How to Clean Memory on Xiaomi Phone: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi smartphones are known for their price-performance ratio, but even the most advanced models face a lack of space over time. Clogged memory leads to slowdowns, sudden drops of applications and inability to install updates. The reasons for the accumulation of garbage are many: from the cache of applications to duplicate photos that are created automatically.

In this article, you will find 7 proven ways to clean up memory on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones, from basic methods to advanced techniques for power users, we will discuss how to delete unnecessary files without risking losing important data, what system tools will help automate the process, and when to resort to radical measures like factory resets.

1. Memory Use Analysis: Where to Start

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand what exactly takes up space on your device. Xiaomi smartphones have a built-in tool for this — Settings → Phone → Memory. This shows a diagram of the distribution of memory by category: applications, media, systems and cache.

Pay particular attention to:

• 📱 Applications – some programs (such as messengers or social networks) can weigh several gigabytes due to accumulated data.
• 📷 Multimedia – High-resolution photos, videos and downloads from the Internet often take up the lion’s share of memory.
• 🗑️ System cache – temporary files that are created to speed up work, but over time turn into digital garbage.

If you see a category in Memory that is larger than 1-2 GB, this is a sure sign that the device has accumulated residual files from deleted applications or improperly cleaned cache, in which case deep cleaning, which we will discuss later, will help.

2. Cleaning the application cache and system

Cache is a temporary file that is created by applications and systems to speed up work, accumulate over time and can take up to 5-10 GB of memory, and you can clear the cache in two ways: for individual applications or globally for the entire system.

Cleaning the cache of a separate application:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (such as YouTube or Telegram).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

Global Cache Cleanup:

• Open the Security app (the shield icon).
• Go to the Cleanup section.
• Press Deep Cleanup and select Cash.
• Confirm the action by clicking Clear.

After cleaning the cache, some applications can load longer on the first run — this is normal, as they recover temporary data. Do not clear the cache too often (every 1-2 weeks is enough), otherwise this will lead to increased traffic and battery consumption.

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If the app is unstable after cleaning the cache, try restarting the phone, which will help the system to properly reassemble temporary files.

3. Delete unnecessary files and duplicates

Photos, videos and downloads from the Internet are the main memory eaters. Xiaomi smartphones have built-in tools to find and remove duplicates, as well as large files that have not been used for a long time.

How to find and remove duplicate photos:

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Control.
3. Go to the Duplicates section, the system will automatically find repeated images.
4. Select unnecessary copies and click Delete.

Search for large files:

• In the Files (Folder icon) app, go to Categories → Large Files.
• Sort files by size and delete those that aren’t needed (like old videos or archives).

It is also worth checking the Download folder, where unnecessary ones often accumulate. APK-For convenience, you can use third-party apps like Files by Google or CCleaner, which offer more flexible options for finding garbage.

4.Storage optimization with MIUI

MIUI’s proprietary shell offers several useful features for automated memory cleanup, one of which is Smart Cleanup, which analyzes memory usage and suggests removing unnecessary files.

How to enable smart cleaning:

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Memory Settings.
3. Activate the Smart Cleanup option and set up a schedule (e.g. weekly).

Another useful feature is the Light Mode, which limits the background activity of applications and reduces the memory load.

1. Go to Settings. → Special facilities.
2. Select the Light Mode and activate it.

Also in MIUI, there's a Background Cleanup tool that closes out unused applications and frees up RAM. To run it manually, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold it, the latest apps menu opens. Click on the basket icon at the bottom of the screen.

✅ Enable smart cleaning

✅ Set up automatic cache removal

✅ Activate the light mode

✅ Regularly check the section "Large files"-->

5. Transfer data to a memory card or cloud

If the internal drive is sorely short of space, consider transferring some of the data to a microSD card or cloud storage. Xiaomi smartphones (except some flagships) support memory expansion to 1TB.

How to transfer files to a memory card:

1. Insert the microSD card into the slot (if the phone supports memory expansion).
2. Open the Files app and select the folders you need (for example, DCIM for photos or Download for downloads).
3. Click Move and select the memory card as your destination.

Cloud services for backup:

• 🌥️ Mi Cloud – built-in cloud from Xiaomi (5 GB for free).
• 🌥️ Google Photos – Automatic Photo and Video Upload (15 GB Free).
• 🌥️ Yandex Disk – 10 GB free, convenient for users from Russia.

When transferring data to a memory card, keep in mind that some applications (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) do not allow you to save media files directly to the SD. In this case, you will have to manually move files after they are downloaded.

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Class A1 or A2 memory cards provide higher read/write speeds, which is important for running applications from an external drive.

6. Removal of system debris and residual files

Even after deleting applications, the device still has its settings, temporary files, and folders, and deep cleaning requires either a super-user or a dedicated utility, but most users will have the built-in MIUI tools.

How to delete residual files:

1. Open the application Security → Cleaning → Deep cleaning.
2. Select Residual Files category and click Clear.

You can use SD Maid (requires root rights for full functionality) to clean it up more thoroughly.

• 🗑️ Empty folders
• 📁 Remnants of Remote Applications
• 🔍 Duplicate databases

If you don't want root access, the alternative is to reset /cache via Recovery mode.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

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Before resetting the cache in Recovery, make sure the battery is at least 50% charged.

7.Extreme measures: reset to factory settings

If all previous methods failed, and the memory is still full of unknown files, the last option is a complete reset, a radical measure that removes all data from the device, returning it to its original state.

How to reset:

1. Create a backup copy of important data (contacts, photos, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.

Once reset, the phone will reboot and prompt you to set it up as new, and this method is guaranteed to clear all memory, but you should only use it as a last resort, because:

• ⚠️ All installed applications and their data are deleted.
• ⚠️ Reset system settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sounds).
• ⚠️ Repeated authorization is required for all accounts.

If a memory problem occurs after a reset, it may indicate a hardware malfunction (e.g., damage to flash memory), in which case it is recommended to contact a service center.

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Factory reset does not remove files from the memory card (if installed), but it is best to remove it before the procedure to avoid accidental formatting.

Frequently asked questions