Cache Cleanup on Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro: A Complete User Guide

Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro is the flagship smartphone with a powerful Snapdragon 855+ processor and 8/12 GB of RAM, but even it eventually begins to “brake”. One of the main reasons is the crowded cache of applications and systems. Unlike the new models with MIUI 14+, on the Mi 9 Pro (released in 2019), cache cleaning has nuances: for example, there is no built-in “Deep Clean” feature in the latest versions of firmware.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to clean the cache, from basic (through settings) to advanced (using ADB and Recovery), we will also discuss which cache can be removed without risk and which should not be touched so as not to break the application, and we will focus on the hidden cache of system services, which takes up to 1-2 GB of memory and is not cleaned by standard methods.

Why Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro cache should be cleaned regularly

Cache is a temporary file that creates applications and a system to speed up work. On the Mi 9 Pro, the cache is divided into three types:

• 📱 App cache – data from games, social networks, instant messengers (for example, Instagram or Telegram cache can weigh up to 500 MB).
• ⚙️ System cache - files MIUI, Android kernels and Google services (takes from 500 MB to 1.5 GB).
• 🗃️ Dalvik cache – optimized files for fast application loading (located in the folder) /data/dalvik-cache).

On the Mi 9 Pro with 128/256GB of storage, the cache can take up to 5-8GB if left uncleaned for years.

• ⏳ Slowing down the opening of apps (especially noticeable on WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok).
• 🔋 Increased battery consumption (processor spends resources on processing unnecessary files).
• 📉 «Lahame when scrolling menus and switching between tasks.
• 🚨 Camera errors (e.g., “Can’t connect to the camera»).

⚠️ Warning: Don’t confuse cache with user data! Deleting cache won’t delete your photos, messages or accounts. However, after cleaning up some apps (like Spotify or YouTube) may take longer to load when you first run.

The Mi 9 Pro cache accumulates faster than the new models because of:

• 🔄 An outdated version MIUI 11/12 (in newer firmware optimized work with cache).
• 🎮 Powerful Snapdragon 855 processor+, Actively caching data to speed up games.
• 📡 Frequent mobile internet usage (Chromium or Opera cache can inflate to 1 GB).

Method 1: Clearing the cache of individual applications through settings

The safest method is to remove cache for specific applications, which is suitable if you notice that only one application is slowing down (for example, VK or Google Maps).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the appropriate app (such as Facebook).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

For convenience, sort the applications by cache size:

1. In the Application Management section, click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
2. Select Sort. → By size.
3. Clear the cache from applications that are larger than 100MB.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache of the system applications com.android.phone, com.miui.securitycenter and com.lbe.security.miui – this can lead to malfunctions in the mobile network and security.

Close all background applications

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

Backup important data (in case of failure)

Check the space in the memory (should be at least 1 GB)-->

Method 2: Automatically clean the cache through “Security”

MIUI has a built-in optimization tool called Security, which allows you to clear the cache of all applications in one tap, but it doesn't always work correctly on the Mi 9 Pro with custom firmware.

How to use:

1. Open the Security app (if not, download it from Google Play).
2. Go to Clean Up (or Accelerate in New Versions)
3. Press Deep Cleanup and select Cash.
4. Confirm the action and wait until it is completed (may take 1-3 minutes).

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Clears the cache of all applications at a time.
• ✅ Remove system debris (remains of remote applications, temporary files).
• ✅ It shows how much memory is freed up.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Does not clean Dalvik cache (recovery required).
• ❌ Can remove the cache of system applications, which will cause short-term lags.
• ❌ On some firmware MIUI cleaning is not working properly.

💡

If the phone brakes more after cleaning through Security, reboot it. This is due to a restructuring of the system services cache.

Method 3: Cleaning the cache through Recovery (for power users)

The method is suitable if standard methods did not help, and the phone is severely slow. Recovery is an engineering menu that allows you to clear Dalvik cache and system cache that are not available through settings. On the Mi 9 Pro there are two types of Recovery:

• 🔧 Stock (from Xiaomi) – limited features.
• 🛠️ Castomy (TWRP) — empowerment.

Instructions for stock recovery:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. Choose your language (if required).
4. Go to Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
6. Reboot your phone (Reboot → System)

If you have a TWRP installed, follow these steps:

1. Go to TWRP (similar to drain recovery).
2. Select Wipe → Advanced Wipe.
3. Check the boxes Cache and Dalvik/ART Cache.
4. Swipe to Wipe (Swipe to Wipe) with your finger.
5. Reboot to the system.

⚠️ Note: Do not select Data or System TWRP — If you're randomly selected, reboot your phone immediately without confirming the action.

Method 4: Cleaning the cache through ADB (for developers)

The method is for advanced users who want to clear the cache selectively or automate the process. ADB (Android Debug Bridge) allows you to control the phone through a computer.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (original so that there are no connection problems).
• 📦 Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB (download).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Activate USB Debugging.

Connect your phone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.

cmd

adb devices

The name of your device should appear (e.g., cmi for Mi 9 Pro).

adb shell pm trim-caches 1000000000

(where 1000,000,000 is the size in bytes, approximately 1 GB).

Facebook

adb shell pm clear com.facebook.katana

Useful teams ADB For the Mi 9 Pro:

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf They can permanently delete data if you enter the wrong path. -rf /data/* delete all user files! Use only the commands above.

💡

Cleaning the cache through ADB is the most flexible method, but it requires caution.It is useful if you want to remove the cache of system applications that are not cleared through settings (for example, com.miui.home for launcher).

Method 5: Use third-party apps (with caution!)

There are hundreds of cache-cleaning apps on Google Play, but most are either useless or harmful. On the Mi 9 Pro, we only recommend proven tools:

Top.-3 cache-cleaning:

• 🧹 SD Maid removes cache, duplicate files and remnants of deleted applications. CorpseFinder is a feature for finding dead files.
• 🗑️ Files by Google – Google’s official Cleanup app that securely removes unnecessary files.
• 🔍 CCleaner is a classic cleaner, but on MIUI It can work unstablely (sometimes it does not see the system cache).

How to use SD Maid:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Start and provide root access (if any).
3. Go to CorpseFinder or SystemCleaner.
4. Select files to delete (note the Cache section).
5. Press Run and wait until it is completed.

Risks of using third-party cleaners:

• ❌ You can delete the necessary system files, which will lead to failures.
• ❌ Some apps (like Clean Master) display false threats to scare the user.
• ❌ Data can be stolen (especially little-known Chinese cleaners).

💡

Before using a third-party cleaner, check its Google Play ranking and reviews. If the app has less than 4 stars or few reviews, it is better not to take risks.

Frequent errors when cleaning the cache on Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro

Many users make mistakes that, instead of speeding up the phone, have the opposite effect.

• 🔄 Frequently clearing cache – if you do this once a day, apps will constantly rebuild the cache, which will increase battery consumption.
• 🗑️ Removing the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui) – this leads to interface crashes and reboots.
• 🔧 Using root-access cleaners without understanding – you can accidentally delete critical files.
• 📉 Cleaning the cache without checking the free space – if the phone is less than 1 GB of memory, after cleaning the system can begin to lay even harder.
• 🔋 Cleaning the cache at low battery power – if the phone turns off during the process, it can damage the file system.

How to avoid problems:

• 📅 Clean the cache no more than 1 time in 1-2 months (or with noticeable brakes).
• 🔍 Before cleaning, check which application takes up the most space (via Settings) → Warehouse).
• 🔋 Make sure the battery is over 50%.
• 📱 After cleaning, restart the phone so that the system rearranges the cache.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions