How to Clean Up Xiaomi’s Internal Memory from Unnecessary Files: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi's internal memory is like a storage room that gets clogged with junk over time: remnants of deleted apps, cache, duplicate photos and system logs. Even if you regularly delete unnecessary programs, the amount of free space is melting away. Why is this happening? It's about the shell. MIUI, which actively caches data to speed up work, but rarely cleans it automatically.

In this article, you will find practical methods of cleaning memory, from standard Xiaomi tools to hidden features and third-party utilities, we will analyze which files can be deleted without risk to the system and which should not be touched (32/64 GB, where every megabyte counts. All instructions are relevant to the MIUI 14/13/12 And they work on the Redmi Note. 10/11/12, Poco X3/X4/X5, Mi 11/12/13 and other brand devices.

1. Built-in tools MIUI: clean-up

Let’s start with the most obvious: standard functions. MIUI, It's something that many users overlook, and it doesn't require any additional applications to be installed, and it's very safe for the system).

To open it up:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone. → Memory (or Settings) → Annexes → Cleaning depending on the version MIUI).
2. Click Clean - the system will scan the device for debris: residual files, application cache, unnecessary APK.
3. Select the categories to delete (we recommend ticking all items except Download – there may be important files).

Here’s what the built-in cleaning removes:

• 🗑️ Application cache — temporary files that programs create to run quickly — will not hurt if they are deleted, but applications can load longer the next time they run.
• 📁 Residual files – “tails” from remote programs (settings, logs, empty folders).
• 📱 Unnecessary APK — Installation packages left over after app updates through the Play Market or MI App Store.
• 📊 System Logs – Debugging files that MIUI They take up little space, but they accumulate hundreds.

⚠️ Note: Do not clean the Downloads section through the built-in utility if it stores important documents or media files. → Categories → Downloads.

For a deeper cleaning, go to Settings. → Annexes → App management, select any application and click Clear cache and Clear data. Be careful: cleaning the data will reset the program settings (for example, chats will be deleted in messengers, progress in games).

2 Manual removal of unnecessary files: what can be safely erased

Xiaomi's built-in tools don't remove all the garbage, and many files are left in folders that the system considers "useful." Consider what can be manually removed without risking the smartphone.

Open the Files (or File Manager) application and go to the following folders:

A critical folder that cannot be touched without preparation — Android/. It stores application data and system files, and deleting the wrong folders can cause malfunctions or even a device blink.

For safe disposal:

1. First, check the date of the change of files – old (year-old and older) can be deleted boldly.
2. Use sorting by size (Files) → Menus. → Sort by size – so you will find the most “heavy” glutton memory.
3. Before mass deletion, back up your important data to your PC or cloud.

Create a backup copy of important files|Check the Download folder for documents|Make sure that the removed APK not required for applications|Clean the basket after removal-->

3.Cache and application data cleanup: when it really needs to be

App cache is a temporary file that programs create to speed up work, such as Instagram caches stories and photos from the tape, YouTube videos for offline viewing, and games are textures and levels. Over time, the cache grows to giant sizes (often 1-3 GB per app!).

How to check and clean the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook or TikTok).
3. Press the Warehouse - here will be the volume of cache and data.
4. Click Clear Cache. For complete cleaning (including settings), select Clear Data.

What applications most often "clog" memory:

• 📱 Social media (Facebook, VK, Instagram – cache media files and can take up to 5 GB.
• 🎮 Games (PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact, Call of Duty – Texture cache and levels easily reach 2-4 GB.
• 📺 Streaming services (YouTube, Netflix, Twitch) – save videos for offline viewing.
• 🗺️ Maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Maps) – cache maps of regions (sometimes 1 GB per area).

⚠️ Warning: Clearing the data (not the cache!) in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) will delete all correspondence and media files. If you need to make room, first save conversations to the cloud or on PC.

To automatically clean the cache, you can use the Auto Clean function in Settings → The phone. → Memory. → Settings (⚙️) → Autocleaning. Turn it on and select periodicity (e.g. once a week) to help keep your memory clean without manual controls.

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If after cleaning the cache, the application began to work slower, restart it - the system will restore the necessary temporary files.

4. Removal of duplicates and optimization of photo/video

Photos and videos are the main memory eaters on Xiaomi, and even if you don't take much, it creates duplicates, screenshots, thumbnails and backups, like editing photos in the Gallery. MIUI The original is saved and the modified version is created as a new file.

How to find and remove duplicates:

1. Open the gallery. → Albums. → Duplicates (in some versions) MIUI This section is called Smart Cleaning).
2. The app will automatically find the duplicate photos and prompt them to be deleted.
3. Check the dedicated files – sometimes the system mistakenly marks similar but different images as duplicates.

