Xiaomi Keyboard Takes Too Much Space: 7 Reasons and 5 Ways to Solve It

You opened the storage settings on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 Pro to make room for new photos, and you found that the system keyboard takes up 1-3 GB of memory — more than some games? This is not a system bug, but a consequence of the built-in MIUI functions. The problem is typical for devices based on MIUI 12-14, where the keyboard is integrated into the firmware and actively caches data to speed up input.

In this article, we will examine why Xiaomi’s keyboard is inflating to giant sizes, which files are responsible for it (spoiler: it’s not just cache!), and give you proven ways to reduce its appetite without losing functionality, and learn how to completely replace it with an alternative – for example, Gboard or SwiftKey – if the standard version does not suit you.

1.Why Xiaomi Keyboard Takes So Much Space: The Main Reasons

Unlike third-party keyboards like the Gboard, the MIUI system keyboard is closely linked to the firmware and uses the device's shared resources, and these are key factors that make it grow by leaps and bounds:

• 📁 Language model cache: To predict words, the keyboard stores your frequently used phrases, slang, and even errors.
• 🎨 Themes and skins: MIUI It allows you to install custom themes for the keyboard, each of which takes up to 50-100 MB.
• 🤖 AI predictions: functions like Smart Reply or AI Grammar Check requires additional data to be downloaded.
• 🔄 Background updates: The keyboard automatically downloads new dictionaries and fixes without asking permission.

This is especially true for devices with MIUI 13/14, where the keyboard became part of the MiuiSystemUI system. 13 Ultra users complain that after a year of use, the keyboard size reaches the top of the chart. 2,5 GB - and this despite the fact that the firmware itself weighs about 4–5 GB!

2. What files "inflate" the keyboard: analysis by folders

To understand what exactly takes up space, you need to look into the system folders. The main culprits are here:

The heaviest file is the user_dict_*.db, where all your added words and input history are stored. MIUI 14 he can reach 300–400 MB, especially if you are actively using multiple languages.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from the folder /system/ manually, this can cause the keyboard to collapse and the need to flash it back. Use only system tools or ADB.

3.How to clear Xiaomi keyboard cache without data loss

The first and safest way is to clear the cache through the settings, which won't delete your dictionaries, but it will free up 200-500 MB:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search, enter the Keyboard and select the MIUI System Keyboard.
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. Reset the device.

If the cache is quickly accumulating again, try turning off unnecessary features:

• 🚫 Turn off text prediction in keyboard settings.
• 🚫 Remove unused languages (for example, if you only have Russian, but English, Chinese, etc. are installed.).
• 🚫 Turn off Cloud Entering in Keyboard Settings → Additionally.

4. Radical methods: resetting the keyboard to factory settings

If cleaning the cache didn’t help, you can reset the keyboard to “as after buying” state, which will delete all user words, themes and settings, but will free up to 1-1.5 GB:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset App Settings (not a full reset!).
3. In the list, find the MIUI Keyboard and confirm the reset.

After this procedure, the keyboard will be as new as the new one, but you will have to re-

• 🔤 Add words to the user dictionary.
• 🎨 Set theme (if used).
• ⚙️ Customize gestures and layout.

⚠️ Note: On certain devices (e.g, POCO F4 GT) Resetting the keyboard could cause the Chinese characters to disappear from the menu, and to get them back, you'd have to switch the system language to English and back.

5. How to completely replace the Xiaomi keyboard with an alternative

If you are not satisfied with the system keyboard, you can completely disable it and use a third-party keyboard (for example, Gboard or SwiftKey).

1. Install an alternative keyboard from Google Play.
2. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Select the keyboard installed (such as Gboard).
4. Return to Application Management, find the MIUI Keyboard and click Disable.

Once disabled, the system keyboard will no longer update and will not take up additional space.

• ⚠️ Certain functions MIUI (Quick Ball or Game Turbo may not work properly.
• ⚠️ On devices with MIUI 14 Disabling the keyboard may cause virtual buttons to disappear in some applications.

💡

Before you turn off the system keyboard, install Gboard and check if all functions (input in messengers, search in the browser, voice input) work correctly. If something does not work, return the MIUI keyboard back.

6. Hidden keyboard settings: how to reduce its size through ADB

For advanced users, there is a way to disable unnecessary keyboard components via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which will remove unnecessary language packs and AI modules without touching the basic functionality.

Connect your phone to your PC, turn on USB Debugging and execute the commands:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.miuikeyboard/.plugin.EmoticonPlugin


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.miuikeyboard/.plugin.CloudInputPlugin




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.miuikeyboard/.plugin.TranslationPlugin

These teams will shut down:

• 😊 Emoji plugin (saves) ~100MB).
• ☁️ Cloud input (savings) ~150-200 MB).
• 🌐 Translation plugin (saves) ~50MB).

⚠️ Attention: Do not disable the plugin com.miui.miuikeyboard/.plugin.InputMethodPlugin — This will lead to a break in the keyboard and the need to reset the settings.

💡

Using ADB is the most effective way to reduce the size of your keyboard, but it requires caution. Before you execute commands, back up your data via adb backup!

7.Alternative solutions: cloud keyboards and MIUI optimization

If you don’t want to give up the system keyboard but want to save space, consider these options:

• 🖥️ Use the web version of the keyboard: in MIUI 14: MiuiKeyboard Web, which stores some of the data in the cloud, is included in the keyboard settings. → Cloud services.
• 🔄 Turn off automatic dictionary updates: go to Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Settings (⚙️) → Auto-update apps and disable keyboard updates.
• 📱 Install a lightweight firmware: if you have POCO Or Redmi, try to switch to MIUI Lite or custom firmware like PixelExperience, where the keyboard weighs several times less.

For example, on Xiaomi Redmi Note 11, after switching from MIUI 13 to PixelExperience 13, the keyboard size decreased from 1.2 GB to 250 MB – without loss of functionality!

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi keyboard