Owners of Xiaomi smartphones sooner or later face a slowdown in the operating system, which is a natural process, as over time, temporary files, remnants of deleted applications and system debris accumulate in memory. You can clean Xiomi in several ways, from built-in utilities to a complete reset to factory settings.
Regular maintenance of the device allows you to extend its life and ensure stable operation of the MIUI or HyperOS interface. Ignoring the need to clean can lead to critical filling of the system partition, which will cause freezes and incorrect display of information. In this material, we will discuss all proven optimization methods.
Before we start taking drastic measures, we need to assess the current state of storage, and users often do not even know how much hidden messenger folders or browser cache occupy, and a competent cleaning approach will allow you to free up gigabytes of useful space without losing important data.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The easiest and safest way to clean a Xiaomi phone is to use a regular system app. In MIUI firmware, it is pre-installed and optimized to work with the device's file system. Run the "Security" shortcut on the home screen or in the Tools folder.
Click the Clean button, and then the system scans it. The algorithm will find temporary files, installer residues, and other digital debris. Cleaning the cache through this tool does not affect your personal photos or contacts, only deleting data that can be recreated by the applications.
In addition to deleting files, the Security menu also includes the Acceleration section, which forcibly closes the background processes that consume RAM, which is especially true for low-volume RAM models where resource constraints cause interface lags.
⚠️ Warning: Do not overuse the Acceleration function every 5 minutes. Constant forced shutdown of system processes can, on the contrary, increase battery consumption, as the system will have to restart the necessary services.
For a deeper analysis, go to the Memory section inside the app, where you will see a detailed breakdown by file category, which will help you understand what exactly eats up the place: most often it is a video from messengers or a cache of cards.
Manual cleaning of storage and folders of messengers
Automatic cleaners don’t always find specific garbage, like old files sent to WhatsApp or Telegram. To clean Xiaomi manually, go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here, the system will show partition occupancy.
Pay special attention to social media folders, which often store thousands of images and videos you don't need anymore, and deleting those files through a file manager is much more effective than a standard cleaning.
- 📂 Open the Explorer app and find the folder Android/media.
- 🗑️ This directory contains application data, including messenger media files.
- 📸 Check com.whatsapp or com.telegram.messenger for heavy videos.
- 🎵 Don’t forget to check the downloads in the Download folder, where installation files often accumulate. APK.
It's also worth checking the MIUI/gallery/cloud folder if you've used cloud sync, and you can still have thumbnails of deleted photos, and it's safe for the originals to delete them if they're already in sync with the cloud or stored elsewhere.
☑️ Checking the vault
It is important not to delete files whose purpose you do not know. System folders with names like android, data or obb are not recommended to touch unnecessarily, as this can disrupt the work of games and programs.
Deletion of cache and application data
Each app you install creates its own temporary files. Over time, the cache can reach several gigabytes, especially for browsers, streaming services and navigators. To clean Xiaomi of this cargo, you need to go to the settings of a particular application.
Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Select a demanding program (like Chrome or TikTok) and click Memory. Here you will see two buttons: Clear and Delete. The first one deletes only temporary files, the second one resets the application to a state immediately after installation.
Cleaning up data is a more radical method, and if you clean up the data of a social application, you'll have to re-enter your login and password, but it often solves the problem of the app itself.
| Type of cleaning | What's removed | Impact on the account | Recommended frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache | Temporary files, thumbnails | No. | Once a month |
| Clearing the data | Settings, logins, databases | Entry required | Failures |
| Deletion of the annex | All program files | Entry required | If not used |
For system applications such as Downloads or Installer Packages, data cleanup is safe and often helps if the phone stops seeing downloaded files or updating programs.
Why does the cache take up so much space?
Memory usage analysis and deletion of duplicates
Modern HyperOS shells and newer versions of MIUI have built-in analyzers that can find large files, duplicate photos and rarely used applications, and it's a great way to clean up Xiomi memory without third-party software.
The Explorer app often has a tab called Analysis or Cleanup, and the system will prompt you to delete similar or low-quality images, and you should also look at the Recycle Bin section in the gallery and in the file manager, because deleted files often lie there for 30 days, taking up space.
If built-in tools aren't enough, you can use proven tools like Files by Google, which have more flexible duplicate search algorithms, but avoid installing "antivirus cleaners" with dubious reputations, which are themselves sources of advertising.
⚠️ Before mass removal of duplicate photos, make sure that the originals are saved in the cloud or on a computer. Automated algorithms may err and tag the original as a copy.
Regular audits of installed games are also necessary.Many modern games weigh more than 2-3GB. If you've passed the game and don't plan to return, removing it is the quickest way to make room.
Resetting to factory settings (Hard Reset)
If the phone is slow even after cleaning, a complete reset will help.This is a cardinal method that returns the device to the state of “out of the box.” Before cleaning the Xiaomi phone completely, be sure to back up all the data.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Reset. Select “Delete All Data.” The system will warn you of loss of information. Once confirmed, the phone will restart and begin the cleanup process, which can take up to 10-15 minutes.
There is also a way to reset via the Recovery menu if the system is not booting. To do this, turn off the phone and press the power and volume button (the combination depends on the model). From the menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
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Before resetting the settings, remove SIM-card and memory card (if any) to avoid accidentally formatting them.Also make sure the battery charge is at least 50%.
After reset, it is recommended not to restore all applications from the backup at once, but to install them again, which will avoid returning system debris that may have accumulated in the old settings.
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Hard Reset is the most effective tool to deal with software errors and accumulated system debris, but it takes time to reconfigure the device.
Prevention and optimization of the system
So, to avoid wondering how to clean Xiomi every two months, you need to implement simple rules of use: don't store hundreds of screenshots and unnecessary videos in the gallery; set up automatic cleaning in messengers so that they don't save all media files.
Use Memory Extension, if available in your model, which allows you to use part of the permanent storage as RAM, which improves multitasking, and can be found under "Advanced" or "Advanced Settings".
- 🚀 Turn off animations in the Developer Menu for visual acceleration.
- 📵 Remove or freeze system applications that you do not use (via the system application). ADB).
- 🔄 Update your firmware regularly, as newer versions often include memory optimization.
Also, watch the temperature of the device. Overheating causes trottling (decreased processor performance), which is perceived by the user as a "brake." Timely cleaning of debris reduces the load on the processor and helps keep the temperature normal.