space-short notifications that block normal device use.
In this article, we will discuss proven methods to safely and efficiently free up gigabytes of free space, learn not only to delete unnecessary files, but also to optimize the operation of the MIUI operating system, so that your gadget again “breathes” full-bodied.
Analysis of vault occupancy
Before you start taking drastic measures, you need to clearly understand what exactly takes up space in your device. Android provides built-in tools for data visualization, but the shell MIUI has more advanced tools for analysis. Often users do not even suspect that the bulk of memory is “eating” not system files, but the cache of messengers or long-forgotten downloads.
To start with, you can use the standard Security app that is pre-installed on every Xiaomi, which automatically scans the device and shows the distribution of memory into categories: apps, images, videos, documents, etc., which allows you to instantly identify the heavyweights that are slowing down the smartphone.
- 📊 Open the Security app and select Cleanup for initial analysis.
- 📂 Go to the storage settings to see a detailed memory occupancy chart.
- 🗑️ Pay attention to the Downloads folder, where installation files often accumulate APK.
- 📱 Check the amount of data occupied by messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp.
It is important to understand the difference between the data of the application and its cache: data is your correspondence, settings and saves, and cache is temporary files that speed up the launch of programs. Clearing the cache is safe and will not lead to the loss of personal information, whereas deleting the data can reset the application to a factory state.
⚠️ Note: Do not delete system folders with Android names, MIUI Or the System manually through the file manager, if you're not sure what they're supposed to do, and that can cause the operating system to run in an unstable way.
Use of the built-in MIUI cleaner
MIUI is famous for its aggressive yet effective optimization system: the built-in Cleanup tool is able to find not only obvious garbage, but also residual files of remote applications, empty packages and duplicates. Regular use of this tool helps to keep the system in good shape without the need to install third-party software.
When you start a deep cleanup, the system will suggest removing temporary files that accumulate during the operation of the browser and various utilities, and you should also pay attention to the large file analysis feature, which allows you to quickly find and delete heavy videos or archives that occupy precious gigabytes.
Special attention should be paid to the section "Recently deleted" in the gallery, where when you delete a photo or video, they do not disappear completely, but move to a basket where they are stored for 30 days, and releasing this folder will instantly return the occupied space to the shared pool of available memory.
- 🧹 Run a standard cleanup to remove temporary files.
- 📦 Use the Deep Cleanup feature to find residual debris.
- 🖼️ Don’t forget to clean the gallery cart after removing unnecessary photos.
- 📄 Check the list of large files and remove unnecessary videos.
Sometimes, the built-in analyzer may miss some types of garbage, so it is recommended to combine automatic cleaning with manual folder checks.
Clearing the cache and data messengers
Messengers are the main memory eaters on modern smartphones. WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and Instagram store every photo, video and voice message viewed in the device’s memory. Over time, these files can take up tens of gigabytes, significantly reducing the useful amount of the drive.
Telegram, for example, can set up automatic cache cleanup, and allows you to set a limit on the amount or time of media files to be stored, after which they will be deleted automatically, remaining available in the chat cloud, ideal for owners of devices with a small amount of internal memory.
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In Telegram settings, enable the “Use less data for calls” function and limit autoload media to Wi-Fi only.
For WhatsApp, the situation is more complicated because the app stores backups locally, you have to go to chat settings, select Data Storage, and see a detailed report, where you can delete specific videos or files from certain chats without deleting all the correspondence.
| Annex | Where to look for a cleanup | Is it safe to remove the cache? | What's removed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Settings → Data and memory | Yes. | Temporary media files |
| Settings → Chats → Storage | Yes. | Chat media | |
| Viber | More. → Settings → Memory. | Yes. | Cash and media |
| Phone settings → Applications | Yes. | Temporary files |
Remember that clearing the data (not the cache) in messengers will result in logging out of your account and deleting your local message history if you haven’t made a backup. Be careful when choosing the type of cleanup in the application management menu.
