How to Clean Xiaomi Redmi Phone: A Complete Guide to Freeing Memory and Speeding Up

Your Xiaomi Redmi is slowing down and your memory is full of no one knows what? This is a typical problem for smartphones after a year of active use. Even powerful models like the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or the budget Redmi 10A are eventually littered with unnecessary files, app cache and remnants of remote programs. In this article, we will analyze all the ways of cleaning, from standard MIUI tools to hidden functions and third-party utilities.

Cleaning your phone isn’t just about freeing up space; it’s also a way to extend battery life (background processes consume charge), improve performance (free RAM = less hanging), and even improve security (temporary files may contain personal data), and we won’t advise “just delete unnecessary photos” — instead, show you how to find and delete hidden system files that take up up to 30% of memory but don’t show up in a standard manager.

1. Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

Xiaomi is equipping its smartphones with a powerful tool called Security (formerly Optimization), which can analyze the system and offer solutions.

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Click on Cleanup in the bottom menu.
3. Wait for the scan to be completed (usually 10–30 seconds).
4. Click Clean next to each type of garbage or select Remove Everything.

In this section, it is possible to delete:

• 🗑️ Application cache – temporary files that take up to 1-3 GB, but are safely deleted.
• 📁 Unnecessary APK — Remains of installed (and remote) applications.
• 📄 Log files – system logs that accumulate over time.
• 🎵 Media files without sources – album covers, video miniatures, etc.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the Downloads section through this utility if it stores important documents. → Downloads.

Once cleaned, restart your phone, which will help the system recalculate the space and apply changes, and if the memory is less than 500 MB free after the procedure, then the main debris is hidden deeper, then move on to the following methods.

2. Manual removal of unnecessary files and folders

Xiaomi's standard file manager hides many system folders, but you can open them through the Hidden Files Show.

1. Open Files → click on three dots in the top right → Settings → turn on Show Hidden Files.
2. Go to the root folder (/storage/emulated/0/) and find:

Pay special attention to the Android/obb/ folder, which stores additional game files (such as Genshin Impact cache or Call of Duty Mobile) that can weigh several gigabytes.

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders Android/data/ For actively used applications (such as WhatsApp, Telegram or banking programs), this will lead to resetting and loss of chats.

3. Cleaning the cache and application data

Many programs (especially social networks and instant messengers) accumulate gigabytes of cache, for example, Facebook can take up to 1 GB only temporary files, and Telegram can take up to 5 GB of downloaded media.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Choose an app (such as Instagram).
3. Press Warehouse.
4. Choose Clear cache (safe) or Clear data (reset the app settings).

For mass cleaning:

1. In the same section, App Management click on three points → Sort → By size.
2. Review the list and clear the cache for applications that are larger than 100MB.

Some applications (such as Google Play Services or MIUI System) can take up to 500MB of cache, but cleaning them sometimes causes temporary crashes.

💡

To prevent Telegram from clogging memory, open Settings → Data and Memory → Media Autoboot and turn off automatic photo/video downloads in mobile data.

4. Removal of duplicate photos and videos

Photos and videos are the main memory eaters, and even if you transfer them to your computer regularly, you still have:

• 📸 Duplicates (e.g. screenshots with the same content).
• 🎥 Unsuccessful photos (blurred, dark, with eyes closed).
• 📱 Screenshots (especially if you share information frequently through instant messengers).
• 📎 Copies from messengers (photos saved from WhatsApp or Viber).

To search for duplicates:

1. Open the Gallery → Click on three points → Control → Search for duplicates.
2. MIUI will automatically find the duplicate photos and prompt them to be deleted.

If this feature is not available (on older versions of MIUI), use third-party apps like Files by Google or CCleaner, which can find not only duplicates, but also similar photos (for example, selfies with minimal differences).

5. Optimization of autoboot and background processes

Many apps run automatically when you turn on your phone and run in the background, consuming memory and charge.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Autorun.
2. Turn off auto-run for unnecessary programs (such as games, rarely used instant messengers).

Also check the Battery → Power Saving Mode → Application Selection. Here you can limit background activity for individual programs. For example, TikTok or AliExpress are often updated in the background - they should be limited.

For advanced users:

adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.example.app

This command (executed via ADB) adds the application to the battery optimization whitelist, but it is best not to use it unnecessarily.

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable auto-run for system applications (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter or com.android.phone).This can cause phone malfunctions.

6. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If the phone is too slow and the memory is full, the last option is a complete reset.

• 🔄 Make a backup copy through Settings → The phone. → Backup.
• 📱 Save contacts in your Google Account or on SIM-map.
• 📁 Transfer photos and videos to your computer or cloud.

For discharge:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Confirm the action (a password may be required).

Once reset, the phone will turn on as new. Don't restore the data from the backup right away -- first check if the system is failing. If the problem was in the software junk, after reset, the phone should run faster.

💡

Factory reset deletes all data, including apps, photos and accounts, and use this method only if other methods have not worked.

7. Additional tips for maintaining cleanliness

So that the phone won't get clogged with garbage again:

• 📵 Remove unused applications (even if they are lightweight").
• 📥 Set up automatic cache cleanup in Security → Cleanup → Settings.
• 📎 Regularly transfer photos and videos to your computer or cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud).
• 🔄 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version – new versions are optimized better.

If you install games or heavy apps frequently, consider buying a microSD card (for supported models) that will allow you to transfer some of the data and not load internal memory.

For Redmi models with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Redmi) K50 Pro) it is also useful to disable the always active display (Settings) → Screen. → Always-on display, as it consumes additional resources.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Xiaomi Redmi