How to increase memory on Xiaomi phone: from simple settings to expansion

Xiaomi’s current smartphones offer impressive specs, but even devices with large storage capacity will eventually face a shortage of free space, crowded internal memory leads to slowdowns in the interface, inability to install updates and problems when shooting videos, which is especially true for users who actively shoot high-resolution content or install heavy games.

Fortunately, the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS provide a wide range of tools for managing files. You don't have to go to the store immediately for a new model. Competent system optimization allows you to free up gigabytes of space using built-in features and third-party utilities. We will analyze all the proven ways that will help your gadget to breathe again freely.

Analysis of occupied space and search for hidden files

Before you delete important data, you need to understand what exactly occupies space on your device. Standard diagnostic tools often show only the big picture, hiding the real “eaters” of gigabytes. Xiaomi’s built-in Security app has a powerful analysis tool that is worth using first.

Launch the app and select Clean up. The system will automatically scan the device and prompt you to delete the cache, advertising files and residues from remote programs. However, for a deeper analysis, go to the storage settings via the Settings menu → About Phone → Storage. Here you will see a detailed breakdown by category.

• 📱 Applications and their data – often messengers take up more space than the system itself.
• 📸 Gallery and Albums – Check the Deleted folder that stores photos for 30 days.
• 📥 Downloads – Forgotten installation files APK and browser documents.
• 🗑️ Cache systems – temporary files that can be safely stored.

Telegram and WhatsApp create their own directories at the root of the file system, where videos and images can be stored for years, and clearing the cache of these applications through Android settings is often more effective than using the built-in tools of messengers.

⚠️ Note: When manually cleaning folders in the file manager, avoid removing system directories with names like Android, MIUI Or System, if you're not sure what it's about, it could cause the interface to crash.

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Regular analysis of the storage once a month prevents critical memory filling and maintains high speed of the smartphone.

Using a MicroSD Memory Card to Expand

Many modern flagships have lost the memory card slot, but Xiaomi’s budget and mid-budget models, such as the Redmi Note series, still support the installation of MicroSD drives.

Once you have the card installed, the system will suggest you choose a mode of use, you can use it as a portable storage device or as part of internal memory, and in the second case, the card is formatted and encrypted, making it unreadable on other devices without re-associating it.

Use a file manager to transfer data. Move heavy folders of photos, music and documents to an external medium. Some applications allow you to choose the way to save new files in your settings by specifying a memory card.

Not all applications support installation on a memory card, but this function depends on the software developer and the Android version. SD-card" is inactive in the application settings, so the software restriction does not allow you to do this with regular means.

Cleaning up garbage in popular messengers

Messengers have become the main consumers of free space. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store every photo and video they view, creating giant archives. Without regular cleaning, they can take up tens of gigabytes.

Telegram has a built-in Memory Use tool. Go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you can set up automatic cache cleanup, for example, 3 days or a week after viewing. This is critical for users in dozens of channels.

WhatsApp stores media files in a shared gallery, making it difficult to selectively delete them. Use the Storage Management feature inside chat settings. The app will show the dialogs that take up the most space and let you delete large files without touching text correspondence.

⚠️ Note: Clearing the cache in messengers does not delete your correspondence, but deletes the uploaded media files. When you reopen the chat, photos and videos will be downloaded again if they are on the server.

For advanced users, there is the option of using third-party clients or modified versions that allow for more flexible database management, but this requires caution to avoid blocking an account.

Cloud Storage and Sync with Mi Cloud

If physical expansion is not possible, cloud technology comes to the rescue. Xiaomi's Mi Cloud ecosystem offers a deep-seated, integrated system that allows you to store contacts, messages, notes and, most importantly, photos.

Turn on Device Clear in the gallery settings, and when you sync, the original photos will be uploaded to the cloud, and the phone will have smaller copies of them, which frees up a lot of space, leaving the album in full resolution with the Internet.

The alternatives are Google Photos, Yandex.Disk, and others, which offer automatic uploading of media files, and set up the app to delete local copies after successfully uploading to the cloud.

• ☁️ Mi Cloud – Free 5GB, ideal for system backups.
• 📸 Google Photos – Compression to “Economic” Quality is Often Unlimited.
• 📂 Yandex.Disk is a popular solution in the CIS with a good tariff.
• 💾 Dropbox/OneDrive – Easy integration with office documents.

Using the cloud requires a stable connection to the network. Take care of the plan in advance or use Wi-Fi for the initial upload of the archive of photos.

Removing system updates and unnecessary services

Android System and Shell MIUI They accumulate update files. Once a new firmware version is successfully installed, the installation package often stays in memory. Downloaded_rom or through the update menu.

And there are also a lot of apps on smartphones that you don't have to use, some that you can uninstall in the standard way, some that you can only debug through the standard way. USB and ADB-This eliminates the bloatware that takes up space and resources.

To remove root-free system applications, you use a PC. You will need to enable USB Debugging in the developer menu and connect your phone to your computer.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

This command will remove Xiaomi's standard video player.Be extremely careful when entering batch names, as removing critical system components can lead to bootloop (cyclic reboot).

⚠️ Note: Before removing system components, be sure to make a full backup of data. ADB applications can only be reset to factory settings.

Radical measures: reset to factory settings

If the software cleansing fails and the memory is critically filled, the last method is the Factory Reset, which will return the phone to the “out of the box” state, and this will ensure that all debris, remnants of deleted applications and file system errors are removed.

Before the procedure, be sure to save important data to your computer or to the cloud. The process is irreversible. Go to Settings → About phone → Reset → Erase all data.

After resetting, don’t restore backup applications immediately; install only the minimum programs you need; often, the digital junk from older versions of applications that has accumulated over the years takes up the lion’s share of memory.

Regularly restarting the device also helps the system to correctly complete background processes and clean temporary files that sometimes stick in RAM and internal memory.

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Use Flight mode for 10 seconds before restarting to completely break network connections and reset network drivers, which sometimes helps with system freezes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)