How to find out what takes up memory on a Xiaomi smartphone: a full picture guide

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi has suddenly run out of space, even though you haven't added photos or videos in a long time? Or the phone has started to slow down, and the storage settings display the mysterious "System Data" section on 10+ GB? is a problem familiar to many Redmi smartphone owners, POCO Mi – even with flagships on 256 GB. In this article, we will analyze all the ways to analyze occupied memory, including hidden folders, messenger cache and system files that are not shown in the standard manager.

We will not be limited to basic tips like "go to the settings", you will learn how to find and delete duplicate photos, clear the Telegram cache at 5+ GB, detect “junk” from remote applications and even analyze memory through ADB — And at the end of this article, you'll find a checklist for optimization that will free up to 30 percent of the space without losing important data.

1. Standard Memory Analysis through Xiaomi Settings

Let’s start with the most obvious – the built-in Settings tool. → Memory, new versions. MIUI 14/15 (And HyperOS, this partition is better visualized than the old firmware, but even here there are pitfalls. For example, the system can show "Other Files" in volume. 20 GB, without explaining what it is.

How to read this chart correctly:

• 📸 Photo and video – this includes thumbnails, edited copies and files from the folder DCIM/.thumbnails, frequently duplicated.
• 🎵 Audio – in addition to music, voice messages from the WhatsApp/Telegram and tape recordings.
• 📱 Apps - shows only the size APK-files, but does not take into account their data (cache, databases, downloads).
• 🗑️ System data is the most insidious item: this includes log files (/data/log), Memory dumps and update residues OTA.

To see the details of each section, tap on it. For example, in Apps, you can sort programs by size and see that Facebook is 1.2 GB, of which 800 MB is cache. But beware: cleaning up the cache of some applications (such as Google Play Services) can cause Google services to malfunction.

⚠️ Note: If you see the item "Reserved by the system" in the "Memory" section" (5-10 GB, don't try to clean it. This is the space you need to work with. MIUI It can only be reduced by ADB (I'll talk about it below, but it's risky.

2. Hidden folders and files: where Xiaomi hides "garbage"

Xiaomi's standard file manager hides many system directories from the user. To see them, you need to turn on the display of hidden files: open the manager, tap three dots in the upper right corner. → Settings → Show hidden files. Now you can look at the:

Pay special attention to the folder /Android/data — It stores data from apps that you deleted long ago, but their files are still there. For example, if you used TikTok and then uninstalled it, there might be a cache in this folder that weighs a lot more. 500+ MB: It can only be removed manually or through ADB.

Another source of invisible garbage is messenger cache. Telegram cache is stored along the way. /Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/cache, a in WhatsApp — /Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Media. Here can accumulate gigabytes of unnecessary stickers, voice messages and video previews.

3. Third-party applications for deep memory analysis

Built-in tools MIUI They don't always show the full picture:

• 🔍 Files by Google – shows junk files (duplicates, large files, unused files) APK) And it suggests that you delete them, and it's especially useful for finding old memes and screenshots.
• 📊 DiskUsage — visualizes the occupied space in the form of an interactive map, and you can see which files occupy the most space.
• 🧹 SD Maid (requires root) – finds remnants of deleted applications, empty folders and temporary files that are not visible by standard means.
• 📱 Storage Analyzer analyzes memory by category (photos, videos, documents) and shows the heaviest files in each file.

Example of DiskUsage:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Give me access to the memory.
3. Select a partition to scan (internal memory or SD-map).
4. And you'll see a color map on the screen, where each block is a file or a folder, and the bigger the block, the more it weighs.
5. Slip on any block to see its contents and path.

With help. SD Maid (for root users) can be found and removed:

• Remains of uninstalled applications in /data/data.
• Empty folders that take up space in the file system.
• Duplicate files (e.g., the same photos in different folders)
• Unnecessary APK-file /download or /apkmirror.

⚠️ Attention: If you are using SD Maid with root access, never delete files from folders /system, /vendor or /boot. This can lead to a break in the firmware and the “brick” of the phone.

