Xiaomi’s “lack of memory”: what to do if your phone is clogged

Xiaomi smartphone owners (including the Redmi, Poco and Mi line) often face the message “Not enough memory”, even when there is seemingly free space, the problem lies not only in the physical filling of the drive, but also in the peculiarities of the MIUI, Xiaomi’s proprietary shell, the system reserves some memory for cache, updates and service files, which leads to artificial “clogging” of the device.

In this article, we will analyze 10 proven ways to free up memory on Xiaomi – from basic (removal of garbage) to advanced (transfer of applications to Xiaomi). SD-We'll focus on the hidden functions. MIUI, Those that eat gigabytes invisibly: duplicate photos, Google Play Services cache, temporary update files, and why cleaning through Settings often doesn’t help, and what to do in such cases.

Important: The methods are suitable for all modern models, from the Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14. If your device runs Android 12+, some menu items may be slightly different, but the logic of actions remains the same.

1. Check the actual state of memory

Before you clean your phone, make sure that the problem is the memory shortage, not the system failure.

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. If you look at the usage chart, if you're less than 10 percent free of the total, the system will start to slow down.
3. Click on “App Memory” – here you can see which programs take up the most space.

Note the System section, if it takes up more than 15 to 20 GB, this may be a consequence of:

• 📁 Accumulated updates MIUI (zip files in a folder /cache).
• 🔄 Duplicate photos after gallery update.
• 🤖 Google Play Services cache (can weigh up to 5-7 GB!).

Critical: If the Other section is more than 10 GB occupied, it is a sign of fragmented files or a file system failure, in which case only a complete reset (we will discuss this at the end of the article) will help.

2. Delete cache and unnecessary files via MIUI

The fastest way to free up 1-3 GB is to clear the cache of system and user applications, and this is done in two clicks:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Sort by size."
3. Open each major app (e.g. Facebook, Telegram, YouTube) and click Clear Cache.

For mass cleaning:

1. Back to Settings → Memory.
2. Click "Clear" (button at the bottom of the screen).
3. Select “Cash” and “Downloaded Files”.

Clear the cache of all applications|Remove downloaded files from the browser|Remove temporary update files|Clean the basket in the gallery-->

Note: Do not remove the cache of system applications like com.android.systemui or com.miui.home, which may cause the launcher to crash and the need to restart.

If the memory is refilled in a few days, it is the fault of:

• 📱 Aggressive caching apps (TikTok, Instagram).
• 🔄 Background processes MIUI Optimization (disabled through Settings) → Special opportunities → Acceleration of the system).

3. Move the applications to SD-map

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (like Redmi Note 11 or Poco) X3 Pro, you can transfer some applications to SD-Important: This method only works for applications that support external storage (many games and social networks do not).

Instructions:

1. Put it in. SD-map (recommended class) UHS-I U3 speed).
2. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Select an app (like Spotify or VLC).
4. Press "Storage» → «Change» → «SD-map».

If the Change button is inactive, the app does not support portability.

• 📁 Mi Cloud (5GB) is free for photos and documents).
• 📁 Google Drive (15GB linked to Google account).
• 📁 Yandex Drive (10GB for backups).

💡

Before transferring applications to SD-Format it as internal memory in the storage settings, which will speed up the work, but the card will not be used on other devices.

Limitations of the method:

• ⚠️ Annexes to SD They are slower (depending on the class of the card).
• ⚠️ Some programs (such as WhatsApp) are not portable.
• ⚠️ After the map is removed, the applications will stop working.

4. Find and delete duplicate photos

One of the most common reasons for memory loss on Xiaomi is duplicate photos, which appear after:

• 📸 Updates to the Gallery annex».
• 📸 Sync with Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 📸 Use of the regime HDR or "Night shooting" (both source and processed photo are saved).

To find duplicates:

1. Open the gallery → “Albums” → “Dublicates”.
2. MIUI automatically groups similar images. Select the ones you don't need and click "Delete."

If the “Dublicates” section is missing, use third-party applications:

Before mass deletion, check if the duplicates are different versions of the same photo (e.g., original and retouch). Use the "Compare" function in the apps for accurate verification.

5. Clean up the Download folder and download messengers

Download folder and messenger storage (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber) are real memory eaters.

• 📄 PDF-files and documents opened "once».
• 🎵 Audio and video from chats (memes, voice messages).
• 📦 APK-file.

How to clean:

1. For Download folder: Open Files → Downloads. Sort by size and delete the unnecessary.

Telegram

Settings → Data and memory → Storage → Clear cache

WhatsApp

Settings → Memory → Memory Management → Delete large files

Hidden threat: Messengers save media files in folders like /WhatsApp/Media/ or /Telegram/Telegram Images/. Even after deleting the chat, the files remain on the device!

1. Use a file manager (such as Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/ and manually check the messenger folders.
3. Using the App Inspector app (requires superuser rights): Install Magisk to get root. In App Inspector, select the unnecessary app and click Uninstall.

⚠️ Note: Removal of system applications may cause some functions to fail MIUI (For example, design themes or gestures. Before debloating, create a backup through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.

8. factory reset (last resort)

If none of the methods worked, and the phone still shows "Not enough memory," it's a complete reset, which will delete all the data, but return the device to its original performance.

How to reset Xiaomi:

1. Backup important data (photos, contacts, SMS) through Settings → Additional → Backup or Mi Cloud.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.

The actual user is usually available 85-90% of the declared volume.