How to find out what is occupied by RAM on the smartphone Xiaomi: a full guide

RAM is one of the key resources of a smartphone that determines its speed and multitasking. On Xiaomi devices running MIUI or HyperOS, the lack of RAM is manifested by slowing down, spontaneous closure of applications or long loading of the interface. But how to understand what exactly eats up memory? In this article, we will examine all the ways, from built-in tools to professional utilities, including hidden firmware functions.

It is important to distinguish between RAM load and memory leakage: in the first case, the system simply actively uses resources (for example, for background processes or games), in the second case, the application or service “forgets” to release memory after work, which leads to a critical slowdown. Xiaomi is facing this problem more often due to aggressive optimization MIUI, Sometimes conflicting with user preferences.

We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and POCO F5 models with different firmware versions. Note: on devices with 4 GB of RAM and below, even standard processes can take up to 70-80% of memory, and on flagships with 12 + GB - no more than 30-40% in standby mode.

1. Built-in memory monitor in MIUI/HyperOS

The fastest way is to use a standard task manager that shows the current RAM load and active process list, to open it:

1. Unlock your smartphone and swipe up from the bottom edge to open the menu of recent apps.
2. Touch the "Three dots" icon" (⋮) top-right.
3. Select Memory Information (or Memory Manager in HyperOS).

Here you'll see:

• 📊 Total RAM and how much of it is occupied/free.
• 🔄 List of applications sorted by memory consumption (from more to less).
• ⚡ Clean button – it forcibly closes the background processes (but it is often not recommended to use it!).

On MIUI 14+ and HyperOS, Deep Cleaning has appeared in this menu, which removes the cache of system processes. It can be run no more than 1 time a day - otherwise you risk resetting some applications (for example, Google Play Services).

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If you see an unknown application with high RAM consumption (e.g. com.android.XXX), check it out via Virustotal or Malwarebytes – it could be malware.

2. Section "About the phone" - hidden statistics

Xiaomi’s settings hide a section with detailed information about memory usage, including system processes that are not displayed in Task Manager.

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5 times in a row on the MIUI version (or HyperOS version) until the notification “You became a developer!” appears.
3. Go back to the main settings menu and open a new section for developers.
4. Scroll down to the Debugging block and select Memory Statistics.

Here you'll see:

• 📱 Total use of real-time RAM (graphics updated every second).
• 🛠️ Distribution by category: applications, cache, kernel, drivers.
• 🔍 List of all processes with indication PID (process identifier) and PPID (parenting).

⚠️ Warning: Do not close processes called kernel, surfaceflinger or zygote, which will lead to a smartphone reboot or interface crash. >1GB of RAM, This is a Sign of a Firmware Failure.

3. Applications for RAM analysis: top-5 utility

Standard MIUI tools provide basic information, but for deep analysis, it is better to use third-party applications. We selected the 5 most effective ones:

• 📈 DevCheck – Detailed statistics on each process, including the use of CPU, GPU and RAM. There is a function of exporting logs.
• 🔍 Simple System Monitor – displays RAM load graphs in real time with the ability to filter by application.
• 🛡️ Greenify not only analyzes memory consumption, but also “freezes” unnecessary background processes (requires root for full functionality).
• 📊 CPU Monitor – in addition to RAM, monitors the temperature of the processor and battery charge, which is useful for diagnosing “gluttonous” games.
• 🔧 Termux + htop – for advanced users: terminal emulator with htop utility, which displays a complete list of Linux-style processes.

To install htop in Termux, follow the following commands:

pkg update && pkg upgrade


pkg install htop




htop

In the htop interface, pay attention to the columns:

• MEM% is the percentage of RAM usage by the process.
• TIME+ is the total time of the process (if the value is too high, it may indicate “hang”).
• COMMAND is the name of the process (you can Google unknown names).

4. Hidden commands for engineering menu

Xiaomi smartphones have a hidden engineering menu that allows you to get memory data at a low level.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the combination: ##4636###.
3. In the menu that appears, select Usage statistics (or Usage Statistics).

Here you'll see:

• 📌 Time in Foreground – Application foreground.
• 📌 Time in background – time in the background (if the value is too large, the application “hangs” in memory).
• 📌 Memory usage – current RAM consumption.

For more information, enter another command:

##2664##

This will open the RAM test menu, where you can:

• Check the integrity of RAM (useful after falls or overheating).
• See hardware errors (if any, the memory may not work properly).
• View the real frequency of RAM (on some Xiaomi models it is understated to save energy).

⚠️ Warning: Do not change the settings in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose! For example, a forced change in the frequency of RAM can lead to loss of warranty or damage to the memory module.

Launch the command ##4636##

Check the Usage Statistics section

Pay attention to applications with high time in background

Do not change unknown parameters

Reboot the phone after analysis-->

5. Logs of the system: how to find the "culprit" of the brakes

If the smartphone starts to brake suddenly, it could be a memory leak in one of the applications, and to detect it, you need to analyze the system logs.

1. Install the Logcat Extreme or MatLog app from Google Play.
2. Start log recording (start button).
3. Replay the problem (for example, open a “gluttonous” application).
4. Stop recording and filter logs by keywords: OutOfMemoryError is a memory loss error. MemoryLeak is a memory leak. ANR is Application Not Responding.

An example of a log that indicates a problem:

E/AndroidRuntime(12345): FATAL EXCEPTION: main


java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Failed to allocate a 104857712-byte allocation with 16777216 free bytes and 33MB until OOM

In this case:

• 🔹 12345 — PID problem-progression.
• 🔹 104857712 bytes (~100 MB – the amount of memory that the application could not allocate.
• 🔹 33MB until OOM — free memory before the collapse.

To find the PID application, use the command in Termux:

ps -A | grep 12345

Hardware problems: when the "iron" is to blame

If all software methods did not help, the reason may lie in the physical malfunction of the RAM module.

• 📱 Who fell from a height (especially on concrete or asphalt).
• 🔥 which overheated (for example, during charging or playing).
• 💧 Which came into contact with moisture (even if the phone worked normally after that).

Signs of hardware problem with RAM:

• 🔄 The smartphone spontaneously reboots when booting >70% memory memory.
• 🐢 Applications run for a very long time, even after cleaning the RAM.
• 📉 In the engineering menu (#2664##) the memory test shows errors (Fail).

What to do:

1. Reset your phone to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset) If the problem persists, it's almost certainly hardware.
2. Contact Xiaomi Service Center. Diagnostics of the RAM module is worth it ~500–1000 ₽, Replacement (if required) – from 3000 ₽.
3. If the phone is warranty, do not open it yourself - this will cancel the warranty obligations.

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On Xiaomi models with LPDDR5 (such as Xiaomi 14 or Redmi K70 Pro), hardware failures of RAM are less common than on older LPDDR4X, but they are more difficult to diagnose without special equipment.

7. RAM optimization: how to reduce the load

If the analysis shows that memory is full of unnecessary processes, it can be optimized without root:

• 🚫 Turn off auto-start applications: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management. Select the application and disable Autorun.
• 🔄 Limit background activity: In the same app settings, turn off Background activity. For Google Play Services, this cannot be done - it is critical for the system to work.
• 🗑️ Clean the cache regularly: In Settings → Memory click Clear cache. For individual applications: Settings → Annexes → Warehouse → Clear the cache.

Use "Productivity Mode"

1. In Settings → Battery, select Performance.
2. This will reduce background activity but reduce battery life.

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS, manually changing build.prop settings can result in bootloop locking.Before editing, back up through TWRP.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory on Xiaomi