Cleaning up the internal memory Xiaomi Redmi 3S: a complete guide with step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi Redmi 3S, released in 2016, is still a popular budget smartphone due to its reliability and good performance, but over time, even 16 GB of internal memory (in the basic version) begin to get clogged with unnecessary files, app cache and system debris. If your Redmi 3S writes “not enough memory”, slows down or does not update applications, it’s time to clean up the application.

In this article, you will find 7 working ways to clean up memory, including hidden MIUI features, manual garbage removal and optimization of storage without resetting to factory settings. We will also analyze which files can be safely deleted and which should not be touched so as not to disrupt the system. All instructions are relevant for the original and custom firmware, but with the features of Redmi 3S (codename land).

Before you start, check how much space is occupied right now: go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. If less than 1 GB is free, the smartphone will lag, and some features (such as the MIUI update) will become unavailable. Let's start with the simplest and safest methods.

1. Cleaning up the cache of applications and system debris

The fastest way to free up 100-500 MB of memory is to delete temporary files (cache) that accumulate during the operation of applications. On Redmi 3S, this can be done in two ways: through the built-in MIUI utility or manually for each application.

Method 1: Automatic cleaning through safety:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleanup tab (or Accelerate in older versions of MIUI).
3. Click Clean up the garbage and wait for the process to be completed.
4. In the Deep Clean section, select unnecessary files (such as Residual Files or Logs) and delete them.

Method 2: Manually clean the cache for individual applications:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
• 🔍 Choose an app that takes up a lot of space (like Facebook, YouTube, or Google Play Services).
• 🗑️ Click Clear cache (not to be confused with Clear data – this will remove all app settings!).
• 🔄 Repeat for the 5-10 heaviest apps.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache of system applications called com.android., miui. or android.process. MIUI.

After cleaning the cache, restart the smartphone, which will help the system correctly recalculate the free space. If after the procedure, the memory is less than 100 MB free, move to the next method.

2. Delete unnecessary files and downloads

Files you download through your browser, messengers, or email often stay in memory and take up space for years. On Redmi 3S, the Download folder can weigh anywhere from 500 MB to several GB if never cleaned.

How to find and remove unnecessary downloads:

1. Open the Files app (or any file manager, such as Mi File Explorer).
2. Go to the Category section → Downloads.
3. Sort files by size (click on three dots in the upper right corner → Sort by → Size).
4. Remove the old ones. APK-Files, images, documents and archives that are no longer needed.

Please check the following folders:

• 📁 DCIM/.thumbnails — Photo and video miniatures (you can delete them, they will be restored automatically).
• 📁 Bluetooth files obtained via Bluetooth.
• 📁 Pictures/Screenshots — Screenshots (especially if you take screenshots often).
• 📁 Android/data — This is where game and application data are stored (you can only delete manually, but be careful!).

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To avoid looking for unnecessary files manually, use Files by Google, which automatically finds duplicates, old memes, and large files that can be safely deleted.

If you download movies or music frequently, transfer them to a microSD card (if you have one installed).

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Copy media files from internal memory to the card.
3. Remove the originals from the internal storage.

3.Storage optimization through MIUI settings

MIUI has built-in memory management tools that many Redmi 3S users don’t use, which not only clean up trash, but also reconfigure the system to make more economical use of storage.

Method 1: Transfer applications to a memory card (if supported):

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
• 🔍 Select an app that can be ported (not everyone supports this feature).
• 💾 Press Warehouse. → Change. → Map. SD.

Restriction: On Redmi 3S, transfer is only possible for a portion of applications, and system programs remain in internal memory.

Method 2: Limiting the background activity of applications:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Battery and productivity → Battery management.
• 🔄 Select App Selection and mark programs that shouldn’t work in the background.
• 📉 This will reduce battery consumption and reduce memory load (cache will accumulate more slowly).

Method 3: Disable automatic application updates:

• 📲 Open the Google Play Store → Settings → Auto-update of applications.
• 🚫 Choose Never or Only through Wi-Fi.
• 🔄 Regularly update applications manually, removing old versions (they are saved in the app). /data/app take up space).

4. Removal of system applications and bloatware

Xiaomi Redmi 3S comes with pre-installed apps (bloatware), which many users do not use, but they take up space and consume resources. Some of them can be removed without root rights, others – only with ADB or after obtaining superuser rights.

