Why Check Memory on Xiaomi and When to Check It
RAM is the brain of your Xiaomi smartphone, which is responsible for app speed and multitasking. If your phone starts to slow down, shut programs spontaneously, or overheat, the problem may be a malfunction of the RAM or overload. But how do you tell a hardware glitch from a software clog?
In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to check RAM on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones β from standard MIUI tools to professional error tests.
- π Check the current RAM load and identify βgluttonousβ applications;
- π οΈ Perform diagnostics for hardware errors without ROOT;
- π Analyze the history of memory use for the week;
- π Optimize RAM to Speed Up Your Phone.
Important: The methods are suitable for all modern models, from the Xiaomi 13 Pro to the budget Redmi Note 12. If you have a device older than 2018 (for example, Xiaomi Mi A1 or Redmi 4X), some features may be missing due to the outdated version of MIUI.
Method 1: Standard memory monitor in MIUI
The easiest way to assess RAM status is to use the built-in Security tool (formerly Optimization) that shows the current memory load, a list of active processes, and allows you to manually free up resources.
How to open it:
- Go to Settings β About Phone β Memory (or Settings β Applications β Application Management β Memory on older versions of MIUI).
- Click on the RAM tab (or RAM).
- The system will display a schedule of use and a list of applications that consume the most resources.
What to do if your memory is 90%+ loaded:
- π± Close unnecessary applications manually (clean button in upper right corner).
- π Reboot the phone β it will reset the cache and free up βhangβ processes.
- βοΈ Turn off auto-run for unnecessary programs in Settings β Annexes β Autostart control.
π‘
If you see unknown apps (e.g. com.android.XXXX) on the list of active processes, check your phone for viruses using Google Play Protect or Malwarebytes.
β οΈ Attention: B MIUI 14 and later, the manual cleaning function of RAM may be hidden. To return it, activate the developer mode and turn on the option to Show the memory clean button in Settings β Additionally. β Special facilities.
Method 2: Diagnostics through the engineering menu (#4636##)
The hidden engineering menu allows you to get advanced information about the state of RAM, including free memory, swap used and even the number of errors (if any) β this method works on all Xiaomi phones without ROOT.
Instructions:
- Open the Phone app and enter the code ##4636##.
- In the menu that appears, select the tab βPhone Informationβ.
- Scroll down to the Memory block. Here you will see: MemTotal is the total amount of RAM; MemFree is free memory; Buffers/Cached is the memory occupied by the cache; SwapTotal/SwapFree is the state of the paging file (if used).
Normal performance for Xiaomi with 6-8 GB of RAM:
| Parameter | Optimal value | Critical significance |
|---|---|---|
| MemFree | 1β1.5 GB (in idle) | < 300 MB |
| Buffers/Cached | Up to 50% from MemTotal | > 70% |
| SwapUsed | 0 MB (swap should not be used) | > 500 MB |
If SwapUsed is above 0, it means that the system is forced to use a paging file (virtual memory on the drive), which critically slows down the phone and may indicate a malfunction of the physical RAM modules or overloading the system.
What is swap on Android?
Method 3: RAM Error Test through ADB (without ROOT)
If you suspect a hardware failure (e.g., a phone spontaneously restarts or crashes into a fastboot), you can check RAM for errors using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that does not require superuser rights, but requires a computer.
Step-by-step:
- Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
- Turn on USB debugging on your phone: Go to Settings β About Phone; Click 7 times on MIUI Version to activate Developer Mode; Go back to Settings β Additional β For Developers and turn on USB Debugging.
command-line
terminal
adb shell
su -c "echo 1 > /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space" # Disable ASLR for precision test
su -c "memtester 500M 1"Here 500M is the amount of memory tested (specify no more than 50% of the total RAM), and 1 is the number of passes.
Test results:
- β Β«OKΒ» β No errors found;
- β Β«FAILΒ» β Memory cells found (repair required).
β οΈ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g, POCO F5 or Redmi K60) The memtester command may not work due to the limitations of the kernel, in which case use the alternative: adb shell dumpsys meminfo Look in the output line with "Native Heap" or "Out of memory" - they indicate memory leaks.
Battery charge > 50%|Debugging by USB included|Drivers. ADB fixed|The phone is connected by the original cable|All background applications closed-->
Method 4: Applications for monitoring RAM
If you need constant diagnostics or visualization of memory usage, install one of the specialized applications. We tested 5 popular utilities and selected the best ones for Xiaomi:
| Annex | Functions | Pluses | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| DevCheck | Shows detailed information about RAM, including frequency and type (LPDDR4X/LPDDR5) | No advertising, supports MIUI | No error test. |
| Simple System Monitor | Real-time RAM usage schedules, overload alerts | Main screen widget | Interface in English |
| CPU Monitor | Monitoring RAM + communication with processor load | Shows "leakage" of memory | Paid version for advanced functions |
How to use DevCheck for diagnosis:
- Install the app from Google Play.
- Open the "Memory" tab.
- Pay attention to this: π Total RAM β totality; π Used/Cached β memory; β‘ RAM Type - type of memory (for example, LPDDR5 Xiaomi 14).
If you see the value of Hardware β RAM: Unknown in the Memory section, it may indicate:
- π§ Unofficial firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU);
- π οΈ Hardware failure of the memory controller;
- π± Phone counterfeit (found on fake Redmis from unofficial stores).
π‘
RAM monitoring applications cannot detect physical memory defects, but they help to track software leaks and optimize background processes.
Method 5: Test RAM through Recovery Mode (for experienced)
If the phone is not turning on or is constantly restarting, you can try checking RAM through Recovery mode, which is suitable for devices with an unlocked bootloader or custom recavator (TWRP).
Instructions for TWRP:
- Turn off the phone.
- Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery Mode.
- Select "AdvancedΒ» β Β«Terminal CommandΒ».
- Enter the command: free -m It will show the state of memory even on a broken system.
- For the error test, use memtester 256M1 (where 256M is the amount of memory being tested).
If you see the free-m command output:
- Mem: 0 is a critical error of the memory controller.
- βSwap: 0β but the phone is slowing down β the problem is the firmware;
- βBuffers: 100%β is a memory leak due to drivers.
β οΈ Note: On Xiaomi phones with a locked bootloader (most official devices), entering the custom recavery will result in a data reset due to the Mi Anti-Rollback trigger. Use this method only if you are ready for loss of information!
How to Optimize RAM Use on Xiaomi
If the check showed that the memory is fine, but the phone is still slowing down, try these optimization methods:
- π Turn off animation: Activate Developer Mode (see Method 2). Go to Settings β Additionally. β For developers, set "Window animation scale," "Transition animation scale," and "Duration of animator" to "Off." or Β«0.5xΒ».
- ποΈ Clear the cache. MIUI: Settings β Memory. β Clear cache (not to be confused with data cleanup applications!)
- π« Stop Auto-Run Unnecessary Applications: Settings β Annexes β Autorun Control Disable Autorun for Social Networks, Messengers and Games.
- π Activate Performance Mode: Settings β Battery and productivity β Performance mode (Available on Xiaomi) 12/13/14 and flagships of Redmi K).