How to Clean Memory on Xiaomi Smartphone: A Complete 2026 Guide

Why Xiaomi Smartphone is Braking and How It Related to Memory

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 Pro has become slower, applications have been opened for a long time, and the system gives a notification "Memory is full"? 90% of the time, the reason is because of overloaded storage. Even if you have a model with 128 GB or 256 GB of memory, over time it gets clogged with unnecessary files: app cache, duplicate photos, remnants of deleted programs and system debris.

The performance of MIUI (branded shell Xiaomi) is directly dependent on the free space. When it is less than 10-15%, the system begins to slow down, because it can not handle temporary files properly. Moreover, some functions (for example, updating software or recording video in 4K) can be blocked altogether. In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to clean memory, from standard tools to hidden MIUI functions, which few people know about.

Important: Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 14+ firmware have a Deep Cleanup feature that removes up to 30% of the “invisible” debris that is not available through standard settings.

Method 1: Built-in memory cleanup in MIUI

Let's start with the simplest one, the built-in Cleanup tool that all Xiaomi smartphones have, which removes the app cache, temporary files and remnants of deleted programs, and then you can use it.

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to Clean Up (or Optimize in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Click Check and wait for analysis.
4. Select file categories to delete (cache, APK, unnecessary files) and confirm the cleanup.

This method frees up an average of 1-3 GB of memory, but has a limitation: it does not delete the system cache and some MIUI service files.

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If the "Big Files" item appears on the cleanup list, be sure to check it, often hiding forgotten high-resolution videos or backups that take 500 MB-1 GB.

In the new versions of MIUI 14/15, the Deep Cleanup tab has appeared in the Cleanup section.

• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications (Lib, Cache folders)
• 📁 Empty folders and duplicate files
• 🔄 System Logs and Memory Dumps (formed when failures occur)

Method 2: Manual cleaning of the application cache

Cache is a temporary file that apps create to speed up work, and over time, it accumulates and takes up gigabytes of memory. For example, YouTube or TikTok cache can weigh 500 MB-1 GB, and games like Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile can weigh up to 2-3 GB.

To clear the cache of individual applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook or Instagram).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

For mass cleaning of cache of all applications:

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Select Other Applications (or Applications in MIUI 13+)
3. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Sort by cache size.
4. Clean the cache from the most "heavy" applications.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui or MIUI Launcher.This can cause shell malfunctions.

Method 3: Delete unnecessary files through the "Conductor"

MIUI has a built-in Explorer (or Files) that can find large and duplicate files.

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. Go to the Category tab (or Analysis in new versions).
3. Choose: 📸 Images – to search for duplicate photos 🎥 Videos to remove old videos 📄 Documents - to clean up downloads 🎵 Audio – to remove unnecessary recordings

Sort files by size and remove unnecessary ones.

Pay special attention to the folders:

• Download – APK, PDF and archives are accumulated here.
• DCIM/.thumbnails are miniature photos that can weigh hundreds of megabytes.
• Android/obb – game data (sometimes left after uninstallation).

Method 4: Cleaning through Recovery and Fastboot modes

If standard methods did not help, and the smartphone is still slowing down, you can use hidden modes - Recovery and Fastboot. They allow you to reset the partition cache (wipe cache partition) or perform a full reset (wipe data).

To clean the cache through Recovery:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

To clean through Fastboot (PC required):

1. Install Platform Tools from Google.
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC in Fastboot mode (clip Power + Volume down).
3. Enter the command: fastboot erase cache
4. Reboot the device with command: fastboot reboot

⚠️ Warning: Quickboot erase userdata or wipe data in Recovery will reset your smartphone completely to factory settings. Use them only if you are ready to lose all data!

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Clearing the cache through Recovery does not delete personal files (photos, videos, documents), but it can reset some application settings.

Method 5: Using ADB for deep cleaning

For advanced users, there is an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) cleaning method that allows you to remove system debris that is not visible through standard tools, such as:

• 🗃️ Dalvik cache (accelerates Java applications)
• 📂 folder /data/local/tmp (time-file)
• 🔄 Logcat and dmesg (debugging information)

Instructions:

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the terminal in the folder with ADB.
3. Follow the commands in turn: adb shell su rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* rm -rf /cache/* reboot

If you do not have root rights, use alternative commands:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.securitycenter

(clears the cache of the Security app where the scan log files are stored).

Method 6: Transfer data to a memory card or cloud

If internal memory is sorely short of space and you don’t want to delete files, you can transfer them to a microSD or cloud. Xiaomi smartphones have a built-in function of Storage → Data Transfer, but it does not work with all files.

What can be transferred:

• 📷 Photos and videos (via Google Photos or Mi Cloud)
• 🎮 Game data (if the game supports external storage)
• 📄 Documents and Archives (manually through the Guide)

How to transfer applications to a memory card:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Spotify or Netflix).
3. Click Warehouse → Change → Memory Map.

⚠️ Note: not all applications support microSD porting. System programs and some games (such as Call of Duty Mobile) will remain in internal memory.

To automate portability, use applications like Files by Google or SD Maid.

• 🔄 Automatically move old photos to the cloud.
• 🗑️ Remove duplicates and empty folders.
• 📊 Show which apps take up the most space.

Method 7: Reset to factory settings (last chance)

If all previous methods failed, you'll have a full reset, which will delete all the data, including apps, photos and settings, but will return the smartphone to a "clean" state.

• 🔐 Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 📋 Save contacts in your Google Account or on SIM-map.
• 📸 Transfer photos and videos to PC or cloud.

Resetting instructions:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Enter a password (if required) and confirm the action.

Once reset, the smartphone will reboot and suggest that you configure it as new. Don't restore the backup right away -- first check if the memory problem has been solved. If so, you can selectively return the data.

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Xiaomi's MIUI 14+ smartphones have a Clean Installation feature when reset, which reinstalls the garbage-free system like it did after the firmware.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi memory cleanup