How to Clean the Memory of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Phone: The Complete Guide

Modern smartphones, including popular Xiaomi models, are slowing down over time, and the main reason for this is often crowded storage. When internal memory is filled critically, the MIUI operating system loses the ability to effectively manage background processes, leading to lags, freezes and even spontaneous reboot of the device. Redmi Note 5 users often face a lack of space, since this model, despite its reliability, was originally equipped with a drive of 32 or 64 GB, which is no longer enough for modern applications and multimedia.

There are many ways to free up space, from standard system tools to advanced computer cleaning techniques. Memory cleaning is not just about removing photos, but a comprehensive approach to data management that allows you to return your gadget to its former sharpness. In this article, we will discuss proven techniques that will help you safely delete unnecessary files without damaging important system components.

Before you start taking drastic measures, you need to understand what exactly is taking up space in your device, often the culprits are invisible cache files, remnants of deleted applications or duplicate photos that have been accumulated in the gallery for years, and a competent approach to optimizing storage will allow you not only to solve the problem of space shortage right now, but also to prevent it from appearing in the future.

Storage occupancy analysis and search for hidden files

The first step in the struggle for space is thorough diagnostics. Standard Android tools and the MIUI shell provide basic information, but for deep analysis, it is better to use specialized utilities or an integrated analyzer. You need to know exactly which folders have swelled to giant sizes so as not to delete the excess.

Xiaomi’s system analyzer often hides some folders from the user’s eyes, considering them important, but this is where gigabytes of temporary files can accumulate. For example, instant messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp can cover up to 10-15 GB of space, storing all the videos and images viewed. Using third-party analyzer applications such as DiskUsage or Files by Google, allows you to visualize the memory structure in the form of a map, where each sector corresponds to a specific file or folder.

Special attention should be paid to /Android/data, where applications store their working data. Deleting files from here can lead to resetting applications or losing progress in games, so act carefully. If you see a folder with the name of an application that was deleted long ago, you can safely erase it, freeing precious megabytes.

Using the built-in "Security" application and cleaning the cache

The MIUI shell is equipped with a powerful built-in maintenance tool, which is located in the Security app. This is the first line of defense that should be used before connecting heavier tools. The Cleanup function scans the device for temporary files, advertising debris and residual data.

When you start scanning, the system will suggest removing garbage. It's important to understand that it's basically an app and browser cache. Cache speeds up the loading of frequently visited pages and interface elements, but its size can grow to absurd values. Clearing the cache is safe for your personal data: passwords, contacts and photos will remain in place, but applications can load a little longer on the first run after cleaning.

For a deeper cleanup, there's a Memory section in the Security menu, where it will show you which apps are taking up the most space, you can go to the settings of a particular application and select Clear cache without deleting the app itself or its data, which is especially useful for social media and video platforms that tend to accumulate temporary files.

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Start a built-in cleanup once a week to prevent large amounts of temporary files from accumulating, which can slow down the system.

Don’t rely on automatic scanners alone, as they sometimes skip large files in downloads. Manually checking the Download and DCIM folder often gives a better result than the automatic Clear Everything button.

Cleaning up garbage in social networks and messengers

The main memory eaters on the Redmi Note 5 are messengers. WhatsApp, Viber and especially Telegram by default store all received media files in internal memory. Without regular cleaning, these applications can take up to 40% of all available space.

Telegram handles the situation in the most elegant way: in the app settings there is a section "Data and memory" → "Memory Use" where you can click the button "Clear Telegram cache" and immediately slider set a limit on the size of the cache, for example, 512 MB or 1 GB. Once this limit is reached, old files will be deleted automatically, making room for new ones. This is automatic optimization, which eliminates the need for manual cleaning.

WhatsApp is a bit more complicated because it stores the database and media files in an open folder.

• 📁 Go to the file manager and find the folder WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images.
• 🗑️ Delete the Sent folder where you store copies of the images you sent (they duplicate the originals in the gallery).
• 🎥 Check the WhatsApp Video folder and delete long videos that often weigh hundreds of megabytes.
• ⚙️ In the settings of WhatsApp itself, disable auto-save in the gallery so that media files do not duplicate in the system album.

It's also worth checking out the Viber attachments, which are often hidden in the Viber/Media folder. Many users forget that voice messages and stickers take up space, too, though not as much as videos. Regularly cleaning messengers is the fastest way to get a few gigabytes of free space.

