How to Clean the Memory of Xiaomi Smartphone: A Complete Guide to Hidden MIUI Chips

Your Xiaomi is again showing a warning of "Not enough memory"? apps are slowing down, photos are not saved, and system updates refuse to install? The problem is not that you shoot too much on camera - it's about hidden debris that accumulates in the system unnoticed. Even 128 GB of memory can clog up in a couple of months if you do not know where to look for "eaters" of free space.

This article presents unique memory cleanup techniques for Xiaomi that you won’t find in standard instructions, including hidden MIUI features, working with system folders through ADB, and even ways to recover lost gigabytes after upgrades. We’ll look at why a simple cache clearing through settings only helps 10-15%, and what to do if the phone “sees” less memory than it should be according to the model’s characteristics.

Important: the methods are suitable for all modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO based on MIUI 12-14 (including HyperOS).If you have a device older than 2018, some items may differ – check the availability of features in your menu.

Diagnosis: Why does memory end so quickly?

Before you clean it, you have to figure out what's taking up space. Xiaomi has a built-in memory analyzer, but it doesn't show everything.

• 📸 High-resolution photos and videos – especially if you’re shooting in the 4K Or you use Pro mode in the camera. One minute of video in the camera. 4K@60fps weight ~400 MB.
• 🗑️ App cache – temporary files that should be deleted automatically, but often remain forever (especially for social networks and instant messengers).
• 📦 Residual files of remote applications — MIUI It doesn’t always clean folders after uninstallation.
• 🔄 Duplicates and unsuccessful downloads – downloaded files that did not open or were interrupted, but remained in memory.
• 📱 System dumps and logs – Xiaomi is actively collecting data for debugging, and these files can weigh up to 1-2 GB.

To see the full picture:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on Details (or Memory Analysis in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Note the System partition – if it takes >15GB on a device with 64/128GB of storage, it’s not normal.

Hidden Enemy: After major MIUI updates (e.g., version 12 to version 13), the system may “forget” to free up space occupied by old firmware files, one of the main reasons for the sudden decrease in free space.

2 Standard cleaning methods: what works and what is a waste of time

Let's start with the basic ways that Xiaomi itself offers, and unfortunately, most of them have a temporary effect, but they're not enough.

Clearing the application cache

The most obvious, but also the most inefficient method, is that the cache is automatically cleared when there's no memory, but you can do it manually like this:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook or TikTok), then click Clear cache.
3. For mass cleaning, use Settings → Memory → Clean the cache.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Clear cache and Clear data! The second option will delete all settings and logins to the app accounts.

2.2. Deletion of unnecessary files through the "Files"

Xiaomi's built-in file manager can find garbage, but it often skips large files.

1. Open the Files app (Folder icon).
2. Go to the Cleanup tab (or Garbage in older versions).
3. Select the categories: Duplicates, Large files, Unsuccessful downloads.
4. Press Clear.

Hidden feature: there's a recommendation section in the same tab, where MIUI suggests removing rarely used applications, but beware: even frequently used programs may be deemed "unnecessary" if they haven't been updated in a long time.

2.3. Transfer of data to memory card

If your Xiaomi supports microSD, you can transfer some files:

1. Insert a memory card (preferably UHS-I class or higher).
2. B Settings → Select the default memory and specify SD-map.
3. Move photos, videos, and music through Files → Categories (long-click file → Move).

⚠️ Note: Not all applications can be moved to SD-System programs and many games (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile will remain in internal memory.

3.Deep Cleanup: Hidden MIUI features you didn't know about

Now we move on to non-obvious methods that give much more free space than standard methods.

3.1 Cleaning up the MIUI and Download folder

MIUI creates hidden folders that are not visible in the standard file manager to find them:

1. Install a file manager with root access support (such as FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to the root folder and find: /MIUI/ – temporary files of themes, wallpapers and updates are stored here. /Download/ – often contains unsuccessful downloads and outdated APKs. /DCIM/.thumbnails – photo and video thumbnails that can be safely deleted.

Bonus: The /MIUI/Backup/ folder can contain backups of applications made years earlier, and you can delete them if you don't plan on recovering old data.

Removal of the update cache (OTA)

After each update, MIUI leaves behind "tails" - firmware files that take up from 1 to 3 GB. These can be manually deleted:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove the downloaded package.
3. For a complete cleanup, go to /cache/ via ADB or root manager and delete the recovery folder.

💡

If the free space has been reduced by 3–5 GB, check the folder. /data/ota_package/ — There may be old versions of the firmware.

