How to remove all the excess from the phone Xiaomi: 7 proven ways

Xiaomi smartphones are known for their performance and functionality, but over time, even they start to slow down due to the accumulated digital debris. Duplication photos, unused applications, residual files after updates and cache all take up precious space and slow down the device. If your Redmi, POCO or Mi began to work slower and memory is filled with unclear what, it’s time to do a general cleaning.

In this article, you will find practical cleaning methods that will work for most Xiaomi models based on MIUI 12/13/14 and HyperOS. We will discuss both standard system tools and hidden features that many do not know about. Importantly, some methods require superuser rights (root), but most are available without them. Let's start with the simplest and move on to advanced techniques.

1. Clear cache and temporary files through settings

The fastest way to free up a few gigabytes of memory is to delete the application cache and system temporary files, and MIUI has a built-in tool that works without installing additional programs.

Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup. Here, the system will automatically scan the device and show how much space it takes up: app cache, unused APKs (residual files after updates), downloads and junk files. Click Clean — this is safe and will not delete important data. However, note that after cleaning the cache, some applications (such as Instagram or TikTok) will load longer than usual when you first start.

• 📱 Application cache is a temporary data to speed up programs, and you can delete it without risk, but it will recover over time.
• 🗑️ Garbage files – remnants of remote applications, system log files, image thumbnails.
• 📦 Unused. APK — Installation packages left over after updating apps via Google Play.
• ⚠️ Downloads: The folder where all downloaded files are stored. Before cleaning, check it manually!

⚠️ Warning: If the app starts to fly out or not work properly after cleaning the cache (for example, YouTube does not remember the quality of the video), try reinstall it.

2. Removal of duplicate photos and videos using the Gallery

One of the biggest memory eaters is photos and videos, especially if you're using messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram) or social media, where media files are automatically saved to a gallery, and MIUI has a built-in tool for finding duplicates, but it's hidden deep in the settings.

Open the Gallery app, click on the three dots in the top right corner, and select Control → Duplicate Search. The system will analyze all images and suggest removing identical or similar images. Note: the algorithm sometimes makes mistakes, for example, can count duplicate photos with the same background but different objects. Always check the allocated files before deleting!

Leave the best quality photo from the series|View the full size of the miniatures|Make sure the duplicate does not contain important details (e.g, QR-background)|Save backup to the cloud (optional)-->

For video, duplicates are searched separately: in the same Control menu, select Search for similar videos. Here you can delete recurring videos or fragments (for example, if you shot the same event from different angles).

3. Memory analysis: Which applications take up the most space

To effectively free up memory, you need to understand what's taking up it. MIUI has detailed data on storage usage, but it doesn't always tell you the whole story. For example, some system applications (Mi Video, Mi Music) can take up gigabytes of cache even though you're not using them.

Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis. Here you will see a diagram of the memory distribution by category: Apps, Images, Video, Audio and Other. Click on Apps, the system will sort programs by size.

• 🎮 Games – even remote games can leave behind gigabytes of cache in a folder Android/obb.
• 📺 Streaming services (Netflix, YouTube, KinoPoisk) – save videos for offline viewing.
• 🗺️ Maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Maps) – cache data for offline navigation.
• 📱 Social networks – TikTok and Instagram can take up to 5-10 GB of cache.

If you see an application that you haven’t used for a long time but it takes up a lot of space (like PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact), uninstall it via Settings → Applications → Application Management. To clean it completely, also delete the folder with its data in Android/data/[name packet] (you’ll need a file manager with access to root folders, like Mi File Manager).

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To find the most voracious folders, use the FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer file manager with storage analysis, which will show hidden files that are not visible in standard Explorer.

4. Cleaning up system debris through Recovery mode

If standard methods didn't work and the phone is still slow, try cleaning through Recovery, which removes deep system files that a normal cleaning doesn't touch. Importantly, this method will reset all settings to factory settings, but save user data (photos, videos, documents) if you choose the right item.

Turn off your phone. Press the Power button + Volume up at the same time and hold it for 10 to 15 seconds until the Mi logo and the Recovery menu appear. Use the volume buttons for navigation and the power button for selection. You need two items:

1. Wipe Cache Partition – Clears the cache of the system (safe for data).
2. Wipe Data (Keep Media) – resets settings, but saves media files (photos, videos, music).

⚠️ Note: If you choose Wipe Data (Factory Reset) over Keep Media, all user data will be deleted without recovery.

Once cleaned, the phone will restart, and it can take up to 10 minutes to start up, which is normal, and this method is especially useful if:

• The phone became very slow after the MIUI update.
• Applications are constantly flying out or not opening.
• There is less than 10% free memory, but you can’t find what takes up it.

5. Remove pre-installed applications (bloatware) without root

Xiaomi is known for installing a lot of unnecessary apps on its phones: Mi Browser, Mi Music, Mi Video, GetApps, and others. These can not be removed by standard means, but can be disabled or removed through ADB (without superuser rights).

First, try to disable unnecessary programs:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unneeded app (such as Mi Pay).
3. Click "Disable" (if the button is active).

If the shutdown is not available, use ADB-For this, for this:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to unlock the developer menu).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer (replace com.miui.videoplayer with the desired application package).

Once you execute the command, the application will disappear from the menu, but its data will remain in the system.

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.miui.videoplayer

6. Optimization of autoloading and background activity

Many apps run automatically when you turn on your phone and run in the background, consuming memory and battery power. In MIUI, you can limit this activity, but the settings are hidden.

Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management → Application selection. Here you will see a list of programs marked “Start”, “Background Activity” and “Accurate Location Determination” and disable unnecessary permissions for applications you rarely use.

• 📌 Messengers (WhatsApp, Viber) – leave auto-run, but limit background activity.
• 🎵 Music Players – Turn off auto-start if you don’t use them as an alarm clock.
• 🛒 Stores (AliExpress, Wildberries) – turn off background activity so they don’t send notifications.
• 🎮 Gaming – Turn off autoplay for everyone except frequently used.

Also check Settings → Applications → Permissions → Auto Run. You can completely prevent applications from running when you turn on your phone, which will reduce the load on the processor and extend battery life.

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Background activity restriction is especially important for phones with 3-4 GB of RAM (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO M3). On such devices, each unnecessary process in the background significantly affects performance.

7. Transfer data to a memory card or cloud

If the phone’s internal memory is full and you don’t want to delete files, consider porting them. Xiaomi’s current smartphones support microSD cards up to 1TB (depending on the model), as well as integration with cloud services.

Option 1: Memory card. Insert microSD into the slot (if you have one) and go to Settings → Memory. → Default storage. Select your memory card as your primary storage for new files. Please note that some apps (like WhatsApp) do not support porting to your new files. SD-map.

Option 2: Cloud services. Xiaomi offers its own Mi Cloud (5GB for free), but you can use others: Google Drive, Yandex Disk or Mega. Set up automatic upload of photos and videos to Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Gallery Synchronization.

To manually transfer files, use a file manager. For example, in Mi File Manager, select a folder, click “More” and select “Move to” → “Memory Map” or “Cloud”.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi cleanup