How to increase RAM on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of budget and mid-budget Xiaomi smartphones often face a shortage of free RAM, which leads to forced closure of background applications and slowdown of the interface. Modern mobile games and heavy messengers consume more resources, and the standard 4 or 6 GB of RAM may not be enough for a comfortable multitasking mode. Fortunately, the MIUI shell and the Android operating system provide a number of tools to optimize the use of resources or even physically expand the available memory pool at the expense of internal storage.

Before we start taking any drastic measures, it is important to understand that software-based memory augmentation has its limitations and features. Virtual memory cannot completely replace physical RAM due to the difference in data read and write speeds. However, a competent system setup allows you to redistribute the load and free up a significant amount of resources for the most important tasks. In this article, we will discuss both regular memory expansion functions and advanced methods for advanced users.

Built-in memory expansion function in MIUI

Starting with certain versions of the MIUI 12.5 shell and later, Xiaomi has implemented a native RAM extension feature, known as Memory Extension, which allows you to reserve a portion of embedded storage (ROM) and use it as additional RAM. The system automatically creates a virtual partition that helps keep more applications in the background, preventing them from rebooting when switching between tasks.

To activate this option, the user does not need superuser rights or a connection to the computer. Just go to the Settings menu, select Extension of memory (often located in the About or Additional section), and select the desired volume. The available values usually range from 1 GB to 3 GB depending on the device model and firmware version. After changing the settings, the system will require a restart to take effect.

However, it is worth considering that using internal flash memory as RAM has its disadvantages. the speed of eMMC or UFS drives is much lower than that of LPDDR4X or LPDDR5 chips, so the performance gains in heavy games can be minimal. The main advantage is noticeable in multitasking scenarios, when you often switch between browsers, social networks and instant messengers.

⚠️ Warning: Activating memory extension reduces the amount of internal storage available for your files and applications. Make sure you have free space before enabling this feature.

⚠️ Attention: Intensive data recording on a virtual partition can theoretically accelerate the wear and tear of the internal memory of a smartphone with very long use (several years).

Cleaning and optimization through the engineering menu

To fine-tune resource allocation, you can use Android’s hidden engineering menu, which allows you to change the limits of background processes and force the resources that the system reserves for standard services. Access to this menu is through the encoder of numbers or special ADB-This makes the method suitable for more confident users.

One effective way is to change the back-end limit. By default, the system can limit the number of applications running simultaneously to save battery power. By removing this limitation or changing its parameters, you will allow the system to use the available RAM more actively. To log into the developer menu, you need to click several times on the build number in the About Phone section, and then find the "Background Process Limit" item.

Also worth noting is the Advanced Optimization feature in the developer menu, which can prevent the system from aggressively closing the background applications, although it will increase battery consumption, and in some cases, it is perceived as an increase in effective memory capacity, since applications are not unloaded from it as often.

Use of the SWAP-root-rights

The most radical and effective method of increasing the available memory is the creation of a new memory. SWAP-This method requires the presence of superuser rights (Root) and the installation of specialized software, such as SWAP No Root (not working on all devices without root) or Kernel Adiutor. The essence of the method is to create a file on an internal drive, which the system begins to perceive as an extension of RAM.

The process of creating a swap file is as follows: after obtaining the Root rights (usually through unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk), the user installs the application to manage memory. In the application settings, the size of the file being created (usually from 1 GB to 4 GB) and the location of the file is selected. It is recommended to place the file in internal storage, since the speed of the SD memory card is often too low for comfortable operation as a RAM.

It is important to understand the risks associated with this method: obtaining root rights deprives the guarantee and can lead to the failure of some banking applications if you do not use special hiding modules. In addition, an incorrect swap file size setting can lead to unstable operation of the system or cyclical restart if the device does not cope with the management of virtual memory.

Comparison of methods of memory expansion

The right way to increase RAM depends on your smartphone model, Android version and your technical skills. Below is a comparison table that will help determine the best option for your case.

As you can see from the table, standard methods are the safest, but they have limited results. Using SWAP gives a noticeable increase on older devices, but requires deep intervention. For most users, the optimal balance will be a combination of built-in memory expansion and competent manual cleaning of background processes.

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There is no magic button that doubles the speed of a smartphone, and the best result is a comprehensive approach: clearing the cache, turning off animations and using regular memory expansion.

Clearing the memory through ADB-team

For users who don't want root rights but are willing to connect the phone to a computer, there is a method of clearing memory through USB debugging (ADB), which allows you to forcely complete system processes that take up space in RAM but don't show up in a standard task manager, which is especially true for devices with a heavily inflated MIUI shell.

First, you need to activate the USB debugging mode in the Developer menu and connect the smartphone to the PC. Once you install the drivers and the ADB Platform Tools utility, you can execute commands to manage memory. For example, a command to restart the system process without fully restarting the device can free up a significant amount of resources.

adb shell am kill-all

This command will complete all background processes except system-critical ones, effectively performing a hard-to-clean memory function, and you can use commands to change process priorities, making the system less likely to unload the applications you need from RAM, but it is worth remembering that after restarting the phone, all the settings applied through ADB will reset to factory values.

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Use ADB wireless debugging (available on Android 11+) to avoid depending on the cable when executing memory cleanup commands, which greatly speeds up the setup process.

The Effect of Cache Files and Garbage on RAM

Often, the problem with memory is not the small physical volume of the chip, but inefficient management of the cache of applications. Social networks such as Telegram, VK and Instagram can grow to gigabytes of temporary files that take up space not only in storage, but also actively consume RAM when indexed.

Regularly cleaning the cache through the built-in Security app or third-party utilities helps keep the system in good shape. However, it is important not to overdo it: a complete cache clean of all applications can immediately lead to a temporary slowdown, as the system will have to reload the necessary data into memory.

It’s also worth checking the autoload of apps. Many programs prescribe themselves to autorun, taking up precious megabytes immediately after turning on the phone. Disabling autoruns for unnecessary services (such as stores or navigators, which are rarely needed) is an easy way to free up to 20-30% of RAM without losing functionality.

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