Hand-cleaning Xiaomi phone from garbage: 7 proven ways

Xiaomi smartphones are known for their performance, but over time, even they start to slow down due to the accumulated unnecessary files. Automatic cleaning through the Security App or MIUI Optimizer removes only part of the garbage, leaving behind traces of deleted applications, duplicate photos and cache of system processes. In this article, we will discuss how to manually clean a Xiaomi phone from everything superfluous – without the risk of removing important data and without using third-party programs.

The thing about MIUI is that it actively caches data to make it faster, but rarely optimizes it, and as a result, after 6 to 12 months of use, the free space melts away and the phone starts to warm up and hang up, and we'll show you which folders can be safely cleaned, how to find hidden files, and what to do with the residual data of applications that take up to 30% of memory but don't show up in standard settings.

1. Analysis of occupied space: what exactly is the memory?

Before you start cleaning, you need to figure out which files and folders are taking up the most space. MIUI has a built-in memory analyzer, but it doesn't show the whole picture. Here's how to get the exact data:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on the graph of occupied space - the system will show the distribution by category (applications, multimedia, cache, etc.).
3. For detailed analysis, use a file manager (e.g. Files by Google or standard Files from Xiaomi).

Pay attention to the following memory eaters:

• 📁 folder Android/obb — This is where the game data is stored (may weigh) 10+ GB).
• 🗑️ Cache of applications (especially messengers and social networks).
• 📸 Duplicate photos in folders DCIM/.thumbnails and Pictures/Screenshots.
• 📦 Residual files of remote applications in /data/data/ (You can only see root rights).

If you have more than 5-7 GB of data in the Other or System data section, it is a signal that you need to clean up deeply, often hiding error logs (.log,.dump), temporary update files and debris from MIUI.

2.Cleaning App Cache: What Can Be Deleted Without Risk?

Cache speeds up programs, but it grows to giant sizes over time. There are two types of cache in MIUI:

• 🔄 Regular cache – temporary files that can be deleted without consequences.
• ⚠️ Application data — it stores settings, logins and game progress. Only delete if you're willing to lose saves!

How to clean the cache correctly:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Telegram or TikTok) and click Storage.
3. Tap Clear Cache. Use Clear Data for deep cleaning, but remember: this will reset all the application settings!

Pay particular attention to:

• 📱 Social networks (Facebook, Instagram) – their cache can weigh 1-3 GB.
• 🎮 Games (especially Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile – Texture and Update cache takes up to 5GB.
• 📺 Streaming services (YouTube, Tencent Video) store uploaded videos in /Android/data/.

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear the cache of system applications (MIUI System, Security, Google Play Services – this can cause phone malfunctions. Also avoid clearing WhatsApp cache if you haven’t backed up chats.

Make a backup copy of important data|Close all background applications|Check the vacant space after cleaning|Reboot your phone to apply changes-->

3. Manually Delete Unnecessary Files: Which Folders Can Be Cleaned?

Xiaomi’s standard file manager hides many system folders, but with Files by Google or Total Commander (with Root mode enabled if you have rights), you can access hidden directories.

For removal:

1. Open the file manager and go to the desired folder.
2. Select unnecessary files (e.g. old APKs in Download or game cache in obb).
3. Click Delete and confirm the action.

If the folder is not deleted, check if it is used by an application, for example, files in Android/data can be blocked by games - first delete the game itself, then clear its data.

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To see hidden folders in the standard Xiaomi manager, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show Hidden Files.

4. Cleanup of Residual Data of Remote Applications

When you delete an application through Settings, MIUI often leaves behind tails — folders with settings, cache, and temporary files — that can take up hundreds of megabytes, but don't show up in standard storage. Here's how to find and delete them:

Method 1: Through ADB (without root rights):

adb shell pm list packages -u

This command will show you a list of all the applications, including those that are remote but still in the system, to delete their data:

adb shell pm clear com.example.app

(Replace com.example.app with the real app package)

Method 2: Manual (with root rights):

1. Open Root Explorer or FX File Explorer.
2. Go to /data/data/.
3. Find folders with names of remote applications (for example, com.tencent.mm for WeChat) and delete them.

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /data/data/ If you don't have root rights, you can crash your system. SD Maid (extended rights cleaning app) Also don't touch the system application folders (com.android., com.xiaomi.), otherwise the phone may stop loading.

After cleaning, restart the device – this will allow the system to recalculate the free space and avoid errors.

5. Photo and video optimization: how to free gigabytes?

Media files are the main memory eater, and even if you regularly transfer photos to your computer, you still have:

• 📸 Duplicates (created by editing in Gallery or Google Photos).
• 🎥 Cash video from TikTok, Instagram Reels (stored in the /Android/data/).
• 🖼️ Screenshots and screen recordings (folder) Pictures/Screenshots).
• 📂 Miniatures (folder.thumbnails, can weigh up to 1 GB).

How to clean:

1. Remove duplicates using Google Files (Clean Up → Duplicates) or CCleaner.
2. Compress the photo through Gallery: select files → More → Compress (quality is almost not lost, and the size decreases by 2-3 times).
3. Move your media to the cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud) and delete local copies.
4. Clear the cache of the gallery: Settings → Apps → Gallery → Storage → Clear the cache.

For the video:

• 🎬 Remove downloaded videos from YouTube Premium or Netflix (/Android/data/com.google.android.youtube/files/).
• 📹 Compress video via Video Compress or CapCut (you can reduce the size by 50-70% without loss of quality).

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Regularly cleaning the DCIM/.thumbnails folder frees up to 1 GB of memory without losing any important data.

System garbage cleanup: logs, dumps and temporary files

MIUI actively writes error logs, memory dumps, and temporary files that are rarely deleted automatically, which can take anywhere from 500MB to 2-3GB, but do not show up in standard storage.

Method 1: Through embedded tools:

1. Open Settings → About phone → Memory → Cleaning.
2. Choose Deep Cleaning and wait for analysis.
3. Delete Logs, Dumps and Temporary Files.

Method 2: Manual (with root or ADB):

• 📄 folder /data/log/ — Logs of system and applications.
• 🗑️ folder /data/tombstones/ — Error dumps (files with.tombstone extension).
• 📦 folder /cache/ — temporary update and firmware files.

For removal via ADB:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*




rm -rf /data/tombstones/*




rm -rf /cache/*

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /cache/ This may cause a failure on the next update. MIUI. If you plan to upgrade, leave this folder intact or clean it immediately after installing the firmware.

After cleaning, reboot your phone to Power + Vol Up and select Wipe Cache Partition, which will remove the residual debris and speed up the system.

7. Disconnect unnecessary system processes and services

Many MIUI functions run in the background, consuming memory and battery power, and can be turned off without harming the system:

We also recommend:

• 🛑 Disable Auto-Update Apps in Google Play (Settings) → Auto-update → Never).
• 📵 Limit background activity for unnecessary applications (Settings) → Battery → Battery management).
• 🔕 Disable advertising notifications from MIUI: Settings → Notifications → Additionally. → Disable recommendations.

These actions will not only free up memory, but also extend battery life by 10-15%.

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Disabling App Vault and Mi Cloud Sync frees up to 300-500 MB of RAM, which is especially noticeable on budget models (Redmi Note, Poco).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi cleanup