Modern smartphones in the Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO line offer users a wide range of options, but over time, accumulated data can significantly slow down the device. Understanding how space is distributed on your gadget is key to maintaining its high performance. Many owners confuse the concepts of RAM and permanent memory, leading to incorrect conclusions about space shortage.
In this article, we will take a closer look at how to find memory in Xiaomi, what types of storage exist and how they differ, and learn how to interpret system data correctly, find hidden files, and effectively manage smartphone resources without installing third-party applications.
Lack of space often causes sudden drops of applications or inability to take a new picture. Proper control of storage allows you to extend the life of the device and avoid the need to buy a more powerful model.
Differences between operational and embedded memory
The first thing to learn to manage a smartphone’s resources properly is the fundamental difference between the two main types of memory: RAM is used to temporarily store data from running applications and processes while the device is on, and once the smartphone is turned off or rebooted, the contents of that storage are completely cleared.
In turn, embedded memory (ROM) is a permanent storage system where you store the MIUI or HyperOS operating system, the applications you installed, photos, videos and documents, and this is the amount of this type of memory is usually indicated in the model name when you buy, for example, 128 GB or 256 GB.
⚠️ Warning: Never try to fill up the internal memory to 100%.When less than 1GB is free, the system may start to run unstablely, and some applications will stop running due to lack of cache space.
The speed of the smartphone depends on the amount of free RAM. If RAM is full, the processor has to turn to a slower permanent storage more often, which causes user-visible delays and interface lags.
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For quick memory type check, use the specifications on the box: the first digit (e.g. 8GB) is RAM, the second (128GB) is ROM.
Memory check through standard MIUI settings
The easiest and most reliable way to get information about storage occupancy is to use the built-in system tools. To do this, go to the Settings menu, find the About Phone section and select Storage, which shows a summary of how much space is occupied by the system, applications and user files.
The system automatically analyzes content and sorts files into categories, which allows you to quickly identify the main sources of space consumption. You will see a breakdown into applications, images, video, audio, etc. Clicking on any of the categories will open a detailed list of files, sorted by size.
☑️ Diagnostics of the repository
It is important to note that a standard analyzer may not show some system folders that are restricted by security rights, but for 95% of users, a standard menu is enough to keep the file system in order.
Using the “Security” application for cleaning
Xiaomi firmware preinstalled the system application Security, which includes a powerful tool for memory management. Launch the application and select the Cleanup icon. The system will scan and suggest removing temporary files, application cache and remnants of remote programs.
This tool is especially useful for removing the so-called “garbage” that accumulates when you use your browser, messengers and social networks, and regularly using this feature helps free up several gigabytes of space without the risk of deleting important personal data.
- 📱 Cleaning the application cache without losing logins and stored data.
- 🗑️ Delete large and rarely used files on the system's advice.
- 🔄 Analysis of duplicate photos and screenshots for re-deletion.
Deep Clean Up allows you to view the contents of folders in more detail, and you can find forgotten downloads, old WhatsApp backups, or unused APK installation files.
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Regularly cleaning through the Security app is more effective than manually sorting files, as algorithms know which data is safe to delete.
Hidden functions and engineering menu
For more advanced users, you can get detailed technical information through a hidden menu, and to get there, you need to open the Phone app and type ##64663##. This will open an engineering menu where you can check the status of various components, including memory.
Memory or Storage (the name may vary depending on the version of MIUI) provides technical information about memory chips, their manufacturer and current health, which is useful when diagnosing malfunctions or buying a used device.
⚠️ Warning: Do not change the settings on the engineering menu that you are not sure about. Some parameters may cause the screen or sensors to recalibrate.
There's also code ##4636##, which opens the test menu, and although it's more network-oriented, some firmware versions can provide additional statistics on resource usage.
What if the code doesn't work?
Analysis of occupied space by third-party utilities
If standard tools are not enough, specialized applications from Google Play come to the rescue, and DiskUsage is considered the leader in this field, which visualizes the file system as a block map, each block corresponds to a folder or file, and its size is proportional to the space occupied.
This visual approach allows you to instantly find “eaters” of space that may have lost their way deep into the system directories, and you will immediately see that, for example, a folder with a Telegram cache takes up 10 GB, although this is not so obvious on the standard menu.
Another popular program is Files by Google, which not only analyzes the location, but also offers smart cleanup scenarios, such as deleting blurry photos or screenshots that have already been sent to the interlocutor.
- 📊 Visualization of folder structure in the form of a diagram.
- 🔍 Search for files by type and size with flexible filters.
- 🛡️ Safely remove system debris without superuser rights.
Using third-party file managers like FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer also gives you deeper access to the file system than standard Explorer, allowing you to see hidden folders with a dot at the beginning of the name.
Table: Comparison of methods of memory verification
To make it easier to compare different diagnostic and memory management methods, we have prepared a summary table that will help you choose the best method depending on your goals and level of training.
| Method | Difficulty | Depth of analysis | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android settings | Low. | Basic | Tall. |
| Security Annex | Low. | Medium | Tall. |
| DiskUsage | Medium | Tall. | Tall. |
| Engineering menu | Tall. | Technical | Medium |
As you can see from the table, there are enough built-in tools for everyday use, but when you have a critical shortage of space or search for specific heavy files, visualizers like DiskUsage are second to none.
Optimization of the work of messengers
Messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber are often the main memory consumers because of the automatic storage of all received media files, and you can turn off auto-save to the gallery in each application settings.
For example, in Telegram you can configure automatic cache cleaning: go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory use and set a cache storage time limit (for example, 3 days or 1 week).
This won't delete your emails, but it will free up space on your device, as media files will only be downloaded from the cloud on demand when you re-watch.