Today’s Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO smartphones have enormous potential, but even the massive amount of internal storage runs out sooner or later. When space reaches a critical minimum, the device starts to run slower, applications crash, and the system can’t update, this is due to the accumulation of temporary files, app cache, and duplicate photos that the user often forgets to delete.
In this article, we will explore proven ways to clean up memory on a Xiaomi phone without losing important data. You will learn how to use built-in system tools, hidden Android features and specialized applications for deep cleaning. Proper storage management will prolong the life of your gadget and return it to its former speed.
Before deep cleaning, it's important to understand what's taking up space. Often users are surprised to find that gigabytes are being eaten away by messenger cache or long-forgotten videos in cloud folders. MIUI and HyperOS offer powerful tools for analysis, but they need to be able to use them properly.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The easiest and safest way to start cleaning is to use a standard system application that is already installed on every smartphone of the brand, located in the Tools folder or on the desktop, called Security, a tool designed by Xiaomi engineers specifically to optimize the operation of the MIUI shell.
Launch the app and select Cleanup. The system will automatically scan the device for temporary files, residual debris and large files. Importantly, don't blindly trust the automation, as it can sometimes mark important cached data as garbage.
Inside the menu, you can also have Deep Clean, which allows you to manually select file categories to delete: large videos, rarely used apps, or installations. APK-It's a great way to find something that takes up a lot of space, but you don't need it right now.
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Periodically run Deep Cleanup once a week to prevent storage overflows and system slowdowns.
Storage analysis: What takes up the most space
Before you delete files at random, you need to audit the storage. In your smartphone settings, go to About Phone and select Storage (or Memory) and you'll see a graphic data distribution diagram here, most often under the Apps and Photos and Video sections.
Pay special attention to messenger folders. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber tend to accumulate gigabytes of media files. Even if you delete correspondence, attachments can remain in the memory of the phone. The built-in analyzer will show which application consumes the most resources.
For more detailed analysis, you can use third-party tools like Files by Google or the built-in file manager. They group files by type and help identify duplicates. Android system files occupy a fixed volume that cannot be reduced without flashing, so you should not try to delete files from the root folders of the system.
| Type of data | Approximate volume | Can I remove it? | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | From 100MB to 5GB | Yes. | Low (will need to be re-authorized) |
| Photos and videos | From 1 GB to 50+ GB | Carefully. | High (irrecoverable loss) |
| Installation files (APK) | From 50MB to 200MB | Yes. | No. |
| Offline maps | From 500MB to 10GB | Yes. | Medium (needs Internet for navigation) |
Cleaning cache and application data manually
Automatic cleaners don’t always achieve their goal, especially when it comes to heavy applications. To free up maximum space, you need to know how to clean memory on Xiaomi manually through the settings menu. This method is effective for instant messengers, browsers and social networks.
Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find the app that takes up the most space (like Telegram or TikTok) on the list. Click on it and select Memory. Here you will see two buttons: Clear cache and Clear everything.
The first button is secure, it deletes temporary files, but it saves your logins and settings. The second button completely resets the app to the "just out of the store" state, removing all data, including correspondence and authorization. Use it only if you are ready to reconfigure the program.
⚠️ Before clearing the data of messengers, be sure to back up the chats in the cloud, otherwise you will lose the entire history of correspondence without the possibility of recovery.
For some system applications, such as the Google Play Store or Downloads, cache cleaning can solve the issues of hanging updates.It's a standard maintenance procedure that is useful to do regularly.
☑️ Check before manual cleaning
Work with Gallery and Cloud Services
Media files are the enemy of free memory: Xiaomi’s modern smartphone cameras take high-resolution images, and 4K video weighs hundreds of megabytes per minute, and it’s not practical to store thousands of them on a device.
Use the Recycle Bin feature in the gallery. Deleted photos don't disappear immediately, they're there for 30 days, they're still in space. To free up your memory instantly, you go to Deleted and clean it up completely. Also check the Screenshots and Video folder, which often grow to giant sizes.
A great solution is to use cloud services like Google Photos or Mi Cloud. Set up automatic sync with Free Space. Once you upload your photos to the cloud, the app will delete the local copy from your phone, leaving a preview in the gallery.
Remember to check the DCIM →.thumbnails folder, which is a hidden directory that stores thumbnails of all your photos and videos, and over time, this file can grow to a few gigabytes, and it can be safely deleted, and the system will create a new, but smaller, file.
How to find hidden large files?
Removing duplicates and unnecessary applications
Often users install multiple apps for one purpose or forget to delete programs they have stopped using. On Android, there is a concept of “system garbage”, but most of the storage is occupied by user applications.
Go through the installed list. If you haven't opened the app in the last 3-6 months, chances are you don't need it. Uninstall it through settings or long-click on the icon. Pay special attention to games, as they can take from 2 to 10 GB each.
Also worth checking for duplicate files. Dubbers, older installer versions, and copies of documents are often left idle. The built-in Cleanup tool in the Documents section will help you find duplicate files.
For advanced users, the option to disable system applications they do not use (e.g. Mi Pay if the service does not work, or unnecessary Google services) is available through ADB or special launchers, but requires caution.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove system applications that you are not sure of their purpose (e.g., Google Play Services or Google Play Services «MIUI Daemon: This can cause the phone to malfunction or lose functionality.
Use of a memory card and USB-accumulator
If internal memory is crowded and you don’t want to delete anything, consider expanding storage. Many Xiaomi models support microSD memory cards, which are ideal for storing photos, videos and music.
Once you have the memory card installed, you can transfer some of the data to it. In the camera settings, specify that you save the photo and video immediately to the memory card. SD-Also in the settings of some applications (for example, navigators or music players), you can choose a path to download offline content.
An alternative could be the use of USB-flash-drive OTG-This is convenient for a one-time transfer of a large amount of data to a computer or an external hard drive. After transferring files can be deleted from the phone.
Modern cloud storage often offers lucrative rates that are cheaper than buying a new memory card.A 100GB or 200GB subscription to Google One solves the problem of space shortage for years to come, allowing originals to be stored in full quality.
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Regular cleaning and use of cloud services is the key to fast work of your Xiaomi. Do not allow the memory to be filled “on the back” and leave at least 15-20% free.