How to Clean Up Your Internal Memory on Xiaomi: 7 Proven Ways

Xiaomi’s internal memory is like a loft in a house, where you accumulate so much junk that you can’t even remember where it came from. Three-copy photos, cache from long-deleted apps, duplicate files after MIUI updates all eat up gigabytes of precious space. And when the system starts issuing warnings about memory shortages, users often get lost: what can be removed without risk and what shouldn’t be touched?

This article isn't about the banal deletion of a couple of photos. We'll break down the system cleaning methods that work in 10 minutes, including hidden MIUI features that are not even mentioned in the official documentation. You'll learn how to free up 3 to 15 GB of memory (depending on the model) without root rights and without losing important data. And also why the standard Cleaner in settings often works half-heartedly and what to do about it.

Why is Xiaomi’s memory clogged so fast?

Xiaomi smartphones (especially those on MIUI 12-14) suffer from three key problems that eat up memory.

• 📱 Cash. MIUI Google Services: These systems are designed to 5-8 GB of temporary files in six months of active use, and even after manual cleaning, the cache is restored in a couple of days.
• 🔄 Duplicates after updates: when you update the firmware, the system backs up old versions of files (for example, in a folder). /data/backup). These files can weigh up to 3 GB and never automatically removed.
• 🗑️ "App junk folders: messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and social networks (TikTok, Instagram) store media files in hidden directories that are not visible in the standard file manager.

Interesting fact: on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ after a year of use in a folder /Android/data/com.xiaomi.midrop (Mi Drop file transfer service can accumulate up to 1,2 GB of unnecessary logs -- even if you've never used this feature. /MIUI/debug_log It collects debugging information that only Xiaomi engineers need.

Another trap is optimizing MIUI for the Chinese market, leaving components that are not needed for Russia/Europe (e.g. services for WeChat or Alipay) in global firmware that take up space and run in the background, and can be turned off, but not through standard settings.

Method 1: Deep Cleaning through “Security” (Hidden Functions)

The standard Settings section → The storage unit only shows the tip of the iceberg, the real cleaning tool is hidden in the Security app.

1. Open Security → Cleanup (not to be confused with Optimization!).
2. Click on Deep Clean (bottom of the screen).
3. Wait for the scan and pay attention to the items: 🗃️ "Unnecessary APK" — remnants of remote applications. 📁 "Large files – media weighing 50 MB that have not been opened for a long time. 🔍 "Duplications of files – especially relevant for photos from Google Photos or Gallery.

Clean up

Do not confirm removal

Make sure that Big Files don’t have important videos

Check the "Download" folder for documents

Save a backup of contacts (via Contacts → Settings → Import / Export)

Disable automatic download of media in messengers

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⚠️ Note: Smart Cleanup in this section often deletes log files that are needed to diagnose problems. If you plan to contact Xiaomi’s service center under warranty, it’s best to leave them intact (folder) /MIUI/debug_log).

Critical detail: after deep cleaning, restart your smartphone. MIUI creates temporary files to speed up work, and without rebooting, they can be duplicated, negating the clean-up effect.

Method 2: Manual cleaning of system folders (without root)

Even without superuser rights, you can remove gigabytes of trash if you know where to look. Use the built-in file manager (Files) or Total Commander with hidden files displayed.

🔹 How to find these folders:

1. Open Files → click on the three dots at the top → Settings → turn on Show Hidden Files.
2. Go to the root directory (/) and follow the path to the desired folder.
3. Remove the contents, but not the folders themselves (except:.thumbnails can be deleted completely).

⚠️ Warning: Never touch the folders: /efs (IMEI and serial numbers), /firmware (modem-fixing), /persist (radio-module setting).

Their damage will result in the loss of the network or the "brick" of the device.

Method 3: Clearing the Google Play Services and MIUI cache

Google Play Services and MIUI system services are the main memory eaters, and their cache can grow to 2 to 4 GB, but standard cleaning through settings only helps in part.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three points at the top → Show system processes.
3. Find and open: Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms) Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms.persistent) MIUI Daemon (com.miui.daemon) SecurityCenter (com.miui.securitycenter)

Warehouse → Clear the cache

Delete the data

🔹 Important: After cleaning up Google Play Services:

• 🔄 Restart your smartphone (otherwise synchronization errors are possible).
• 📱 Do not update apps from the Play Market for 10-15 minutes – let your system recover critical files.
• 🔒 Temporarily disable automatic application updates (Play Market) → Settings → Auto-update).

