How to securely delete files on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus without losing data

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (codename vince) often face the problem of lack of free space, despite the 32 or 64 GB of internal memory. It is not just in user photos or applications, the system creates dozens of hidden files: cache, log files, remnants of remote programs and even duplicate media. Unlike modern smartphones, Redmi 5 Plus based on MIUI 9-12 does not have a built-in “smart” cleaner, so you have to act manually.

The main difficulty is that deleting system files through a standard file manager can cause firmware to fail, especially if it is about folders. /data or /system. In this article, we will understand 7 Safe ways to free up memory, including hidden functions MIUI, ADB-We'll talk about the kind of files you can't touch, even if they take up gigabytes.

1. Analysis of occupied space: what exactly eats memory?

Before you delete something, you need to know which files are taking up the most space. There are two tools on Redmi 5 Plus to do this:

• 📊 Built-in memory analyzer: go to Settings → Memory of the device. Here, the system will show the categorization (applications, media, systems). /data.
• 🔍 Files by Google (formerly Files Go): Google’s app scans memory and sorts files by type (duplicates, large files, unused files) APK). Suitable for searching for “junk” data.

Typical memory eaters on Redmi 5 Plus:

Note: the /data/dalvik-cache folder can weigh up to 1GB, but you can’t manually delete it – it’s restored by the system when you restart, but it takes time and CPU resources. Better clear through Settings → All apps → Google Services Framework → Clear the cache.

2. Cleaning the cache of applications without root rights

The safest way to free up 1-3 GB is to remove the app cache. On Redmi 5 Plus, there are three ways to do this:

1. Through MIUI settings: Open Settings → All apps. Slip three dots in the top right corner → Size sort. Select an app (like Facebook or Google Play Services) → Storage → Clear cache.
2. Mass Clean: Go to Settings → Device Memory → Clean. You can delete the cache of all applications at once (Clean the bottom of the screen button).
3. Using Recovery (if the smartphone is slowing): Turn off the phone → pinch Power + Volume Up → select Wipe Cache Partition.This will not affect user data, but will delete the system cache.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Clear cache and Clear data! The second action will delete all the application settings (e.g., logins in messengers or saves in games).

3. Delete unnecessary system files (without root)

Even without superuser rights, Redmi 5 Plus can delete some system files that don’t affect stability, and the rule of thumb is that don’t touch files in /system and /vendor folders, which will lead to a “brick.”

What can be removed:

• 🗑️ Log files: folders /data/log, /data/anr, /data/tombstones. It contains error reports and memory dumps, deleted through any file manager (e.g., file manager, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
• 🎬 MiniThumbails: folder /data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases It contains thumbnails of media files. You can delete thumbnails. 500 MB).
• 📦 Remains of updates: folder /cache often contains firmware files (update.zip). You can remove them if you don’t plan to roll back to the old version. MIUI.

To access these folders:

1. Install FX File Explorer from Google Play.
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to the Root Directory → Data (if access is denied, use ADB, see the next section).

4.Use of ADB for deep cleaning

If standard methods don't work, you can connect to your phone via Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and delete files that aren't available through the GUI, which requires a computer and minimal command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Download ADB Tools and unpack it into a folder on your PC.
2. On your phone, turn on Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times to activate the developer mode).
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
4. Connect Redmi 5 Plus to your PC and in the command line (in the folder with ADB) do: Adb devices Must appear device with a serial number.
5. To remove the cache of all applications: adb shell pm trim-caches 1000G (where 1000G is a conventional value meaning "clean everything").

Other useful ADB-Teams for Redmi 5 Plus:

• Removal of memory dumps: adb shell rm -rf /data/tombstones/*
• Cleaning Dalvik cache (reboot required): adb shell rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*
• List of the largest folders in /data: adb shell du -h /data | sort -rh | head -n 10

⚠️ Attention: Command rm -rf If you don't specify the right path, you can erase critical data. Always double-check the path and backup through adb backup before mass deletion.

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If ADB Can't see the device, try changing it. USB-cable (original or data support required) and enable the option "Cancel authorization" in the developer settings USB-debugging".

5. Removal of duplicates and unnecessary media files

Photos, videos and music often take up the lion's share of memory. On Redmi 5 Plus, the problem is compounded by the fact that MIUI creates duplicate folders:

• DCIM/.thumbnails – miniatures for the gallery
• Pictures/Screenshots – screenshots (can weigh 3-5 MB each)
• Download: Downloaded files that are often forgotten to delete.
• MIUI/Theme – Themes and wallpapers downloaded through MIUI Themes.

How to find and remove duplicates:

1. Use the Duplicate Files Fixer app (scans by content, not name).
2. For manual verification, sort files in FX File Explorer by size: duplicates are often the same weight.
3. Delete the.thumbnails folder – it will recover automatically, but it will weigh less.

Pay special attention to the folder MIUI/Camera — There may be some bad ones here. HDR-Photos (files with.tmp extension) that do not appear in the gallery, but take up space.

6. Disabling and removing embedded applications

MIUI on Redmi 5 Plus comes with dozens of pre-installed apps that can’t be removed by standard means, but can be disabled or uninstalled via ADB.

List of safe applications to disable:

• 🎵 com.miui.player – Music (if you use Spotify or VK Music);
• 📰 com.miui.video - Video (replaceable to video) MX Player);
• 📖 com.miui.notes – Notes (if synced with Google Keep);
• 🌐 com.miui.browser - Browser MIUI (Use Chrome better);
• 🎨 com.android.themes – Themes (unless you change the design).

How to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings. → All applications.
2. Select the unnecessary application → Disable (the button will become active only for system applications).

How to remove via ADB:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and execute: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.player (replace com.miui.player with the desired application package).
2. To return the application, use: adb shell cmd package install-existing com.miui.player

⚠️ Note: Do not remove applications with com.android, com.qualcomm or com.xiaomi packages (e.g. com.xiaomi.finddevice is responsible for finding the phone). GPS mobile.

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Disabling system applications does not free up disk space, but stops their background activity, which saves battery power and RAM.

7. Factory reset: when is it justified?

If all previous methods failed, the last resort is hard reset, which on Redmi 5 Plus will delete all user data, but will put the phone back out of the box, including cleaning:

• All installed applications and their data;
• Multimedia files (photos, videos, music);
• Settings of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and accounts;
• System cache and temporary files.

How to reset:

1. Save important data on your PC or in the cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset → Resetting.
3. Choose to erase everything and confirm the action.

Alternative method (if the phone is not turned on):

1. Turn off Redmi 5 Plus.
2. Press Power + Volume Up to log in to Recovery.
3. Select Wipe Data/Factory Reset → Yes.
4. After reset, select Reboot System Now.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 5 Plus with an unlocked bootloader reset can cause data loss in the folder /sdcard (internal memory, even if it's formatted as portable storage. Always backup with adb pull /sdcard.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up memory