How to completely clean Xiaomi smartphone from garbage: a step-by-step guide

Your Xiaomi has slowed down, warmed up or issued notifications about memory shortages? The reason most often lies in the accumulated digital garbage: the remnants of deleted applications, cache, duplicate photos and unnecessary MIUI files. Even the new models of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ or POCO F6 after 3-6 months of active use begin to “clog” if not regularly clean.

In this article, 7 proven ways to clean a smartphone without root rights and data loss, including hidden MIUI features that not everyone knows. We’ll look at how to manually remove garbage, what system tools to use, and why not all cleaning machines from the Play Market are safe.

Please note: the procedures are suitable for all current Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models based on MIUI 14/15 (including global and Chinese versions).If you have a device older than 2020 (for example, Redmi Note 8 Pro), some menu items may differ - see FAQ at the end of the article.

1. Built-in Cleanup utility in MIUI: What it actually deletes

The quickest way to get rid of garbage is to use the regular tool Safety → Cleanup. But many users don't know that it doesn't delete all types of unnecessary files.

• 📁 App cache that wasn’t labeled as “junk” (e.g. map data in Google Maps)
• 🗑️ Remains of the remote APK-file /sdcard/Download
• 🔄 Duplicates of photos and videos created by messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)
• 📱 Logs of the system (/data/log), rustic 1 GB

How to use the built-in cleaning correctly:

1. Open Settings → Security → Cleaning.
2. Press Deep Clean (not fast!)
3. In the Unnecessary Files section, tick all items except Download (there may be important documents).
4. Press Clean and wait until it is completed (may take up to 5 minutes).

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After deep cleaning, restart the smartphone - this will allow MIUI to correctly recalculate the freed space.

An important nuance: if the amount of free memory hasn't changed after cleaning the Warehouse section (Settings → Storage), then the debris has accumulated in the hidden partitions.

2. Manual cleaning of the application cache: what data can be deleted without risk

App cache is a temporary file that speeds up the program, but over time grows to giant sizes. For example, the cache TikTok or Instagram can take up to 2-3 GB, and Google Play Services - up to 1 GB. It can be deleted without losing personal data (logins, messages, media), but there are exceptions.

How to clean the cache manually:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by size (click on the three dots in the top right corner → Sort by size).
3. Select an app with a large cache (from 100 MB) and click Storage.
4. Click Clear Cache (Do not click Clear Data if you do not want to lose settings!).

Professional Lifehack: If you want to clear the cache of all apps at once, use the ADB command (requires to enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (7 times click) → Additional settings → For developers):

adb shell pm trim-caches -d 100

This command will remove the cache of all user applications except system ones.

3. Removal of Remote Application Remains and APK-file

When you delete an app through Play Market or Settings, MIUI doesn’t always clean all the files associated with it.

• 📦 Folders in /sdcard/Android/data/[packet]
• 📄 Configuration files in /data/data/ (Root rights are required for access)
• 📱 Dalvik cache (system cache that is not visible to the user)
• 🗃️ APK-file /sdcard/Download or /sdcard/APK

How to find and remove garbage from remote programs:

1. Use a file manager (e.g., built-in MI File Manager or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /sdcard/Android/data/ and delete folders with the names of the application packages you deleted long ago (e.g. com.tencent.mm for WeChat).
3. Check the folder. /sdcard/Download old-fashioned APK-Files (extension of.apk).

🔹 Make sure the application is actually removed from the system

🔹 Check the folder size (if you have a < 10 MB, you can not delete)

🔹 Save backups of important data (e.g. saving games)

🔹 Do not touch folders with names com.android. or com.xiaomi.

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Critical information: If you delete the folder of the existing application in /sdcard/Android/data/, it will stop working and require reinstallation. Always check if the application is installed through Settings → Applications.

4. Cleanup of duplicate photos, videos and documents

Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber) and social networks (Instagram, VK) automatically save media files to the gallery, creating duplicates.

• 📸 pup DCIM/Camera (original)
• 📥 pup Pictures/Telegram (messenger)
• ☁️ Download folder (if downloaded from the cloud)

How to find and remove duplicates:

1. Use the Files by Google app (free in the Play Market):

SD Maid

Once a month | Once every 3 months | Only when memory ends | Never cleared |I don't know what duplicates are-->

5. Optimization of system logs and temporary MIUI files

MIUI maintains detailed logs of the device, which can take hundreds of megabytes to run, which are used for diagnostics, but rarely useful to the average user, and it accumulates update debris that is not automatically deleted.

How to clean system logs and temporary files:

1. Install 1Tap Cleaner (no root required):
2. For manual cleaning (root or ADB required):

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Cleaning the logs can help if the smartphone spontaneously restarts or issues errors such as “the process of com.android.systemui stopped”.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Xiaomi.eu or custom firmware, do not delete files in the folder. /data/dontpanic — This can lead to bootloop (a looped reboot).

6.Dalvik and ART cache reset: when to need it and how to do it

Dalvik cache (for older versions of Android) and ART (for newer ones) are optimized versions of installed applications that are created when you first run. Over time, this cache can get corrupted, which leads to:

• 🐢 Slowing down the launch of applications
• 🔄 Self-reboots
• 🚨 Errors such as "The application does not respond"

How to reset the Dalvik/ART cache:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery.
3. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (not Wipe Data!).
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

The first run after cleaning will take longer (up to 10 minutes) because the system will reassemble the cache. That's normal.

7.Memory clogging prevention: MIUI settings for automatic cleaning

To avoid manually cleaning your smartphone every week, set up automatic optimization:

1. Activate the auto-cleaning:
2. Limit the background activity of applications:
3. Set up smart storage:

It is also recommended that:

• 📵 Disable autoload media in instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp).
• 🚫 Prohibit applications from creating shortcuts on the desktop (in the launcher settings).
• 🔄 Update regularly MIUI — In new versions optimized work with memory.

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Autocleaning in MIUI does not remove the cache of critical system applications (e.g. Google Play Services), so manual cleaning is still needed every 1-2 months.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi cleanup