List of safe to remove system applications (without root):

• 🎵 Music (standard Mi Music player) – if you use Spotify or YouTube Music.
• 📺 Mi Video – if you watch videos in other apps.
• 📖 Mi Browser – if you use Chrome or Firefox.
• 📧 Email – if you have set up Gmail or another email client.
• 🎮 Games (Mi Game Center app) – if you don’t play games from Xiaomi.

How to remove system applications without root:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC, install ADB Tools, and execute the command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.video (replace com.miui.video with the desired application package).

⚠️ Note: Do not remove system applications with com.android., miui.system or com.qualcomm.*. This may cause the smartphone to fail and the need to flash it.

If you are not sure if you can uninstall an application, first disable it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Select the unnecessary application and click Disable.
3. If the smartphone is stable after disconnection, it can be removed via ADB.

5. factory reset (last resort)

If all previous methods failed and the Redmi 3S has less than 500MB of free space, you'll have to consider a complete reset, which is a radical way to delete all data, including photos, contacts and installed apps.

• 📉 The smartphone is very slow and does not respond to cleaning.
• 🔄 Impossible to upgrade MIUI memory-lack.
• 🗑️ You have already transferred all important files to your PC or memory card.

How to reset to Redmi 3S:

1. Create a backup copy: 📱 Contact: Export to Google Account or to SIM-map. 📷 Photos and videos: copy to PC or cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud). 🔑 Passwords: Save to Google Smart Lock or write manually.

Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset

Resetting settings

After the reboot, follow the instructions for the initial setup.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 3S It can take up to 10 minutes to reset. Don't interrupt the process, even if the screen goes out for a long time! If the smartphone doesn't turn on after reset, try going to Recovery (click Volume).+ + Eating) and repeat the discharge from there.

After discharge:

• 🔄 Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It can contain garbage.
• 📥 Install only the necessary applications.
• 🔧 Turn off the automatic download of media files in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).

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Resetting to factory settings is the only way to completely remove system debris that has been accumulating for years, but after the procedure, the smartphone will become "like new", and all settings will have to configuring again.

6.Use of the memory card as internal storage (Adoptable Storage)

If you're Redmi. 3S Supports Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later, you can combine a memory card with internal storage (Adoptable Storage function). SD-It's like it's part of an internal memory, but there's some nuances:

• 🔹 The card will be encrypted and will not be read on other devices.
• 🔹 After the map is extracted, some applications may stop working.
• 🔹 It is recommended to use a fast memory card (UHS-I, grade 10).

How to set up Adoptable Storage:

1. Put the memory card in the smartphone.
2. When a notification is received, a new SD-map press Set up Set up.
3. Choose Internal Memory (not Portable Storage!).
4. Follow the instructions on the screen. The system will format the card and combine it with the internal memory.
5. After restarting, check the free space in Settings → Storage.

If the notification does not appear:

1. Go to Settings → Storage → SD card.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Storage settings.
3. Choose Format as an internal memory.

⚠️ Note: Once formatted as internal memory, the card cannot be used on other devices without completely erasing the data!

7. Additional tips for saving memory

To avoid future memory shortages on Redmi 3S, follow these guidelines:

• 📸 Photos and videos: Shoot at 12 MP instead of 13 MP (the difference is minimal and the files weigh less). Enable photo compression in Google Photos (High quality instead of Original). Remove duplicates with apps like Duplicate Files Fixer.
• 🎮 Games: Remove the game cache through Settings → Annexes → [play-name] → Clear the cache. Use Lite versions of games (for example, PUBG Mobile Lite instead of full version. Move games to memory card (if supported).
• 📱 Social media: On Facebook and Instagram, turn off automatic video downloads in your settings. Use Lite versions of messengers (Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite). Clear WhatsApp chat history (especially media files).

Check the storage regularly:

• 📊 Open the settings once a month → Storage and analyze what takes up the most space.
• 🔍 Use applications like this. SD Maid or CCleaner for deep cleaning (but don't trust them to delete system files!).
• 🔄 Update. MIUI Up to the latest available version – new firmware often optimizes memory management.

Clear the cache of all applications|Remove old files from the Download folder|Check large files in the folder DCIM|Disable unnecessary system applications|Transfer media files to a memory card-->

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning Redmi memory 3S