How to see the amount of memory on Xiaomi: a detailed guide

Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face situations where the manufacturer’s declared storage volume does not match the numbers in the settings, which can cause confusion or suspicion of a malfunction of the device. In fact, the difference between the box marking and system indicators is due to the peculiarities of the Android operating system and the MIUI shell or HyperOS.

System files, pre-installed apps, and service partitions take up a significant amount of space before you even turn on your phone. Understanding how to view Xiaomi’s memory in detail will help you manage files efficiently, avoid overflowing storage, and speed up your gadget. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the diagnostic techniques available, from simple settings to deep analysis through an engineering menu.

It is also important to distinguish between two main types of memory: RAM and embedded memory (ROM), the first is responsible for multitasking and speed of running applications, and the second stores your photos, videos, games and the operating system itself. The actual amount of memory available to the user is always less than claimed due to the translation of binary number system to decimal by system files. Let's figure out where to look for exact numbers.

Checking through the standard settings menu

The most obvious and safest way to know the current state of storage is to use the built-in interface. The path to information may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same for all models of the brand. You need to open the Settings app and scroll down to the About Phone section.

This is where you get the basic information about the model, the Android version, and the storage capacity. However, the standard screen often only shows the total number, like "128 GB," without detailing how many are free. To get the detailed statistics, you click on the Storage or Memory bar, which is usually right below the firmware version.

In the menu that opens, the system will provide a visualized space allocation graph, and you'll see how much apps, images, videos, audio files and other garbage are taking up, and that's the first step to optimizing if your smartphone is slowing down.

• 📱 Open Settings on the home screen or in the notification curtain.
• 📉 Go to the About Phone section for a general summary.
• 💾 Click on the Warehouse item for detailed analysis.
• 🧹 Use the built-in Cleanup button to delete temporary files.

Note that new versions of HyperOS may have slightly different interfaces, but the key terms remain the same. If you can't find "Storage", search the settings by typing in "memory" and that saves time and redirects you to the right part of the system.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete system files through the file manager unless you are sure of their purpose. MIUI or cyclic reboot of the device.

Analysis of RAM (RAM) and running processes

If internal memory is responsible for storing data, then RAM (RAM) is critical for performance. On Xiaomi smartphones with a MIUI shell, there is a convenient way to see how much RAM is free right now, opening the menu of running applications by swiping from the bottom up and holding your finger (or pressing the menu button if it is on).

At the top of the running task list, information like “2.5 GB of 6 GB is available” is often displayed. By clicking on this indicator, you can force the background processes to clear up, freeing up resources for heavy play or resource-intensive applications, which is especially true for models with RAM up to 4-6 GB.

For a deeper analysis, you can turn on the developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly click on the build number seven times (MIUI Version). Once the notification "You became a developer" comes back to the settings menu and select "Additional → For developers." There, find the Memory item, which will show the average RAM use in 3 hours, 6 hours or a day.

Analysis of RAM usage helps to identify resource-eating applications, and if you see a service that is constantly consuming a lot of memory, it might be worth reinstalling or limiting its background activity, which is an easy way to extend the life of the battery and speed up the interface response.

• 🚀 Swipe from the bottom up to open the menu of recent apps.
• 👆 Click on the memory indicator at the top of the screen to clean up.
• ⚙️ Enable Developer Mode for Detailed Statistics.
• 📊 Keep track of average consumption in the last 24 hours.

⚠️ Warning: Permanent forced cleaning of RAM can negatively affect autonomy, as the system will have to restart stopped services.

Engineering menus and hidden codes for diagnostics

For users who need technical details that are not available in a normal interface, there is an engineering menu. It is a powerful diagnostic tool built into Xiaomi firmware. To get there, open the Phone app and enter a special combination of characters.

The most universal code for memory testing and component testing is ##6484##. Once the last characters are entered, the menu will open automatically, you can check the sensor, vibration, speakers, and see the technical information about the drive.

##6484##

Another useful code is ##4636##. It opens the testing menu, where you can see detailed information about the operation of the device in the Usage Statistics section, although some global firmware versions may block this code from the manufacturer.

Using the engineering menu is safe as long as you don't change anything about the radio settings or screen calibration. Just viewing the information won't hurt the device. However, be careful with Clear eMMC or similar buttons, as they can erase all data.

• 📞 Open a standard Xiaomi call.
• 🔢 Enter the code ##6484## to enter the CIT.
• 🔍 Select the Version Information section for details.
• 🛑 Do not change your settings if you do not know their purpose.

Use of third-party applications for analysis

Android hardware sometimes hides the real structure of the file system, and to get the most accurate information about what is occupied, it is better to use specialized software, the leader in this field is the application CPU-Z or AIDA64.

After installing the CPU-Z, go to the Device tab, where you will see the exact CPU name, screen resolution, and, importantly, the actual amount of memory available, the System tab will show core and frequency information, as well as general operating system information.

DiskUsage or Files by Google is the perfect tool for analyzing disk occupancy, and they build a visual memory card that is squared in proportion to the size of the files, and it allows you to instantly find forgotten videos in 4K or messenger cache that can take up tens of gigabytes.

The advantage of third-party applications is that they show information in a binary number system that the computer understands and translate it for the user, which helps to understand where the "missing" gigabytes went.

Why is the actual amount less than the stated

A frequent question from users: “Where did you go?” 20 GB 128 GB? "" The answer lies in the difference in number systems. Manufacturers label drives using decimal systems: 1 GB = 1 000 000 000 But the Android operating system counts in binary: 1 GiB (Gigabyte in the sense of OS) = 1 024 × 1 024 × 1 024 byte (1 073 741 824 byte).

Simple math shows that the 128GB drive in the system will show up as about 119-120GB. From this volume, you subtract the space reserved for the system partition, recovery, modem and other hidden parts necessary for the smartphone to work, and the user is available about 110-112GB.

In addition, the modern shells MIUI and HyperOS themselves occupy a significant space (10-15 GB) along with a pre-installed set of Google apps and Xiaomi services.

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To free up space, regularly clean the Download folder and the messenger cache (Telegram, WhatsApp), which tend to grow to giant sizes.

Don't worry if the numbers don't match the box, but don't let the available volume drop dramatically without installing new programs, which may indicate a software failure or hidden files.

Table of conformity of the declared and real volume

For convenience, we'll give you an example table showing how much space a user actually gets after buying a device with different amounts of internal memory, which is averaged because the firmware version makes its own adjustments.

As you can see from the table, the larger the storage capacity, the more space the owner has left, although the percentage of system costs remains roughly comparable, which is something to consider when choosing a model if you plan to store a lot of media content.

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The difference of 10-15% between the declared and actual volume is an industry standard, not a defect of a particular instance of Xiaomi.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)