Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face a situation where built-in storage is overflowing, the system starts to run slower, cameras refuse to shoot new videos, and notifications of space shortages appear at the most inopportune time, especially for budget models with basic equipment, where only 64 or 128 GB are available.
The problem is not always solved by simply removing photos or rarely used applications. MIUI and its successor HyperOS have their own features of accumulating temporary files that take up gigabytes of usable space. To return the performance of the gadget, you need to conduct a comprehensive cleaning and optimization.
In this article, we will explore proven methods of freeing up disk space, not using third-party accelerators of dubious origin, but using built-in tools and proven system commands, you will learn how to safely remove digital debris and transfer data.
Analysis of vault occupancy
Before you start taking drastic measures, you need to determine exactly what is eating your resource. Visual evaluation is often misleading, because the Other folder can hide gigabytes of data. You should use a standard analyzer built into the system to start with.
Go to Settings → Memory. Here you will see a color diagram of file allocation. The system will automatically count the amount of applications, images, videos and documents occupied. Pay attention to the category “Other” – this is where the most common hidden remnants of remote programs and messenger cache.
You can use a file manager to explore more in detail. Open Explorer and select the analysis function, which will show the heaviest files, sorted by size, and it will quickly find forgotten movies or archives that you downloaded months ago.
It is important to understand the difference between user data and system files. Deleting critical files from system folders can lead to unstable interfaces. Always check the path to the file before destroying it.
Cleaning cache and temporary files
The fastest way to free up space is to clear the app cache, and cache is temporary data that speeds up the launch of programs, but over time inflates to the unthinkable, especially social networks and browsers.
Xiaomi's built-in Security app has a powerful Cleanup tool. Run a scan and the system will prompt you to delete temporary files. However, for deep cleaning, you'd better use manually through the settings of each application.
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
- 🔍 Find the heaviest app (like TikTok or Instagram).
- 🗑️ Click on Memory and select Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Everything»).
⚠️ Warning: When you clear the cache, you won't lose your accounts or emails, but the app may take a little longer to load the next time you run.
Telegram and WhatsApp messengers deserve special attention, they store media files in their own database. Telegram settings have a section called Data and Memory → Memory Use, where you can clear the cache without deleting your correspondence history. This often frees up 2 to 10 GB of space.
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Set up an automatic cache deletion in Telegram: set a timer of “3 days” or “1 week”, and the application will delete old media files by itself, leaving them available in the cloud.
Transfer data to memory card and cloud
If internal memory is physically scarce, you need to transfer the archive data to external media. Modern Xiaomi smartphones support microSD cards (depending on the model) or allow you to use USB-OTG drives.
To transfer photos and videos, cloud services such as Google Photos or Mi Cloud are best used. Once the originals are uploaded to the cloud, you can activate the Free Place feature, which will delete local copies by leaving them previewed in the gallery.
| Type of data | Recommended storage location | Advantages |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | Google Photos/Mi Cloud | Access from any device, protection from loss |
| Documents | USB-flash-drive (OTG) | Fast transmission without internet |
| Music. | SD-map | Saving internal memory, high quality |
| Backup copies | External hard drive | Maximum reliability of storage |
In the case of SD-maps in some versions MIUI You can assign it to the primary place to save new photos and screenshots. Go to the camera settings and find the item "Save to the screenshots". SD-This will prevent the main section from overflowing in the future.
☑️ Preparation for data portability
Removal of duplicates and heavy files
When you use your smartphone, you inevitably accumulate duplicates, you could download the file twice, save the image from different sources, or take a series of identical images, manually search for them for a long time, but there are effective methods.
Use the built-in gallery search. Type the word "screenshots" or "video" into the search box to filter out heavy formats. Often users forget about long, 4K videos that weigh hundreds of megabytes each.
You can use third-party, but proven, utilities from Google Play that have access to the file system to find duplicate files, but be careful with access rights. The best way to do this is to manually go through the Download folder.
- 📂 Open the “Conductor” and go to the Download folder.
- 📄 Sort files by size (from large to small).
- ❌ Remove the installation APK-files that are no longer needed.
⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.obb or.data extension from the Android folder unless you are sure that the game or application is no longer needed.
It's also worth checking the DCIM →.thumbnails folder, which is a hidden folder where you store thumbnails of your photos. Over time, the thumbdata file can grow to several gigabytes. Secure removal will speed up the gallery.
How to find the hidden folder.thumbnails?
Use of Developer Mode and ADB
For advanced users who want to make the most of their device, there are USB debugging methods that allow you to remove system debris that is not visible to the average user, and this will require a computer and a set of tools ADB (Android Debug Bridge).
First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the build number (MIUI version) seven times. The "Additional" menu will show "Developers" option. Turn on "Debugging on USB" there.
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999This command compulsorily trims the cache of all installed applications to a minimum. Be careful: the syntax of the commands must be followed accurately. An error in input can lead to unpredictable results, although the trim-caches command is considered safe.
You can also remove pre-installed system applications (bloatware) that cannot be removed in the standard way through ADB, which will free up not only space but also RAM, but only those packets that you are 100% sure of are intended.
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Use of the ADB-commands give access to hidden system functions, but requires caution. Always check the name of the package before removing it through the command line.
Prevention of memory overflow
To keep the problem of space shortages from returning, it's important to develop the right smartphone usage habits: Regular maintenance takes less time than emergency cleaning when the phone is already barely working.
Set up automatic cleaning in the Safety app. Go to the cleaner settings and turn on the Notify of Fill option. Let the system do it yourself when the vacancy drops below 10%.
- 🔄 Regularly reboot your smartphone – this cleans up RAM and temporary system files.
- 📉 Turn off auto-save statuses on WhatsApp and Instagram Stories if you don’t use them all the time.
- 📸 Reduce the quality of video recording with 4K on 1080p, Unless you are planning a professional installation.
Keep an eye out for system updates. Newer versions of HyperOS and MIUI often improve file system algorithms, which can have a positive impact on disk space efficiency.