How to see the memory status on Xiaomi Redmi 9: a complete guide with pictures and tips

Xiaomi Redmi 9 is one of the most popular budget smartphones, but its internal memory (32/64/128 GB depending on the version) tends to get clogged over time. Garbage files, app cache, duplicate photos and unoptimized settings can eat up precious gigabytes, slowing down the device. In this article, you will learn how to check the memory status on Redmi 9 in all available ways, from standard MIUI tools to professional utilities.

We’ll not only look at basic methods (like Settings → Storage), but also hidden features that most users don’t know about, like how to look at a detailed report on occupied space broken down by file type, or how to check the health of the drive for broken sectors, and you’ll find tips for cleaning up memory and answers to frequent questions, such as why the smartphone shows less memory than the manufacturer claims.

1. Method: Standard Storage Section in MIUI

The easiest way to test memory is to use the built-in MIUI shell tools, which require no additional applications and is suitable even for beginners.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Scroll down and select the Storage section (or Memory in some versions of MIUI).
3. Wait for the system to analyze the occupied space (usually takes 5-10 seconds).

On the screen you will see a graph of memory allocation with color indication:

• 🟢 System files (usually 8-12 GB) – firmware, Android kernel and preinstalled applications.
• 🟡 Applications – installed programs and their data (cache, settings).
• 🔵 Multimedia – Photos, Videos, Music and Downloads.
• ⚪ Other files – temporary data, logs, remnants of remote applications.

Note the Free in the upper right corner, where MIUI offers to automatically delete unnecessary files (cache, temporary data, duplicates), but it is not recommended to clear the cache of system applications (for example, com.android.systemui), as this can lead to interface failures.

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If the Storage section doesn't update or shows incorrect data, restart your smartphone. Sometimes background processes block the memory scan.

2. Method: Detailed analysis through "Security"

Security (or Security in global versions of MIUI) offers a deeper memory analysis than the standard settings section, not only showing occupied space, but also helping to find hidden junk files that are not visible in the regular menu.

Instructions:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleaner (or Cleaner) tab.
3. Press Deep Clean and wait for the scan to be completed.
4. In the Warehouse section, select Memory Analysis.

Here you'll see:

• 📁 Large files (over 50MB) – videos, archives, unused files APK.
• 🗑️ Garbage files – remnants of remote applications, temporary data.
• 🔄 Duplicates – Repeated photos, documents or music.
• 📥 Downloads – files from the Download folder that are often forgotten to delete.

3. Method: Viewing memory through file manager

The integrated File Manager (or Files by Google, if you installed it) lets you manually check which files take up the most space, which is useful if you want to selectively delete unnecessary data without relying on automatic cleaning.

How to use:

1. Open the File Manager (Folder icon).
2. In the top menu, select Categories (or Analysis).
3. View the sections: Images — photos and screenshots; videos — videos, including messenger cache; audio — music, voice messages; documents — PDF, Word, Excel. APK — application installation files.

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Notice the folders:

• 📂 DCIM/Camera — photo and video.
• 📂 Download – downloads from the browser and messengers.
• 📂 Android/data — Application data (e.g. game cache).
• 📂 MIUI/Backup — System backups (can weigh several gigabytes).

Delete old screenshots|Clean the Download folder|Check the cache Telegram/WhatsApp|Find and delete duplicate photos|Remove unused items APK-file-->

Method 4: Memory check via ADB (for advanced users)

If you want the most accurate information about the state of memory, including hidden partitions and system files, you can use the tool ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting a smartphone to a computer and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Redmi 9: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on the MIUI Version until the notification “You’ve become a developer” appears. Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers and enable USB Debugging.

Connect your smartphone to your PC through USB-Cable (use the original cable for stability).

adb shell df -h

This command will show the breakdown of memory by partition (including system).

adb shell du -sh /sdcard/*

(Replace /sdcard with a path, such as /data).

Example of output of the command df -h:

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on




/dev/block/mmcblk0p53




11G   6.2G  4.8G  57% /data




/dev/block/mmcblk0p54




2.5G  1.8G  700M  72% /system

You can see that the /data partition is 57% busy and the /system partition is 72% busy (this is normal).

5. Method: Third-party applications for memory analysis

If the built-in tools MIUI It's not enough, you can use third-party utilities, they offer more visual reports, critical memory notifications, and additional features (e.g., cleaning duplicates).-3 supplant 9:

⚠️ Note: When using third-party applications to clean up memory:

• Do not give them root rights if you do not understand the risks.
• Before mass deletion of files, back up important data.
• Avoid apps with suspicious permissions (such as accessing SMS or calls).

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Applications like SD Maid can find debris that is not visible in standard MIUI tools, but they should be used with caution – improper cleaning of system files can lead to failures.

Method: Memory health check (for errors)

If your Redmi 9 has started to slow down, spontaneously restart or show errors when writing files, it may be a problem in the physical state of the drive.

How to check:

1. Install the A1 SD Bench app from Google Play.
2. Run the Random Write and Random Read test.
3. Compare the results with the averages for eMMC 5.1 (Redmi 9 type of memory): 📊 Recording (Write): 80-120 MB/s. 📊 Reading (Read): 150–200 MB/s.

If the speed is 30-40% lower, this may indicate memory wear.

For a more in-depth diagnosis:

• 🛠️ Use DiskInfo (shows) SMART-status, if maintained).
• 🔧 Connect your smartphone to your PC and check the memory through CrystalDiskInfo (root required).

7.Why does Redmi 9 show less memory than claimed?

Many users notice that Redmi 9 with 64 GB of memory is only available ~53-55 GB. This is normal, and here’s why:

• 📱 System Files: Firmware MIUI Android is 8-12 GB.
• 📁 Hidden sections: /boot, /recovery, /vendor etc. (3–5 GB).
• 🔄 Formatting: Manufacturers specify capacity in decimal gigabytes (1 GB) = 1,000,000 bytes, whereas the system uses binary (1 GiB) = 1,073,741,824 bytes. The difference is ~7%.
• 🛡️ Reserve space: Xiaomi highlights ~1 GB for updates and service needs.

To check the exact memory allocation, use the adb shell parted command.

Model: MMC BJNB4R (sd/mmc)




Disk /dev/block/mmcblk0: 64.0GB




Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B




Partition Table: gpt




Number  Start   End     Size    File system  Name




1      8192B   8388607B  8380416B               modem




2      12582912B 20971519B  8388608B               sbl1




...




53     12.5GB  58.7GB  46.2GB  ext4         userdata

Here you can see that the userdata partition (user data) takes 46.2 GB out of 64 GB.

8 How to Free Memory on Redmi 9:5 Working Ways

If the analysis shows that the memory is clogged, here are proven ways to release it without losing important data:

1. Cleaning the app cache: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management. Select an app (like YouTube or Facebook) and click Clear cache. ⚠️ Warning: Do not clear data (Clear data) – this will delete settings and accounts!
2. Transfer files to memory card: Insert microSD (up to 512GB). → Select the storage to Transfer the data to SD-Note: Not all apps support map transfer.
3. Remove duplicates: Use the Files by Google or CCleaner app. Check the DCIM, Download and WhatsApp/Media folders.
4. Disable auto download in instant messengers: On WhatsApp: Settings → Storage → Autoload multimedia → turn off for mobile data. On Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot → Select Never.

Cleaning up the downloads

• Open the File Manager → Downloads.
• Remove old APKs, archives and unnecessary documents.
• Use size sorting to find the largest files.