How to Remove Unnecessary Files from Xiaomi Phone: The Complete 2026 Guide

Xiaomi Android-based smartphones are getting clogged with unnecessary files over time: remnants of deleted apps, cache, duplicate photos and hidden system data. Even models with 128 GB of memory start to slow down when less than 10% of the available space is left, and it’s not just user files that are created by the system that creates temporary data that isn’t always cleaned automatically.

In this article, you will find proven ways to free up memory on Redmi, POCO or Mi without risking system damage, we will examine both standard MIUI tools and hidden features that are not written about in the official instructions, for example, why after you delete an application through Settings → Applications on the disk are “tails” weighing up to 500 MB, and how to find them.

Special attention will be paid to the unique problem of Xiaomi smartphones – duplicate files in a folder MIUI/Extra, lens-holder 3–5 GB without the user's knowledge, and you'll also learn which files can be deleted without consequences, and which are dangerous to touch (even if they seem unnecessary).

1. Built-in tools MIUI: clean-up

The manufacturer has put in MIUI a few memory management utilities, enough to free up 2 to 8 GB on most devices, and the key is to use the tools in the right order to keep hidden files out.

Start with a memory analysis:

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Click Clean in the section "Junk files".
3. Select Deep Clean (available on MIUI 12+).

The system will show the distribution of memory into categories: applications, images, videos, etc. The “Other” section is especially useful, because it often hides temporary files from messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and game cache. For example, PUBG Mobile can leave up to 1.5 GB of unnecessary data after updates.

• 🗑️ App cache: Remove it for all programs through Settings → Annexes → Select an application → Memory. → Cache Clear.Caution: Do not clear the cache for Google Play Services and MIUI System - This can cause failures.
• 📁 Download: The Download folder often contains outdated ones APK-files (up to 100 MB each) and documents. Check it through Explorer.
• 🔄 Duplicate files: B MIUI 14+ There is a built-in search for duplicates in the Gallery → Albums. → Duplicates. Use Google Files on older versions.

⚠️ Note: Do not manually delete the Android folder, which contains application data. If you need to free up space, first uninstall the program through Settings.

2. Xiaomi Hidden Folders: What Can Be Deleted and What Can't

Xiaomi smartphones create service folders that are not visible through standard Explorer, which can be found by connecting the phone to a PC or using ES Root Explorer (not recommended for beginners).

folder MIUI/Extra — Xiaomi's main memory eater, which is created to back up when it updates and often doesn't clear, and can contain duplicate photos, videos, or even entire images. APK-file old versions of the applications to find:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (in File Transfer mode).
2. Open the internal memory and find the MIUI folder.
3. Sort files in Extra by date and delete anything older than 3 months.

Another hidden “junk” is the log files in /data/log, which are created when system errors occur and can take up to 1 GB to delete:

1. Enable Developer Mode (7 times click 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 use the command: adb shell rm -rf /data/log/*

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in /system or /vendor — If you're in doubt, check the file extension: it's safe to delete only.log,.tmp and.bak.

3.Cache and application data cleanup: what can be erased without consequences

Cache speeds up programs, but it grows to giant sizes over time, like Facebook can accumulate up to 1 GB of cache, and Google Maps can accumulate up to 2 GB of offline cards, the problem is that standard Settings cleaning doesn't always delete all temporary files.

Here’s how to clean the cache as efficiently as possible:

• 📱 For social media: On Facebook and Instagram, go to the app's settings and select Clear Data (not cache!).This will reset the settings but free up to 500MB.
• 🎮 For games: In PUBG, Call of Duty or Genshin Impact Delete the folder Android/obb/[Attention: after that, you'll have to download the game again!
• 📺 For streaming services: On YouTube and Netflix, turn off Saving Video for offline viewing in the settings.

Use for deep cleaning ADB-Teams (PC required):

adb shell pm clear com.facebook.katana # Facebook cleanup


adb shell pm clear com.instagram.android # Cleanup Instagram




adb shell pm clear com.google.android.apps.maps # Google Maps Cleanup

Make a backup copy of important data|Check the vacant space (should be available) >10%)|Close all applications|Do not clean system applications (Google Play, MIUI System)|Restart the phone after cleaning-->

Some apps (like Telegram) store the cache in non-obvious places to find it:

1. Open Explorer and go to Internal Storage → Telegram.
2. Delete the Telegram Images, Telegram Video and Telegram Audio folders (if files are not needed).
3. In Telegram settings, select Data and Memory → Clear Telegram cache.

