How to Clean Up Unnecessary Files on Android Xiaomi: 7 Proven Ways

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI and the new HyperOS are known for their functionality, but over time, even 256 GB of memory can be clogged with unnecessary files. System cache, remnants of deleted applications, duplicate photos and temporary files take up precious space, slow down the device and reduce battery life. According to Xiaomi Community, up to 30% of users face memory shortages due to accumulated garbage after 6-8 months of active use.

In this article, you will find 7 proven ways to clean up unwanted files on Xiaomi, including hidden system tools that not everyone knows. We will understand which files can be deleted without risk to the system and which should not be touched. We will focus on new features HyperOS, which appeared in 2026 and simplify memory management. If your smartphone began to slow down, quickly discharge or give notifications about memory shortages, these methods will help it regain its previous performance.

1. Built-in memory cleanup in MIUI/HyperOS

The easiest way to free up space is to use the built-in Cleanup tool that all Xiaomi smartphones have, which analyzes the system and suggests removing temporary files, app cache and uninstalled software remnants. HyperOS makes this tool smarter, so it sorts files into categories and shows how much space can be freed up.

To start the cleanup:

• 📱 Open the Security app (shield icon)
• 🧹 Select the Cleanup or Optimization section
• 🔍 Click Scan and wait for analysis
• 🗑️ Check the unnecessary files and click Clear

Important! This section can be deleted:

• 🗃️ Application cache is the temporary data that applications create to make things faster, and it's safe to delete it, but it's going to be recreated the next time you run it.
• 📁 Application residues are files left over from deleting programs.
• 📥 Uploaded files are anything that is downloaded through a browser or messenger. Check this section manually so you don't delete important information.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from the System Data section manually - this can cause malfunctions MIUI. Trust in automatic cleaning.

2. Manual cleaning of the app cache

Even after using the built-in tool, some cache can remain, especially for social networks (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and games, for example, TikTok cache can take up to 500 MB, and Instagram can take up to 1 GB when used actively.

To clear the cache of a particular application:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management
2. Select the desired app (e.g. YouTube)
3. Click Warehouse → Clear the cache
4. To clean up completely, click Clear Data, but note that this will reset the application settings (you will log out of your account, lose saved data)

The Google Play Services and Google Play Store cache can only be cleared if there are errors when updating applications, otherwise it may disrupt Google services.

Check the vacant space in the storage settings | Backup important data | Close all applications before cleaning |Do not clear the cache of system applications without the need-->

3. Removal of duplicate photos and videos

One of the main memory eaters on Xiaomi is duplicate photos and videos, which appear when:

• 📸 Import photos from other devices
• 🔄 Automatic backup in Google Photos or Mi Cloud
• 📱 Use of the regime HDR+ Night mode (some models retain both the original and the processed photo)
• 🤳 Creating screenshots and screen recordings (they are often duplicated in folders) DCIM/Screenshots and Pictures/Screenshots)

To search for and remove duplicates:

1. Open Gallery → Albums → Duplicates (in HyperOS this section is called Smart Cleaning)
2. The application will automatically find the duplicate files and prompt them to be deleted.
3. Check the allocated files manually – sometimes the algorithm is mistaken and marks as duplicates similar, but different photos

If your version of MIUI does not have built-in duplicate search, use third-party apps:

• 🛠️ Files by Google – has a built-in tool for finding duplicates and large files
• 🗃️ Duplicate Files Fixer – Finds duplicate files by content, not name
• 📸 Remo Duplicate Photos Remover – specializes in photo and video

⚠️ Before mass removal of duplicates, check if they are associated with important chats in messengers. For example, Telegram and WhatsApp store media files in separate folders, and their removal will lead to the loss of images in the dialogues.

4. Clean Download folder and temporary files

Download folder is a real dump of unnecessary files.

• 📄 PDF-documents that you opened once
• 📎 APK-Files of installed (and long-deleted) applications
• 🎵 Music and video downloaded from messengers
• 📊 Excel files and presentations that are not needed for a long time

To clear this folder:

1. Open Files (Mi File Manager app)
2. Go to the Categories section → Downloads
3. Sort files by date (Last or Old) and delete unnecessary files
4. For convenience, use the filter by file type (click on the three dots in the upper right corner)

Also check the hidden folders with temporary files:

• 📁 /sdcard/Android/data — This is where the application data is stored. Only remote folders can be deleted.
• 📁 /sdcard/Android/obb — Game files (e.g. Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) Delete only if the game is deleted.
• 📁 /sdcard/.thumbnails — So you can remove all of these images, and they'll automatically recover.

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To see hidden folders in Mi File Manager, click on three dots → Settings → turn on Show Hidden Files.

5.Storage optimization with ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work and the smartphone still shows little free space, the problem may be in system partitions that don’t clear through normal settings, in which case ADB (Android Debug Bridge) – a tool for low-level device management – will help.

Warning: this method requires caution, wrong commands can cause a system to crash, and if you're not sure what you're doing, skip this section.

What can be done through ADB:

• 🧹 Clear the cache of all applications with one team
• 🗑️ Delete residual files after updating MIUI/HyperOS
• 📊 View detailed statistics on memory usage

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your computer
2. Enable USB Debugging on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → Press 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → Developers)
3. Connect the phone to the PC and type in the command line:

adb shell pm trim-caches 500M

This command will clear the cache of all applications, leaving no more than 500 MB.

adb shell df -h

It will provide detailed information about memory use by section.

⚠️ Note: Do not use the command adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* — It can delete critical temporary files, which will lead to errors in the system. -rf /system — This will destroy the system partition.

6.Use of cloud services and external drives

If even after cleaning up, there is not enough memory, consider transferring data to the cloud or to an external drive. Xiaomi offers several built-in solutions:

1.Mi Cloud (Xiaomi cloud)

• 📤 Free 5GB (can be expanded to 200GB for a fee)
• 🔄 Automatically synchronizes photos, contacts, notes and call recording
• 📱 Available through Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud

External drives

• 💾 MicroSD support (up to) 1 TB on most models, except for the flagships of the series Mi/Xiaomi 12/13/14)
• 🖥️ USB OTG-adapter for connecting flash drives and hard disks
• 📁 Ability to transfer applications to a memory card (not on all models)

To transfer files to the memory card:

1. Open the files. → Internal memory.
2. Select the files you need (hold your finger on the file to highlight)
3. Click More → Move and select a memory card

On smartphones with HyperOS, there is a feature called Smart Storage, which automatically transfers rarely used files to the cloud, freeing up space on the device. Activated in Settings → Memory → Smart Storage.

7. factory reset (last resort)

If all previous methods failed, and the smartphone still slows down or shows memory deficiencies, the last option is a complete reset, which will delete all data, including apps, photos, settings and accounts, returning the phone to the “out of the box” state.

Before discharge, it is mandatory:

• 🔐 Make a backup copy through Settings → The phone. → Backup or Mi Cloud Backup
• 📝 Write down account logins and passwords (especially if you use two-factor authentication)
• 📋 Export contacts to the file VCF sync with your Google Account

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings
2. Choose to erase all data
3. Enter the password (if installed) and confirm the action
4. Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-15 minutes)

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro) after reset, you may need to re-assign your Mi Account to unlock the device!

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Factory reset should only be used as a last resort, and 90% of the time, cache cleaning, duplicate removal and storage optimization are enough.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleanup on Xiaomi