How to see how much memory is left on the Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Xiaomi’s mobile devices, which are powered by MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, are famous for their functionality, but even the most powerful smartphones are beginning to lack internal space. Users are often confronted with notifications of space shortages, which leads to the inability to install app updates, take new pictures or download important files. Understanding how to effectively manage device resources becomes a critical skill for every gadget owner.

In this article, we will take a look at all available methods of checking free space, from standard system utilities to advanced methods of analysis through the computer. You will learn to distinguish system files from user garbage and understand what data can be safely deleted without harming the operating system.

Use of the Standard Security Application

The fastest and most affordable way to find out how much free space your Xiaomi has left is to use the built-in system application Security. It is pre-installed on all devices of the brand and provides comprehensive information about the state of storage without the need to install third-party software. Run the application, and on the home screen you will see a pie chart or percentage of occupied and free space.

Clicking on the Cleanup button on the same menu will take you to a more detailed section where the system will prompt you to delete cache, ad files and remnants of deleted applications. This is the first step to take if you have space shortage problems, as it allows you to instantly free up several gigabytes. It is important to note that MIUI algorithms are smart enough to not suggest removing systemically important files during a standard cleanup.

• 📱 Open the Security app (green icon with shield).
• 📊 Click on the Cleanup section for analysis of junk files.
• 🗑️ Use the Clear button to delete temporary data.
• 📂 Go to the Management section to work with large files.

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The Security app is the primary monitoring tool that should be the first on your list of actions when space is scarce.

Verification through storage settings

A deeper analysis is available through the standard Android settings menu, which is customized in Xiaomi shells to the user's needs. To get there, you need to go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here are detailed statistics, distributed by category: applications, images, video, audio, etc. This approach allows you to visually assess which type of content occupies the lion's share of memory.

Unlike quick cleaning, this section shows the real file structure. You can see that, for example, messengers take up 20 GB, even though you hardly use them, or that the Download folder is full of APK installation files. The storage analytics in this menu is real-time, so the data is updated instantly after any file is deleted or downloaded.

⚠️ Note: The storage section does not display hidden system partitions reserved for Android and system recovery. Therefore, the amount of free and occupied space may differ slightly from the declared amount of memory when buying.

For users who are used to the classic interface, this method is the most informative: it allows you to go directly to the folder with heavy files in one click, which saves time on the search, and you can also sort applications by size and decide to remove those that are rarely used.

Memory analysis through file manager

The standard Explorer (File Manager) on Xiaomi smartphones has powerful tools for manual content analysis. Going to the Analysis section or just opening the root folder of the internal drive, you can estimate the size of directories yourself. This method requires more care, but gives you complete control over the file system.

Special attention should be paid to DCIM (camera photos and videos), MIUI (screenshots and voice recorder) and Download. Often this is where gigabytes of forgotten files accumulate. Using the size sorting function, you can quickly identify heavyweights and delete them. For advanced users, you can display hidden files, which allows you to see the cache of some applications.

• 📁 Launch the Explorer app.
• 🔍 Select file sorting by size (from large to small).
• 🗑️ Manually delete unnecessary videos or archives.
• 📦 Check the folder. Android/data play-off.

Comparison of memory in different versions of MIUI and HyperOS

The interface and availability of memory management features can vary significantly depending on the operating system version. In newer HyperOS devices, data visualization has become more graphical and understandable, whereas in older versions of MIUI (e.g. MIUI 11 or 12), information could be presented in a more textual format.

Below is a table that shows the key differences in how memory information is displayed across different firmware versions, which will help users of old and newer models understand what to expect from the interface.

The transition to HyperOS has brought not only a new design, but also more aggressive data compression and cleaning algorithms, allowing for more efficient use of available space, but the basic principles of navigation have remained the same, which makes it easier for long-time users of the brand.

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If you have upgraded to HyperOS and can not find the usual settings, use the search by settings (lamp at the top of the screen), entering the request "Memory" or "Storage".

Using a computer for detailed diagnostics

When the built-in smartphone tools can not free up space, the help comes to connect to the personal computer. USB-cable-in-file transfer mode (MTP), You can access the entire file system as a normal external disk, and this allows you to use the powerful disk analysis tools available on Windows or macOS.

For deep analysis, we recommend using specialized tools such as WinDirStat, TreeSize Free or WizTree, which build a visual disk occupancy map where each file is represented by a rectangle proportional to its weight, and you can immediately see which forgotten videos, error logs or backups take up space.

Working with files via PCs is often faster and more convenient, especially if you need to move a large amount of data (such as a photo archive) to your computer’s hard drive, and it also bypasses some of the limitations of the mobile OS that can block the removal of certain system caches directly from your phone.

⚠️ Note: When deleting files through your computer, be extremely careful. Do not delete files from system folders whose purpose you do not know, as this can lead to unstable work. MIUI or loss of application data.

Cleaning the cache of applications and messengers

One of the main reasons for fast memory filling are messengers such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber, which store all received media files in the memory of the device, over time, folders with cache can grow to tens of gigabytes, and you can check and clean this data both inside the applications themselves and through system settings.

Each app has a Data and Memory (or similar) section in its settings where you can set up automatic cache cleanup or manually delete downloaded files. For example, Telegram can set a media storage limit (e.g., 3 days or 1 week) and then delete them from the device while remaining in the cloud, an effective way to save space without losing correspondence.

• 💬 Open the settings of a specific messenger.
• 💾 Find the Data and Memory or Storage section.
• 🧹 Click Clear cache (this won't delete correspondence).
• ⏳ Set up autodelete media files.

It is also worth checking the App section in your phone settings. Once you go into the properties of a heavy app (like YouTube or Instagram), you can see the amount of cache you are using and clear it with the Clear Cache button. It is important not to confuse this button with the Wipe Data button, which will reset the app to factory settings and delete your authorization.

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Regularly cleaning the messenger cache can free up 2 to 10 GB of memory monthly, which is critical for devices with a small storage capacity.

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