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If the app is slower after cleaning the cache, restart the phone. The system will restore the necessary temporary files automatically.

4.Bloatware Removal: Risks and Safe Methods

Xiaomi preinstalles a lot of unnecessary software, like Mi Browser, Mi Music, GetApps, and more, which can't be removed by standard means, but can be disabled or uninstalled with root permissions.

List of safe to remove system applications (checked at MIUI 13-14):

• 🌐 com.android.browser – Mi Browser (can be replaced with Chrome).
• 🎵 com.miui.player — Mi Music.
• 📦 com.xiaomi.mipicks - GetApps (Xiaomi app store).
• 📰 com.miui.weather2 — Weather (if you use Google Weather).

To remove them without rooting:

1. Download ADB Platform Tools on PC.
2. Connect the phone and execute the command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browser (replace com.android.browser with the package of the desired application).

⚠️ Note: Do not delete: com.miui.securitycenter - Security (will cause system failures). com.google.android.gsf - Google Services Framework (breakdown of the Play Market). com.miui.home - Launcher (phone will not boot).

If the app returned after the update, disable it through Settings → Apps → Select the app → Disable. This will prevent it from running and updating.

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Uninstallation of system applications without root is only possible for user applications. System components (com.miui.*) require superuser rights.

5.Photo and video optimization: how to compress without loss of quality

Media files take up to 60% of the memory on most smartphones. Xiaomi defaults to high-resolution photos (up to 12 MP), and video to 4K, which quickly fills the drive. Here's how to reduce their size:

• 📸 Photos: In the Gallery, select Albums → Photo compression (available on MIUI 12+). Use Google Photos to Automatically Compress When Uploaded to the Cloud (Quality Customization) → High).
• 🎥 Video: In camera settings (Settings) → Video resolution) select 1080p instead 4K. For already recorded videos, use CapCut or Video Compress (compresses up to 50% with no apparent loss of quality).

Hidden MIUI function: DCIM/.thumbnails folder stores thumbnails of all photos and videos. It can be completely cleaned, the thumbnails will recover automatically the next time you view it, which will free up 200-500 MB.

For mass compression of photos without loss of quality:

1. Download Resizer Photo from Google Play.
2. Select a folder with a photo and set a resolution of 1920×1080 (this is enough for social networks and printing 10×15 cm).
3. Save compressed copies to a new folder (remove originals only after checking).

⚠️ Note: Do not use compression for photos you plan to print in a large format (for example, 30×40 In this case, it is better to transfer the originals to the PC or the cloud.

6.Automatic cleaning: setting up MIUI to maintain order

To avoid manually clearing your memory, set up automatic optimization in MIUI:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Autoclean.
2. Enable options: “Clean up garbage when locking the screen”; “Delete unused files”; “Optimize memory weekly”.

1GB

For advanced users, a setup via ADB is available, which forces the system to clear the cache every 24 hours:

adb shell cmd jobscheduler run -f com.miui.powerkeeper 1000

It is also useful to set limits for applications:

• 📥 Downloads: In Google Chrome, turn off Background File Downloads (Settings) → Downloads).
• 🎵 Music: In Spotify or Yandex Music, limit cache to 500 MB.
• 🗺️ Maps: In Google Maps, remove unnecessary offline maps (Settings) → Offline maps).

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Autocleaning in MIUI works more effectively if you turn off optimization for critical applications (messengers, banking programs) in the settings.

7.Extreme measures: reset to factory settings

If you have less than 500MB of free space, and the standard methods don't work, you'll have to do a hard reset, which will delete all the data, including:

• 📱 Applications and their settings;
• 📂 Photographs, videos, music;
• 📄 Documents and downloads;
• 🔑 Accounts and passwords (except Mi Account data).

Before discharge, it is mandatory:

1. Create a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Move your photos to your PC or cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud).
3. Write down logins/passwords from important services (they will only be saved if you used Mi Account).

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Confirm the action with the unlock code.
4. Wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: After reset, do not restore data from the backup if the purpose is to free up space. The copy may contain the same unnecessary files. It is better to selectively transfer only the necessary photos and documents.

If the phone doesn’t turn on after a reset or hangs on the MI logo, try:

1. Press the Power button + Volume up for 10 seconds for forced reboot.
2. If it does not help – reflash the device through the Mi Flash Tool (instructions on the official website of Xiaomi).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi memory cleanup