Why Xiaomi Keyboard Takes a Lot of Space and How to Fix It

You've noticed that the standard keyboard on Xiaomi takes up an abnormally large amount of space — sometimes up to 1-3 GB? It's not a system bug or a virus. The problem is with the features of Gboard (Google-keyboard) and the proprietary Mi Keyboard solution, which actively cache data to accelerate input, AI training and synchronization between devices. In this article, we will analyze why this happens, which files can be safely deleted and which should not be touched, so as not to break the functionality.

Just decache through settings often has a temporary effect. After a few days, the memory clogs again. We tested 5 cleaning methods, including hidden developer settings and alternative keyboards, to find the optimal solution. We also found out which Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or POCO F5) are particularly susceptible to this problem due to the specifics of the MIUI 14/15 firmware.

Why the keyboard takes up gigabytes: technical reasons

The main reason for memory bloating is machine learning and personalization, and modern keyboards (including the Gboard and Mi Keyboard) analyze:

• 📝 Your dictionary: frequently used words, slang, contact names.
• 🔄 Input patterns: printing speed, typical typos, character sequences.
• 🌐 Contextual prompts: suggestions based on message history (e.g. WhatsApp or Telegram).
• 📱 Cross-Device Sync: If You Use the Same Google Account on Multiple Gadgets.

All this data is stored in the form of.db files (SQLite databases) and binary caches in folders:

/data/data/com.google.android.inputmethod.latin/


/data/data/com.miui.miuikeyboard/

For example, a file user_history.db weigh 500–800 MB, and a folder. files/emoji — still 200–300 MB due to loaded stickers and GIF.

The second reason is updates and temporary files, and keyboards often download language packs, design themes, or speech recognition modules just in case, even if you don't use them, like a Japanese character input package that can take up to 150MB, even though you never activated it.

How to check how much space the keyboard takes

Before you clean, make sure the keyboard is the problem.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search, enter the keyboard or keyboard.
3. Select Gboard or Mi Keyboard (depending on the one you use).
4. Go to the Memory section, where the total amount of space occupied will be indicated.

If the number is more than 500 MB, this is a reason to optimize. For detailed analysis, use a file manager with root rights (for example, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer) and check the folders listed above.

• 📁.db - databases (can be partially cleaned).
• 📁.TMP – Temporary files (you can delete completely).
• 📁.apk – backup updates (remove if the keyboard is stable).

💡

If you don’t have root rights, use Google Play’s Storage Analyzer app to show you large files without deep access to the system.

Method 1: Clearing cache and data (without loss of functionality)

The safest method is standard setting cleaning, which won't delete your personal dictionaries, but will reduce the amount of temporary files:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Keyboard.
2. Press Memory. → Clear the cache.
3. (Optional) Click Clear Data, but note: this will reset all keyboard settings (themes, languages, dictionary).

After cleaning the cache, restart the phone. If your memory is clogged again after 1-2 days, move on to more radical methods.

Method 2: Disabling unnecessary keyboard functions

Many keyboard functions are in the background and consume memory.

• 🎨 Topics and design: go to the keyboard settings → Topics and remove downloaded packages.
• 🗣️ Voice input: turn off in Settings → Voice input → Downloading offline voice data.
• 🌍 Unnecessary languages: only leave those you use (e.g. Russian and English).
• 🤖 AI Tips: In Gboard, Turn Off Input Offers or Adaptive Input.

For example, disabling offline speech recognition can free up to 300-400 MB, and deleting unused language packets can free up another 100-200 MB.

Method 3: Delete hidden keyboard files (for advanced ones)

If standard methods fail, you can manually delete unnecessary files. ADB!

With the root file manager, go to the folder:

/data/data/com.google.android.inputmethod.latin/files/

Delete the following files and folders (if any):

• 🗑️ user_history.db — entries history (you can delete, but the dictionary will reset).
• 🗑️ emoji/ — emoji and sticker cache.
• 🗑️ offline_voice/ — offline voice data.
• 🗑️ tmp/ — time-file.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.dex or.so extension, these are system libraries without which the keyboard will stop working!

After deleting, restart the phone. If the keyboard starts to glittle, restore files from the backup or reinstall the application.

Method 4: Switching to an alternative keyboard

If the problem comes back all the time, consider changing the keyboard.

To install an alternative keyboard:

1. Download it from Google Play.
2. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Activate the new keyboard and disable the Gboard/Mi Keyboard.

💡

Before removing the standard keyboard, make sure the new one supports all the languages and features you need (such as swipe or voice messages).

Method 5: Reset keyboard settings via ADB (expert level)

If you're familiar with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can reset your keyboard settings without deleting data. Connect your phone to your PC and follow the commands:

adb shell pm clear com.google.android.inputmethod.latin


adb shell pm clear com.miui.miuikeyboard

This command will clear all the keyboard data, but it won't delete the application itself.

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📱 Configure the keyboard again (select languages, theme).
• 📤 Import the saved dictionary (if you did backup).

⚠️ Note: Do not use the adb uninstall command to remove Gboard or Mi Keyboard – this can cause system failures, as they are integrated into the system. MIUI.

Prevention: How to prevent refilling of memory

To prevent the keyboard from growing back, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Cleaning regularly: once a month, clear the keyboard cache through the settings.
• 🚫 Turn off Auto Update: Turn off automatic updates for Gboard on Google Play.
• 🗑️ Limit History: In Keyboard Settings, Reduce the Time to Save the Enter History.
• 📵 Use Guest Mode: If you give the phone to other people, turn on guest mode so that their input does not get into your dictionary.

You should also disable the keyboard data sync with your Google account if you are not using this feature.

1. Open the Gboard.
2. Go to Settings. → Account.
3. Turn off the dictionary synchronization option.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi keyboard