How to Clean Xiaomi Phone Properly: A Guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones sooner or later face slowdowns in the interface, lack of free space or strange behavior of applications. This is a natural process of accumulation of system “garbage” that is formed as a result of active use of the gadget. The operating system MIUI or HyperOS over time acquires temporary files, remnants of remote programs and duplicates.

Proper cleaning of the device not only frees up valuable space, but also prolongs battery life, reducing the load on the processor. Many users make the mistake of deleting important system files or using questionable cleaner applications that can harm the stability of work. In this guide, we will discuss proven and safe ways to get your smartphone in order.

Diagnosis of memory occupancy

Before we take action, we need to understand what exactly takes up storage space. MIUI-based Android provides detailed tools for analyzing disk space. Memory statistics reveal heavyweights, applications that consume gigabytes of data, often without the user's knowledge.

Go to the settings and find the storage section, and you'll see a color diagram that highlights photos, videos, apps and system files in different shades, and the most common is the messaging cache (Telegram, WhatsApp) and uploaded videos from streaming services, and analyzing that information will help you plan for further actions and avoid deleting the extra ones.

Note the Other category, which often includes update files, remnants of deleted programs, or corrupted downloads, and if this partition has grown to an unimaginable size, it is a signal to deep-clean or check for system errors.

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Memory for viewing general statistics.
• 🔍 Use the built-in analyzer to find large files.
• 📂 Check the Download folder for forgotten installers.
• 📸 Evaluate the volume of the media library in the app "Gallery».

Don’t ignore regular occupancy monitoring: If the vacant space is less than 10% of the total, the system may start to work unstable and new applications will stop being installed.

Use of the built-in Security application

The easiest and safest way to delete temporary files is to use the standard Security tool, which is pre-installed on all devices of the brand. This application was developed by Xiaomi engineers specifically to optimize the operation of the MIUI and HyperOS shell.

Run the program and click on the Clean button. The system automatically scans the device for cache, residual files and advertising. The tool's algorithm is smart enough not to touch the user's important data, but effectively vacate space. After scanning, you'll see a list of found objects that can be safely removed.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use Accelerate too often. Constant forced process unloading from RAM can lead to faster battery discharge, as the system will have to restart background services.

The Cleanup section also has a deep cleaning feature that allows you to analyze the contents of application folders, find duplicate photos and large files that you may have forgotten to delete, and be careful when using this option: read file names carefully so that important documents do not accidentally erase.

• 🧹 Press the large green button for quick cleaning.
• 📁 Use the Deep Cleaning section to analyze the content.
• 🗑️ Remove duplicate photos and screenshots through the appropriate tabs.
• 🛡️ Check the list before the final deletion.

Regular use of the built-in tool is the best way to prevent slowing down your smartphone, and just run it once a week to keep the device fast and responsive.

Cleaning the app cache manually

Some apps, especially social media and instant messengers, tend to accumulate a huge amount of cached data that is not always deleted by standard means.Cache is a temporary file that speeds up the loading of content, but over time they can take up gigabytes of space.

For manual cleaning, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Select the program you want (like YouTube or Instagram) and find Memory. Here you will see two buttons: Clear cache and Clear all. The first one deletes only temporary files, the second one resets the application to the state immediately after installation, removing logins and settings.

Path to manually clean: Settings → Applications → [Select App] → Memory → Clear the cache

Pay special attention to messengers like Telegram. Inside the app itself, there is a section called Settings. → Data and memory → Memory usage: Not only can you clear the cache, but you can also set up automatic deletion of media files after a certain time, and this is a very useful feature for saving space.

• 📲 Clean the cache of heavy applications (social networks, navigators) regularly.
• ⚙️ Set up autocleaning cache inside Telegram and WhatsApp.
• 🚫 Don’t confuse cache cleaning with deleting all data.
• 💾 Make backups before resetting your application settings.

Manual cache cleaning is a point method that helps solve problems with a specific “heavy” application without affecting the operation of the entire system.

Removal of duplicates and large files

Over the years of use, many copies of the same files accumulate in the memory of a smartphone, which can be screenshots saved from chat images or videos taken several times in a row, duplicates take up space that could be used for new photos or games.

The MIUI file manager or Explorer is built-in, and there are specialized utilities that scan the storage by checksums, even for copies that have different names. Always open the file to view before you delete it to make sure it's not really needed.

APK installation files are worth special attention. Once you install any application from a browser or third-party source, the installation file remains in the download pack. They are no longer needed and take up space. Check the Download folder regularly and delete all files with the.apk extension.

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Tip: Set up Google Photos’ “Free Space” feature that automatically deletes photos and videos that are already stored in your Google cloud account, freeing up local memory without the risk of data loss.

Large video files are also often forgotten by users.Use file size sorting in Explorer to quickly find and remove forgotten high-resolution videos that can weigh several gigabytes.

Removal of unused applications

Every application you install, even if you don't use it, takes up space and can consume resources in the background. MIUI has a built-in feature that shows when you last opened a program. It's a great tool for detecting ballast.

Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Sort the list by usage frequency or look at the date of the last launch. If you haven't opened a game or utility in a few months, you probably don't need it. Deleting such programs is the most effective way to free up space.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful when removing system applications marked with a robot icon or located in the Tools folder. Removing critical system components can cause a phone to malfunction or loss of functionality (e.g., a phone book or network settings will disappear).

For advanced users, it is possible to remove the system "bloatware" (advertising and unnecessary pre-installed applications) through the computer and ADB. However, this method requires caution. If you are not sure about the purpose of the package, it is better to simply disable it in the settings, hiding it from the desktop.

• 📉 Remove apps that haven’t been used for more than 3 months.
• 🔍 Use size sorting to find heavy programs.
• 🚫 Disable system applications instead of uninstalling if in doubt.
• 📦 Check the Recycle Bin folder in Google Play after deleting.

Regular revision of installed software helps keep the system clean and improves the overall performance of the device.

Cleaning through Recovery Mode (for advanced)

If the phone isn't working properly or you're planning to sell the device, you may need to clean it completely through Recovery Mode, which removes all data, returning the phone to factory settings, a radical but effective way to clean up any software bugs.

To enter Recovery mode, turn off your phone completely. Then press the volume button and the power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power, while keeping the volume high. In the menu that appears, select the language (if available) and the Wipe Data option.

The sequence of buttons for entering Recovery:


1. Turn off the phone.




2. Clutch Volume Up + Power.




3. Wait for the Mi logo.




4. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.

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A full reset via Recovery is the only way to guarantee that all personal data is deleted before selling a phone.... Regular file deletion does not give 100% protection.

Remember, this process is irreversible. All photos, contacts and apps will be destroyed. Be sure to back up your sensitive data to your computer or the cloud before you start the procedure. Once cleaned, the phone will reboot as new.

• 🔌 Connect your phone to charge before resetting (more than 50% charge required).
• ☁️ Make a backup data in Mi Cloud or on PC.
• 🔑 Remember the password from the Mi-account, it will be required after the reset.
• ⏳ The cleaning process takes 5 to 15 minutes.

Use this method only in extreme cases when software cleaning through settings does not help to fix memory or speed problems.