How to find out how much memory is occupied on Xiaomi: all ways to check

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi (or Redmi/Poco) is running out of space for new photos, apps or updates? Or just want to know where gigabytes of internal memory have gone? Checking occupied space is the first step to optimizing your device. In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can go from standard MIUI tools to hidden features for power users.

It’s important to understand that memory on Xiaomi is divided into several types: system files (which can not be deleted), user data (photos, videos, documents), app cache and junk files. Each of these segments can be analyzed separately – and we will show you how to do this without root rights and special knowledge.

If you’ve never cleared your smartphone’s memory, be prepared for surprises: sometimes “invisible” files (like Google Play Services cache or duplicate photos) take up to a few hours. 10-15 GB on devices with 64/128 GB of storage. Let's start with the simplest method, through the standard settings. MIUI.

1. Memory check through MIUI settings (the fastest way)

This method works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones regardless of the firmware version (even on the older MIUI 10-12).

To see the overall statistics from memory:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to About Phone (or About Device on New Versions).
3. Select the item Storage (or Memory).

Here you will see a pie chart with the distribution of memory by category:

• 📱 System files – firmware, Android kernel, preinstalled applications.
• 📷 Multimedia – photo, video, audio (including downloads from instant messengers).
• 📦 Applications – installed programs and their data.
• 🗑️ Garbage files – cache, temporary data, unused APK.

Click on any category to see a detailed report, for example, in the Apps section you can sort programs by size and see which ones take up the most space (often games like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile, weighing 5-10 GB).

2. Memory analysis through Xiaomi file manager

The integrated File Manager (or Files by Google, if you installed it) allows you to not only view files, but also analyze their distribution by folder, which is useful if you want to find specific “heavy” files, such as forgotten high-resolution videos or archives.

Instructions:

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. In the bottom menu, select the Analysis tab (or Storage → Memory Analysis).
3. Wait until the scan is completed (it can take 1-2 minutes on the full devices).

After analysis, you will get:

• 📂 List of folders sorted by size (e.g, DCIM For photo, Downloads for downloads).
• 🔍 Filtering by file type (video, images, documents).
• 🗑️ Clean button to remove unnecessary files directly from the interface.

Note the Android/data folder, where app data is stored (such as downloaded maps to Google Maps or game cache) and manually deleting files from here is not recommended, but you can see which programs take up the most space.

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If the file manager does not have the Analyze tab, update the application via Google Play or install an alternative manager, such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer.

3.Use of the Cleaning Tool in MIUI

MIUI has a built-in tool for cleaning memory from garbage - Clean (or Security → Cleaner in English firmware) It not only shows occupied space, but also helps to free it by removing cache, temporary files and duplicates.

How to use:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleanup tab.
3. Press Deep Clean and wait for analysis.

The tool will break down the garbage into categories:

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from System Cache or Application Data without understanding the consequences. This can lead to malfunctions (for example, WhatsApp will lose chat history, and games will lose save).

Delete the app cache | Clear downloads (Download folder)|Delete duplicates photo|Elean the cart (if any)|Delete unused APK-->

4. Memory check via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t give a complete picture (for example, you suspect that the system hides some of the occupied space), you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer, but shows the exact size of all the memory partitions, including hidden system files.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Download Google’s Platform Tools and unpack the archive.
2. Turn on the smartphone Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in the settings) and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line in the adb.exe folder.
4. Enter the command: adb shell df -h

You will get a table with memory sections, for example:

Filesystem      Size    Used    Free   %Used




/dev/block/mmcblk0p5




118G    45G     73G    38%




/data           118G    45G     73G    38%




/system         5.2G    4.8G   400M    92%

Here:

• /data – User data (your files, applications).
• /system – System files (firmware).
• /cache is a recovery cache (usually empty).

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB They give you access to low-level partitions. Do not delete or modify files in the /system or /vendor — This can lead to a blink (inoperability) of the device.

5. Third-party applications for memory analysis

If the built-in MIUI tools seem inadequate, third-party utilities can be used, often offering more detailed analysis and additional features (such as searching for duplicates or compressing photos).

Top.-3 apps:

• 📊 DiskUsage – visualizes occupied space as an interactive map (even shows hidden files).
• 🔍 Files by Google – simple analysis with garbage and duplicate cleaning function.
• 🛠️ SD Maid is an advanced tool for cleaning system cache and databases (requires root for full functionality).

Example of working with DiskUsage:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Start the scan (may take a few minutes).
3. Click on the large blocks on the map to see which files occupy them.

⚠️ Attention: Some applications (e.g, SD Maids require root rights to clean up system files completely; without root, they will only show user data; and be careful about "optimizers" from unknown developers - they may contain ads or malicious code.

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The application side is useful for detailed analysis, but does not replace the built-in MIUI tools. For example, only the standard Cleanup can remove the cache of system applications without root rights.

6 How to make room when the memory is full

If the analysis shows that memory is critically lacking, here are proven ways to free up space (from the safest to the more radical):

Safe methods (do not require root):

• 📸 Move your photos/video to the cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud) and delete local copies.
• 🎮 Remove the game cache through Settings → Annexes → [Game] → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 📥 Clear the Download folder (downloads from the browser and messengers).
• 🗑️ Use the built-in cleaning (see Section 3).

Advanced methods (require caution):

• 🔄 Move the applications to SD-map (if supported). Go to Settings for this → Annexes → [Annex] → Warehouse → Change. → SD-map.
• 🧹 Delete application data (such as offline maps in Google Maps or downloaded music in Spotify).
• 🔧 Disable pre-installed applications (bloatware) through ADB: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.weather2 (substitute com.miui.weather2 packet).

⚠️ Note: Do not use the commands adb shell pm uninstall for system applications (e.g. com.android.phone).This can disrupt the phone.For a full list of safe to remove packages for your Xiaomi model, look at the forums XDA Developers or 4PDA.

7. Frequent questions about memory on Xiaomi