Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the challenge of finding a specific file, clearing a place, or migrating data. However, the standard MIUI shell and its successor HyperOS have their own navigational features that can confuse a beginner. Understanding directory structure is key to effective device management.
In this article, we will look at all the ways to access the file system, from simple built-in tools to advanced methods through the computer. You will learn where to look for downloads, how to open system folders and what to do if the standard Explorer does not display the necessary data.
Standard access through the conductor
The easiest way to go into storage is to use a pre-installed app. On Xiaomi smartphones, it's usually called Explorer or Files and has a folder shortcut. It's the main tool for everyday tasks like moving photos or deleting cache.
When you launch an app, you're in the main category menu, and you're sorted by type: images, videos, documents, music. To get to the full folder structure, you need to switch to the folder tab or click on the smartphone icon at the top of the screen, and that's where the internal memory, often referred to as Internal Storage or SharedStorage, is located.
The Android directory structure has a clear hierarchy: the root directory contains system folders that can be restricted and user data. For example, all photos from messengers usually lie in the Android/media folder, and downloads from the browser in Download. Understanding this logic speeds up search at times.
- 📁 DCIM — Here are stored all photos and videos taken on the camera of the device.
- 📥 Download – a standard folder for all downloaded files from the Internet.
- 💬 WhatsApp / Telegram – directories of messengers, where the received media files are stored.
- ⚙️ Android – system folder with application data (access is restricted in new versions of Android).
⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from the folder Android/data manually, if you are not sure of their purpose, this can lead to resetting game settings or loss of progress in applications.
☑️ Checking before cleaning the memory
Configure the display of hidden files
Often users can't find the data they want simply because it's hidden by default. On Android, many service files are labeled as hidden to prevent them from being accidentally changed. To see them, you need to activate a special mode in the Explorer settings.
To do this, open the Explorer app, click on the menu (three dots or bars) and select Settings. In the list that opens, find the Show Hidden Files switch and activate it. Then the list of folders will have translucent icons for hidden objects, which is especially useful when searching for configuration files or.nomedia.
It is important to distinguish between simply hidden user files and system files that require superuser (Root) rights. A regular explorer will not show the contents of the /system or /data system partition without special permissions. Attempts to circumvent these restrictions by standard methods can lead to unstable system operation.
Why do you need.nomedia files?
Connecting to your computer via USB
It's easier to use a computer to handle large amounts of data, and connecting a Xiaomi smartphone to a PC allows you to use a keyboard and a large monitor to sort files, but once you connect the cable, the phone can only charge.
To make your computer see the storage, you need to change the USB mode. Lower the notification curtain on your phone, find the "Charge via USB" notification and click on it. In the menu that appears, select File Transfer or MTP mode. Only then will the disk with the name of your smartphone appear in My Computer.
While working through a PC, copy speeds are much faster than air, however, care should be taken when deleting files. If the application on the phone is using a file at this point, there may be a write error or damage to the application database. Always terminate programs before cleaning their folders.
| USB mode | Function | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Just charging. | Safe mode, data transfer is prohibited | Charging in public places |
| File Transfer (MTP) | Access to all files and folders | Copying photos, music, documents |
| Photo transfer (PTP) | Camera Emulation, Access Only to Photos | Import photos to old PCs without drivers |
| USB-modem | Distribution of the Internet through cable | Lack of Wi-Fi on your computer |
💡
Use the original cable or high-quality analogue with thick wires. Cheap cables often only support charging and do not transmit data, which causes confusion when connecting to a PC.
Remote access and cloud storage
Modern Xiaomi smartphones allow you to manage files without wires. Built-in Explorer supports FTP or access via Mi Cloud. This is convenient when you do not have a cable at hand, and you need to quickly drop the document on a laptop on the same Wi-Fi network.
To launch FTP-In the Explorer app, find the "Remote Management" or "Computer Access" section of the server. Click "Run" and the address will appear on the screen (for example, the address will appear on the screen, ftp://192.168.1.55:2121). Type this address into the address bar of "My Computer" on your PC. The transfer speed depends on the power of your router.
The alternative is to use cloud services like Google Drive or Yandex.Disk. Files are uploaded to the internet and made available from any device. It's a great way to back up, but it requires a stable internet and often paid subscription for large amounts of data.
Problems with accessing the Android folder in new versions
Starting with Android 11 and up, Google has implemented strict restrictions on access to the Android/data and Android/obb folder. Third-party file managers (Total Commander, ES Explorer) can show these folders empty or not open them at all.
To get around this limitation on Xiaomi, you can use the built-in MIUI Explorer, which often has more rights than third-party counterparts. If it does, there is a method through the “Special Opportunities” menu. You need to go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Special Options and find the “Data Access” (or File Access) item there where you can allow access to the desired application.
Another way is to use ADB commands, but that requires a computer and minimal technical knowledge, so you can give a particular application perpetual permission to access the file system through a console, and it's safer for ordinary users to use embedded tools or wait for application developers to adapt to the new rules.
⚠️ Note: Changes to system permissions through ADB Or an engineering menu could disrupt your security system, and only do so if you fully understand the consequences of your actions.
💡
In newer versions of Android, access to the Android/data folder is systemically limited. Use Xiaomi's built-in Explorer or set up special access in your phone's settings.
Storage cleanup and optimization
Periodic storage checks are necessary to keep the smartphone running, and when the memory is over 90% full, the system starts to run slower and applications can fly out, and the MIUI shell has a built-in Cleanup tool that automatically finds garbage.
But automatic cleaners aren't always effective: they can miss large forgotten videos in a Video folder or heavy files in Documents. Manual partition checks free up gigabytes of space. Particular attention should be paid to instant messenger folders, where thousands of unwanted images accumulate over the years.
For deep analytics, you can use applications like DiskUsage that visualize memory occupancy as a graphics card, which helps you instantly find the heavyweights that are taking up space, and after you delete the extra files, make sure to clear the shopping cart in the gallery and the explorer, because the remote ones are stored there for another 30 days.