How to completely remove garbage from the Xiaomi Redmi phone: from cache to system files

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones are known for their performance, but over time even they start to “brake” due to the accumulated digital debris. App cache, temporary files, duplicate photos and remnants of deleted programs take up precious space in memory, and background processes increase battery consumption by 15-30% (data from the MIUI 14 tests on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+). Unlike the iPhone, where cleaning is limited to system tools, Android on Xiaomi allows you to thoroughly clean the device – if you know where to look.

Many users mistakenly believe that clicking Clear in memory settings removes only surface debris, while the system cache, update remnants and hidden.thumbdata files continue to take up gigabytes. This article will not only free up space, but also restore the smartphone to performance, as after purchase. We will discuss 7 methods, from standard MIUI tools to hidden functions for power users.

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1. Built-in memory cleanup in MIUI: what deletes and what is missing

The easiest way is to use the built-in Security → Cleanup tool, which analyzes the device and suggests that you remove:

• 🗑️ Application cache – temporary files that speed up programs, but over time grow to hundreds of megabytes.
• 📁 Unnecessary APK — Remains of installed (and remote) applications.
• 📎 Duplicate files – copies of photos, documents and music created by messengers or cloud services.
• 🧹 Residual files – “tails” from uninstalled programs (e.g. folders) Android/obb play-off).

However, this method has 3 critical drawbacks:

1. Does not clear the system cache ( /cache and /dalvik-cache files), which can weigh up to 1-2 GB.
2. Ignores the cache of Google Play Services, one of the main memory eaters on Android.
3. Does not delete empty folders and files with the.nomedia extension that interfere with multimedia scanning.

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⚠️ Note: If after cleaning through MIUI Free space has not increased, check the Download folder - often there accumulate gigabytes of forgotten files (for example, videos from Telegram or updates for games).

2. Manually clean the cache for each application

Not all programs are properly cleaned through the standard tool, for example, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok can store up to 500-800 MB of cache even after being cleaned in MIUI.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select a program (such as YouTube) and tap Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – it will delete accounts and settings!).
4. For deep cleaning, click Space Management (not available for all applications).

Pay particular attention to:

• 🎵 Music services (Spotify, Yandex Music) – cache songs even in offline mode.
• 🎮 Games (Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile) – their cache can take up to 3-5 GB.
• 📱 Social media — VK and OK Keep a thumbnail of all the photos viewed.

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If the application after cleaning the cache began to work slower, restart the phone – the system will restore the necessary temporary files in 5-10 minutes.

3. System debris disposal via Recovery Mode

For power users, the system cache (/cache) and Dalvik-cache (/dalvik-cache) are not cleared through standard settings, but can be manually removed via Recovery Mode.

Instructions for Redmi with MIUI 12-14:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

This method:

• ✅ Deletes residual update files (folder) /cache/ota).
• ✅ Clears the Android kernel cache that can slow down the system.
• ❌ Does not touch user data (photos, contacts, messages).

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⚠️ Note: On some Redmi models (for example, Note 10 Pro) after cleaning the cache in Recovery may reset the firmware region (download) RU Check the settings in Global. → The phone. → Version. MIUI.

4. Search and delete hidden files (including.thumbdata)

Files with the.thumbdata,.nomedia and.trash folders extension are not visible in standard Explorer, but can take up to 1-2 GB.

• 📸 Viewing photos in the gallery (.thumbdata – miniatures).
• 🗃️ When deleting files through some file managers (.trash folder).
• 🔍 When scanning multimedia (.nomedia files hide folders from the gallery).

To find them:

1. Install a root-access file manager (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/ and manually delete:

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5. Optimization of autoboot and background processes

Many apps run when you turn on your phone and run in the background, consuming memory and battery, such as Xiaomi’s Mi Video, Mi Music and Cleaner often turn on automatically, even though no one uses them.

How to turn off autoboot:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Autoboot.
2. Sort the list by the time of the last launch, so you will see which programs are active.
3. Turn off autoboot for unnecessary apps (e.g. Mi Pay, Mi Community).

For deep optimization:

• 🛠️ Use it. ADB-commands to disable system services (PC required).
• 📵 Turn off background data transfer for social networks in Settings → The Internet and the Internet → Transfer of data → Background mode.
• ⚡ Enable Performance Mode in Settings → Battery → Performance mode (available on Redmi with MIUI 13+).

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Disabling autoboot for 5-7 unnecessary applications can increase battery life by 10-15% (tests on the Redmi Note 11 Pro with MIUI 14).

6. reset the cache of Google Play Services and other system applications

Google Play Services is one of the most voracious Android apps, with caches that can take up to 1GB and background processes up to 20% of battery life.

1. Open Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Find Google Play Services (an icon with a multi-colored triangle).
3. Slip the vault. → Clear the cache.
4. Restart the phone and the system will restore the necessary data.

Similarly, clean the cache for:

• 📦 Google Play Store (will delete search history and temporary update files).
• 🔍 Google App (Voice Assistant and Search Query Cache).
• 📱 MIUI System Launcher (will speed up the work of the main screen).

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⚠️ Note: After cleaning up Google Play Services, push notifications (such as Gmail or WhatsApp) may temporarily not work.

7. Alternative methods: from CCleaner to ADB

If the standard methods did not help, try:

For advanced users, we will provide useful ADB-commands (executed through the PC):

Clearing the cache of all applications



adb shell pm clear --user 0 com.android.vending




Delete temporary update files



adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*




List of the heaviest folders (requires root)



adb shell du -h -d 1 /storage/emulated/0/ | sort -h

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Before using CCleaner or SD Maid, create a restore point in MIUI (Settings → System → Backup) to help roll back changes if something goes wrong.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Xiaomi Redmi