How much memory is left on Xiaomi: all ways to check and optimize

Have you noticed that Xiaomi's smartphone is slowing down, apps are suddenly shutting down, and "Not enough memory" is appearing more often? The reason is almost always a crowded drive. Even if you're sure you haven't downloaded anything superfluous, the system and cache of applications can take up tens of gigabytes unnoticed by the user. In this article, we'll look at all the current ways to check the free space on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from standard MIUI tools to hidden commands for power users.

Xiaomi smartphones are characterized by the separation of memory into system partition, user data and cache. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ model of 256 GB, only ~230 GB is available to the user, and the rest is occupied by firmware and utility files. We will show you how to see the real memory distribution, not just the general numbers, and what to do if the smartphone “lies” about free space, and you will learn why after deleting files, the memory does not increase immediately and how to fix it.

1. Standard method: checking through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI shell tools, which are suitable for all models, including the Xiaomi 13T, Redmi 12 and POCO F5, regardless of the firmware version.

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to About Phone → Storage (on some versions of MIUI, the path may look like Settings → Memory).
3. Wait for the diagram to load – here you can see the total memory, occupied space and free space in gigabytes.
4. Click on the category (such as “Apps” or “Media Files”) to see a detailed list of files.

Note that in MIUI 14 and later, the diagram can show “Other Files” — temporary data, cache and garbage. These can be cleared directly from this menu by clicking Clear. However, sometimes the system mistakenly assigns important files (for example, downloads from Telegram) to “Other Files”.

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If you see a 10+GB System Data line in the Storage section, don't rush to clean it up. It could be update files or MIUI backups, and deleting them will cause your smartphone to crash.

2. Advanced method: analysis through File Manager

Xiaomi's built-in file manager allows you not only to view files, but also to analyze the occupied space by folder, which is more accurate than settings, because it shows hidden system folders that are not normally visible to the user.

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. In the lower menu, select the Analysis tab (or Storage on older versions).
3. Wait for the scan – the process can take 1-2 minutes if there are many files on the device.
4. An interactive diagram will appear on the screen with the distribution of memory by categories: “Images”, “Video”, “Audio”, “Documents”, etc.
5. Click on any category to see specific files that occupy space, for example, here you can find forgotten screenshots or duplicate photos.

The advantage of this method is that you can sort by size. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sort. → It's sized to see the heaviest files, and it's often the same old resolution videos that you see here. 4K or undeleted APK-file.

3. Hidden Tools: ADB and Terminal for Power Users

If you want the most accurate space data, including system partitions, use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your PC, but provides information that is not available through standard tools, such as seeing how much space /data (user data), /system (firmwareware) and /cache (temporary files).

Instructions for Windows:

1. Install Platform Tools from Google.
2. Turn on your smartphone to USB Debug (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → Press 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers).
3. Connect the phone to the PC and type in the command line: adb shell df -h This command will display a table with partitions and free space in human-readable format (in GB / MB).

To quickly check only the user section, use:

adb shell df -h /data

/data 90% full

4. Third-party apps: top-3 memory analysis

If the built-in MIUI tools seem inadequate, install one of the specialized applications that offer deep analysis, duplicate search, cache cleaning, and even optimization recommendations, and we tested dozens of utilities and selected the three most effective ones:

• 📊 Files by Google – Google’s official app with a “Clean Up” feature that finds unnecessary files (including Xiaomi Cloud cache and outdated ones) APK). Free, no advertising.
• 🔍 SD Maid is an advanced tool for power users, can clean the system cache, delete empty folders and analyze application databases.
• 📈 DiskUsage visualizes occupied space as an interactive map, helps you quickly find heavy files, even when they are hidden in the back of folders.

Warning: Some applications (such as CCleaner) may delete important MIUI files, causing theme or widgets to crash, and we recommend using only the proven utilities listed above.

5.Why is memory not released after file deletion?

A frequent complaint of Xiaomi users: “Deleted 5 GB of photos, and the free space has not increased!”. This is due to the peculiarities of the F2FS file system (used in most modern smartphones of the brand).

• 🗑️ Application cache - after deleting files, the system does not immediately clear the cache. For example, the Gallery can store thumbnails of deleted photos.
• 🔄 Shadow copying — MIUI Creates temporary copies of files when editing (for example, in Notes or Photos).
• 📁 Unreleased blocks – the file system reserves space for future records even if files are deleted.
• 🔍 Hidden folders – for example,.trash (basket) or.nomedia (hidden media files).

How to make your smartphone show a real free space:

1. Restart the device – it will reset the cache of the file system.
2. Use the ADB command: adb shell sync It forcibly synchronizes the file system with the real memory state.
3. Clean the cache manually through Settings → Apps → Select the app → Storage → Clear the cache.

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If after all the manipulations, the free space has not changed, check the smartphone for viruses. Some malware creates hidden files that take up tens of gigabytes.

Table: How much memory is used by system files on popular models

Many users are wondering why Xiaomi 12T with 128 GB of memory is available only 110 GB. The fact that the firmware MIUI and service files occupy a significant part of the drive. in the table below - real data for popular models (measurements were made on a clean firmware without user files):

Note that on models with dynamic memory (RAM Expansion), part of the drive is reserved for virtual RAM. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of ROM, the system can take up to 8 GB under the swap file if the RAM Extension function is enabled.

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To reduce system space, disable unnecessary system applications through Settings → Applications → Application Management → Disable. For example, Mi Video, Mi Music or Game Turbo can be safely deactivated.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When working with memory on Xiaomi, users often make mistakes that lead to data loss or performance deterioration, and here are the most common ones and ways to prevent them:

⚠️ Note: Never format a section /data Recovery, if you're not sure what you're doing, will result in a total smartphone reset and loss of all your data, including your accounts and settings!

• 🚫 Delete the Android folder – it stores application data (for example, save games or setup WhatsApp.
• 🚫 Clearing Google Play Services cache – this can disrupt Google services, including contact sync and push notifications.
• 🚫 Transfer of applications to SD-Card without reading speed check – slow Class 4 or Class 6 cards cause brakes when running migrated programs.

If you accidentally delete important files, try to restore them with DiskDigger or Recuva (requires root access for deep scanning).However, the chances of success depend on how much data was written to the device after deleting - new files can overwrite old ones.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions