How to completely delete Telegram files on Xiaomi smartphones: 5 proven ways

Telegram has become an integral part of the daily lives of millions of users, but its active use leads to the accumulation of gigabytes of unnecessary files. On Xiaomi smartphones, this problem is exacerbated by the limited amount of internal memory and the peculiarities of the MIUI file system. Even after deleting chats or clearing the history of media files, documents and cache continue to take up space, slowing down the device.

Unlike WhatsApp or Viber, Telegram stores all downloaded files in public on an internal drive, which makes them difficult to find and delete. Users of Redmi, POCO or Mi often face a situation where the system shows “memory is full”, although there is nothing superfluous in the gallery and file manager. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways of cleaning, from standard messenger functions to hidden folders in MIUI, which are not visible through a regular conductor.

Why Telegram is taking up so much space on Xiaomi

The main reason is the automatic download of media files in the background. By default, Telegram saves to the device:

• 📷 Photos from chat rooms (including stickers and animations)
• 🎵 Audio messages and voice notes
• 📄 Documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX etc.)
• 🎥 Videos (including short clips from Stories)
• 🗃️ Cash miniatures and previews

On Xiaomi, the situation is exacerbated by MIUI Optimized Storage, a feature that duplicates media files into system folders to speed access. For example, the same photo from Telegram can be stored simultaneously in:

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Telegram/Telegram Images/
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails/ (thumbnail)
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots/ (if you took a screenshot from a chat)

In addition, on devices with hybrid memory (for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro)+ 5G) Some files can be automatically moved to a memory card, but not deleted from the internal drive, which leads to the same video taking up space in both the phone and the phone. SD-map.

Method 1: Clean up via Telegram settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in tools of the messenger, which is suitable for removing unnecessary media files, but does not affect the system cache and duplicates.

Instructions:

1. Open Telegram and go to the ⚙️ Settings → Data and memory.
2. Slip on Memory Use – here you will see a list of chat rooms that occupy the most space.
3. Select the dialog and click Clear (you can delete only the media or the entire story).
4. For global cleanup, go back to Data and Memory and select Clear Telegram cache.

Note that this method does not delete files stored in the gallery, but will remain in the DCIM or Pictures folders and will be accessible through the standard MIUI viewer.

⚠️ Note: If you use the Save to Gallery function (in chat settings), all photos and videos are automatically duplicated into the system folder. DCIM/Telegram. You will need to remove them separately through the file manager.

Method 2: Manually cleansing through file manager

To completely delete Telegram files on Xiaomi, you need to manually view all the folders where the messenger stores data. Use standard Files from MIUI or a third-party manager (for example, Solid Explorer).

The main directories for cleaning:

Algorithm of action:

1. Open Files and enable the display of hidden folders (in the menu → Settings → Show hidden files).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/Telegram/ and delete unnecessary folders (Telegram Audio, Telegram Video, etc.).
3. Clear the cache in /Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/cache/ – it stores temporary files that can be deleted without consequences.
4. Check the DCIM/Telegram folder for duplicates (you can delete them if the originals are saved in the cloud).

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Before mass deletion, sort files by date (Date of Change in File Manager) – it’s easier to find old and unnecessary media.

⚠️ Warning: Do not delete the folder org.telegram.messenger completely - this will lead to resetting the messenger settings.

Method 3: Use of MIUI System Tools

Xiaomi offers built-in memory cleanup tools that can help with Telegram files.However, they don't always detect all of the messenger's data, so they're better used as an addition to manual cleaning.

How to Clean Up Through Security:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleanup. → Deep cleaning.
3. Select the Garbage Files and wait for the scan.
4. In the results, find Telegram and tick unnecessary files (cache, temporary data).
5. Click Clear (do not delete Application Data, otherwise you will log out of your account).

Alternative method through Settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Telegram in the list and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. For a complete reset, click Clear Data, but it will delete the entire message history!

Method 4: Automatic cleaning with ADB (for advanced)

If standard methods don't work, you can use the Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) for deep cleaning, a method that's suitable for users who are familiar with the command line.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB Debugging on Xiaomi: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 Times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect your phone to your PC and install ADB Tools.
3. Open the command prompt and execute: adb shell pm clear org.telegram.messenger This command will reset all Telegram data, including cache and settings.
4. To delete specific folders, use: adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/Telegram/Telegram\ Audio/ adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/cache/*

Advantages of the method:

• 🧹 Deletes files that are not available through the standard manager
• 🔍 Clears hidden folders with temporary data
• 🛠️ It works even if Telegram is stuck.

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf They delete files irreversibly. Make sure you don't delete important data before you do it. -rf /sdcard/Telegram/ without specifying the subfolder will clean ALL the contents of the Telegram folder!

Method 5: Transfer files to a memory card (for SD-enabled models)

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro), you can transfer your Telegram media to an external drive, which will not clean the memory, but will prevent it from filling up in the future.

How to move:

1. Open Telegram and go to Settings → Data and memory.
2. Slip it through the download folder.
3. Select Memory Card (if the option is active) or manually specify the path (for example, /storage/XXXX-XXXX/DCIM/Telegram/).
4. Confirm the transfer – new files will be saved to the SD-map.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not all Xiaomi models support the recording SD (For example, the Mi 11 is read-only).
• ❌ Files that are already uploaded are not automatically transferred – they must be copied manually.
• ❌ When you remove the memory card files will become unavailable in chat rooms.

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Transfer to SD-The card does not release the internal memory, but only prevents it from filling up.

How to prevent the accumulation of files in the future

To avoid clearing Telegram every week, set up automatic memory management:

1. Turn off autoload media:

• Go to Settings → Data and Memory → Autoboot Media.
• Choose Never for mobile data and Wi-Fi or set a limit (e.g. Photo: up to 5MB).

2. Set up cache cleanup:

• In the same section, activate Clean Cache automatically.
• Set a period (e.g., each week).

3. Use cloud storage:

• In Settings → Data and memory enable Save in Telegram Cloud.
• This will allow you to view media without downloading to the device.

Check the folders regularly:

• Open /storage/emulated/0/Telegram/ and delete old files once a month.
• Use apps like Files by Google to find duplicates.

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Create a shortcut to the Telegram folder on the home screen: open Files, find a folder, tap ⋮ → Add it to the main screen, so you can quickly check the contents.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning Telegram on Xiaomi