How to reduce the use of system memory on Xiaomi smartphones

Your Xiaomi smartphone is slowing down, apps are shutting down on their own, and your settings are lit up with a memory shortage warning? The problem is familiar to most users of devices with MIUI — even on new models like the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ or POCO F6, system memory can get clogged with garbage. Unlike user files (photos, videos), system data takes place imperceptibly: these are app cache, residual files after updates, duplicates from Google Services and background MIUI processes.

In this article, we will discuss the current 2026 methods that will help free up 2 to 10 GB of memory without root rights and loss of important data. We will examine both standard Xiaomi tools and hidden features that are not written about in the official instructions, for example, why cleaning the cache through Settings → Memory often does not work, and how to circumvent the restrictions of MIUI 14/15 on deleting system files.

1. Diagnosis: Why is memory full?

Before you clean, you need to understand what exactly takes up space. At Xiaomi, system memory is divided into:

• 📱 System applications – pre-installed Google services and MIUI (For example, com.miui.analytics or com.google.android.gms).
• 🗑️ Cache and temporary files – remnants from updates, thumbnails of images, web browsing data.
• 🔄 Residual files – “tails” after deleting applications or resetting settings.
• 📦 Duplicates and backups — MIUI Creates copies of contacts, messages and settings in the background.

To see the detailed report:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on Details (or Memory Analysis in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Pay attention to the System and Other sections – if they take up more than 15-20 GB, it’s time to clean.

⚠️ Note: If the System is more than 25 GB occupied and you have not installed heavy games, this may be due to an update failure. MIUI. In this case, only reset to factory settings will help (section 6).

2. Clearing cache and temporary files

The safest way to free up 1-3 GB is to remove the cache, which Xiaomi does in two steps:

Clearing the cache of all applications

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select Sort by size.
3. Open each application from the top-10 by size and click Clear cache.

Removal of the system cache (hidden method)

Standard cleaning through settings does not affect Dalvik cache and ART-Artifacts – they can only be removed through recovery mode:

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

💡 Useful tip: After cleaning the cache, some apps (like Google Maps or Instagram) will load longer - that's OK. 1-2 day's work stabilizes.

3. Removal of unnecessary system applications

Xiaomi preinstalles dozens of apps that cannot be removed in the standard way, but can be disabled or removed through ADB (no root rights).

3.1. Disconnection through settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unneeded app (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music, GetApps).
3. Click Disable (if the button is inactive, the application is critical to the system).

Removal via ADB (advanced method)

This will require a computer and enabled debugging over USB:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: Adb devices (your device should appear).
2. To delete, for example, Mi Browser, type: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.browser

⚠️ Note: After removing system applications through ADB Some features may stop working (for example, file transfer via Mi Drop or update via Updater). Before deleting, check whether the application you need the function depends on.

4. Optimizing the work of Google Services

Google Play Services (Google Play Store) often take up to 5GB of storage due to:

• 📦 Automatic updates of applications.
• 🗺️ Cache of maps (Google Maps).
• 🎮 Data for games (Google Play Games).

To reduce their impact:

1. Open Settings → Google Accounts → Manage your Google Account.
2. Go to Data and Personalization → Application Data Management.
3. Delete unnecessary data (such as search history or YouTube activity).

💡 Useful tip: If you don’t use Google Assistant, turn it off in Settings settings → Annexes → All applications → Google → Notifications → Disable Assistant. This will save up to 1 GB of memory.

5. Cleaning up residual files after updates

After each update, MIUI leaves updates (update.zip) and firmware backups on the device, which can weigh up to 3-4 GB and are not automatically deleted.

To find and remove them:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. Open the Internal Storage folder → MIUI → downgrade or internal storage → downloaded_rom.
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension.

If there are no folders, check:

• 📁 Internal Storage → cache (remove all contents).
• 📁 Internal Storage → Android → Data (Delete folders of old applications).

💡

Update files are not restored after deletion – they can be safely cleaned if you do not plan to roll back the firmware.

6. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If you have less than 10 percent of your free memory after all the manipulations, and your phone is slowing down, only hard reset will help. This method deletes all data, including accounts, photos and apps, so first:

• 🔄 Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• ☁️ Sync your contacts and calendar with your Google Account.
• 📱 Remember or take a picture of your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings.

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Enter a password (if required) and confirm the action.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) You may need to re-assign your Mi Account after reset, and if you forget your password, restore it before reset, otherwise your phone will be locked!

7. Alternative methods (for experienced users)

If the standard methods did not help, try:

Transfer of annexes to SD-map

Not all Xiaomi models support this functionality, but on devices with a hybrid slot (for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro) you can:

1. Insert microSD (A2 or UHS-I class is recommended).
2. Go to Settings. → Memory. → Default storage and select SD-map.
3. Move supported apps through Settings → Apps → [Select App] → Storage → Change.

7.2.Using Magisk for deep cleaning

If you have root rights, install Magisk — Universal Storage Switch.

• 🔧 Reassign the storage paths of system files.
• 🗑️ Delete protected files MIUI.
• 📉 Disconnect unnecessary system processes.

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Before obtaining root rights, check if your Xiaomi model supports bootloader unlocking. On some devices (such as Xiaomi 13T), this may result in a loss of warranty.

FAQ: Frequent questions