Memory on Xiaomi Redmi is full: 7 ways to clean up without losing data

You see the words "Memory is full" on your Xiaomi Redmi again, even though you didn't seem to have anything to do with it? This is a typical problem for MIUI smartphones — even on new models like the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or Redmi 10C, the system can eat gigabytes unnoticed. Not only are your photos and apps to blame, but hidden shell files, duplicates from Google Photos, Mi Video cache and automatic backups.

In this article — 7 proven ways to free up space on Redmi without resetting to factory settings, including little-known chips MIUI 14/15. We will understand how to find and delete junk files in the size of 5-15 GBs that don't show up in the standard file manager, and we can also learn how to set up autocleaner so that the problem doesn't happen again. 9A (2020) Redmi Note 13 Pro (2026).

1. Memory analysis: where are gigabytes hidden?

Before you clean, you have to figure out what's taking up space. MIUI has an in-built analyzer, but it doesn't show everything.

• 📁 System log files (/data/log), weighable 1-2 GB;
• 🎬 Mi Video cache – even after watching the video, it remains in memory;
• 📸 Photos from Google Photos and Gallery MIUI;
• 📱 Backups from Mi Cloud that are automatically created.

To see the full picture:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Slip on the chart and select "Details".
3. Scroll down to the System Data section – there are often extra gigabytes hidden here.

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If the System Data section is more than 3 GB, it is a reason to clean up. The norm for MIUI is 1.5-2.5 GB.

On Redmi with Android 12+, you can use an alternative analyzer, the Files by Google app, which even shows hidden folders like /Android/data, where game and social media caches are stored.

2.Cache and garbage cleanup without ROOT

The fastest way to free up 1-3 GB is to remove the app cache and system debris, and MIUI does this in a few taps:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by size (shoot three points at the top → “By size”).
3. Select apps with a cache >100MB (e.g. Facebook, TikTok, Mi Video) and click Clear Cache.
4. For system applications (e.g. com.miui.gallery), use the Clear Data button – but be careful, this will reset your settings.

For deep cleaning:

• 🧹 Use the built-in Optimizer (Security) → Optimization. It deletes temporary files and uninstalled application residues.
• 🔍 Launch Files by Google → «Cleanup» → «Unnecessary files. There'll be duplicates, empty folders and old ones. APK.

Clear the cache top-5 size-appendice|Delete data in Mi Video and Gallery|Run the Optimizer in MIUI|Check Files by Google for unnecessary files-->

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear the cache of Android System WebView and Google Play Services applications – this may disrupt Google services.

3. Removal of duplicate photos and videos

One of the big black holes on Redmi is duplicate media files, which are caused by:

• 📸 Automatic reservation in Google Photos + localization;
• 🔄 Synchronization with Mi Cloud;
• 📱 Transfer files between devices via Xiaomi Share.

To find and remove duplicates:

1. Open the Gallery → tap on three points → “Management” → “Dublicates”.
2. Select all duplicates and click "Delete".
3. For a deep check, use Files by Google → Clean up → File Duplicates.

On the models of Redmi Note 11/12 with MIUI 13+ there is a hidden function of searching for similar photos:

Settings → Special features → Additional → Search for similar photos (include)

4. Cleaning of system logs and dumps

Xiaomi smartphones actively write debugging log files, especially if you have developer mode or MIUI beta enabled. These files can take up to 5 GB, but do not appear in the standard manager.

To remove them:

1. Install FX File Explorer (or any file manager with access to root folders).
2. Go to /data/log and delete all files with the extensions.log,.dmp,.trace.
3. Clear folders: /data/anr (trace errors); /data/tombstones (memory dumps); /cache (temporary system files).

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in /data/data and /system — It'll cause a breakdown. MIUI!

5. Autocleaning setup and storage optimization

To prevent the problem from recurring, set up automatic cleaning:

• 📱 Enable “Smart Cleanup” in Settings → Battery and productivity → Optimization.
• 🗑️ Activate “Auto-Dumping” in Security → Settings → Autocleaning (set a schedule for the night).
• ☁️ Turn off the redundancy of unnecessary data in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Backup).
• 🎥 Configure Google Photos to save your photo in High Quality instead of Original (saves up to 50% of the space).

For models with MIUI 14+, the Memory Extension feature (Settings → Memory → Memory Extension) is available. It allows you to use up to 3 GB of RAM as additional storage for the application cache. Useful on Redmi 10/11 with 4 GB of RAM.

Once a week | Once a month | Only when the place is out | Never clean |Use auto-clean-->

6. Removal of pre-installed applications (without ROOT)

Xiaomi is known for its abundance of pre-installed software that can't be removed by standard methods, but there are legal ways to disable it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unneeded app (e.g. Mi Pay, Mi Music, GetApps).
3. Click “Disable” (this will remove the updates and freeze the app).
4. For complete removal, use ADB (PC required): adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.payment A list of removal packages can be found on the 4PDA or XDA forums.

List of safe applications to remove (do not affect the operation of the system):

• 🎵 com.miui.player (Mi Music);
• 💰 com.xiaomi.payment (Mi Pay);
• 📦 com.xiaomi.mipicks (GetApps);
• 📺 com.miui.videoplayer (Mi Video - if you use alternatives).

⚠️ Note: Do not remove applications with the names com.android., com.miui. (except as mentioned above) and com.google.* – this will lead to system failure!

7. Transfer data to a memory card or cloud

If there is a constant shortage of space in your internal memory, transfer some of the data to a microSD or cloud:

• 📁 For annexes: B MIUI You can only transfer some of the software. Go to Settings. → Applications, select the application → «Warehouse» → «Change" (if the option is active).
• 🎮 For games: Use SD Maid or AppMgr III forcing the transfer of game data to the map.
• ☁️ For Photo/Video: Set up autoload in Google Photos or Mi Cloud, and then delete local copies.

Redmi with MIUI 12+ has an External Storage feature (Settings → Memory → External Storage) that allows you to format the microSD as internal memory. Importantly, after that, the card will only work on this device!

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Formatting microSD as internal memory speeds up applications from it, but makes the card incompatible with other devices. Use only fast UHS-I (U3) or A2 cards.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up memory