Photo and video archive management
Multimedia content is the primary source of memory filling on Redmi 7. Modern smartphone cameras take high-quality images that take up a lot of space. If you don't use cloud services, the gallery quickly becomes an archive that can't be moved.
The best solution is to use cloud storage, such as Google Photos or Yandex.Disk. These services allow you to upload all the original photos and videos to the Internet, and leave their compressed copies on the device or completely delete local files, leaving only previews.
☑️ Transferring photos to the cloud
It is also worth checking the DCIM and Pictures folder for screenshots and saved images from social networks. Often users take screenshots of important points, but forget to delete them after use. Automatic sorting by date will help quickly find old unnecessary files.
If you don't trust the clouds, consider periodically migrating the archive to a computer or external hard drive, which will make room on your phone, but keep your memories safe.
⚠️ Warning: Before deleting photos, make sure they are actually uploaded to the cloud and accessible from another device. Check the Recycle Bin folder in the cloud service, as deleted files are almost impossible to recover.
Set-up and use SD-map
Redmi 7 supports microSD card installation, which is a lifesaver for owners of the version with 16 or 32 GB of internal memory. Proper configuration of the external card allows you to transfer most of the user data to it, freeing up the system partition.
Modern versions of Android and MIUI can use the memory card as an extension of internal storage (Adoptable Storage), although this feature is sometimes hidden or works unstable on older devices.
Many apps also allow you to specify a path in your settings to save downloaded files, for example, in the settings of the navigation device Yandex Navi or Google Maps, you can save offline maps exactly on the computer. SD-This card will save hundreds of megabytes of internal memory.
- 💾 Format a new memory card in format FAT32 or exFAT through phone settings.
- 📂 Move the folders with photos and videos to the root directory SD-map.
- ⚙️ In the camera settings, specify saving new images immediately to the memory card.
- 📱 Move heavy applications that support this feature to an external drive.
It is worth remembering that the speed of applications running with SD-cards, may be lower than with internal memory, especially if you use an old standard card. UHS-I higher.
Removal of unused applications and services
Over time, a lot of apps accumulate on your smartphone that you've stopped using, games, test programs, old store customers, all take up space and can run in the background, consuming resources, and revision of installed software is a mandatory step in optimization.
Go to the Apps section in the settings and sort the list by size. You'll be surprised to find that a simple game can take several gigabytes. Removing such heavyweights will give you an instant gain in free space.
What are system applications and can they be removed?
In addition, many manufacturers and operators pre-installe unnecessary software, so-called “bloatware” if you do not use standard Xiaomi applications (for example, a voice recorder or a calculator), they can be disabled or removed if the system provides this opportunity.
Remember to check the subscription list on Google Play. Often, users forget to cancel trial periods of paid services that not only pull money, but leave behind data and cache. Digital hygiene includes a financial aspect.
Additional optimization methods
There are less obvious ways to free up space that not everyone knows about, such as cleaning up Google Play services data or resetting network settings can help solve caching problems that indirectly affect memory. Android/obb, game-caches.
Another effective method is to use “light” versions of apps (Lite), for Facebook, Instagram and even Google, there are versions of Lite that take up significantly less space and consume less traffic, which is ideal for Redmi 7.
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Comprehensive approach: the combination of cleaning the cache, transferring media to a memory card and removing unused applications gives the maximum result.
If nothing helps and the memory is critically full, you might consider resetting to factory settings, a radical method that will return the phone to a store-like state by deleting all the data, and make sure to make a full backup of important information before doing so.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting to factory settings (Wipe data) will completely destroy all your contacts, photos and files on your phone. Make sure you have an up-to-date copy of the data on your computer or in the cloud before starting the procedure.
Regular maintenance of your Xiaomi Redmi 7 will extend its active life. Don’t push the device to the point where it can’t even take a call because of overcrowded memory.