Cache Clearing on Xiaomi Redmi: 5 Proven Ways for All Versions of MIUI

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones are known for their performance, but over time even they start to slow down. One of the main reasons is a crowded cache that takes up precious space and slows down the system. If your Redmi Note 12, Redmi 10 or other model has become slower to respond to commands and applications take longer to load, it’s time to clean up.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of cleaning cache on Xiaomi Redmi running MIUI 14/13/12, including hidden settings and advanced methods. You will learn how to correctly delete temporary files without risk to the system, which applications eat up the most memory, and why manual cleaning of cache through Recovery can cause malfunctions in some Xiaomi services.

Why Xiaomi Redmi Cache Should Be Cleaned Regularly

Cache is a temporary file that creates apps and a system to make it work faster, for example, when you open Instagram, it caches thumbnails of photos so that it can show them faster the next time it runs, and the problem is that over time, these files accumulate and take up gigabytes of memory.

On Xiaomi Redmi, the cache is divided into three types:

• 📱 System cache - files MIUI, Android kernels and preloaded services. Cleared only through Recovery or special commands.
• 📦 App cache – temporary data of each app installed (for example, YouTube cache can weigh up to 1 GB).
• 🗃️ Dalvik cache: optimized files to speed up application launches. TWRP or Fastboot.

According to Xiaomi, on devices with 64 GB of memory, on average, up to 3-5 GB of unnecessary cache accumulates in 6 months of active use.

• 📉 The speed of operation drops by 15-20% when filling the cache by more than 70%.
• 🔋 Battery consumption increases by 8-12% as the system has to reassemble the cache on the fly».
• 🚨 App crashes are 3 times more likely if the cache hasn’t been cleared for more than 3 months.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t confuse cache with app data! Cache cleaning is safe, and deleting data will result in resetting the app settings (e.g. WhatsApp chats will disappear).

Method 1: Clearing the cache of individual applications through settings

The easiest and safest method is to remove the cache for specific applications, which does not affect system files and does not require superuser rights, and is suitable for all Redmi models, including the Redmi Note 11 Pro, Redmi 9A and older devices.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook or Google Chrome).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. For a complete cleanup (including data) click Clear all data, but remember that this will reset the application settings.

What apps take up the most cache on Xiaomi Redmi:

Close all background applications

Connect your phone to charge (if your battery level is below 30%)

Make a backup copy of important data

Check if there are updates for the app-->

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi 8) after clearing the cache MIUI The galleries may lose previews of the photos. To reconstruct them, open the gallery and wait 5-10 minutes, the system will reassemble the thumbnails.

Method 2: Automatic cleaning through “Safety” (MIUI Optimizer)

MIUI has a built-in optimization tool called Security (or Global Firmware Security) that not only clears the cache, but also closes the background processes, saving battery life, a method that is suitable for beginners, as it does not require manual actions.

How to start automatic cleaning:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Press Optimization (or Cleaner).
3. Select Deep Clean and wait for the scan to be completed.
4. Click Clean and confirm the action.

What is the MIUI Optimizer cleansing:

• 🗑️ Temporary application files (cache).
• 📁 Residual files after deleting programs.
• 🔄 Background processes that consume memory.
• 📂 Empty folders and duplicate files (optional).

Advantages of this method:

• ✅ Does not require technical knowledge.
• ✅ It works on all versions. MIUI (including Redmi 7 and newer).
• ✅ You can set up automatic cleaning on a schedule.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Does not clear the system cache (user only).
• ❌ Can delete useful data (e.g. uploaded maps to Google Maps).

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when the phone is slowing down.|Never cleaned.-->

Method 3: Clearing the cache with Recovery Mode (for power users)

If your Xiaomi Redmi is slowing down a lot and standard methods don’t help, you can clear the cache through Recovery Mode.This method deletes all temporary system files, including the update cache and Dalvik cache. Suitable for Redmi Note 10 Pro, Redmi K50 and others with an unlocked bootloader.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up and hold for 10 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. In the Recovery menu, select the language (if you have a choice).
4. Go to Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 1-3 minutes).
6. Reboot your phone with Reboot → Reboot to System.

When to use this method:

• 🐢 The phone is very slow even after resetting the settings.
• 🔄 Applications are constantly being crashed with the error "Application is stopped".
• 📱 Before installing custom firmware or update MIUI.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (Clearing the cache through Recovery can reset the Xiaomi Account settings. Before the procedure, check if your account is linked to the phone, otherwise you risk losing access to Find Device and Mi Cloud features.

Method 4: Using ADB for deep cleaning (for developers)

If you're familiar with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can clear the cache of all applications with one command, which is suitable for Xiaomi Redmi with USB debugging enabled and works even on a locked bootloader.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Mac/Linux) and type:

adb shell pm list packages -f | awk -F= '{print $2}' | xargs -I '{}' adb shell pm clear '{}

This command will clear the cache of all user applications except system ones. If you want to clear the cache of a particular application (for example, Telegram), use:

adb shell pm clear org.telegram.messenger

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Faster than manually cleaning each application.
• 🔧 It works even if the phone is not turned on (when connecting to a PC).
• 🛠️ You can automate through scripts.

💡

If some apps have stopped working after clearing the cache through ADB, reinstall them via Google Play.This is because some programs (such as banking) are tied to the cache to protect against hacking.

Method 5: Clean up the MIUI update cache (if the phone isn't updated)

Sometimes Xiaomi Redmi refuses to install MIUI updates because of a corrupted bootloader cache, in which case you need to manually delete the update files that are stored in the /cache folder.

How to do this:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (in file transfer mode).
2. Open the Internal Storage → cache folder (it can be hidden – turn on the display of hidden files).
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension or names like update.zip, miui_block_ota.zip.
4. Restart your phone and try to upgrade again.

If the cache folder is not available:

• Use a Root Explorer (like Root Explorer) if you have superuser rights.
• Clear the cache through TWRP (if installed).
• Do reset settings (last option if nothing helps).

Why it works:

• 📦 Damaged update files block installation of new versions MIUI.
• 🔄 The bootloader cache may conflict with new packages.
• 📱 After cleaning, the system will download fresh update files.

💡

If the update cache is deleted, check if your model region is blocked, and some firmware (such as the Indian version of the Redmi Note 9 Pro) is not compatible with global updates.

Frequent errors in cleaning cache on Xiaomi Redmi

Many users make mistakes that, instead of speeding up the phone, cause even bigger problems.

1. Clearing the cache of system applications (such as MIUI Launcher or Security) can cause interface failures or inability to open settings.
2. Delete data instead of cache, for example, cleaning the data of Google Play Services will lead to account sync errors.
3. Using Play Market cleaners, programs like Clean Master often delete useful files and display false virus warnings.
4. Cleaning the cache too often, and if you do it every day, the apps will take longer to load, because the cache will have to be recreated.

How to avoid problems:

• 🔍 Before cleaning, check what you delete (cache or data).
• 📱 Do not clear the cache of system applications with the names com.miui., com.android..
• 🔄 After deep cleaning, restart your phone to restore critical files.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions