Lack of memory in Redmi and Xiaomi: how to fix system error

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face a sudden message of “Not enough memory” even on devices with a declared storage capacity of 64 or 128 GB. This system notification in the MIUI shell signals an overflow of the system partition or a critical decrease in the free space necessary for the correct operation of the operating system. Ignoring this warning can lead to serious failures, from the inability to install security updates to the complete refusal of applications to open or save new data.

The problem is often not so much the number of installed photos, but the hidden system files, the sprawling cache of messengers and the residual data of remote applications. Android, the underlying system of MIUI, requires a buffer zone for temporary operations, and when space falls below 10-15%, performance drops sharply. In this article, we will discuss proven methods of cleaning storage that will help return the phone to performance without losing important data.

The first step is always to diagnose what is taking up precious gigabytes, and don't rely on visual assessments of gallery occupancy, because heavy folders are often hidden from the user's eyes. Using built-in analysis tools will give a more accurate picture of where the space is going.

Diagnostics of storage occupancy in MIUI

Before we take any drastic measures, we need to pinpoint the source of the problem. Owners of Redmi Note and other series are often surprised to find that the Other partition takes up the lion's share of memory. Standard Explorer does not always show the real structure of the folders, so it is better to use specialized utilities or built-in analyzer.

The MIUI shell provides its own analysis tool, which can be found in the Security app. Go to Cleanup and wait for the scan to be completed. The system will automatically prompt you to remove the garbage, but before that you will show detailed statistics by category. Pay attention to the size of the WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube folders, as they tend to accumulate gigabytes of watched but no longer needed videos.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party disk analysis applications (such as DiskUsage), be extremely careful not to delete files from system folders with names like android, data or obb unless you are 100% sure of their purpose, otherwise it can lead to unstable operation of the system.

For a deeper analysis, you can use the hidden menu of engineering tests, although it is primarily designed to diagnose iron ##6485## In the list that opens, look for parameters that start with MB_. For example, a parameter MB_ (The available memory will show the actual space, and MF_ (total memory of the flash, which will help you understand whether the system sees the entire amount of the drive or a part of it is reserved for system needs.

If the built-in tools show that the memory is filled evenly and there are no obvious heavyweights, then the problem may be the logical errors of the file system, in which case it helps to reboot the device, which completes the background processes and clears the temporary buffers. However, if the situation does not change after the reboot, a deeper cleaning will be required.

Cleaning the cache and removing system debris

The safest and most efficient way to free up space is to clear the app cache. Cache is temporary data that speeds up programs but can grow to unimaginable sizes over time, especially social media and browsers that store thousands of thumbnails and interface elements.

To manually clean, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the most “heavy” programs (usually Instagram, TikTok, Facebook). Go to the app properties and select Memory. Here you will see two buttons: “Clean” and “Clean Everything.” Click on “Clean” will only delete temporary cache files without affecting your logins and correspondence. This action is safe and recommended to be done regularly.

• 🧹 Open Security and run Cleanup to remove system logs.
• 📱 Check the Gallery settings and clear the shopping cart, which often stores deleted photos for 30 days.
• 💬 In messengers, use the built-in “Clear Cache” function in the “Data and Storage” section».
• 🌐 Browsers (Chrome, Mi Browser) require separate cleaning of history and downloads in the privacy settings.

Special attention should be paid to the MIUI/Gallery/cloud/cache folder, where cloud photo thumbnails can accumulate. If you do not sync with Mi Cloud, this folder can be safely cleaned through the file manager. It is also worth checking the Download folder, where.apk installation files are often downloaded after updating applications, becoming useless ballast.

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Use the Deep Clean feature in the standard Security app once a week to automatically find forgotten large files and duplicate photos.

Working with messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp

The leaders in memory consumption on any Android smartphone, including Redmi and Poco, are instant messengers. They store every photo, video and document viewed in internal memory by default. Without regular cleaning, correspondence can “eat” up to 20-30 GB of free space per year.

