The situation when the smartphone suddenly starts to work slowly, applications fly out, and the system persistently reports a shortage of space, familiar to every owner of Xiaomi. Owners of devices with 64 GB or 128 GB of internal memory are faced with this especially often. MIUI operating system or the new HyperOS takes up a significant amount of space on their own, without leaving the user the space declared by the manufacturer.
Storage overload is not just an inconvenience, it's a direct threat to the stability of the gadget. When the space runs out, the phone can't create the temporary files needed to run programs. It leads to interface friezes, long downloads and even cyclical reboots. It's important to understand that standard cleaning methods are not always effective unless you know where the heavyweight files are hiding.
In this article, we will explore not only the basic methods of freeing up space, but also the hidden features of the system that allow you to radically solve the problem. You will learn how to safely delete cache, transfer data and use cloud services. Deleting the DCIM folder without a backup will lead to the irretrievable loss of all your photos and videos.
Storage analysis: What exactly takes place
Before you mindlessly delete apps, you need to audit what is already downloaded to your Redmi or Poco memory. Android has built-in tools for data visualization, but in the shell from Xiaomi they are most convenient. Go to Settings → Memory to see a detailed file distribution diagram.
Most often, the lion’s share of space is occupied by multimedia and messenger cache. Users often forget that Telegram or WhatsApp can take up to 10-20 GB, saving all the videos and photos viewed, and a significant amount can be occupied by the “Other” section, where the system stores the remnants of remote applications and temporary update files.
Use the built-in Security app for initial scanning, which will show large files and rarely used apps, but don’t rely on automatic cleaning alone, as it often ignores duplicate photos or hidden folders from games.
- 📱 Apps and games: often take up more space than it seems due to data cache.
- 📸 Gallery: video in high resolution (4K/60fps) They eat gigabytes instantly.
- 💬 Messengers: Automatic saving of media files from chats.
- 🗑️ Recycle Bin: Deleted files can be stored for another 30 days, taking up space.
⚠️ Note: When cleaning through standard tools, do not delete files with the.obb or.apk extension unless you are sure they are not necessary for the installed games or programs to work.
Understanding the structure of files will help you make informed decisions, for example, you may find that half of the memory is occupied by TV shows downloaded in an online movie theater six months ago, and releasing this space will instantly return the system to "air" to normal operation.
Cleaning the cache and temporary files of the system
Cache is temporary data that speeds up the loading of frequently visited pages and apps used. However, over time, this mechanism fails: files get corrupted or become redundant. On Xiaomi smartphones, cleaning the cache is the first step to speed up work.
There are two main ways to clean up. The first is through the menu of each application separately. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select a "heavy" app (like YouTube or Instagram) and click Clear → Clear cache. It is important not to confuse this with the "Clear All" button, which will reset the application settings.
The second way is to use a system utility. In the Security app, select the Cleanup tool. The system will analyze the garbage and suggest that you delete temporary files. This method is secure and will not affect your personal data, logins or passwords.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Regular cache cleaning is especially important for browsers and social networks, which accumulate gigabytes of thumbnails of images and videos. If you actively use Chrome or Yandex.Browser, their cache can reach 1-2 GB per month of use.
Optimization of messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp
Messengers are the main memory eaters on modern smartphones. Unlike regular SMS, Telegram and WhatsApp store a complete history of correspondence with media files directly on the device, unless otherwise configured, this creates huge amounts of data that are often duplicated in the gallery.
Telegram is most effective at solving the situation thanks to the cloud nature of the messenger. You can clear the cache without losing correspondence. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you can set up automatic cache cleanup, for example, 3 days or a week after viewing.
