Xiaomi Writes Not Enough Memory: A Step-by-Step Cleanup Guide

Xiaomi suddenly issues a memory shortfall, a situation familiar to many smartphone owners: the device starts to run slower, stops taking new pictures or can not update applications, even if you seem to have nothing extra to install, this is due to the peculiarities of the MIUI operating system and the mechanism of accumulation of temporary files, which over time take up gigabytes of space.

Before you panic and delete important photos, you need to make a good diagnosis of the storage. Often it turns out that the lion’s share of the space is occupied by cached data messengers such as Telegram or WhatsApp, as well as residual files of remote programs. Understanding the structure of the Android file system will help you quickly return the gadget to its previous speed.

In this article, we will take a look at all the effective ways to free up space, from standard cleaning tools to advanced system folders, learn how to distinguish system files from user garbage and be able to safely expand the capabilities of your device without buying a new phone.

Analysis of vault occupancy

The first step is to understand what exactly is taking up space in your device. Standard Android tools allow you to get basic information, but for deep analysis, it is better to use specialized tools. Data visualization helps you immediately see the heavyweights that are hiding in the back of the folders.

The built-in settings menu gives you a general idea of resource allocation, and to see the real picture, you can use Files by Google or ES Explorer, which will show not only the size of the applications, but also the volume of multimedia, documents and hidden system logs.

Notice the Other section of a standard memory analyzer, which is often where gigabytes of unidentified data are hidden, which are either cache streaming services or erroneous system reports.

⚠️ Note: When removing files from system folders, be extremely careful. Deleting.apk files from system directories or.so libraries can lead to unstable interface operation. MIUI.

For a quick assessment of the situation, the following table can be used, which classifies data types by importance and deletion:

Use of the built-in "Security" application

Each Xiaomi smartphone has a Security system application, which is the main tool for maintaining the system, and it can not only look for viruses, but also effectively clean garbage files accumulated during operation.

Launch the application and click on the big green scan button. After the initial analysis, the system will prompt you to delete temporary files. However, for a deeper cleaning, you need to go to the Cleanup section and carefully study categories such as "Big Files" and "Unused Applications."

Deep Cleaning allows you to find duplicate photos, old screenshots and empty folders. MIUI algorithms are smart enough not to touch important system components, but manually checking before deleting will still do.

It is important to periodically check the Applications section, where programs are sorted by space, and it often turns out that a long-forgotten application takes up several gigabytes due to the accumulated cache.

Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks

The main memory eaters in Xiaomi smartphones are messengers Telegram, WhatsApp and the social network VK. These applications store every photo, video and voice message viewed in the memory of the device, creating huge archives of data.

Unlike other apps, messengers have built-in memory management tools that are more efficient than system cleaners. For example, on Telegram, you need to go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use and click Clear Cache. This action will not delete your correspondence, they will remain on the server.

For WhatsApp, the situation is more complicated, as media files are often duplicated in the gallery. It is recommended to use the storage management function inside the application: Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. Here you can sort chats by size and remove media from the most “heavy” dialogues.

⚠️ Before completely clearing the messenger data, be sure to back up chats in the cloud (Google Drive or iCloud), otherwise you risk losing the entire history of correspondence without the possibility of restoring it.

Social networks like VK or Facebook also cache the feeds and videos you've watched. In the settings of these apps, find the "cash" option and clear it. If there's no such feature, it's easier to reinstall the app, which is guaranteed to remove all the accumulated debris.

Working with DCIM folder and hidden files

The DCIM (Digital Camera Images) folder is the standard repository for all photos and videos taken by the camera, but it often hides hidden system folders that take up space.

This hidden directory stores sketches of all your images for quick display in the gallery. Over time, the sketch database file can inflate to an incredible size comparable to the volume of the original photos. Deleting the contents of this folder is safe and often frees up 1 to 5 GB of memory.

To get to hidden files, you’ll need a file manager that supports hidden objects (dot files). In Xiaomi’s standard Explorer, you’ll need to enable the hidden files to be displayed in the Explorer settings.

Also check the folder. MIUI It's at the root of the internal memory. debug_log Or a gallery that accumulates reports of system errors and deleted photos from the gallery basket, and cleaning these directories regularly is a good habit for the owner of Xiaomi.

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To keep the.thumbnails folder from growing too fast, you can create an empty file called ".nomedia" in it, which will prevent the system from generating sketches for this directory, but can slow down the gallery.

Data portability and use SD-map

If Xiaomi’s internal memory is crowded, the most logical solution would be to use a microSD memory card. Modern smartphones allow not only storing files on it, but also transferring some of these applications and media there.

In the camera settings, set saving photos and videos by default on SD-To do this, go to the camera settings and find the appropriate switch, which will instantly stop the growth of memory in the internal storage when shooting video in the video. 4K.

Many applications, such as music players or navigators (Yandex.Navigator, 2GIS), allow you to specify the path to the memory card for storing offline cards and downloaded music in your settings.

There is also a function "Memory Extension" when a part of the SD-The card is used as an internal memory. MIUI This feature is unstable and can slow down your smartphone if the memory card has a low write speed (class below 10).

Removal of unused applications and their residues

A common reason for space shortages is the presence of dozens of apps that you haven't used in months. MIUI has a handy tool to identify them. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps and sort the list by size or date of last use.

When you remove an application in the standard way, you often leave its tails on the disk - folders with settings, cache and temporary files. To remove them, you better use third-party uninstallers or manually check folders at the root of internal memory after you delete the program.

Pay special attention to the pre-installed apps (bloatware) that come with your phone, many of which can be disabled or removed via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) if standard uninstallation is not available.

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Regular audit of installed applications (once a month) allows you to keep the system clean and prevents critical memory filling.

For advanced users, a computer-based cleaning method is available using the adb shell pm list packages command, which displays a complete list of packages, which allows you to find and remove system applications that are usually hidden from the user.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.example.bloatware

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