How to increase memory on Xiaomi phone: from garbage cleaning to memory card

Xiaomi smartphone owners sooner or later face a shortage of internal memory. Even if you bought a model with 128 GB or 256 GB, eventually the place ends: high-resolution photos, app cache, system updates and downloaded files eat up precious gigabytes. Especially acute problem is on budget devices of the Redmi Note or POCO series, where the storage capacity is often limited to 64 GB.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to increase memory on Xiaomi phones, from basic (cleaning cache, transferring files) to advanced (using ADB to format a memory card as an internal drive). Each method has been tested on current MIUI 14 and HyperOS firmware, so the instructions will be suitable for most modern models: Xiaomi 13T, Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5 and others. Importantly, some solutions require root rights or a connection to a PC – we will specify these cases separately.

Before you start, check how much memory is occupied right now. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone → Memory (or Settings → Storage in new versions of MIUI). Here you will see a diagram of the distribution of space by category: applications, media, system files, etc. This will help you understand what data is eating away at your storage.

1. Clearing cache and unnecessary files

The fastest way to free up 1 to 5GB of storage is to remove temporary files, app cache and debris that accumulates over time. Xiaomi has built-in tools for this, but we’ll also look at third-party deep-cleaning utilities.

Start with the Cleanup System Tool:

• 📱 Open the Security app (shield icon) → Go to the Cleanup tab.
• 🔍 Press Deep Clean and wait for analysis. The system will show how much space is occupied by unnecessary files (cache, residual data of remote applications, duplicates).
• 🗑️ Select all categories and click Clear.Caution: Do not delete files from Downloads or Multimedia without checking - there may be important documents there.

For a more thorough cleaning, use the Files by Google app (available from the Play Market).

• 📁 Duplicate photos and videos.
• 🎵 Large files (from 100 MB) that have not been opened in a long time.
• 📥 Unnecessary APK-Files (remainders from application installation).
• 🗃️ Empty folders and temporary files.

⚠️ Note: Do not clean the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui) manually through Settings → Applications: This can cause disruptions MIUI.

2. Transfer data to a microSD memory card

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (e.g., Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro), the most obvious way to expand memory is to install a microSD up to 1TB.

• 📌 The card is formatted as a portable storage (files are manually transferred) or as internal memory (expands the main storage, but requires formatting).
• 🔄 Not all applications can be transferred to SD-Card – many games and system utilities remain in internal memory.
• ⚡ Card speed affects performance: for internal memory, take UHS-I Class 10 (e.g. SanDisk Extreme).

Instructions for configuring the card as an internal storage:

1. Insert the card into the slot (some Xiaomi models require a tray for two SIMs or a hybrid slot).
2. When a notification appears, click Setup → select Internal Memory.
3. Confirm the formatting (all data from the card will be deleted!).
4. After completion, go to Settings → Applications, select the program and click Storage → Change. → SD-map.

⚠️ Warning: If you pull out a card that is formatted as internal memory, some applications will stop working. → Warehouse → Extract SD-map.

Buy a card of class UHS-I (U3) with a volume of 64 GB

Backup of data from the card (if any)

Insert the card into the slot (with the phone switched off)

Formatting as internal memory through settings-->

3. Optimization of photo and video storage

Multimedia files take up the lion’s share of memory, for example, one RAW photo on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra weighs 50-80 MB, and a minute video in 4K weighs up to 400 MB.

• 📸 In camera settings (Settings) → Camera. → Photo resolution: Select High (HEIF) It's a maximum format. HEIF compresses the photo 2 times without loss of quality.
• 🎥 For video, set the resolution Full HD (1080p) instead 4K, unless you need a professional shooting.
• ☁️ Enable Automatic Download to the Cloud: Gallery → Settings → Backup (supported by Google Photos, Mi Cloud, Yandex.Disk).
• 🗃️ Use the function of Storage compression in Google Photos: it reduces the size of the photo to 3 MB each (enough for viewing on the screen of the smartphone).

For advanced users, if you shoot a lot of video, install the Open Camera app from the Play Market, which allows you to flexibly adjust the bitrate (compression quality) of video. For example, for 4K, you can reduce the bitrate from 100 Mbps to 50 Mbps, saving space without noticeable loss of quality.

4. Removal of system applications and bloatware

MIUI firmware is known for its abundance of pre-installed applications (bloatware) that take up space and are not removed in standard ways.

• 🎵 Mi Music, Mi Video (Duplicate Google Play Music and YouTube).
• 📰 Mi Browser, News, Games (Advertising Services).
• 🛒 Mi Pay, Themes (works only in China or requires) VPN).

You can remove them in two ways:

Method 1: Through ADB (without root)

Connect your phone to your PC, turn on USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the version, then return to Additional → For Developers) and execute the commands:

adb shell


pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer




pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.player




pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop

A full list of removal packages can be found on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums for your model.

Method 2: Using root rights

If you have root, use Titanium Backup or System App Remover, which not only removes, but also freezes system applications (uninstalls without deleting).

⚠️ Warning: Removing system applications may disrupt the work MIUI. For example, deleting com.miui.home will cause the desktop to disappear. Always back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.

💡

Before removing bloatware, check if the application is associated with important features. For example, com.xiaomi.scanner is responsible for QR-notification-curtain.

5.Use of cloud storage and streaming services

If physical memory is sorely lacking, move your library and documents to the cloud.

• ☁️ Files are available from any device.
• 🔄 Automatic synchronization (new photos are uploaded to the cloud).
• 📱 Frees up 10–50 GB on your phone.

The best options for Xiaomi:

How to set up autoload in Google Photos:

1. Install an app from the Play Market.
2. Open Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Turn on the switch and select quality (Original or High).
4. In the Storage Management section, click Free Space – this will remove files from the phone that are already uploaded to the cloud.

For music and video, use streaming services:

• 🎵 YouTube Music, Spotify (caching tracks, but not storing them permanently).
• 🎬 Kodi + Plugins for streaming (if you watch movies online).

💡

Cloud storage saves space, but requires a stable Internet connection. If you are often offline, leave important files on your phone or use a hybrid approach (part files in the cloud, part files on the phone). SD-map).

6. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all of the above methods fail, and the phone is full of no-one knows what, it's a complete reset, and it'll delete all the data, including:

• 📱 Applications and their settings.
• 📂 Photos, videos, music (unless synced to the cloud).
• 📋 Contacts, SMS, Call records (if no backup is made).

Resetting instructions:

1. Create a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup → Local backup.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.
4. Once the phone is rebooted, it will be like new. Restore the data from the backup (but don't transfer unnecessary files!).

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 8 Pro) may lock the bootloader after a reset if you previously unlocked it for firmware.

7. Advanced methods: OTG-storage USB-disk

If your Xiaomi supports OTG (On-The-Go), you can connect an external drive:

• 💾 A plug-in flash drive. USB-C Micro-USB (depending on the phone model).
• 🖥️ Outside SSD/HDD with its own power supply (e.g. Samsung) T7 Shield).

How to connect:

1. Buy it. OTG-adapter (e.g, USB-C → USB-A modern Xiaomi).
2. Connect the flash drive or drive to the adapter and the adapter to the phone.
3. In the notification curtain will appear a message USB-The drive is connected. Press it and select Open.
4. You can now transfer files through any file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager).

Limitations:

• ❌ Not all applications are able to work with OTG-drives (for example, WhatsApp will not allow you to save a backup on the flash drive).
• ⚡ Disk without power may not be defined (you need a Y-cable with an additional port for charging).

To use the external drive as internal memory, you will need root and the StickMount app (available on XDA).

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory enhancement on Xiaomi