Xiaomi smartphones, which are based on the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, are famous for their functionality, but over time they accumulate a huge number of temporary files. Standard cleaning tools built into the system are often superficial and do not reach deep folders that occupy gigabytes of usable space, and in these situations comes to the rescue of a personal computer with more powerful tools for analyzing and deleting data.
Using a wired PC connection gives users rights that are not available in normal phone use, and you get the ability to see hidden system partitions, delete undelete applications, and clean up cache that has been accumulated in service directories for years. It's not just freeing up space, it's a full-fledged optimization of the device.
In this guide, we’ll break down proven cleaning techniques that will help return your gadget to factory speed.We’ll look at both secure GUIs and more advanced methods through the use of a new device. ADB-teams that require attention, but give the maximum result.
Preparation of a smartphone and a workplace
Before we start radical measures, we need to configure the connection between the devices correctly, and without activating the special developer mode, the computer will not see the smartphone as a debugging device, but only as a media drive, which will not allow for deep cleaning.
Go to your phone and find About Phone, and you can quickly click on MIUI or HyperOS 7 times until you notice that you’ve become a developer, and then you’ll see a new Developer section in the expanded settings menu.
Inside this section, you need to find and activate the USB Debugging switch. When you connect the cable to your computer, you will see a request for debugging permission on your smartphone screen — be sure to confirm it, “Always allow from this computer.”
☑️ Connection readiness
The quality of the cable is critical. Cheap charging cables often don't have data lines, so the phone will only charge, but not be determined by the Device Manager. Use the original cable or certified high-speed data-enabled counterpart.
Use of the official utility Mi PC Suite
One of the easiest ways to clean up Xiaomi’s garbage is by using official software from the manufacturer.Mi PC Suite allows you to manage the file system, make backups and conduct basic storage cleaning.
Once you install the program and connect your smartphone, go to the file management section, where you can visually assess which folders take up the most space. Often users forget about downloaded files from messengers, which are duplicated in the gallery and take up space in the system folders.
⚠️ Note: When deleting files via Mi PC Suite be careful with system folders. Don't delete the contents of directories with Android names, MIUI or System if you are not 100% sure of their purpose, otherwise it could cause the interface to crash.
The suite cleanup feature often offers to delete temporary update files and browser cache. This is a secure operation that can free up 500 MB to 2 GB of space. However, other methods are better for working more deeply with the application cache.
Why can't the Mi PC Suite see the phone?
Deep Cleaning through ADB AppControl and similar software
For users who want to gain full control of their device, there are specialized shell programs for ADB (Android Debug Bridge). One of the most popular and convenient is ADB AppControl. It allows you to see a list of all installed applications, including system ones, and delete them or freeze them.
The process is simple: once you connect the device, it scans the list of packages; you can sort apps by size of space or frequency of use; removing embedded debris, such as unnecessary Google services or Xiaomi marketing apps, greatly speeds up the system.
- 📱 Visualization: The user-friendly interface shows icons and application names, which eliminates the error of removing the system component by the name of the package.
- ❄️ Freeze: The ability to freeze the application instead of removing it, leaving it on the device, but prohibiting startup and resource consumption.
- 🔄 Backup: You can backup before deleting APK-file on the computer, if necessary, to quickly restore the functionality.
Using these utilities allows you to remove cache that is not cleaned by standard means, such as cache cards or cache of updated versions of applications, which can grow to several gigabytes, this is the only way to safely remove system applications without obtaining root rights.
Manual garbage removal through the command line
For advanced users who prefer full control, direct Windows command line work is available, a method that requires knowledge of exact paths and commands, but is most effective for clearing specific logs and temporary files.
Open the command prompt or PowerShell in the folder with the ADB installed. Enter the adb shell command to enter the device shell. Next, you can use the pm clear command to completely clean the cache and data of a particular application.
adb shell pm clear com.android.chrome
adb shell pm clear com.tencent.mmYou can also manually delete files from temporary directories, and rm-r, combined with cache partition paths, can clean out all the extra files, but you need to be very careful.
| Team team. | Description of action | Level of risk |
|---|---|---|
| adb shell pm clear | Clears the application data and cache | Low. |
| adb uninstall | Complete removal of the application | Medium. |
| adb shell rm -rf | Forced deletion of files | High-pitched |
| adb shell pm disable | Disabling the system component | Medium. |
Remember that after executing commands through ADB, changes take effect instantly.Rebooting the device after such procedures is not necessary, but desirable for recalculating the indexing of the storage.
Analysis and removal of duplicate media files
Much of the junk on Xiaomi smartphones is duplicated photos, screenshots and uploaded images from messengers, and the computer allows you to use powerful search algorithms to identify such copies.
Connect your phone in file transfer mode (MTP) and use Windows Explorer or specialized software to find duplicates (such as Duplicate Cleaner or Fast Duplicate File Finder). These programs scan the storage by hash sums of files, finding exactly identical copies, even if they are called differently.
Often, you can find hundreds of thumbnails in the DCIM or Pictures folder that messengers created when viewing photos, deleting them is safe and frees up a huge amount of space, and it's worth checking the Download folder, which often downloads APK installation files that are no longer needed.
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Use file size sorting in Windows Explorer. Often forgotten video files or long voice messages in messenger folders take up more space than thousands of small pictures.
Once cleaned, be sure to check the shopping cart in the phone gallery.The files deleted via the PC may not make it to the Android shopping cart, but if you deleted them through the file manager on the phone itself before, they can stay there for another 30 days, taking up space.
Cleaning DNS cache and network settings
Garbage accumulates not only in the file system, but also in network settings. DNS-Cache and reset network settings via a computer (or related commands) can solve problems with slow internet, which is often mistaken for system brakes.
Although direct cleaning DNS-Android cache via PC requires root rights or specific ADB-commands, you can reset network settings using ADB This removes stored Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth and mobile network settings, returning them to factory settings.
The command to reset network settings looks like this:
adb shell settings reset wifi
adb shell settings reset bluetoothThis is useful if the smartphone has memorized many faulty network configurations, and after the procedure, the device will work with the network from scratch, which often eliminates the background processes of constant attempts to connect, planting the battery.
⚠️ Note: Resetting network settings will delete all saved Wi-Fi passwords. Make sure you remember the password from your home network or have the ability to read it. QR-code from the router before performing this operation.
Preventing and maintaining cleanliness of the system
Once cleaned successfully, it is important to follow certain operating rules so that garbage does not accumulate at the same rate, regular maintenance is more important than one-time radical measures.
Set a rule: once a month, connect your phone to your PC to back up photos and delete old files. Don't store files on your device that aren't in use right now. Cloud storage is the best friend of free space.
- 🚫 Turn off autoboot: In the app settings, turn off autoruns for heavy programs you rarely use.
- 📉 Background Process Limit: In the developer menu, you can limit the number of background processes, which will reduce the load on RAM.
- 🗑️ Clean Update Cache: After updating your system or applications manually delete update files from your download folder.
Compliance with these simple guidelines will allow your Xiaomi to work quickly and consistently throughout its lifespan.The computer remains the most powerful tool in the user's arsenal for deep diagnostics and cleaning.
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Regular cleaning through the PC every 3-4 months is more effective than daily use of built-in “accelerators”, which often consume the resources of the system.