How to Clean Up History on Xiaomi: 5 Ways to Use MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI or the new HyperOS collect a huge amount of data about your activity: browser history, call log, correspondence in messengers, app cache and even geolocation. If you plan to sell the phone, transfer it to relatives or just want to ensure privacy, it is not enough just to delete a few files. In this article, we will analyze all the kinds of history that your Redmi, POCO or Mi saves, and show you how to clean them correctly without a trace.

It's important to understand that simple deletion through the interface often leaves traces in system folders. For example, com.android.providers.contacts can back up calls even after cleaning the log. And Mi Browser browser stores data in the Mi Account cloud if synchronization is not disabled. We'll look not only at standard methods, but also at hidden settings that the manufacturer does not advertise.

1. Clearing the history of the browser on Xiaomi

By default, Xiaomi smartphones use the Mi Browser (or Mint Browser on some models) that is integrated with the Mi Account ecosystem. Even if you delete the history manually, it can be restored the next time you log in. Here's how to delete it irrevocably:

• 🌐 Through browser settings: Open Mi Browser, tap three points → History → select Clear Data. Make sure that the "Browsing History", "Cookies" and "Cache" items are marked".
• 🔄 Disconnect Sync: Go to Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account → Synchronize and deactivate the option "Browser".
• 🗑️ Delete system files: Use a file manager (e.g. Files by Google) and manually delete the folder /data/data/com.mi.globalbrowser/files (Root rights are required).

If you use Google Chrome, the algorithm is different: open browser → three dots → History → Clear data. Select the All-Time period and mark all data types. For complete cleaning, also go to Settings → Google → Account Management → Data and Personalization → Application History and Web Search and delete activity.

Warning: If you are logged in to Mi Account on multiple devices, your browser history can be synced automatically, and to avoid this, disconnect the Internet or log out before clearing.

2. Deletion of call and message log

Call logs and SMS are stored not only in the visible interface, but also in system databases. Standard deletion through the Phone or Messages app is not always effective - especially if backup is enabled in the Mi Cloud.

Open the phone → “Journal” → “Delete everything”

Go to "Messages" → three points → "Delete all threads"

Disable backup in Mi Cloud (Settings → Mi Account → Backup)

Clear the cache of the Phone and Messages applications (Settings → Applications → Application Management)

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For deep cleaning:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Phone (com.android.dialer) and Messages (com.android.messaging) apps.
3. Put it on each one. → Warehouse → Clear the data (not just the cache!).
4. For models with HyperOS, additionally clear the folder /data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases (requires access to the root directory).

If you use Google Messages or Truecaller, remember to clear the history there. In Truecaller, for example, data is stored in the cloud, so you need to delete it through the web version of the service.

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Before selling your phone, reset to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset). But remember: this does not delete data from Mi Cloud unless you are logged out!

3. Clean Up App History and Google Activity

Xiaomi is integrated with Google services that track your activity regardless of MIUI. For example, Google Activity stores search history, voice commands, locations, and even data from Fitbit or Mi Band.

To delete this data:

1. Open Settings → Google → Manage your Google account.
2. Go to Data and Personalization → Application History and Web Search.
3. Click History Management → Select the “All Time” Period → Delete.
4. To delete geodata, go to the Location Chronology and clear it.

We also recommend that you turn off activity retention:

• 🔍 Web search: In the same section, deactivate the option "Enable Web and Application Activity".
• 📍 Geolocation: Turn off Location Chronology in Google Settings.
• 🎤 Voice commands: Remove history in Settings → Google → Search, helper and voice → The history of voice commands.

4. Deletion of cache and temporary files

The application cache and the system temporary files take up gigabytes of memory, but cleaning them isn't always obvious. MIUI has a built-in tool, but it doesn't delete everything. Here's how to clean everything:

For cleaning without root rights:

1. Go to Settings. → Warehouse.
2. Slip on Cleanup (or "Free Place" in HyperOS).
3. Select the categories "App Cache", "Downloads", "Unused Files" and confirm the deletion.

For deep cleaning with root:

su


rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*




rm -rf /data/tombstones/*




rm -rf /data/media/0/DCIM/.thumbnails

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Regular cache cleaning speeds up the phone and prevents errors in applications. However, do not delete files in /system or /vendor folders - this can cause MIUI to crash!

5. Reset history in Mi Account and cloud services

Even after the data is cleaned on the phone, they can stay in the Mi Cloud.

• 📱 Backup copies of applications and settings
• 📞 Call log and SMS (if synchronization is enabled)
• 📍 Location data (if Mi Location services are used)
• 🖼️ Photo and video from Mi Gallery

To delete this data:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Go to the Cloud → Backups section and delete all saved copies.
3. In the Gallery section, select files and click "Delete".
4. To completely delete your account (if the phone is sold), go to Account Settings → Delete your account.

⚠️ Attention: Deleting your Mi Account linked to your phone may lock your device! If you sell a smartphone, log out first in your phone settings (Settings) → Mi Account → Sign out, and then delete your account through the web version.

6. Hidden methods: ADB and engineering menu

For advanced users, there are ways to clean up history through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and engineering menus, which allow you to delete data that is not available through the standard interface.

Through ADB, for example, you can clear the entire call history, including system logs:

adb shell


su




pm clear com.android.providers.contacts




rm -rf /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/*




reboot

The engineering menu (code ##4636###) can be used to reset data usage statistics, but this does not remove activity history. For models with Qualcomm, the ##7780## (soft reset) menu is also available, but it does not clear user data.

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB With su rights, you can crash your system if you're entered incorrectly. Don't use them unless you're sure you're doing it. -rf /data/* Without filters, delete all user data, including photos and documents!

7. Cleaning automation: planner and third-party utilities

To avoid manually clearing the history, you can set up automatic cleaning using:

• 🤖 Planner MIUI: Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Planner and create a cache cleaning task once a week.
• 🧹 Third-party utilities: Applications like CCleaner or SD Maid (requires root for deep cleaning).
• 🔄 MacroDroid: Automating cleaning by event (e.g. when connecting to Wi-Fi).

HyperOS also has a Smart Clean feature in Settings → Battery and Performance, which automatically deletes unnecessary files, but does not affect browser history or calls.

If you're using Tasker, you can create a task to clean up your history on a schedule.

Profile: Daily cleaning (Time: 03:00)


Task:




1. Clear Cache (Action: Clear App Cache, Package: com.mi.globalbrowser)




2 Action: Run Shell, Command: content call-log --clear

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up history on Xiaomi