How to Clean Xiaomi Redmi 9: A Complete Guide to Acceleration

Xiaomi’s Redmi series is deservedly popular for its excellent price-performance ratio, but over time, even powerful hardware can start stumbling over software bugs and accumulated digital garbage. If your Xiaomi Redmi 9 is slower, applications open longer than usual, and notifications about space shortages appear more often, then it’s time for a cleanup. In this article, we will discuss proven methods of cleaning the system that will help return the device to its former friction without the need to flash or buy a new gadget.

Optimization doesn't require deep programming knowledge or root rights, because the MIUI shell provides all the tools out of the box. Proper file system maintenance not only frees up precious gigabytes, but also extends battery life as the background processes stop wasting resources. Let's start with the basic steps that every owner has to follow.

⚠️ Warning: Before you start any manipulation of system files or resetting settings, it is strongly recommended to back up important contacts, photos and documents in the cloud or on your computer.

Use of the built-in Security application

The first and safest step for any user is to access the system’s regular tools. Each Xiaomi smartphone has a Security app preinstalled, which combines antivirus, memory cleaner and permission manager functions. By running this tool, you can access automatic scanning for malware and temporary files, which often take hundreds of megabytes.

Clean up works on a simple algorithm: it analyzes the cache of applications, residual files of deleted programs and advertising debris. Pressing a button triggers a process that usually takes no more than a minute. However, it is worth noting that automatic mode does not always delete everything possible, since the system saves some data for the quick operation of often used programs.

For a deeper analysis, you can go to the Memory section inside the app, and it shows detailed statistics to the space, and it often turns out that the lion's share of memory is occupied by messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, which store the cache of media files, and clearing the cache through this menu is safe for personal correspondence, but will remove uploaded images and videos from temporary storage.

• 📱 Click on the Security app icon on the home screen.
• 🧹 Select "Clean" and wait for the scan to be completed.
• 🗑️ Press the cleaning button and confirm the removal of the proposed files.
• 📂 Go to the "Memory" section for a detailed storage analysis.

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Use the “Accelerate” function in the Security app before launching heavy games to temporarily close the background processes and free up RAM.

Manual cleaning of storage and removal of duplicates

Automatic systems are not always able to distinguish important documents from unnecessary duplicates, so manually checking file directories remains extremely effective. Redmi 9 often accumulates screenshots, uploaded images from the Internet and files from the Download folder that the user forgets about. Explorer allows you to sort files by size and date, which helps you quickly find heavyweights.

Special attention should be paid to the folders of social networks and messengers. For example, Viber and WhatsApp by default store all received media files in the memory of the device. Inside the file manager you can find Android/media folders or direct application directories where old voice messages and unnecessary videos lie. Deleting them can free up from 2 to 10 GB of space, which is critical for budget models with a small amount of internal memory.

Also useful in the MIUI shell is to find duplicates, and it finds the same photos or documents created at different times or in different folders, and removing them is the most painless way to get a free space. Remember to check the gallery basket, because deleted photos are often stored there for another 30 days, continuing to occupy space.

⚠️ Be very careful when removing files from system folders with names like Android, data or obb. Deleting a random file from there can lead to apps not working properly or losing progress in games.

For easy navigation through files, you can use a built-in sorter. Below is a table that will help you understand which folders you can touch and which ones you should not touch:

Managing applications and their cache

Apps tend to grow in size, accumulating data that is not always necessary for their operation. Xiaomi Redmi 9 has a powerful tool to control this process. Going to the Settings menu → Applications → All applications, you will see a list of all installed programs, sorted by size, this allows you to instantly identify “eaters” of memory.

Once you go into the properties of a particular heavy app (like Instagram or YouTube), you can find the Clear Cache button, which is secure and only deletes temporary files, such as video thumbnails or web page snippets. However, the Clear All button (or Reset) will delete the authorization and settings, so use it only if you want to completely reinstall the app without removing it from the system.

And don't forget about the rarely used programs. If you install an app once or use it once a year, you'd better uninstall it. In today's world, many services have web versions that run in the browser as well as native apps, but don't take up memory space or use battery power in the background.

• 📉 Sort applications by size memory.
• 🧹 Clean the cache of heavy apps (social networks, maps) once a week.
• 🗑️ Remove programs that have not been used for more than a month.
• 🚫 Turn off auto-update for rarely used software.

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Regularly cleaning the cache of heavy applications can speed up the interface by 15-20%, since the system will not need to index gigabytes of temporary files.

Optimization of the system and animations

Beyond physical memory cleaning, the visuals also affect the speed of Redmi 9, and the MIUI shell is known for its beautiful yet resource-intensive animations. For the mid- and low-end devices that our model includes, reducing visual load can dramatically improve interface responsiveness, and this is done through the developer menu.

To activate this menu, you need to click on the build number in the About Phone section several times. Once the message "You're a developer" appears, a new item will appear in the settings menu. You need to find the section related to windows and animations, and zoom from 1x to 0.5x or completely disable the animations. Visually, the phone will work "sharp", although the technical power of the processor will not change.

It's also important to monitor background activity. Many applications continue to work even after closing, tracking geolocation or updating news feeds. In battery settings, you can limit background activity for programs that don't need a constant Internet connection, which will not only speed up work, but also save battery life.

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable system processes with unknown names or those marked as important to Android operation.

Another effective method is to disable unnecessary desktop widgets: Live wallpaper, news feeds and constantly updated weather widgets use a processor and Internet channel all the time. Replacing dynamic wallpaper with a static image is a simple step towards saving resources.

Use of third-party utilities for cleaning

While Xiaomi’s built-in tools are usually sufficient, there are situations where deeper analysis is required, where third-party utilities can find hidden files left over from deleting games, or analyze folder structure in more detail, but caution is important here: many cleaners are themselves a source of advertising and extra load on the system.

Files by Google and SD Maid are considered to be proven and safe options. The first program intelligently removes blurred photos, old screenshots and duplicates, and has a convenient interface for managing files. The second utility is more focused on advanced users and allows you to remove the "tails" of remote applications that the standard cleaner does not see.

It's highly discouraged to install dubious apps with names like Super Cleaner Pro or Battery Doctor that promise triple-speed miracles, often just show ads and make it look like it's working while actually slowing down your phone, and use only proven software from official sources.

• 🛡️ Install only proven utilities (Google Files, SD Maid).
• 🚫 Avoid programs that advertise aggressively and promise to accelerate by 200%".
• 🔍 Use third-party software to find large forgotten files.
• ⚙️ Set up automatic cleaning in Google Files for regular maintenance.

Cardinal measures: Reset to factory settings

If neither cache cleaning, app deletion, or customization optimization has worked, and Xiaomi Redmi 9 continues to perform poorly, the last effective method is a complete factory reset, which returns the phone to the state it was in immediately after purchase in the store, all user data, accounts and files will be permanently deleted.

Before starting the procedure, make sure that the battery is at least 50%, or better fully charge the device. It is also critical to remember the password from your Mi Account and Google account, since after the reset, the system will require them to confirm ownership (protection against theft).

The reset process takes 5 to 15 minutes. Once turned on, the phone will be completely clean. This is the perfect moment to not install all the apps at once, but only to deliver the essentials. Often it is the accumulated “digital fat” that causes slow work, and a clean installation solves the problem dramatically.