Dalvik section cache reset (for advanced)

The Dalvik-cache section stores optimized versions of the applications. When it is cleaned, the system reassembles the cache, which can free up to 1-2 GB. But: after this operation, the phone will work slower than 5-10 minutes.

How to clean:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power to enter Recovery.
3. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Dalvik Cache.
4. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Do not confuse Wipe Dalvik Cache with Wipe Data – the second option will erase all your data!

4.Dealing with ADB: How to Remove System Garbage Without Root

If you don’t want root rights, but need to clear deep system files, ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a method that is suitable for Windows/Mac/Linux users.

4.1 Preparation for work with ADB

First, turn on the USB debugging:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click 7 times on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Turn on USB debugging.

Memory cleaning commands

Connect your phone to your PC and do the following at the terminal:

adb devices

(Your device should show up. If not, check the drivers.)

adb shell pm clear com.miui.cleanmaster

Cleans the cache of a standard MIUI cleaner.

adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*

Deletes temporary system files.

adb shell rm -rf /cache/*

Clears the cache section (similar to Wipe Cache in Recovery).

Removal of unnecessary system applications

Many pre-installed MIUI programs cannot be removed in standard ways, but through ADB, it is possible. Be careful: removing critical applications can disrupt the system.

List of safe packets to remove (for MIUI 14):

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.analytics


adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.bugreport




adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.cloudservice




adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.cloudbackup




adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop

The complete list of system packages can be obtained by the command:

adb shell pm list packages | grep 'miui'

⚠️ Note: Do not delete packages with the names com.android, com.google or com.qualcomm – this can cause your phone to fail!

5. Memory cleanup via Recovery and factory reset

If all previous methods have failed, radical measures remain. They will delete all data, so back up first.

5.1 Cache dump via Recovery

This method does not delete your files, but clears the system cache, which can free up 1-3 GB:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power before the Mi logo appears.
3. Choose your language (if required).
4. Go to Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
5. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

5.2 Hard Reset (Hard Reset)

A complete reset will bring the phone back to factory status, and all data will be deleted, including photos, messages and installed apps.

How to do this:

1. Create a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Go to Recovery (as in the previous paragraph).
3. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe All Data.
4. Confirm the action with the unlock code (if installed).

Once reset, the phone will look like new.

• 🔑 Sign in to the same Mi Account as before the reset (otherwise activation problems may occur).
• 📱 Do not restore a backup over 6 months old – it may contain outdated files that will clog up memory again.
• 🔄 Update all apps to the latest versions through the Play Market.

💡

Hard reset is a last resort. Before you do it, try all the other methods in this article. Once reset, the phone will run faster, but you'll have to reset it.

6.How to prevent memory filling in the future

Cleaning up your memory is good, but it's even better to keep it from filling up. Here are some tips for prevention:

• 📷 Camera settings: lower video resolution to 1080p (If you do not need professional shooting) and enable photo compression in the camera settings → Parameters → Photo quality.
• 🗑️ Auto Cleanup: Enable the feature in Settings → Memory. → Autocleaning (it is recommended to install cleaning once a week).
• 📥 Downloads: Check the Download folder regularly and delete unnecessary files (especially those that are not available). APK archives).
• 🔄 Updates: Before installing major updates MIUI Check the space available (at least 5 GB required).
• ☁️ Cloud: Set up an automatic photo upload to Google Photos or Mi Cloud, and then delete local copies.

For advanced users:

• 🛠️ Install Tasker or MacroDroid to automatically clean your cache on schedule.
• 📊 Use DiskUsage (Play Market app) to visualize occupied space.
• 🔧 Turn off automatic app updates in the Play Market → Settings → Auto Update (select Never).

If you install and delete applications frequently, look for residual files.

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Find the remote application in the list (it will be marked as “Not installed”).
3. Click on it and select Clear Data.

7. Frequent errors in Xiaomi memory cleanup

Many users make the same mistakes that not only don't help make room, but can also hurt the phone.

• 🚫 Delete files in the Android folder can break the application. It is especially dangerous to touch the obb and data folders.
• 🚫 Clearing the Google Play Services cache will cause account sync and notification errors.
• 🚫 Use Play Market “cleaners” – most of them are either useless or contain malicious code. MIUI It already has a built-in cleaner.

Another common mistake is ignoring updates, and newer versions of MIUI often optimize memory, so it's not wise to drop updates.

1. Check the space available (at least 5 GB is required).
2. Make a backup copy.
3. Connect to stable Wi-Fi.

If the memory runs out quickly again after cleaning, check the phone for viruses using Google Play Protect or Malwarebytes.Some malware creates hidden files that take up gigabytes.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions