How to find out what eats RAM on Xiaomi: a complete analysis

Your Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO are slowing down, applications are spontaneously shutting down, and the Task Manager says, "Not enough memory"? The reason is almost always uncontrolled RAM consumption, either by system processes or resource-hungry applications. But how do you know exactly what is eating RAM when embedded tools only show overall load?

In this article, we will look at the unique diagnostic methods for MIUI firmware, from hidden menus of engineering mode to ADB commands that will not show even standard activity monitors. You will learn how to identify “voracious” services (including system services such as com.miui.daemon or android.process.media), which applications leave background processes even after closing, and how to distinguish normal caching from memory leakage.

1. Built-in memory monitor in MIUI: what it shows and what it can’t see

Starting with the basic tool, Settings → Phone → Memory (or Settings → Applications → Memory Status in newer versions of MIUI), it shows a real-time RAM usage schedule, but there are three critical nuances:

• 📊 Total download percentage — shows total consumption, but does not disclose which processes are to blame, for example, 80% of employment can be caused by one “gluttonous” application or a dozen small services.
• 🔄 Cashed applications — MIUI It aggressively caches frequently used programs, which can create the illusion of memory deficits.
• 🚫 Hidden system processes – some services (e.g. miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.market) are not listed as “active” applications, but can consume hundreds of megabytes.

To see the full list of processes, tap Memory at the top of the screen, and you'll see an extended menu that's sorted by consumption. Pay attention to the Background Processes column: If there's apps that you haven't opened in a while (like Facebook or AliExpress), you can safely stop them manually.

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MIUI 14+ has a Deep Clean feature in the memory menu that removes not only cache, but also temporary system service files, and use it if the phone is slowing down after a long time.

2. Hidden menu "Processes": how to find invisible leaks

MIUI hides some of the system processes from the user, but they can be seen through the engineering menu, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and flagship models like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select Usage statistics.
3. Go to the Running Processes tab.

Here you will see all active processes, including those that are not displayed in the standard Task Manager.

• 🔴 Status processes FOREGROUND — They consume the most resources.
• 🟡 Marked services PERSISTENT — System processes that cannot be stopped without root rights (e.g. com.qualcomm.qti on Snapdragon smartphones).
• 🟢 High-value annexes PSS (Private Set Size is real RAM consumption, not virtual memory.

3. ADB-Advanced Diagnostics Teams

If you want accurate memory consumption data (up to megabytes), connect your smartphone to your PC and use ADB. This method requires minimal preparation, but provides the most detailed information.

First, turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times on version, then go back to Settings → Additional → For developers).

adb shell dumpsys meminfo

This command will produce a full memory report, including:

• 📋 MemTotal – the total amount of RAM in the device.
• 📉 MemFree – free memory (if the value is less than 200-300 MB, the system will start killing processes).
• 🔍 Native Heap – memory consumption by native applications (often to blame games or heavy messengers like Telegram X).

To analyze a particular app (such as Instagram) use:

adb shell dumpsys meminfo com.instagram.android

Third-party applications for monitoring RAM

If you don't want to mess with ADB, install one of the specialized apps that not only show you what's eating up memory, but also help you optimize memory usage.

We recommend the Developer Options Tool for Xiaomi, as it takes into account the features of the MIUI firmware and shows the processes that are hidden in the standard task manager. For example, it will reveal the background activity of com.miui.securitycenter (security center), which often consumes up to 150-200 MB even in standby mode.

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Applications like Greenify or Brevent can conflict with MIUI. Before using them, turn off the Auto Clean feature in your memory settings.

5.Typical memory eaters on Xiaomi and how to stop them

Analyzing user reports and system process logs, we identified the TOP-5 culprits of RAM leaks on Xiaomi smartphones:

• 🎮 Games (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, Honkai: Star Rail – even after closing, they leave background processes that consume up to 500 MB. Solution: use “Game Turbo Mode” in Settings → Special facilities → Gaming acceleration and enable the option “Memory Cleanup after exit».
• 📱 Social networks (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram) - store up to 10 background services. Solution: disable autorun in Settings → Annexes → Autostart control.
• 🔄 System services MIUI (com.miui.daemon, com.xiaomi.finddevice) - responsible for syncing and finding the device, but sometimes "leaking." Solution: reboot the phone or reset the network settings in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings.
• 📊 Analytics and advertising (com.miui.analytics, com.google.android.gms) – collect data in the background. Solution: disable Ad Personalization in Settings → Google → Advertising.
• 🎵 Music apps (Spotify, Yandex Music, Mi Music) – cache tracks to RAM. Solution: limit cache in the app settings or use lightweight alternatives like VLC.

Open "Quick Settings" (swipe down)

Slap on the "Cleaning" badge (broom)

Select "Deep Cleaning"

Close all applications in Task Manager

Turn off/enable the aircraft mode for 10 seconds-->

6.When the problem is not in the software: hardware causes of RAM leaks

If you've tried all the methods, but the memory still leaks, it could be the hardware.

• 🔋 Worn-out battery – at a discharge below 15%, the system begins to aggressively reset processes, which creates the illusion of a lack of RAM. Check the battery health using ##6484## (Battery health item).
• 🔥 Overheating of the processor - at a temperature above 60°C MIUI Artificially restricts access to memory. CPU Monitor for temperature monitoring.
• 🛠️ Damaged memory – if the RAM modules are physically damaged (for example, after a fall), the system may “lose” some of the memory.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi smartphones with MediaTek processors (for example, Redmi Note 11 or MediaTek) POCO M5) Often there is a bug with the driver mtk-gpu, which “eats” up to 1 GB of RAM. The solution is to update the firmware to the latest version or roll back to a stable build.

Extreme measures: dumping, firmware and root

If no methods have helped, there are radical ways:

1. Resetting to factory settings will delete all user data, but return the system to its original state. Before reset, back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Fastboot flashing is relevant if leaks started after the MIUI update. Download the official firmware from the Xiaomi website and run through the Mi Flash Tool.
3. Getting root rights – will allow you to remove system applications (for example, com.xiaomi.midrop or com.miui.videoplayer), but will deprive you of warranties and OTA-update.

⚠️ Note: On models with a locked bootloader (for example, Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi K50) Fastboot requires you to unlock the bootloader, which erases all data and requires you to link your Mi Account!

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory on Xiaomi