Telegram handles the situation most elegantly thanks to the cloud nature of the messenger. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you can click the button “Clear Telegram cache”. Don’t worry, your photos and videos will not disappear – they will simply be deleted from the device and downloaded again from the cloud when you re-watch. It is recommended to also enable the function “Autodelete Media” there, setting a time limit for example 3 days or 1 week.

WhatsApp is more complicated because it stores history locally. To clean up, go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. The system will show a list of chats sorted by location. You can selectively delete large video files from specific dialogues without losing text correspondence. It is also useful to disable auto-save media to the gallery in the chat settings to avoid duplicate files.

Don't forget voice messages. In some cases, their cache can also take up a significant amount of space. If you use a lot of work chats where documents are constantly being forwarded, it makes sense to set up automatic cleaning of media files older than a month right in the app settings.

Analysis of the “Other” folder and hidden files

The mysterious “Other” category in Xiaomi’s storage is often puzzling, with tags that hide non-standard app data, remnants of deleted programs, system update files, and streaming cache, and a close analysis through the file manager will help you figure this out.

Use the Explorer app (standard or third-party, like Files by Google). Sort files by size. Often, at the root of internal memory, you can find forgotten archives, old backups or game installers. Pay special attention to the Android/data folder. It stores game and heavy-app data. If you delete a game but the folder with its name (like com.gameloft.android) is left, you can safely delete it.

⚠️ Attention: Folder Android/obb It contains additional files for games (textures, sounds) and if you delete the contents of this folder for the installed game, it will stop running and will require re-uploading data.

It's also worth checking the DCIM/.thumbnails folder, which is a hidden folder where the system stores thumbnails for a quick display of the gallery, which can weigh several gigabytes, can be deleted, but after a while it will be recreated, and to temporarily free up space before an important shoot is a valid operation.

Expanding memory with SD and USB card

If the software cleanup doesn’t work, physical storage expansion is the only option. Most Redmi and Xiaomi models have a hybrid slot that allows you to use a microSD card. However, modern versions of Android and MIUI limit the memory cards’ capabilities, preventing you from porting system applications to them.

However, the card can be used effectively to store media files. SD-Go to the storage settings and select formatting. Select "Use as a portable storage" option. Then, in the camera, voice recorder and browser settings, specify that files are saved to the card. This will prevent the internal memory from being filled with new photos.

• 📸 Set the camera to save photos and videos immediately SD-map.
• 🎵 In music players and video players, indicate the path to the library on the external map.
• 💾 Regularly transfer files from the internal drive to the card through the file manager.
• 🔌 Use it. USB-flash drive OTG-cable for temporary storage of large archives.

For users who need to carry large amounts of data often, the use of USB-Type-C drives, and you can instantly transfer movies or documents to the flash drive, freeing up the interior space, which is especially convenient because it doesn't require formatting or setting up the system.

Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing

When neither cache cleaning nor file deletion helps, and the "Not enough memory" message appears immediately after turning on, it may be that the file system is damaged or that has accumulated critical errors, in which case a full factory reset helps, and it will return the phone to a "store-like" state by deleting all user data.

Before the procedure, be sure to back up important contacts, photos and documents to the Mi Cloud or your computer. To reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase All Data. The system will warn you to delete all files. Once you reboot, the phone will be clean, and the memory problem is guaranteed to disappear if it is not caused by a physical malfunction of the drive.

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999

For advanced users, there is a command via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) that compulsorily trims the cache of all applications to a minimum, which requires connecting the phone to a PC, enabling debugging over USB, and entering a command in the terminal, a secure method that does not require a data reset, but requires a computer and drivers.

⚠️ Warning: Before performing a full reset, make sure the battery is at least 50% charged. Interrupting the reset process due to battery discharge can lead to a "bricking" device requiring flashing over the Fastboot.

If, even after a full reset and without installing third-party applications, memory continues to fill up rapidly on its own (for example, 1 GB per hour), this may indicate hardware degradation of flash memory. In such cases, the drive goes into read-only mode or incorrectly reports the amount of free space, and you need to replace the motherboard or memory chip in the service center.

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Regular prevention (cleaning the cache once a month) is more effective than dealing with the effects of memory overload once a year.

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