Not enough memory on Xiaomi: how to free up space on the phone without resetting

Why Xiaomi is constantly running out of memory and how to fix it

Owners of Xiaomi smartphones — from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra — sooner or later face a notification: “Not enough memory.” Even if you do not install new applications, the MIUI system continues to occupy free space with cache, temporary files and background processes. What is the reason?

The fact is that the Android operating system (and especially its shell from Xiaomi) aggressively reserves memory for:

• 📁 Application cache – temporary data to speed up the operation of programs (can take up to 5-10 GB!).
• 🗑️ Garbage files – remnants of remote applications, duplicate photos, unsuccessful downloads.
• 🤖 Systemic processes MIUI — shell creates backups of settings, log files and data for cloud services Xiaomi Cloud.
• 📱 Software Updates – Downloaded but not installed service packs (weigh 1–3 GB).

Also, many users don’t know that even after deleting an app, its data can remain in the phone’s memory — especially if it was installed on internal memory rather than on the phone. SD-In this article, we will discuss 7 working ways to make space on Xiaomi without losing important data – from manual cleaning to hidden functions. MIUI.

🔹 Important: If your smartphone is released before 2020 (for example, Redmi Note 8 Pro or Mi). 9T), The probability of memory shortage is higher due to the small amount of built-in storage (32-64 GB). SD-map or use of cloud storage.

1. Cleaning the application cache and system

The fastest way to free up 1 to 5 GB of memory is to remove the cache of applications, which are temporary files that are created to speed up programs, but accumulate over time and take up a lot of space, and MIUI has a built-in tool for this task.

How to clear the cache on Xiaomi:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Sort by size.
3. Select an app with a large cache volume (for example, YouTube, Telegram, Google Chrome).
4. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

For deep cleaning (including system cache), use the built-in Security app:

• 🧹 Launch Security → Cleanup → Deep cleaning.
• 🔍 Check all items (cache, junk files, application residues).
• 🗑️ Click Clean and confirm the action.

Warning: Do not clear the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui or miui.home) – this may cause MIUI to malfunction.

⚠️ Attention: If the application is slower after cleaning the cache, it is normal. cache will recover as the software is used. Do not clean it more often 1 time in 2-3 weeks.

2. Removal of unnecessary applications and their data

Many users wonder why Xiaomi suddenly runs out of space with 128GB of memory, often because of pre-installed MIUI applications (called bloatware), which cannot be removed by standard methods but can be disabled or removed using ADB.

List of safe to remove system applications (without root):

• 🎵 Music (standard player Xiaomi) – can be replaced by Spotify or VK Music.
• 📺 Mi Video – if you use YouTube or Kodi.
• 📰 Mi Browser: Better to use Chrome or Firefox.
• 💼 Mi Pay – if you do not use the Xiaomi payment system.
• 🎮 Game Turbo is only useful for gamers.

How to remove system applications without root:

1. Enable Developer Mode (click 7 times on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command in ADB: adb shell pm uninstall-k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer (replace com.miui.videoplayer with the desired application package).

If you don’t want to mess with ADB, just turn off unnecessary apps:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unused app (such as Mi Music).
3. Click Disable (this will remove it from the menu and stop the background work).

⚠️ Note: Do not delete or disable applications called com.android., com.qualcomm. or com.miui.home – this may cause the system to fail!

Transfer of data to SD-card

If your Xiaomi supports microSD cards (e.g. Redmi Note 11, Poco X5 Pro), you can transfer some of the data to it.

• 📱 Applications can only be ported to certain models (list below).
• 📷 Photos and videos are transferred without restrictions.
• 🎵 Music and documents are also without problems.

How to transfer files to SD-map:

1. Insert the memory card into the slot (if there is a hybrid slot, you will have to choose a second SIM or SD).
2. Open Files → Categories → Images / Videos.
3. Select files, press More. → Move it → SD-map.

Xiaomi models that support porting applications to SD:

How to transfer applications to SD (if supported):

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Spotify).
3. Press Warehouse. → Change. → SD-map.
4. Confirm the transfer (the application will run slower!).

