Why Xiaomi is running out of memory: hidden reasons and 100% ways to make room

You see "Memory is full" on your Xiaomi screen again, even though it seems like nothing else has been installed? This problem is familiar to millions of smartphone users of the brand, from the budget Redmi to the flagship Mi 13 Ultra. Even with 256 GB on board, memory can melt like snow in the spring, and after cleaning up a couple of days, the situation repeats. What's the matter?

It's not just your habits — MIUI It has features of working with memory that are rarely advertised. 10-15% Some applications (especially Google Play Services) are cacheing up to giant sizes, but there are other, less obvious reasons, from hidden logs to file system errors. F2FS, In this article, we will not just list the standard cleaning tips, but will analyze the system mechanisms that cause memory to leak and give unique solutions for cleaning. MIUI 12-14, which are not officially documented.

1.The system partition "Other" - the black hole of your memory

Open Settings → About Phone → Memory and notice the Other section (or “Other” in English). For many Xiaomis, it takes 10 to 30 GB — and that despite the fact that you didn’t install any heavy apps! What does it include?

This section includes:

• 📁 Cache of system applications (including MIUI Launcher, Security, Gallery, which is not cleaned by standard means.
• 🔄 Temporary update files (even if you haven’t updated in a long time, they may still be available).
• 📊 Logs and dumps of the system (created when crashes, but often not deleted automatically).
• 🔒 Encrypted data (such as fingerprints or Mi Account data).

The worst part is that MIUI doesn't provide the tools to clean this partition, but there are workarounds.

⚠️ Note: Do not use applications like this SD Maid or Files by Google to clean system files – they can delete critical data and cause crashes MIUI. Instead:

1. Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Three points (⋮) → Size-based sorting.
2. Find MIUI System, Security, Launcher applications and manually clear their cache.
3. To delete logs, use the command in ADB: adb shell pm trim-caches -f 1000 (requires developer mode on and PC connection).

2. cache of Google Play Services and other system applications

Google Play Services is Xiaomi’s main memory eater, and its cache normally takes 200-500MB, but can grow to 5-8GB if it crashes.

Reasons:

• 🔄 Automatic map updates (if you use Google Maps or Waze).
• 📱 Synchronize your contacts and data (especially if you have multiple accounts).
• 🛠️ Errors in Google Services (for example, after the update) MIUI).

How to clean:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google Play Services → Memory → Clear the cache.
2. If the button is inactive, turn off automatic app updates in Google Play.
3. For radical cleaning, do: adb shell pm clear com.google.android.gms (this will reset some Google services settings, but free up to 3-5 GB).

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If the cache grows quickly again after cleaning, turn off background activity for Google Play Services in the battery settings (Settings → Battery → Application Selection → Google Play Services → Background activity → Limit).

3.Duplicate photos and hidden folders MIUI Gallery

MIUI Gallery is one of the most voracious apps on Xiaomi, and it not only stores the original photos, but also creates:

• 📸 Miniatures (.thumbnails folder at the root of memory).
• 🎨 Edited copies (even if you just opened the photo in the editor).
• ☁️ Cloud sync cache (if you use Mi Cloud).
• 🔍.nomedia folder with service files.

How to make room:

1. Delete the.thumbnails folder through any file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
2. At Gallery, go to Albums → The Basket and clean it.
3. Turn off automatic thumbnail creation in the gallery settings (Settings → Additional → Create thumbnails → Off).

4. F2FS file system errors and memory fragmentation

Xiaomi uses the F2FS (Flash-Friendly File System) file system on most devices, which is optimized for flash memory, but has two critical drawbacks:

1. Data fragmentation – over time, files are “broken” into small pieces, and the system spends more space on storing them.
2. Non-release of blocks – After deleting files, some memory blocks remain “reserved” and are not available for new data.

How it manifests itself:

• 📉 Memory “melts” even after deleting files.
• 🐢 The phone starts to slow down when recording large files (for example, video) 4K).
• 🔄 After the reboot, it is temporarily released. 1-3 GB (this is just “hung” blocks).

Decisions:

The safest way is to perform fstrim through ADB:

adb shell fstrim -v /data

This command will tell the system which memory blocks can be released. Repeat it every 1-2 months.

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If the memory is still running out quickly after all the manipulations, the problem may be the hardware wear of the flash memory. /proc/emmc (significance life_time_A should be higher 80%).

5. Automatic download of updates and firmware

Xiaomi aggressively downloads updates in the background - even if you've disabled the automatic installation.Firmware files can weigh 2-4 GB and stored in a folder /cache or /data/ota_package.

How it works:

• 📥 Updates are loaded in the background through MIUI Updater.
• 🗑️ Files are often not deleted after installation (especially if the update is interrupted).
• 🔄 The system can download the same firmware several times in case of failures.

How to clean:

1. Delete /cache folder via TWRP or ADB: adb shell rm -rf /cache/*
2. Manually check the folder. /data/ota_package (root).
3. Turn off automatic update downloads in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⋮ → Settings → Automatic booting over Wi-Fi.

Backup of important data

Check the battery (minimum 50%)

Disable automatic installation of updates

Use a stable PC connection (for ADB)

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6. “Invisible” applications: preinstalled software and services

Even after the “complete” memory cleaning, Xiaomi still has undeletable system applications that take up space and work in the background.

How to remove unnecessary apps without root:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging.
2. Run the command to delete (e.g. for Mi Video): adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer
3. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Do not remove applications named com.android. or com.xiaomi. (e.g. com.xiaomi.finddevice) – this may cause key features to fail (such as device search or synchronization).

7 Viruses and Malware: Hidden Miners and Advertising Modules

If memory runs out too quickly (e.g. 1-2 GB per day), the cause may be:

• 🕵️ Hidden miners (using the resources of the phone to mine cryptocurrency).
• 📢 Promotional SDK (embedded in some applications from GetApps or third-party sources).
• 📦 Trojans that download files in the background.

Signs of infection:

• 🔋 Quick battery discharge even in standby mode.
• 📶 Increased mobile internet traffic.
• 🔥 Overheating your phone for no apparent reason.

How to check and delete:

1. Install Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light and perform a deep scan.
2. Check the list of running processes through ADB: adb shell top -m 20 (look for suspicious processes like com.android.miner).
3. Remove suspicious apps and clear the /data/local/tmp folder.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory on Xiaomi