Owners of Xiaomi smartphones sooner or later face a lack of free space or slowdown of the MIUI interface. The main cause of these problems is often accumulated system debris and temporary application files that take up gigabytes of memory. Understanding how to view the cache on Xiaomi, allows not only to free up space, but also significantly speed up the launch of programs.
Many users confuse the concepts of โcacheโ and โapp dataโ, which can lead to the accidental removal of important information such as logins, passwords or saves in games. It is important to clearly distinguish between temporary files that can be safely deleted and user data that requires backup. In this article, we will discuss all available methods for analyzing storage, from standard system tools to advanced tools for power users.
The Android operating system in the MIUI shell has a complex structure of storing temporary files, some of which are hidden from the eyes of the average user, others are easily accessible through settings, and we will look at where these files are hiding and what tools are best suited to securely delete them without losing the functionality of the device.
What is Cache and Why to Control It
Cache is a memory area designed to store intermediate data that can be quickly reused. When you launch an application for the first time, it loads the necessary resources, such as images, scripts and interface elements, saving them to cache. When you restart, the program accesses these local files, which significantly speeds up work and reduces traffic consumption.
But uncontrolled cache growth can backfire, with files corrupting, conflicting with new versions of programs, or simply taking up critical space on the internal drive, especially for models with little internal storage, where every gigabyte counts.
Control of the cache is necessary not only to free up space, but also to eliminate software errors. If an application is not working correctly, freezes or crashes, cleaning its cache is often the first step in diagnosing the problem, which allows you to reset the time settings and start the program from scratch.
โ ๏ธ Caution: Clearing the cache does not delete your personal data, accounts or game progress.However, cleaning the app's Data completely resets its state to factory-based.
MIUI automatically manages some temporary files, but this mechanism is not always effective. Algorithms may find some files important, although they have not been used for a long time, so manual control remains the most reliable way to maintain order in the file system of your smartphone.
Use of the standard "Security" application
The easiest and safest way to look and clear the cache on Xiaomi is to use the built-in system application, which is pre-installed on all devices of the brand and optimized for working with the MIUI shell.
To get started, you need to find an icon on your desktop called Security or Security. Inside the app, we're interested in the Cleanup section, which is usually represented by the broom icon, and the system will run a quick scan and show you how much garbage you can remove.
โ๏ธ Verification by standard means
After the initial analysis, the system will suggest that you delete the temporary files, but for a more detailed view, click on the Clean button and then go to the Applications or Big Files section, and here you will see a list of the programs that take up the most space.
If you select a particular application, you'll be taken to the memory management menu, and it's important not to confuse the Clear Cache button with Clear Everything (or Clear Data) buttons, and the first one is secure, the second one will delete all settings and authorizations.
- ๐ฑ Click on the desktop security application icon.
- ๐งน Select the Cleanup item and wait for the analysis to be completed.
- ๐ Click on the Application section for detailed memory viewing.
- ๐๏ธ Select the desired program and click Clear Cache.
Using a regular cleaner ensures that systemically important files are not damaged. Unlike third-party utilities, the built-in tool knows the structure of MIUI and does not touch the files necessary for the system to work properly.
Analysis of the storage through system settings
A deeper analysis of the space you occupy can be done through the standard Android settings menu, which allows you to see the overall picture of memory occupancy and identify heavyweights among the installed programs.
To get into this section, open Settings and look for About Phone or Advanced Settings, depending on the version of MIUI. We are interested in Storage or Memory. The system will plot the space allocation between applications, images, videos and system files.
| Type of data | Description | Can be removed |
|---|---|---|
| Annexes | Established programmes and their data | Only through removal. |
| Cash. | Temporary application files | Safe. |
| System files | Operating system files | Forbidden. |
| Others. | Files without category or unknown type | Only after analysis |
In the Memory section, you can often see the "Other" or System Data item, which is a significant amount of space, and it can hide error logs, remnants of remote applications, or cache of system services, and direct access to these is limited by superuser rights.