What is the memory on Xiaomi: how to find and delete unnecessary files

You've noticed that Xiaomi's smartphone is slowing down and the space on the internal drive is melting away -- even though you haven't downloaded anything -- the reason most often lies in hidden system files, an app cache, or "digital trash" that accumulates unnoticed. Unlike the iPhone, where memory is tightly controlled, Android (and especially MIUI firmware) allows applications to grow freely, taking up gigabytes of precious space.

Complicating the problem, standard memory analysis tools at Xiaomi often show vague categories like “Other” or “System Data” without revealing what exactly lies behind these 10–30 GB of “unknown” files. In this article, we will examine 5 ways to analyze in detail, from built-in MIUI functions to third-party utilities that will show the exact composition of the occupied memory, including cache, duplicates and remnants of remote applications.

1. Built-in memory analyzer in MIUI: what is hiding the "Other" section

Let's start with the basic tool that every Xiaomi smartphone has, the built-in file manager, which gives a general idea of memory allocation, but is often misleading. For example, the "Other" category can take up to 40% of the total, and it's unclear what it includes: temporary files, system logs or something else.

To open the analyzer:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on the memory usage schedule.
3. Select a category (such as “Apps” or “Media Files”) for detail.

Pay attention to the points:

• 📁 Application cache: gigabytes of data from social networks, instant messengers and streaming services can accumulate here.
• 🔄 Residual files: Remains from deleted programs that have not been completely cleaned.
• 📊 System data: log files, memory dumps and other technical artifacts.

💡

If the Other partition takes up more than 5GB, it is a signal to deep clean. Try manually removing the cache of system applications (such as Google Play Services or MIUI System Launcher) through Settings → Apps → All applications

It's important to understand that the built-in MIUI analyzer doesn't show a complete list of files, it aggregates data by category. For example, if you downloaded a movie on Telegram and then deleted it via chat, the file might have stayed in the /storage/emulated/0/Telegram/Telegram Video folder, but in the memory statistics it would appear as Media Files, not as garbage.

2. Hidden folders and system files: where to look for "invisible" garbage

The Android operating system (and the MIUI shell in particular) creates many hidden folders that are not displayed in the standard Explorer.

• 🗑️ Log files (/data/log, /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log) — borrow 1–2 GB.
• 🎬 Cache video from streaming services (/Android/data/com.netflix.mediaclient/files/Download).
• 📱 Backup copies (/MIUI/backup/AllBackup) — Automatically created when updating.
• 🔍 Dalvik-cache files (/data/dalvik-cache) — remain after firmware updates.

To see hidden folders, you will need a file manager with root permissions (such as Root Explorer) or ADB-An alternative way is to connect the phone to your PC and use Total Commander with the option "Show hidden files" enabled".

Pay special attention to /sdcard/Android/obb, which stores additional game data (such as textures for Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile), which can weigh between 2 and 4 GB each, even if the game itself has been deleted long ago.

3. Third-party utilities for deep analysis: which is better Files by Google or SD Maid

The built-in MIUI tools give only a superficial idea of memory occupancy, and for detailed analysis, it is better to use specialized applications.

For most users, Files by Google is a simple choice, covering 80% of tasks, and if you want to clean your phone after a long time, you should use SD Maid (CorseFinder is especially useful, which finds the remnants of remote applications).

Install and open. SD Maid|Start the scan in the "CorpseFinder" section"|Delete the residual files found|Clean the cache in the "SystemCleaner" section"|Check folders with large files in StorageAnalyzer"-->

Warning: Some utilities (such as CCleaner) can aggressively delete files, which will cause MIUI to crash. Avoid "optimizers" that promise to "speed up the phone by 300%" - they often delete important data from the /data/data folder.

4.Analysis through ADB: for advanced users

If you’re ready to dive into the technical details, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) will allow you to get a full account of the occupied space, including system partitions, which requires connecting your phone to a PC and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times on the line with the version, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open the terminal (or PowerShell on Windows).
3. Enter the command to view the occupied space by folders: adb shell du -h -d 1 /storage/emulated/0 | sort -hr This command will sort the folders by size, showing the "heavy".

Example of inference (simplified):

1.2G    /storage/emulated/0/Telegram




800M    /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb




500M    /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera




300M    /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/debug_log

Notice the folders:

• 📂 /Android/obb — games and app cache.
• 📂 /MIUI/debug_log — Logs of the system (can be deleted without consequences).
• 📂 /Android/data — Application data (requires caution!).

💡

Adb shell pm list packages -s It will show you a list of applications that are more 100 MB. This will help identify "gluttonous" programs that should be transferred to the SD-map.

⚠️ Note: Delete files through ADB If you don't understand their purpose, you can crash the system, for example, deleting content. /data/dalvik-cache It will cause a cyclical reboot of the phone. Always back up before cleaning!

5. App cache: How to find and clean safely

Cache is a temporary file that apps create to speed up work, and over time it grows into uncontrollable sizes, for example, Facebook can accumulate up to 1-2 GB of cache, and Google Maps can accumulate up to 500 MB of card data.

To clear the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as YouTube) and click Storage.
3. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – it will delete all settings!).

Top.-5 applications that most often clog up cache:

• 🎵 Spotify – caches songs for offline listening.
• 📺 TikTok – saves video in the background.
• 🗺️ Google Maps – Maps and Routes.
• 📷 Instagram - miniature stories and reels.
• 🎮 PUBG Mobile – Textures and Updates.

To automatically clean the cache, you can use the 1Tap Cleaner application or the built-in MIUI function:

1. Open Security. → Cleanup.
2. Select Deep Clean and confirm removal.

💡

If the app starts to work slower after cleaning the cache, it's normal to reload the data, and in 1-2 days, the speed will return to normal.

6.Duplicate and Large Files: How to Find and Delete

One of the biggest memory eaters is duplicate photos, videos and documents, which are produced when:

• 📲 Transfer files via instant messengers (for example, WhatsApp saves copies in the Internet) WhatsApp/Media).
• 🔄 Sync with the cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud).
• 📸 Shooting in mode HDR or using filters (Xiaomi camera saves the original) + processed).

To search for duplicates, you will be suitable:

• Files by Google (Section "Cleaning → Duplicates").
• Duplicate Files Fixer (scans by content, not by name)
• CCleaner (Dublicates tab).

To find large files (over 100 MB):

1. Open Files by Google.
2. Go to the Cleanup section. → Large files.
3. Sort by size and remove unnecessary (such as old videos or other items). APK-file).

⚠️ Attention: Before mass deletion, check the files manually! DCIM/.thumbnails contains thumbnails for the gallery – their removal will not free up much space, but will slow down the loading of photos.

7 System Data and Updates: Why MIUI is Eating Memory

MIUI firmware is known for taking up more and more space over time due to:

• 🔄 System updates – new versions are saved in /cache They are not always removed after installation.
• 📦 Pre-installed applications – even after deleting, they leave traces in the /system/priv-app.
• 📝 Log files – Xiaomi actively maintains logs for debugging (folder) /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log).

To make room:

1. Remove old updates via Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Dots → Delete the downloaded package.
2. Clear /cache folder via TWRP (requires custom recovery) or command: adb shell su -c "rm -rf /cache/*"
3. Turn off log collection in Settings → Additional → For developers → Disable logging.

If there is critically little space (less than 1 GB), the system can begin to automatically delete cache and temporary files, which will lead to brakes. SD-Card (if the phone supports Adoptable Storage).

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory on Xiaomi