Xiaomi Smartphone brakes: 7 ways to clean the system and return speed

Your Xiaomi is slow to open apps, hangs when scrolling menus or suddenly overheats? 90% of the time is not due to hardware, but to a clogged system. Even the flagship Mi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+ models start to slow down after 6-12 months of use due to accumulated garbage: app cache, background service activity and fragmented memory. In this article, proven cleaning methods that will return the smartphone to its previous speed without data loss and access to the service center.

We will discuss both standard MIUI tools and hidden features for power users, focus on dangerous myths (such as “magic” cleaning apps) and explain why some tips from the Internet can aggravate the problem instead of solving it. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 13/14/15 firmware and models from Redmi 9A to Xiaomi 14.

1.Diagnostics: Why Xiaomi started to slow down?

Before you clean your smartphone, identify the source of the brakes. Xiaomi may respond by:

• 📱 Overloaded cache – temporary application files take up to 5-10 GB of memory, causing the system to constantly overwrite data.
• 🔄 Background processes — instant messengers, games, and system services (e.g. miui.analytics) consume up to 30% CPU even in standby mode.
• 🗑️ Memory fragmentation – After deleting/installing hundreds of applications, the file system is torn apart and the smartphone takes longer to read the data.
• 🦠 Viruses or malware – especially if you install APK from unverified sources.
• 🔋 Worn battery – with a capacity below 70%, the system artificially limits performance (Battery Saver function in MIUI).

To identify the problem, perform a quick check:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → System status and look at the CPU boot schedule in idle mode. If it exceeds 15-20%, look for “gluttonous” applications.
2. Run Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis. If less than 10% of the total volume is free, the problem is space shortage.
3. Check the CPU temperature in the CPU Monitor app (from Google Play). If you heat above 45°C in plain, you can trottling (forced frequency reduction).

⚠️ Warning: If the smartphone is only slowing down in specific applications (e.g., PUBG Mobile or TikTok), the problem may be optimizing them. Try updating the software or rolling it back to the previous version.

2.Cache cleanup: delete unnecessary files without data loss

Cache is a temporary file that applications create to make things faster, and over time, it accumulates and takes up gigabytes of memory, slowing down the system. There are two types of cache in MIUI:

• 📂 Application cache – stored in the /data/data/ folder (available with root rights only).
• 🗃️ System cache is located in /cache (can be cleaned without root).

How to clean the cache on Xiaomi:

1. Clear the cache of individual applications: Go to Settings → Apps → App Management, select the right one (like Facebook or Instagram) and click Clear the cache. For complete cleaning, also click Clear Data, but note: this will reset the application settings (you will log out of the account).
2. Mass Cache Cleanup: MIUI has a built-in tool: Settings → Memory → Cleanup. Press Deep Cleanup and select all unnecessary files (cache, residual files, duplicates). Do not delete the System Data section - this can cause crashes!
3. Clean Update Cache (if the smartphone slows after the update): Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Clear Update Data.

Once the cache is cleared, the smartphone can go slower for the first 10 to 15 minutes, which is normal, because the system recreates temporary files. If the brakes are still there, move on to the next step.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use third-party cleaners like Clean Master or CCleaner. They often delete important system files and can permanently break MIUI. Xiaomi's built-in tools are enough!

3. Optimization of background processes: what can be turned off?

MIUI is known for its love of background processes, and even when you're not using a smartphone, it can run up to 20 to 30 tasks, from analytics to weather updates, which consumes up to 40 percent of the battery and slows the device down.

How to reduce background activity:

• 🚫 Turn off auto-run applications: Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Auto-run and turn off auto-boot for all applications except system applications (such as Phone or Messages).
• ⏸️ Limit background activity: In the same menu (App Management), select an app (e.g. Facebook) → Permissions → Background activity → Limit.
• 📵 Disable unnecessary system services: In Settings → Special features → Special features Services deactivate all unknown services. Also check Settings → Accounts and sync, and disable sync for unnecessary accounts (for example, Mi Account, if you do not use the Xiaomi cloud).

After turning off the background processes, be sure to restart your smartphone. If you notice that some functions have stopped working (for example, notifications), return the settings back.