WhatsApp is more complicated because the database is stored locally, you have to manually delete large videos or export chats, and it is also recommended to disable auto-save to the gallery so that photos from groups do not copy to the main DCIM folder.
| messenger | Where to clean | Safe for correspondence? | Recommended setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Settings → Data and memory | Yes. | Auto-deleting in 3 days |
| Settings → Data and Storage | Partially. | Turn off auto-save | |
| Viber | More. → Settings → Memory. | No (media) | Manual cache cleaning |
| Phone settings → Applications | Yeah (cash) | Cleaning the cache once a week |
Remember to check the Documents folder inside the messengers. PDF-files or archives that you no longer need but that continue to take up space for months.
Photo and video: clouds and memory cards
Multimedia is the hardest thing to give up, but that’s where the main memory reserves lie. Xiaomi’s modern cameras shoot in high resolution, and one minute of 4K video can weigh more than 400 MB. Store thousands of such files on built-in storage is impractical.
The ideal solution is to use cloud services. Google Photos offers unlimited (compressed) or limited storage. Enable Autoboot and Sync, and then use the Free Space tool in the application settings. It will delete from the phone those photos that are already stored in the cloud.
If your Redmi Note or Poco X smartphone has a memory card slot (or you use it) USB-OTG Take the archived photos and videos, and in the camera settings, specify saving new images on the camera. SD-The card is designed to keep the internal memory free for the system.
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Use the "Memory Saving" mode in the Xiaomi camera settings, if you do not need professional quality, this will reduce the file size by 2-3 times without noticeable loss of quality on the smartphone screen.
Also worth checking is the Screenshot folder, which we often take screenshots of tickets, correspondence, or instructions that are only valid for a couple of days, but they stay in the gallery forever, and regularly reviewing this folder can free up hundreds of megabytes.
⚠️ Warning: Before transferring a photo to a memory card or to the cloud, make sure that the sync is successful. Check for a photo in the cloud through your browser on your computer.
Removing duplicates and rarely used applications
Over the years, a lot of digital junk accumulates in your memory, duplicate photos (when the same picture is stored in different folders), forgotten games and applications that you haven’t used in years, take up precious space.
MIUI 14 and HyperOS have a built-in duplicate search feature available through the Gallery → Albums → Duplicates app or through the Security → Clean tool, and the system will offer to delete copies, leaving the originals of the best quality.
And in the application field, it's a rule that says, "Don't use, delete." Even if it's not running, it can take up space with its data and updates, especially games that can weigh 2-3 GB each.
Also check the list of downloaded files in the Download folder..apk installation files often remain there after installing programs that are no longer needed and only take up space.
Memory Expansion: SD Cards and Cloud Technologies
If the software methods don't work, you'll have to go with hardware or cloud extensions. Not all Xiaomi models support memory cards, but for those with a MicroSD slot, it's a rescue. You can format the card as internal memory, allowing you to install applications on it.
Cloud storage, such as Google Drive, Yandex.Disk or Xiaomi Cloud, allows you to transfer documents and photos to the Internet. This frees up the physical memory of the device. Tariffs for additional gigabytes in the cloud are usually inexpensive and pay off with peace of mind for their data.
There's also virtual memory expansion technology, where part of the storage is backed up for RAM, but if your goal is to make room for files, it's better to turn it off or configure it properly so that it doesn't take up space for unnecessary tasks.
How to format a card as an internal memory
Using external drives via USB Type-C port is another option for temporary storage of large amounts of data. Dual-connector flash drives allow you to quickly transfer the archive of photos and videos, freeing up the phone.
Radical measures: reset to factory settings
If nothing works and the system keeps writing "Not enough memory," the last and most effective method is a full reset, which will put the phone back out of the box by removing all the apps, settings and files of the user.
Before the procedure, make sure to create a full backup. Use the Mi Cloud or your computer to save contacts, SMS and important documents. Once reset, you get a clean system with maximum free memory.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The process will take a few minutes, after which the phone will reboot as new. This often solves not only the memory problem, but also software errors.
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A complete reset is a way to get rid of system debris that cannot be manually removed but requires a mandatory data backup.
After the reset, install only the necessary applications. Don't rush to restore everything from the backup at once, as you risk returning the same "junk" that caused the problem.