How to see the amount of memory on Xiaomi: detailed instructions

Modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO offer users extensive opportunities for multimedia, games and work with documents, but sooner or later every owner faces a shortage of free space. A crowded drive is not just the inability to install a new application, it is a serious slowdown of the entire Android operating system. That is why the ability to quickly check the state of storage becomes a critical skill for maintaining the speed of the device.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways to monitor disk space. You will learn to distinguish between memory types, understand what exactly takes up space in your phone, and learn what system files can be deleted without harming MIUI or HyperOS. Proper control of the resources of the gadget prolongs its life and ensures comfortable use.

Before we get to specific actions, it’s important to understand the fundamental difference between the two main types of memory used in mobile device architectures, and confusion in these terms often leads to errors when trying to “clean” a phone, where a user deletes the right files but does not release a critical resource.

Differences between operational and embedded memory

The first thing to decide on is the type of resource you're interested in. Xiaomi smartphones, like any other technology, have two fundamentally different types of memory, each of which performs its unique function in the operation of the processor and operating system.

RAM is a fast storage device that temporarily hosts data from running applications and active processes. It only works when the phone is turned on and clears when it is rebooted. The larger the RAM, the more applications can run in the background without having to reboot when switching between them.

Embedded memory (ROM/PZU) is a permanent storage, the equivalent of a hard drive in a computer, and it's where the Android operating system, the MIUI shell, your photos, videos, music, and installed apps are located, and it's the parameter that users most often care about when they ask how to view memory on Xiaomi, because it has the ability to fill and end.

There is also the concept of virtual memory expansion, which is being actively introduced into new models of the brand, which allows you to reserve part of the permanent storage for the needs of RAM, which should theoretically improve multitasking, although at a lower speed than physical RAM.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse these concepts when buying memory cards. microSD cards extend only built-in storage (PZU) for files, but do not increase the amount of RAM in any way (RAM), which determines the speed of the interface.

Memory check through standard settings

The most reliable and accurate way to know how much space is left on your device is to use the built-in system interface, which works equally well on older versions of MIUI and the latest HyperOS, providing detailed statistics without the need to install third-party software.

To get information, you need to go to the main settings menu. Usually, the gear icon is located in the top corner of the screen or in the Tools folder, depending on the desktop style you use. The interface may vary slightly on different models, but the navigation logic is consistent across the entire brand ecosystem.

• 📱 Open the Settings app and find the About Phone section at the bottom of the list or at the top of the menu depending on the firmware version.
• 💾 Select "Memory" or "Storage" where the visual scale of internal storage will be displayed.
• 🔍 Click on a specific category (such as “Applications” or “Images”) to see the detail on the amount of workload you are taking.

In the menu that opens, you'll see a color diagram that shows the distribution of space, and the blue is usually for apps, the green is for media, and the gray is for system data, and you can instantly see what's eating up your free space.

⚠️ Note: If you see that the "Other" section is an abnormally large volume (more than the "Other" section). 10-15 GB), this may indicate the accumulation of cache of remote applications or errors in the file system that require attention.

Use of the "Security" application

Xiaomi is preinstalling a powerful system combine called Security on its devices, not just an antivirus, but a comprehensive maintenance tool that includes a convenient and functional memory analyzer.

Run the green shield icon app, which is the default in the Tools folder on your desktop. In the main menu, select the Clean button. The system will automatically scan and show you the amount of junk files that can be removed safely.

However, for in-depth analysis, click on the Garbage icon or go to the Management section inside the application, which provides more detailed information, broken down into categories: large files, rarely used applications, APK installation packages and duplicates.

Unlike standard Android cleaning, Xiaomi’s tool allows you to delete temporary files from Telegram or Viber without affecting important correspondence and contacts, which saves gigabytes of space.

Analysis through Explorer and Hidden Partitions

The standard File Manager Explorer also provides analysis tools that often go unnoticed, and unlike the settings, here you see the real folder structure and you can manually estimate the size of specific directories.

Open the Explorer app and go to the Analyzer category (or click three dots in the corner and select Storage Analysis). The system will plot where the heaviest elements will be the largest files and folders on your device.

This is especially useful for finding “forgotten” files: for example, you could download a high-resolution movie a few months ago or save a backup of chats, which now weigh several gigabytes.

Also worth mentioning are hidden partitions that take up space but are not visible to the user when viewed normally, such as Recovery, modem and various system logs, which are fixed and spelled out at the (factory) and do not require the average user to interfere with their work.

Expanding Memory with MicroSD Cards

Not all Xiaomi models have a memory card slot, but if your smartphone supports this feature, it’s a great way to increase the amount of file space available.

Modern versions of Android and MIUI They often don't allow the applications to be transferred to the memory card, using it only as file storage (photos, videos, documents), this is done to ensure stability of work, since the speed of reading from the memory card is very high. SD-The card is lower than the internal memory.

When choosing a memory card, look for a Class 10 or U1/U3 label. Using slow cards can cause the camera to write jerky videos and the gallery to take a long time to upload preview photos.

Once the card is installed, the system will suggest formatting it. Choose the "Use as a portable storage" option if you plan to move the card to other devices. Adoptable Storage formatting on Xiaomi is often hidden or unstable, so it's better not to take risks.

Cleaning the system and optimizing the space

Once you've figured out where the space is, there's an optimization phase, and simply deleting files isn't always the best solution, and there are more efficient ways to free up space that don't require deleting important data.

First of all, look at the shopping cart in the gallery and in the Files app. Deleted photos and documents are often stored there for another 30 days, continuing to take up space. Cleaning the cart is an instant way to get back a few gigabytes.

• 🗑️ Check the Download folder in the Explorer – old documents and installers often accumulate there.
• 💬 In the Telegram settings go to "Data and memory" →"Memory usage" and limit cache or set up auto-delete.
• 📸 Turn off saving photos after editing if this option is active in your camera.

Also effective is removing unused apps, and in the Apps settings section, there's a filter that shows programs you haven't used in a long time, and removing them not only frees up space, but also reduces battery load.

💡

Use Google Photos (Mi Cloud) with Free Space, which automatically removes photos from your device that are already stored in the cloud, leaving them available for viewing online.

Frequent questions and memory problems

Users often experience a situation where, after cleaning, the space quickly runs out again, or the system writes "Not enough memory" even if there are free gigabytes, this may be due to the peculiarities of the file system or specific parasitic applications.

Sometimes the problem is a system failure of the memory index, which is where a simple reboot of the device that recalculates the free blocks helps, and if that doesn't work, you might need to reset to factory settings, but only after you have created a full backup.

💡

Regularly checking the storage once a month and cleaning the messenger cache is the best prevention of slowdown (slowdown) of your Xiaomi smartphone.