How to Free Your Memory on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus: The Complete 2026 Guide

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (codenamed Vince) is still a popular budget smartphone, but its main drawback is only 32 or 64 GB of internal memory. Over time, even this amount is clogged with photos, app cache and system files. If your Redmi 5 Plus started to slow down, issue notifications about memory shortages or refuse to install updates, it’s time to act.

In this article, we will discuss 7 Proven ways to free up memory, including hidden functions MIUI, manual cache cleaning and transferring data to microSD. All methods have been tested on current firmware versions (including: MIUI 14 for Redmi 5 Plus) and do not require root rights. We will pay special attention to the unique problem of this model - automatic backup of data in a hidden folder. /MIUI/Backup, lens-holder 5-7 GB.

Before you start, check your current memory status: go to Settings → About Phone → Memory. If less than 10% of the total volume is free, the smartphone will start to work unstable, and some applications (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) will stop saving media files.

1. manually remove unnecessary files and debris

Start with the obvious, manual cleaning. Even if you delete photos regularly, you still have temporary files, duplicates, and remnants of deleted applications. On Redmi 5 Plus, a lot of garbage is especially stored in folders:

• 📁 DCIM/.thumbnails — Photo and video miniatures (can weigh up to a maximum of two) 1 GB)
• 📁 Download – downloads from the browser and messengers
• 📁 MIUI/Backup — Automatic backups (you can only delete via File Manager with superuser rights or after disabling the reservation)
• 📁 Android/data — cache of games and applications (for example, folder com.tencent.ig from the PUBG Mobile can borrow 2+ GB)

To find and delete these files:

1. Open the standard File Manager application.
2. Go to the Category tab → Large files.
3. Sort by size and remove unnecessary items (such as old ones). APK-file-recording).
4. An Android/data folder may require a PC connection – these files are not always visible through MTP.

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If the MIUI/Backup folder is not deleted, disable automatic backup in Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup. After that, the files can be deleted without errors.

Note hidden files (you need to enable them in File Manager settings), often contain log files (.log), memory dumps (.dmp), and temporary files from applications like Xender or SHAREit, which can take up hundreds of megabytes.

2. Cleaning the application cache and system

Cache speeds up applications, but eventually inflates to inadequate sizes. On Redmi 5 Plus, it is especially voracious:

• 🎮 Games: PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile 3-4 GB)
• 📷 Social networks: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok (cache of media files)
• 🌍 Maps: Google Maps, Yandex.Maps (offline maps take gigabytes)

Cleaning the cache can be done in two ways:

Method 1. Through application settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook) and click Clear Cache.
3. For complete cleaning, press the Warehouse. → Clear the data (⚠️ This will reset the application settings!).

Method 2: Mass cleaning through MIUI Security

1. Open the Security app (Security).

Important: Do not clear the cache of system applications (for example, com.android.systemui or com.miui.home) - this can lead to interface failures. Also avoid cleaning the cache of Google Play Services, otherwise push notifications will stop working.

Transfer of data to SD-map (including annexes)

Redmi 5 Plus supports microSD up to 256GB, but by default files are saved to internal memory.

Step 1: Configure the default saving

1. Go to Settings. → Warehouse.
2. Press on. SD-Select Use as an internal storage (⚠️ After that, the map cannot be removed without formatting!).
3. Confirm the formatting (all data on the map will be deleted!).

Step 2: Transfer existing files

• 📸 Photo/Video: Open the Gallery, select files → More. → Move it → SD-map.
• 🎵 Music: Use File Manager or Google Files to move the Music folder.
• 📱 Applications: Not all programs support the transfer to SD, But you can try it through the settings. → Annexes → [select] → Warehouse → Change. → SD-map.

If the option to use as internal storage is not available, upgrade to MIUI 12+ or use an alternative method via ADB:

adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true

After completing this command, restart the phone and try formatting again. SD-map.

4. Disable automatic MIUI redundancy

A unique problem with Redmi 5 Plus is hidden backup of data to /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup folder, which can take up to 5-7 GB. This feature is enabled by default and creates copies of SMS, call logs, notes and even some application settings.

To disable reservations:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Turn off the options: 🔄 Automatic backup ☁️ Backup to Mi Cloud (if not used)

File Manager

MIUI/Backup

Disable automatic reservations|Delete the folder /MIUI/Backup|Clear the file. /MIUI/Extra (log-files)|Check the folder. /MIUI/BugReport (dumping)-->

If the folder is not deleted, use Root Explorer (like Root Explorer) or connect your phone to your PC in MTP mode and delete it via Windows Explorer.

5. Removing duplicates and optimizing media files

Photos and video take up the lion's share of memory. On the Redmi 5 Plus with a 12MP camera, one JPEG photo weighs 3-5 MB, and a full HD video takes up to 100 MB.

Method 1: Search and remove duplicates

• 🔍 Use applications like Files by Google or CCleaner to find duplicates.
• 📊 In the Gallery. MIUI There is a built-in function: open the album → More. → Management → Duplicate.

Method 2: Compression of photo and video

• 📸 For photos: use Google Photos (setting High Quality instead of Original).
• 🎥 Video Compress or Resizer apps will reduce size without critical quality loss.

Method 3: Change the camera settings

1. Open the chamber. → Settings.
2. Set the video resolution to HD (720p) instead of Full HD (saving ~50% of the space).
3. Turn it off. HDR and AI-The camera increases the size of the images.

6.Remove system updates and unnecessary APKs

System updates (OTA-packets) and loaded but not installed APK-The files can take up gigabytes of memory. On Redmi 5 Plus, they're stored in a computer:

• 📦 /cache — Temporary update files (available only through TWRP or ADB)
• 📦 /data/ota_package — firmware
• 📦 Download - manual APK-file

To delete:

1. Open File Manager and go to Downloads – delete all files with the.apk extension.
2. For cleaning. OTA-Packages: Go to Settings → The phone. → Update the system. Press three dots. → Remove the downloaded package.

Google Play Services

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Google Play Services → Storage → Clear Data

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After removal OTA-Update pack again downloads automatically - disable automatic download in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Settings (⚙️) → Downloading by car via Wi-Fi.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from the folder /system — It's going to make a device blink, if you see files with names like, app2sd.zip or miui_HMNote5_HMNote5Global_*.Zip is a firmware and it is better not to touch it without needing to.

7. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all of the above methods did not work, and there is less than 1 GB of free memory, consider a hard reset. This will delete all data, but return the smartphone to its "clean" state.

Preparation for discharge:

• 🔐 Backup important data (contacts, photos, messages) via Mi Cloud or Google Account.
• 📝 Write down logins / passwords from accounts (after reset, you will need to re-enter).
• 🔋 Charge your phone at least 50%.

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Resetting → Delete all data.
3. Confirm the action (you may need to enter a pattern lock or PIN-code).
4. After the reboot, follow the instructions of the setup wizard.

⚠️ Note: Redmi 5 Plus with firmware MIUI 10 and below after the reset may disappear IMEI (Solution is done through an engineering menu or firmware persist. To avoid this, check the version before reset. MIUI In Settings → About the phone and if necessary update.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory release

If you run out of memory after all the manipulations, consider installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) that takes up less space than MIUI and doesn’t contain any pre-installed debris, but it will require unlocking the bootloader and TWRP, which will void the warranty.

For the Redmi 5 Plus with 32 GB of memory, the optimal solution is a combination of data transfer to SD, disabling MIUI redundancy and regular cache cleaning, which will allow you to maintain at least 4-5 GB of free space without drastic measures.