Owners of the popular budget smartphone often face a shortage of internal storage, and the question of how to increase the memory on the Xiaomi Redmi 9 phone becomes critical.The device, released in 2020, initially offered 64 or 128 GB of space, which may not be enough for modern applications and multimedia files. System files and cache take up more space over time, causing the interface to slow down and the inability to install new programs.
Fortunately, the MIUI operating system provides users with powerful tools to manage files, and the hardware platform allows you to expand the capabilities through external drives. In this article, we will detail the safe methods of cleaning, configuring cloud services and physically upgrading your gadget. Xiaomi Redmi 9 can last for a long time if you organize its file system properly.
Before you start taking radical measures like resetting, it's worth trying to optimize the current state of the system. It only takes 10-15 minutes, but the result may surprise you with the speed of response. Next, we'll look at all the ways you can do it, from simple settings to using external maps.
Analysis of vault occupancy
The first step to freeing up space is to understand what is taking up precious gigabytes. Often users are surprised where the free space has gone, unaware of the accumulated debris in messengers. The built-in MIUI analyzer allows you to quickly identify heavyweights.
To start the diagnosis, go to Settings → Memory. The system will automatically scan all the sections and provide detailed statistics. Here you will see how much space the applications, images, videos, audio files and system cache take up. A visual diagram will help you instantly assess the scale of the problem.
Pay special attention to the Other section, which often includes temporary files, remnants of deleted programs and streaming services, and cleaning up this section can free up 1 to 5 GB of disk space without losing important data.
Don't ignore the download folder. Browsers and social networks often save open files that you no longer need. Regularly checking the Download folder is a good habit for maintaining order.
Use of MicroSD memory card
The most effective way to increase the memory on the Xiaomi Redmi 9 phone physically is to install a MicroSD card. SIM-So you have to choose between two SIMs or one SIM plus a memory card, and you have to choose between 512GB of storage, which is many times larger than the internal memory.
Once you have the card installed, the system will suggest you to choose how to use it, and you can use it as a portable storage for photos and music, or as an extension of internal memory, and in the second case, the system will format the card, and it will only be available on that device.
☑️ Memory card check
To transfer data, open the Explorer or Files app. Select the photos, videos or documents you want, click Move, and point the path to SD-This action will instantly free up space in the inner partition.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove the memory card while writing data or running applications.This can cause file system damage and loss of information. Always use the "Safe Retrieval" option in your settings.
Some applications allow you to directly save data to an external drive, for example, in the camera settings, you can change the default save path, which will prevent the internal memory from overflowing in the future.
Cleaning cache and temporary files
Cache accumulation is a natural process for Android, but over time it inflates to a giant size.Cash speeds up the load of frequently visited pages and applications, but its excess only slows down the Xiaomi Redmi 9.
Using the built-in Cleanup tool in the Security app is the easiest method. Click on the Clean button and the system will delete temporary files, residuales installer residues and unused APK packages.
But for messengers like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Viber, that's not enough: they store media files in their internal folders. Go to Settings → Apps → App Management, select messenger, and find Memory, where you can clear the cache of a particular application.
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On Telegram, use the built-in Memory Use feature in the app settings to set up auto-delete media files in 3 days or a week, saving gigabytes of space.
It's also worth checking the.thumbnails folder in the hidden system directories, which are thumbnails of your photos, which can take several gigabytes, and removing the contents of this folder is safe, and the system will recreate it if necessary.
Removal of duplicates and large files
Often users don’t realize they’re storing multiple copies of the same video or document. Duplicate files are a scourge of modern smartphones, especially if you often send files through different messengers.
In Explorer, select Files and sort them by size. The largest files are usually on top. Check if you need old 4K videos or archival backups. Deleting one of these files can free up more space than cleaning the cache in a month.
| File type | Average size | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p video (1 min) | ~100MB | Move to PC or cloud |
| Photo (RAW) | ~25MB | Convert to JPEG or delete |
| Cash Instagram. | ~500MB+ | Clean once a week |
| Offline maps | ~2 GB | Delete after the trip |
You can use third-party tools from Google Play to find duplicates, but be careful with access rights. MIUI's built-in tools can also find similar images if you use the Gallery's sorting function.
Setup of cloud services Xiaomi Cloud and Google
Cloud technology allows you to store files on remote servers, freeing up local space. Xiaomi Cloud service is deeply integrated into the system and allows you to synchronize contacts, notes, voice recorder and gallery. When you enable storage optimization, original photos can be deleted from the device while remaining in the cloud.
Google Photos works the same way, offering unlimited (with limited quality) or paid storage of originals. Set up automatic upload of photos and videos over Wi-Fi so that they do not take up space on Redmi 9.
What to do if the cloud is full?
If you delete files from your phone, hoping for the cloud, but you end up in a networkless zone, you won't have access to them. Plan your storage wisely.
Resetting to factory settings as an extreme measure
If no methods are working and the system is unstable, the radical but effective way is to reset the phone completely, and it will return the phone to the state it was in when it was purchased, and all data will be deleted, so backup is mandatory.
Before the procedure, make sure that the battery is at least 50%. Go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The process will take 10-20 minutes, after which the phone will restart clean.
⚠️ Warning: Once reset, you will lose all passwords, Wi-Fi settings and app data. Make sure to remember passwords from your Google and Mi Account accounts, or access to the device will be blocked.
A clean installation often works wonders with older devices, the phone starts to work faster, errors and freezes disappear, and it is the best way to extend the life of a smartphone before selling or transferring to another user.
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Integrated approach (clean-up) + cloud + SD-map) allows you to increase the available space on Redmi 9 into 2-3 time without purchasing a new device.