To optimize media files:

• 📸 Combine the photo through the Gallery → Select the photo → More (⋮) → It'll reduce their weight by 30 to 50 percent without any noticeable loss of quality.
• 🎥 Delete the video in low resolution – often in a folder DCIM/Camera There are still old casters in 480p or 720p, washable.
• ☁️ Transfer media to the cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud, Yandex.Disk) and delete local copies.
• 🗑️ Clear the folder. DCIM/.thumbnails — It stores thumbnails that the system will automatically restore.

If you often shoot videos, pay attention to the camera settings:

• Go to the camera. → Settings (⚙️) → Video resolution.
• If you don't need to. 4K or 1080p 60fps, choose 1080p 30fps — This will reduce the weight of rollers by 2-3 times.
• Turn it off. HDR and AI-Improvement if not critical – these features increase file size.

5. Hidden functions MIUI: Deep cleaning for experienced users

MIUI It contains a few hidden tools that are not visible in the standard interface, but allow you to free up extra space. These methods require caution, but give a better result than the built-in cleaning.

Method 1: Cleaning the folder lost.dir

This is a system folder where MIUI It drops fragments of corrupted or unsaved files, it can weigh a few gigabytes, but its contents are almost always useless, to clean it up:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB (in File Transfer mode).
2. In Windows Explorer, go to Internal Memory → lost.dir.
3. Delete all files inside (they look like they are in the form of a file). random_numbers.tmp).

Method 2: Remove old MIUI updates

After installing system updates, their installation packages remain in memory and take 1-2 GB.

1. Go to the Files. → Internal memory. → downloaded_rom.
2. Delete all files with the.zip extension (e.g, miui_HMNote11_22.1.1.zip).

Method 3: Cleaning Dalvik cache (for rooted devices only)

If you have root access, you can delete the Dalvik cache, which is the temporary files of the Android virtual machine, which will free up 500 MB-1 GB, but will require a reboot.

Through the terminal or ADB, enter:


su




rm -r /data/dalvik-cache/*




reboot

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders MIUI/extra and MIUI/sound_recorder — They contain system sounds and interface files, and if they're damaged, they'll cause disruption. MIUI.

For users without root rights, the alternative is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge. Connect your smartphone to your PC, enable Debugging by USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click 7 times on the line with the version to activate the developer mode, then execute the command:

adb shell pm trim-caches 1000G

This will forcefully clear the cache of all applications.

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Hidden folders MIUI (lost.dir, downloaded_rom) You can clean up without risk to the system, if you do not delete files with extensions.odex,.apk or.so – they are critical for the Android.

6. Third-party utilities: which apps really help

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools fail, third-party utilities will come to the rescue, the main thing is to choose proven programs from Google Play, so as not to run into viruses or spyware.

The best applications for cleaning memory:

How to use third-party cleaners correctly:

1. Download the program only from Google Play or MI App Store.
2. Before the first run, check the permissions – the utility should not request access to the SMS, call-ups.
3. Do not use the "acceleration" or "optimization" functions. RAM" — They close the background processes, which can disrupt the system.
4. After cleaning, restart your smartphone – this will help. MIUI correctly calculate the free space.

SD Maid is one of the most powerful solutions for power users. It finds:

• 🗑️ "Dead files – remnants of deleted applications.
• 🔍 Empty folders that take up space in the file system.
• 📂 Duplicates in folders with media and documents.
• 📜 Temporary files from system processes.

⚠️ Note: Some cleaners (such as Clean Master or Clean Master) DU Speed Boosters contain aggressive advertising and can become a source of garbage themselves. Avoid them despite high ratings in the store.

7.Prevention: How to prevent memory filling

The best way to combat memory shortages is to keep it from filling up. Here are some habits to keep Xiaomi clean:

• 📵 Turn off autoload media in messengers: WhatsApp: Settings → Warehouse → Autoboot media → Turn off for mobile data. In Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Choose Never.
• 🎬 Limit the cache of streaming services: On YouTube: Settings → Background and loading → Quality of loading → Select Average. On Netflix: App settings → Downloads. → Video quality → Standard.
• 📱 Set up automatic cleaning: Enable Auto Cleaning in Settings → The phone. → Memory. Set the frequency once a week or a month.
• ☁️ Use cloud storage: Google Photos (free up to 15 GB), Mi Cloud (5 GB for Xiaomi users). Yandex.Disk (10 GB when registering).

A few more tips:

• Remove unused applications through Settings → Annexes → Size (sorting by volume will show the most voracious").
• Check the Download folder regularly – outdated ones accumulate here. APK, PDF archives.
• Turn off saving screenshots in Settings → Additionally. → Screenshots → Save screenshots if you don’t need them.

If you install and delete games frequently, consider using a memory card (if your Xiaomi model supports it). → Warehouse → The memory card can be transferred to some applications SD-Map, but note that this will slow down their work.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi memory cleanup