💡

If push notifications (such as Viber or WhatsApp) have stopped working after cleaning Google Play Services, go to Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync and enable sync for “People details” and “App Data”.

There is an additional trick for MIUI 14: cleaning up the micro-GMS cache (a stripped-down version of Google services for China).MIUIGMScom.google.android.gms.lite100-300 MB

1. → → → →
2. GMS com.google.android.gms.lite
3. →

Method 4: Remove unnecessary system applications (without root)

MIUI preinstalles dozens of applications that cannot be removed in the standard way, but can be disabled or removed via ADB. This will free up to 1-1.5 GB and reduce background activity.

📌 List of safe to remove applications (for global firmware):

• 🎵 Mi Music (com.miui.player) can be replaced by Spotify or YouTube Music.
• 📺 Mi Video (com.miui.video) – duplicates Google Photos features.
• 📱 Mi Drop (com.xiaomi.midrop) is a file transfer service that almost no one uses.
• 🌐 Mi Browser (com.android.browser) – you can use Chrome or Firefox.
• 🎮 Game Center (com.xiaomi.gamecenter.sdk.service) – if you don’t play games from Xiaomi.

🔧 How to remove through ADB (rootless):

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → Press 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.name packet For example, to delete Mi Music: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.player

💡

Removing system applications via ADB does not require root rights and does not violate the warranty. Apps will disappear only for your user (user 0), and not from the system completely, so the risk of a “brief” is minimal.

⚠️ Note: do not delete: com.miui.securitycenter (Security will be disrupted), com.android.phone (mobile network will disappear), com.miui.home (launcher breaks).

A full list of “untouchable” packages can be found in the Xiaomi.EU community.

Method 5: Optimize storage through Developer Options

In developer mode, there are features that help control memory usage at the system level, so you can activate them:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and press 7 times in a row.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find and turn on: 🔄 "Don’t keep activities – Frees up memory by closing background processes. 📉 "Limit background processes – select Maximum 2 process". 🗑️ "Enable Dalvik cache cleanup – deletes unnecessary files when you turn off.

🔹 Additional settings to save memory:

• 📱 Turn off window animation, transition animation, and animators animation (speeds up work and reduces memory load).
• 🔄 Turn it on. GPU-acceleration (Force) GPU rendering) – reduces the use of RAM due to the graphics processor.
• 📵 Turn off Auto Sync for unnecessary accounts (e.g. Mi Account if you are not using the Xiaomi cloud).

⚠️ Note: if after you turn on Don’t keep activities, notifications in messengers stop working, add these applications to the exceptions: → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start.

Method 6: Reset to factory settings (last chance)

If you've got less than 10 percent left after all the manipulations of your free memory, and the system is slowing down, you've got to do hard reset, which is a radical method, but it's guaranteed to free up 80 to 90 percent of the space you're using.

🔧 Step-by-step instruction:

1. Create a backup copy: 📱 Contacts: Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports. 📷 Photo/video: copy the folder DCIM PC or cloud. 🔑 Passwords: export through Google Smart Lock (Settings) → Google → Managing a Google Account → Security → Passwords).

Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Delete all data

Clear it all up.

Do not restore data from the MIUI backup

📌 How to avoid quick memory filling after resetting:

• 🚫 Turn off automatic media downloading in WhatsApp/Telegram (Settings → Warehouse and data).
• 📁 Configure Google Photos to save your photo in “High Quality” (not the original).
• 🔄 Clean Download folder regularly (install Files by Google to automatically delete old files).

Method 7: Alternative methods (for advanced ones)

If the standard methods did not help, try these non-obvious techniques:

• 🔧 Change of the file system with F2FS on ext4 (Power users only: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 8 Pro) are default F2FS, It's fragmented over time. ext4 It can increase the space available by 5-10%. format:ext4 userdata fastboot format:ext4 cache ⚠️ Risk: If you do wrong, you will lose all your data.
• 📦 Transfer of applications to SD-Map (for models with Adoptable Storage support): Suitable for Redmi 9A, Poco M3 How to activate: Insert: SD-card (class 10 or UHS-I). When formatting, select Internal Memory. Move applications through Settings. → Annexes → [Select an application] → Warehouse → Change. ⚠️ Minus: SD-The card will be encrypted and will not be read on other devices.
• 🔍 Search for zombie files via Storage Analyzer: Install Storage Analyzer from Play Market and scan folders /data and /system You can find files with the extension.tmp,.bak,.old.

⚠️ On some models (e.g. Poco) X5 Pro) this may cause errors when updating applications.