Removing duplicates and optimizing media library

Photos and videos are the hardest to get rid of, but they take up the lion's share of memory. On the Redmi Note 5 with its camera, the quality of the shots can be good, but the format of the save is often not optimized. The first step is to find and remove duplicates that occur when sync failures or files are re-uploaded.

Use duplicate applications like Remo Duplicate Photos Remover or Xiaomi’s built-in Gallery features (Albums → Similar Photos) to suggest that you delete blurred or duplicate images, leaving only the best option, and that allows you to safely reduce the volume of the photo library by 10-20% without losing important points.

The second important aspect is video. Video files weigh a lot, and storing them on the internal storage is not always justified. Consider transferring archived videos to the cloud services (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk) or to the SD memory card. Once you successfully download and verify files on the cloud, the originals from the phone can be deleted, leaving only thumbnails.

Don't forget to check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder. This is a hidden system folder that stores thumbnails of all your photos and videos for quick viewing in the gallery. Over time, the.thumbnails file can grow to several gigabytes. It can be safely deleted through the root file manager with rights or simply by clearing the Gallery and Media Storage app data in the application settings, although then the thumbnails will be recreated, but are already up to date.

Working with applications: removal and freezing

Each application installed takes up space for its installation file (APK), but also creates a volumetric cache and user data. On Redmi Note 5 with its limited memory, the presence of a dozen unused programs can become critical.

However, there are system applications Xiaomi and Google that can not be removed in the standard way, but they take up space. For them, there is a method of "Freeze" or "Disable". Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, find an unnecessary system application (for example, unnecessary services Google or Xiaomi services) and click "Disable". This will hide the application and stop its processes, freeing up some RAM and preventing cache growth.

⚠️ Note: Do not disable system components that you do not know the purpose of (e.g. System) UI, Settings, Phone. This can cause the phone to malfunction or bootloop (cyclical reboot) and only disable services that are clearly third-party or understandable to you.

For advanced users, there is an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tool that allows you to remove system debris without Root rights. By connecting your phone to your computer, you can execute a command to delete packets. For example, the command to remove a specific packet looks like this:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.example.package

This command removes the application for the current user without affecting the system partition, which is safe and reversible (the application can be returned by factory reset).

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Removing unused applications and disabling heavy system services is the most effective way not only to free up space, but also to speed up the processor.

Use of memory card and cloud storage

The Redmi Note 5 features a microSD card slot, which is a lifeline for models with 32GB of internal memory. When you set up the memory card correctly, you can transfer photos, music, and even some apps to it. To do this, insert a card, go to Settings → Storage, and select a memory card.

It is important to configure the camera and voice recorder so that they save files by default. SD-In the camera settings, find the item "Save to the SD-This will prevent the internal memory from overflowing in the future, but it is worth remembering that memory cards are slower than internal memory, so running heavy applications from them can be difficult.

Cloud technology is the best friend of a smartphone owner with low memory. Google Photos offers a "Free Space" feature that removes photos and videos from the device that are already uploaded to the cloud. Similarly, Yandex.Disk (with unlimited photo at the Plus tariffs) and Dropbox work. Set up automatic upload (Backup & Sync) over Wi-Fi, and your phone will always be ready for new pictures.

⚠️ Note: Before formatting a memory card or transferring data, make sure that it does not contain important information. Formatting as an "Adoptable Storage" encrypts the card and it will no longer read on other devices without resetting the phone.

Radical measures: Resetting to factory settings

If no method works and the phone continues to signal a lack of space, the final argument is a complete reset, which puts the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 back out of the box, removing all user data, apps and settings, guaranteeing 100% memory cleanup of software debris that could have accumulated for years.

Before starting the procedure, make sure to create a full backup. Use the built-in Mi Backup app (in the Tools folder) to create a backup to your memory card or computer. Also make sure your contacts are synced with your Google or Mi Account account.

To perform the discharge:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select "Erase all data."
3. Enter the unlock password and confirm the action.

The phone will restart and start the cleaning process, which can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Once turned on, you will get a clean system with maximum free memory.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure the battery is at least 50-60% Interrupting the process due to battery discharge can damage memory sections and turn the phone into a "brick" requiring flashing through the computer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)