4. Memory analysis through ADB (for advanced users)

If you are ready to dive deeper, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) This method requires connecting the phone to a PC, but provides the most accurate analysis of the occupied space, including system partitions that are not normally accessible.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. On your phone, turn on Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times to activate the developer mode).
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB Debugging.
4. Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: adb shell df -h This command will show the occupied space in all sections (including: /system and /data).
5. To see the largest files in /data, Do it with adb shell su du -ah /data | sort -rh | head -n 20 (Root rights are required)

What can be found through ADB:

• 📦 Remains of updates in /cache (file update.zip).
• 🗑️ Log files in /data/log (can weigh up 1-2 GB).
• 🔄 Duplicate system applications (sometimes) MIUI copy APK post-update).
• 📱 Google's cache of services /data/data/com.google.android.gms.

If you see a folder in the command output /data/app-lib or /data/dalvik-cache, Don't delete the contents of the app, it can break the app. Instead, use the command:

adb shell pm clear <package_name>

where <package_name> — the name of the application package (e.g. com.facebook.katana for Facebook) This will securely clear the cache and data of the particular application.

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If the adb shell command is not working, check if debugging is enabled. USB on the phone and whether drivers are installed ADB On Windows, you can download them from Mi Flash Tool or Xiaomi. USB Driver.

5. Memory Cleanup Without Losing Data: What Can Be Deleted Safely

Now that you know where to look for junk, we'll start cleaning up. The rule is, don't delete anything at random. Even if the folder is called cache, some files can be critical to the system.

Pay special attention to the Telegram cache, to clear it:

1. Open Telegram → Settings → Data and memory.
2. Put it on "Clear Telegram cache."
3. Choose which to delete: media files, documents or everything.

For WhatsApp, the path is different:

1. Open WhatsApp. → three-point → Settings → Memory.
2. Select file categories (photo, video, audio) and delete the unnecessary.

⚠️ Note: If you delete files from the folder /Android/obb (game data, some games may stop working. Before cleaning, check if these files are used by current applications.

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The most “heavy” applications on Xiaomi are usually instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), social networks (Facebook, TikTok) and games (PUBG, Genshin Impact. Their cache can take up to 10-15 GB, but you need to clean it carefully so as not to lose important data.

6.How to prevent memory filling in the future

Cleaning up your memory is good, but it's even better to keep it from filling up, and here are some tips to help keep things under control:

• 📱 Turn off autoload media in messengers: Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Select "Never." On WhatsApp: Settings → Memory. → Autoboot media → Turn off for mobile data and Wi-Fi.
• 🔄 Set up automatic cache cleanup: In Settings → Memory. → Clean up, turn on the "Auto Clean" option. Select a period (e.g. once a week).
• 📸 Use cloud storage: Enable automatic upload of photos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud. Set up deletion of local copies after download (in Google Photos: Settings) → Make room).
• 📱 Remove pre-installed apps (without root): Use ADB To uninstall unnecessary system applications (e.g. Mi Video or Mi Music) Command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 <package_name>.

Another useful trick is to transfer applications to SD-This is the card (if your Xiaomi supports it:

1. Put it in. SD-card (preferably class 10 or UHS-I).
2. Format it as internal memory in Settings → Memory. → SD-map.
3. Move the applications to Settings → Annexes → [Select an application] → Memory. → Change. → SD-map.

Remember, after formatting. SD-The card as internal memory cannot be used on other devices without complete cleaning.

7. Frequent errors in memory cleaning (and how to avoid them)

Many users make mistakes in trying to make room, which then lead to data loss or phone failures, and the most common ones are:

• 🚫 Deleting the entire Android folder will cause the crash of all applications, /Android/data/com.example.cache).
• 🚫 Clearing the cache of system applications (e.g. Google Play Services or Google Play Services) MIUI System – this could disrupt Google services and Xiaomi branded features.
• 🚫 Using Google Play’s “memory optimizers” (such as Clean Master or CCleaner) – they often delete the right files and show false virus warnings".
• 🚫 Formatting internal memory as a solution is an extreme measure that will delete all data, including photos and contacts.
• 🚫 Deletion of files from /system or /vendor — This will cause the phone to blink (it will stop turning on).

If you accidentally delete important files, try to restore them with:

• DiskDigger (for photos and documents)
• Recuva (if you connect your phone to your PC as an external drive).
• Google Photos (if synchronization is enabled)

⚠️ Note: If after cleaning the memory, the phone started to restart or give out errors, most likely, you deleted critical system files.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions