Xiaomi smartphone constantly writes “lack of memory”: what to do in 2026

You open a gallery to take a photo, or you try to install a new app, but Xiaomi stubbornly gives out a notification: "Not enough memory," a situation familiar to many owners of smartphones brand — especially if you have a model with 32 or 64 GB of internal memory. What is the reason? It's not just the accumulated photos or videos. Often the fault of the system processes, cache applications, duplicate files and even errors in the MIUI.

In this article, we will examine the 7 proven ways to free up space on Xiaomi, including hidden shell features that few people use: how to transfer applications to a SD- card without root rights, which files can be safely deleted, and why even after cleaning the memory can “disappear” again, and how to prevent re-filling the storage by setting up automatic optimization.

Important: The methods are suitable for all modern models – from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra, but some points may differ depending on the version of MIUI (updated for MIUI 14/15).If your smartphone is released before 2019, check the section on cleaning system debris – there are nuances for older devices.

1.Diagnosis: Why memory ends so quickly

Before you clean everything, you need to know what exactly takes up space. Xiaomi has a built-in memory analyzer, but it doesn't always show the full picture. Here's how to check the storage correctly:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here you will see a diagram of how memory is distributed by category: apps, media, system files, etc.
2. Click on the “Other” category – this is where gigabytes of unnecessary data are often hidden: log files, temporary update files, remnants of remote applications.
3. Use third-party analyzers like Files by Google or SD Maid, which will show.thumbnails,.nomedia, and other hidden folders that are not visible in standard Explorer.

Typical memory eaters on Xiaomi:

• 📸 Cash Gallery (DCIM/.thumbnails) – Photo and video thumbnails that can weigh up to 1–2 GB.
• 🎮 Cash games (e.g. Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) – up to 5–10 GB per game.
• 📥 Downloads — APK- files, archives, documents that are downloaded and forgotten.
• 🔄 Update residues — the /cache folder can store older firmware versions.

If the System section is more than 10-15 GB, this is a cause for concern, perhaps MIUI is not properly clearing temporary files or there is virus software on the device masquerading as system processes, in which case the factory reset will help (more about this at the end of the article).

2. Clear cache and unnecessary files without data loss

The fastest way to free up 1-3 GB is to clear the app cache and system debris, which, unlike deleting files, does not affect personal data (photos, contacts, messages).

Method 1: Through the MIUI settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the All tab and sort the apps by size (click on the three dots in the upper right corner).
3. Open each major app (e.g. Facebook, Telegram, YouTube) and click Clear Cache.

Method 2: Deep Cleaning through “Safety”

• 🛡️ Open the Security app (Icon with shield).
• 🧹 Go to the Cleanup section → Deep Cleanup.
• 🔍 Select the categories Residual Files, Application Cache, and Unnecessary APK.
• ✅ Press "Clean" (can release up to 500 MB-1 GB).

Method 3: Removing duplicate photos and videos

The Gallery app in MIUI has a built-in tool for finding duplicates:

1. Open the Gallery → click on three dots → “Management”.
2. Select “Dublicates” or “Similar Photos”.
3. Review the proposed files and delete the unnecessary ones.

⚠️ Warning: Do not delete the MIUI folder in the root directory, which contains system themes and wallpapers. Do not touch files with the.odex or.vdex extension, which are components of applications.

3. Transfer applications and files to SD-map

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (such as the Redmi Note 11 or POCO X3 Pro), you can transfer some applications and media files to microSD.

• 📱 Not all apps support portability — for example, WhatsApp or Banking apps usually remain in internal memory.
• The ⚡ SD- card must be fast (class UHS-I or A2), otherwise applications will slow down.
• 🔄 After transfer, do not remove the card – this can cause malfunctions in the application.

How to transfer applications to SD:

1. Insert the memory card and format it as internal storage (in the storage settings).
2. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Select the application → «Warehouse» → «Change» → specify SD-map.
4. Confirm the transfer (may take a few minutes).

How to transfer photos and videos:

• 📁 Open Files (or Explorer)
• 🖼️ Select folders DCIM, Pictures, Downloads.
• 📤 Press Move and select the SD- card.

⚠️ Warning: If you use the SD- card as a portable storage (not formatted as internal), the application portability will not be available. Also remember that MIUI can automatically save screenshots and screen recordings to internal memory - check the settings in Settings → Special Features → Screen Recording.

4. MIUI Optimization: Hidden Functions to Save Memory

MIUI has several hidden tools that help you automatically manage memory, which most users don’t know about, but they can free up to 2-3GB without manual cleaning.

Function 1: "Lite Mode" (Lite Mode)

This mode disables animations, reduces wallpaper resolution and limits background processes:

1. Go to Settings → Special features → Lite-mode.
2. Turn on the option and select the optimization level ("Balanced" is recommended).

Function 2: Auto-cleaning of memory

Set up automatic cache cleaning when locking the screen:

1. Open Security → Cleanup.
2. Activate Auto Clean and set a schedule (e.g. every day at 3:00).

Function 3: Limitation of background processes

Too many applications in the background = fast memory consumption to limit them:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management.
2. Select “Restricting Background Activity” and add apps that shouldn’t work in the background (like games or rarely used instant messengers).

Function 4: Compression of system files

MIUI 14+ has an option to compress system files to save space:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage → Storage settings.
2. Activate System Compression (can release up to 500MB).

⚠️ Warning: If you have artifacts on your screen or brakes after Lite mode is turned on, turn it off and use auto-clean only. Also, don't activate system compression on devices with less than 4GB of RAM - this can lead to lags.

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If the memory runs out again quickly after cleaning, check the Google Photos (Mi Cloud) sync settings, which can automatically upload files back to the device.

5. Removal of system applications and bloatware

Xiaomi is known for installing many pre-installed apps (bloatware) that cannot be removed in standard ways.

• 🎵 Mi Music and Mi Video – Dubbed Google Play Music and YouTube.
• 📰 Mi Browser — few people use it, but it takes ~200MB.
• 🛒 GetApps, Mi Pay, Mi Credit are all unnecessary for most users.
• 🎮 Game Turbo – if you’re not a gamer, it’s just taking up space.

How to remove system applications without root:

1. Unsetting (without deletion):

Removal via ADB (for experienced users)

• Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the build number → return to “Additional” → “Developer Options” → turn on debugging).
• Download Platform Tools from Google and type the command:
• Replace com.mi.android.globalFileexplorer with the package of the desired application (a list of packages can be found online).

⚠️ Warning: Deleting system applications may result in MIUI unstable operation or update errors.

• 🚫 com.android.systemui is responsible for the interface.
• 🚫 com.miui.home - launcher MIUI.
• 🚫 com.android.phone – telephone functions.

If the phone starts to brake after removing the apps, restore them via adb shell pm install-existing or reset the settings.

6. Reset to factory settings: when necessary

If you've tried all of these, but the memory still goes away, it might be a problem with corrupted system files or a virus, and hard reset will help.

When to do the reset:

• 🔄 The memory ends immediately after cleaning.
• 📉 The System section is over 15 GB occupied for no apparent reason.
• 🐛 The smartphone slows down, overheats, or emits errors when installing applications.

How to reset Xiaomi without losing important data

1. Make a backup copy of:
2. Perform the reset:

After discharge:

• 🔧 Don’t restore everything from the backup right away — first check if the memory problem has been resolved.
• 📥 Install applications gradually, keeping an eye on the free space.

⚠️ Warning: If the problem returns after the reset, it may indicate a hardware malfunction (e.g., damaged flash memory). In that case, contact the service center. Also check if the device has pirated firmware installed, which often contain hidden processes that devour memory.

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Resetting to factory settings is a last resort. Before you do, be sure to check your phone for viruses (for example, through Malwarebytes) and try cleaning through Safe Mode (press the power button → “Reboot in Safe Mode”).

7.Prevention: How to prevent refilling of memory

To prevent the problem from returning, set up Xiaomi for automatic optimization and follow the simple rules:

Settings for prevention:

• 📥 Turn off the auto download in messengers:
• 🎥 Set the camera to shoot at optimal resolution:
• 🔄 Enable automatic cleaning:
• ☁️ Use cloud storage:

Habits that will help you save space:

• 🚫 Delete APK- files after installing applications.
• 🎮 Clean the game cache regularly (especially PUBG Mobile, Free Fire).
• 📂 Check the Downloads folder once a month, because you're accumulating unnecessary files.
• 🔍 Use Files by Google to find large and unnecessary files.

If you install and uninstall apps frequently, consider buying Xiaomi with more storage (128GB or more).For example, in the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ or POCO F6 Pro, storage problems are much less common due to optimized MIUI and microSD support.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory on Xiaomi