How to Clean RAM on Xiaomi Redmi 9 Phone: Effective Methods

Xiaomi’s Redmi series is well-deservedly popular for its excellent price-performance ratio. However, even powerful devices can slow down over time, especially when the amount of RAM (RAM) is filled with background processes. Redmi 9 owners often face a situation where applications start to be offloaded from memory and the interface slows down when switching tasks. It is a natural process of working the Android operating system in conjunction with the MIUI shell.

RAM is a critical resource that enables multitasking speed. When RAM is running out, the system starts to unload programs more aggressively, which leads to them being rebooted every time they open. On 3 or 4 gigabytes of memory, which is relevant for the basic versions of Redmi 9, this issue is especially acute. Understanding how the memory manager works will help you effectively manage the resources of the device without the need for third-party utilities.

In this guide, we will look at all the legal and safe ways to free up system resources, learn how to use the built-in MIUI tools, how to set up automatic memory expansion and what applications should really be kept in the background.

Analysis of the current load of RAM

Before you start the active cleaning action, you need to assess the real state of the system. The MIUI shell provides a convenient monitoring tool that shows the current resource consumption. To access it, you just go to the Settings menu, then select About phone and click on the Memory line or use the Security application, which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi devices.

Here you'll see a graph of RAM usage and a list of the most resource-intensive processes. Often it turns out that a significant portion of memory is occupied by social networks or messengers that have not been completely closed. Background services can consume up to 40-50% of the available volume, even if you are not using them at the moment. Visualization helps you understand which applications require your attention.

⚠️ Warning: Don't aim to free up 100% of RAM. Android is designed to use free memory to caching frequently used applications, which speeds up their launch. Complete cleaning can lead to the opposite effect - slowing down the interface.

Note the available option that appears at the top of the screen, and if less than 500MB is free after booting, it's a signal to optimise, and it's worth checking if heavy games or navigators that may have been left in a curled state are running.

Use of the built-in MIUI optimizer

The easiest and safest way to clean up RAM on Xiaomi Redmi 9 is to use the regular Cleanup tool, which is built into the system application Security (the icon with the shield and lightning), which analyzes running processes and suggests closing the ones that consume the most resources, not being system.

To do the cleaning, click on the Cleanup button in the Security app. The system automatically determines the amount of memory that can be freed up and prompts the process to start. Once you click Clean, you will see animations and the result, which is effective for quick one-time optimization before launching demanding applications or games.

Also, there's a memory extension feature in the memory settings. While technically it uses a portion of persistent memory (PROM) to simulate RAM, it helps the system keep more applications open. Activating this feature may be useful for versions with 3GB of RAM, but it can slightly reduce the speed of the drive.

It is important to understand that the built-in optimizer only closes user applications. System processes necessary for the interface and communication to work will remain active, which is normal behavior. Do not try to force system services to stop through the developer menu unnecessarily, this can lead to unstable phone operation.

Manual control of running applications

The manual memory management method gives the user full control over which programs remain active. On Redmi 9, navigation is either through on-screen buttons or through gestures. To access the list of running applications, click the Menu button (square) or swipe from the bottom up and hold your finger on the screen.

In the list that opens, you'll see cards of all the programs that are running. To close a particular application, just swipe it up or sideways (depending on the theme settings). If you want to close all the programs at once, look for a cross at the top of the screen or a Close everything button (usually located at the bottom or top of the list), this action will force the process to end by freeing the RAM they are occupying.

⚠️ Attention: Constant closure of messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and email clients will delay the arrival of notifications. These applications must remain in memory for the correct operation of background synchronization.

There is also the ability to block important applications in memory so that the system does not unload them, for this, in the menu of recent applications, you need to pull the card down (or press the lock if it is displayed), blocked applications will work in the background even after you press the “Close all” button.

Set up background activity restrictions

One of the main reasons for RAM overflow is the incorrect behavior of applications that continue to run in the background. MIUI has a powerful activity control mechanism. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Choose a suspicious application that is rarely used but consumes resources.

Inside the app menu, find Battery or Energy Saving. You can choose a restriction strategy. The No Limit option allows the app to run freely, Battery Saving limits background activity, and Hard Limit completely prohibits background work. For rarely used programs, it is recommended to choose strict restrictions.

Also worth paying attention to auto-run. The Security app has a section called Permissions → Auto-run. Turn off auto-run for all applications except messengers and alarms, and this will prevent them from starting immediately after the phone is turned on, which will significantly save RAM in the first minutes of the device's operation.

Hiding applications and cleaning up cache

While clearing the cache primarily frees up permanent memory, it indirectly affects the RAM. A crowded cache can cause lags when an application tries to read data, creating the illusion of a lack of RAM. Regularly cleaning the cache through the Security application or in the settings of specific applications helps keep the system in good shape.

Another method specific to MIUI is hiding applications: Hidden applications often stop receiving updates in the background and don’t hang in the active process list until you explicitly open them through a special gallery or menu entrance, a good way to freeze rarely used but necessary programs.

There is a hidden bug on the Redmi 9 with the MIUI 12/13 shell, where the gallery can take up to 1 GB of RAM while processing sketches. Regular cleaning of the gallery cache solves this problem.

To access hidden applications, open the standard Gallery or Explorer app and perform a specific gesture (usually swiping two fingers from the center of the screen sideways or up and down, depending on the theme version). Enter the password set to protect privacy. The apps added to this list will not hang in the background.

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Use the “Light version” of applications. For older models such as Redmi 9, there are Lite versions of popular applications (Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite), which consume 3-4 times less RAM.

Developer Mode and Advanced Settings

For advanced users, the developer mode is available, which allows you to fine-tune the system. To activate it, you need to click 7 times on the build number in the About Phone menu. After activation, a new section will appear in the settings menu Additional → For developers.

In this section, you can find the item "Limit of background processes." By default, it is "Standard limit", but you can choose "No background processes" or limit their number (for example, no more than 2). Importantly, setting a hard limit can cause music to stop when the player is folded, and downloads in the browser to be interrupted.

Also available here is the Do Not Save Action function, which, if enabled, will destroy the activity of the application (screen) every time the user leaves it, a radical method that is guaranteed to free up memory, but will make multitasking impossible, every application will be reopened.

⚠️ Attention: Changing the settings in developer mode can lead to unstable system operation. Do not change the settings, the purpose of which you do not know. You can return the default settings by resetting the developer settings in the same menu.

For most Redmi 9 users, standard cleaning methods are enough, but if you use your phone as a navigator or for specific tasks where you only need to keep one window open, these settings can be useful.

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Developer mode is a powerful tool, but for everyday use it is better to leave the standard settings of the limit of background processes, so as not to disrupt the notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)