Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones face a nasty situation sooner or later: the system reports a lack of space, applications stop updating, and the phone itself begins to work noticeably slower. This is a classic symptom of a crowded internal storage, where gigabytes of garbage, duplicate photos and messenger cache have accumulated, which has not been deleted for years. Memory cleaning is not just deleting unnecessary files, but a complex process of maintaining the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.
Today’s applications are becoming increasingly heavy, requiring hundreds of megabytes to install and gigabytes to work. If you don’t regularly review content, space ends up catastrophically quickly. In this article, we’ll look at not only standard methods, but deep cleaning that will help you get your device back on track without losing important data.
Many users mistakenly believe that removing a shortcut from a desktop frees up space, but it doesn't. To really free up space, you need to understand folder structure and be able to use built-in diagnostic tools. Below are proven ways that are relevant to current models, including the Note and Pro series.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The first and safest step for any Xiaomi smartphone owner is to use a regular system tool. Security is built into the firmware at the kernel level and has extended access rights that are not available to third-party programs from the Play Market. It can find the remnants of deleted applications and temporary files, which often occupy a significant amount of space.
To start a deep cleaning, open the app and select Cleanup. The system will scan and suggest removing the garbage. However, don't just do a quick cleaning. Click on the bin icon or go to the memory management section to see a detailed breakdown. It often hides large files that you forgot to download or view.
⚠️ WARNING: When using Deep Clean, read carefully what the system suggests to remove. Sometimes WhatsApp or Telegram files that you may want to save are included in the list.
If you use a navigator without the Internet, check the file list before final deletion, and using this tool at least once a week will help keep the system on track.
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Set up automatic cleanup in the Security app so that the phone deletes temporary files when the free space drops below 10%.
Storage analysis and search for large files
Oftentimes, it’s not system files that take up space, but forgotten videos, archives, or APK installation packages. The MIUI shell has a handy built-in analyzer that visualizes spaces. Go to Settings → About Phone → Memory (or Storage) to see the colored data distribution diagram.
It will show you which categories are the most space-consuming, whether they're Images, Videos, or Other Files. By clicking on a specific category, you'll be taken to a file manager that's sorted by size, and that's the best way to find the heavyweights that are hiding in the back of the folders, like old screen records or saved streams that can weigh several gigabytes.
For more detailed analysis, you can use third-party utilities such as Files by Google or Xiaomi’s built-in Explorer. sort all files by size and view the top-20 Often there are forgotten downloads from the browser or exported projects of video editors.
- 📂 Check the Download folder – there are often accumulated app installers and documents that are no longer needed.
- 🎬 Look for files with extension.mp4.mkv – High-resolution video instantly eats the space.
- 📦 Pay attention to the folders. MIUI Android – there may be error logs or update backups inside.
Clearing the messenger cache: Telegram and WhatsApp
Telegram and WhatsApp have one thing in common: they store every photo, video and document you see in your device’s memory, creating a giant cache. If you’re in multiple groups and channels, that cache can grow to 10 to 20 GB or more, which is critical for models with a basic amount of memory.
Telegram cleans up as safely and conveniently as possible. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the Cache in Memory slider. By clicking Clear cache, you will delete temporary files, but you will not lose correspondence or media, as they are stored on the server and reloaded when you view them.
WhatsApp is more complicated because it stores all media locally. To clean up, go to Settings → Data & Storage → Storage Management. You can sort chats by size and remove media from specific dialogues. It’s also helpful to disable auto-save media to the gallery so you don’t duplicate files.
⚠️ Before clearing WhatsApp cache, make sure you have a fresh backup in Google Drive if you plan to delete important documents manually through the file manager.
It is recommended to set up automatic media deletion in the settings of the apps themselves, for example, Telegram can set auto-delete the cache after 3 days or a week, which ensures that the phone will not be filled with “disposable” pictures from news channels.
☑️ Weekly cleaning of messengers
Removing duplicates and unnecessary applications
Over time, the gallery accumulates a lot of identical shots taken in serial mode, or screenshots that you will never open again. Android file system does not always see these duplicates automatically, so you will need manual intervention or the help of specialized tools. Deleting takes is a quick way to free up a few gigabytes.
Xiaomi's built-in gallery can find similar images. Open the Screenshots or Camera album, click three dots in the corner and select "Duplicate Search" (a feature available in newer versions of HyperOS). If you don't have one, you can use Google Files, which has a great copy search algorithm.
It's also worth doing an installed app audit. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Sort the list by size. You'll be surprised to find games that haven't been used in six months or heavy editors left "just in case." Deleting such programs is the most effective way to free up space.
| Type of data | Where to find | Security of removal | Approximate volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Settings → Applications | Safe (data will be retained) | 1-5 GB |
| Download folder | Conductor → Download | Requires a check-up. | 0.5-3 GB |
| Gallery basket | Albums → Deleted | Safe (if you don’t need a photo) | 1-10 GB |
| Offline maps | Yandex.Maps / Google Maps | Safe (can be downloaded again) | 2-8 GB |
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Removing unused applications gives a greater gain in free space than cleaning the cache, as it releases not only executable code, but also data libraries.
Working with cloud services and data transfer
If the internal memory of the smartphone is physically limited (for example, 64 or 128 GB), then it becomes impossible to store all photos and videos on the device. Cloud technologies come to the rescue. Xiaomi Cloud, Google Photos and Yandex Drive allow you to transfer media files to remote servers, leaving only their thumbnails on the phone.
The best link to Google Photos is to enable the "Free Space" function in the app settings, it will analyze the gallery, make sure that the photos are uploaded to the cloud, and delete them from the phone's memory, which allows you to access all the pictures over the Internet without taking up local space.
For users of the Xiaomi ecosystem, it is convenient to use synchronization with Mi Cloud. However, it is worth remembering that there is not much free space there (5 GB), so for large volumes you will have to buy a subscription or use Google One. You can also set up automatic uploading of photos to Yandex Drive, which often gives unlimited storage for photos from mobile devices.
- ☁️ Set up automatic synchronization of Camera and Screenshots folders in the cloud service.
- 🗑️ After successful synchronization, use the “Free Space” function in the cloud application.
- 📵 Turn off video downloads over the mobile network so you don’t waste traffic, leaving only Wi-Fi.
It is important to check the sync status periodically. If you delete a photo from your phone but the sync has been disabled, files may disappear from the cloud (depending on your settings). Always back up your computer before a radical clean.
What to do if the cloud is full?
Radical measures: resetting and formatting
When software methods don't help and the system says that the memory is busy, even though you've deleted everything obvious, maybe the problem is fragmentation of the file system or errors in partition tables. In this case, formatting helps. On Xiaomi smartphones, there is no way to format the internal drive without losing data, so you have to go to extreme measures.
Resetting to factory settings (Wipe Data) is a guaranteed way to clear up the memory 100%.Be sure to make a full backup before doing so via Settings → About Phone → Backup and Restore. Save the backup to your computer or external drive.
Once reset, the phone will be like new. Don't rush to restore all the applications from backup, because you can also return the accumulated garbage. You'd better set the phone as new by installing only the necessary programs. This will ensure maximum performance and cleanliness of the system.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting completely deletes all data, including contacts, messages and accounts. Make sure you remember the password from your Mi Account and Google account, otherwise activation of the phone after the reset will not be possible.
This measure is extreme and recommended no more than once a year or when selling a device. For daily use, regular prevention, described in the previous sections, is sufficient. Remember that the UFS file system used in modern Xiaomi works faster when it is no more than 80-85% full.