💡

To check which apps load the CPU in the background, install the CPU Monitor from Google Play.The app will show real-time resource consumption.

4. Memory release: what can be removed without risk?

Lack of space is one of the main reasons for the brakes. MIUI starts to "glut" if less than 10-15% of the total storage is free. Even if you have Xiaomi with 256 GB, the system can slow down due to fragmented files.

What can be safely removed:

• 🎬 Uploaded videos from social media are either the Download folder or Tencent/MicroMsg/Download (for WeChat).
• 📸 Photo Duplicates – use the built-in Settings tool → Memory → Duplicate files.
• 🎮 Game cache – in PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact it can weigh up to 5–8 GB. Cleared in game settings.
• 📁 APK- files remain after installing applications in the Download or APK folder.
• 🗑️ Recycle Bin — in MIUI deleted files are stored in the Recycle Bin for 30 days. Cleared to Files → Recycle Bin.

What can not be removed:

• 🚫 Android folders, MIUI, system are system files.
• 🚫 Files with the.odex or.apk extension in the /system/app/ folder.
• 🚫 Any files in the DCIM/.thumbnails folder are thumbnails of photos, and deleting them won’t free up space.

If there is a critically small amount of free memory (less than 5%), and there is nothing to delete, transfer the files to a memory card or to the cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud).

1. Connect the memory card (if supported).
2. Open Files → Categories → Images / Videos.
3. Select files → More → Move → Memory Map.

5. Settings reset: when is it really needed?

If all previous methods failed, the last resort is a factory reset, which will delete all data (photos, contacts, messages), so back up:

1. Connect your smartphone to Wi-Fi.
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Backup to Mi Cloud.
3. Select the data to save (contacts, SMS, notes) and click Create a backup.
4. Copy photos and videos to a PC or memory card.

How to reset:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Enter the password (if installed) and confirm the action.
4. After the reboot, follow the setup instructions (as after the purchase).

⚠️ Warning: Some models (Redmi Note 8 Pro, POCO X3) may miss IMEI or have a "Baseband unknown" error, which is treated by flashing through Fastboot, but requires skill. If you're not sure, contact the service.

Resetting helps 95% of the time, but if the smartphone is still slowing down, the problem may be:

• 🔋 Worse battery (replace battery)
• 🛠️ Damaged firmware (reflashing through Mi Flash Tool).
• 💾 Faulty memory (check through AIDA64 – if there are bad blocks, repair only).

💡

Factory reset is the last resort, and before that, make sure to try cleaning the cache, turning off background processes, and freeing up memory, which is enough to restore speed in 80 percent of cases.

6. Additional ways to accelerate Xiaomi

If your smartphone still doesn’t work perfectly after cleaning, try these advanced methods:

• 🔄 Disable System Animation: Turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on Version MIUI in Settings → About Phone), then go to Settings → Additional → For Developers and install: Windows Animation: 0.5x Transition Animation: 0.5x Animator Duration: 0.5x
• 📵 Switch to light theme: Settings → Screen → Themes, choose Light or Classic. Dark Mode can slow down on weak smartphones (Redmi 7A, POCO C3).
• 🔋 Limit background activity MIUI: In Settings → Battery and Performance → Application Power Management, select Charge Savings for all applications except instant messengers.
• 🛡️ Turn off MIUI protection (if it interferes): In Settings → Applications → Application Management → Security disable Security Check and Memory Optimization. Sometimes these features block the normal operation of applications.

For models with a weak processor (Redmi 8A, POCO C31) it is also recommended to:

• Use lightweight versions of applications (Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite).
• Turn off live wallpaper and widgets on the main screen.
• Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher) that consumes less resources than a standard MIUI Launcher.

7.If nothing helps: hardware problems

If the smartphone brakes even after it's completely cleaned and reset, the problem may be the hardware.

To check for “iron”, use:

• AIDA64 will show the temperature, CPU/GPU load and memory status.

If the diagnosis showed problems with iron, do not try to repair the smartphone yourself (especially if you have Xiaomi with a glue battery, like in the Mi 11 or Redmi K50).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi brakes