💡

If your Xiaomi doesn’t support porting apps to SD, use a USB-OTG drive (flash drive with adapter). In Settings → Storage → Portable storage, you can format the flash drive as internal memory (but this will delete all the data on it!).

4.Use of cloud storage and backups

If you can’t physically free up your memory, transfer your files to the cloud. Xiaomi offers its own solution – Xiaomi Cloud (5 GB for free), but you can also use third-party services:

• ☁️ Google Photos – unlimited storage of photos in compressed quality.
• ☁️ Yandex Disk – 10 GB free, easy to use for documents.
• ☁️ Mega – 20 GB free, data encryption.

How to set up automatic uploading of photos in Google Photos:

1. Install Google Photos from the Play Market.
2. Open the app and log in to your Google account.
3. Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
4. Turn on the switch and select High Quality (free storage).

For backup of contacts, SMS and notes, use Xiaomi Cloud:

1. Open the Settings. → Accounts. → Mi Account.
2. Choose Xiaomi Cloud → Backup.
3. Check the necessary data (contacts, messages, notes).
4. Click Start backup.

⚠️ Note: If you delete files from your phone after uploading to the cloud, they will only remain online.Make sure you have stable network access to download them back if necessary.

💡

Cloud storage saves space on your phone, but requires good internet for downloading/downloading. For photos and videos, it’s better to use Google Photos or Yandex Drive, and for documents, Mega or OneDrive.

5.Analysing space and searching for "heavy" files

Users often don’t realize that their Xiaomi has gigabytes of data to store.

• 🎥 Video in the video 4K — 1 minute weighs ~400MB.
• 📸 Photo format RAW — up to 20 to 50 MB each.
• 🎮 Cache of games (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) – up to 10 GB.
• 📄 Downloads from Telegram – memes, gifs, documents accumulate in /Download.

How to find and delete large files:

1. Open the File Manager (or File Manager) application.
2. Go to Storage Analysis (or Storage Analysis) section.
3. Sort files by size and delete unnecessary ones.

For more detailed analysis, use third-party apps like Files by Google or SD Maid:

• 🔍 Files by Google shows junk files (duplicates, failed downloads).
• 🧹 SD Maid finds remnants of remote applications and empty folders.

Where to look for hidden memory eaters:

6 Hidden MIUI features to optimize memory

MIUI has a few hidden tools that help free up memory without manual cleaning, such as Lite Mode, which disables unnecessary animations and background processes, saving up to 1-2 GB.

How to turn on Lite Mode:

1. Go to Settings → Special features → Lite Mode.
2. Activate the switch.
3. Select the applications you want to simplify the interface for.

Another useful feature is automatic memory cleaning when locking the screen:

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance → Memory Management.
2. Turn on Memory Cleanup when you lock.

For users of Xiaomi with root-rights, additional features are available:

• 🛠️ Remove System Applications via Titanium Backup.
• 🗃️ Transfer /data on SD-card (requires modifications to vold.fstab).
• 🔧 Optimize build.prop to reduce memory usage.

⚠️ Warning: Changing system files with root rights can cause a device to blink (completely inoperable). TWRP before any manipulation!

7.Extreme measures: reset to factory settings

If none of these methods worked, and Xiaomi still doesn't have enough memory, it's still a factory reset, and it'll delete all the data, including:

• 📱 Applications and their settings.
• 📸 Photos, videos, music (unless backup is made).
• 📞 Contacts, SMS, call-book.
• 🔐 Wi-Fi passwords and accounts.

How to make a reset (Hard Reset):

1. Back up your important data (via Xiaomi Cloud or PC).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data.
4. Enter the password (if set) and confirm the reset.

If the phone is getting stuck or unresponsive, reset via Recovery mode:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (Change Volume Buttons).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

💡

Factory reset is the last way if other methods have failed. Once reset, the phone will be "like new," but all data will be deleted. Always back up before this procedure!

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory shortages on Xiaomi