Memory on Xiaomi is full: 7 proven ways to clean Android

Your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO constantly issues a notification “Memory is full” and applications slow down or refuse to install? The problem is familiar to most smartphone owners on MIUI – even with 128 GB of memory, the device can “suffocate” from debris. Not only your photos and videos are to blame, but also hidden system files, app cache and “tails” from remote programs.

In this article, 7 working methods to clean memory on Xiaomi without root rights and loss of important data. We will understand what exactly takes up space (spoiler: up to 30% of memory can go to miui cache and duplicate files), how to delete unnecessary things correctly and what MIUI settings will help prevent re-clogging. All instructions are relevant for Xiaomi 11/12/13/14, Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO F/X/M and other models on Android 12-14.

Warning: Some Google Play cleaners (such as Clean Master or CCleaner) can do more than help – they often delete important MIUI system files, causing camera or Bluetooth malfunctions.

1. Check what exactly takes up memory on Xiaomi

Before you clean, you need to understand which files eat up your memory. MIUI has a built-in analyzer that's more accurate than most third-party utilities.

How to open it:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Slip on the "Used" schedule - the system scans files (can take 1-2 minutes).
3. You will see the distribution by categories: Applications, Media, Files, Cash, System.

A typical picture on a clogged Xiaomi:

• 📱 Annexes: 20-40 GB (including cache and data)
• 📸 Media: 15-30 GB (photos, videos, screenshots, downloads)
• 🗑️ Cash: 5-15 GB (Temporary Files That Can Be Safely Deleted)
• 🔧 System system: 10-20 GB (firmware, updates, log files) MIUI)

Note the “Other” section, which often hides duplicate files, undeleted updates, and junk from old firmware. If this partition is larger than 5 GB, it should be cleaned (see section 4 for more).

2. Cleaning the cache of applications and systems

Cache is a temporary file that creates applications that work quickly, accumulate over time and can take up to 10-15 GB of memory, and can be deleted without risking data.

Method 1: Clearing the cache for individual applications

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as YouTube or Telegram).
3. Tap “Clear Cache” (not to be confused with “Clear Data” – it will remove logins and settings!).

Method 2: Mass cleaning of cache of all applications

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
2. Click “Clear the cache” (the system will show how much space will be freed up).
3. Confirm the action.

Method 3: Removal of the MIUI cache (hidden debris)

• 🔄 Reset the phone to Restore Mode (turn off the device, then press Volume Up). + Nutrition).
• 📛 Select "Wipe Cache Partition" (not to be confused with "Wipe Data»!).
• 🔙 Reboot the phone.

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If the application is slower after cleaning the cache, it is normal. The cache will recover after 1-2 days of use.

⚠️ Note: Do not clean the cache for system applications like com.miui.gallery or com.android.settings manually through the ADB — This can lead to disruptions in work. MIUI.

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Many users delete apps but forget about their leftovers, folders in /Android/data/ and /Android/obb/ that can weigh gigabytes, such as Genshin Impact, which leaves up to 5GB of trash after uninstallation.

How to find and delete:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Open folders: Internal memory/Android/data/ Internal memory./Android/obb/
3. Delete folders with the names of remote applications (for example, com.miHoYo.GenshinImpact).

Also check the list of installed applications:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Sort by size (tap on "Size" in the top panel).
• 🗑️ Remove rarely used programs (especially games and social networks with cache) >500MB).

Xiaomi with MIUI 14+ has a Deep Clean feature that finds the remnants of remote applications:

1. Open Security → Cleaning → Deep Cleaning.
2. Select “Remainders of Apps” and remove the unnecessary.

Applications that have not been used for >3 months

Cache games >1 GB

Duplicates of messengers (for example, Telegram and Telegram X)

System applications MIUI, which cannot be removed (unplug them in the settings)-->

4. Optimization of media files: photos, videos, screenshots

Photos and video are the main memory eaters. On Xiaomi with a 108 MP camera, one.jpg photo can weigh 10-15 MB, and a minute video in 4K can weigh up to 500 MB.

Method 1: Compress photos and videos through the MIUI Gallery

• 📷 Open the gallery, select the album.
• 🔍 Tap it on three points. → «Management» → «Squeeze».
• 📉 Select quality (e.g., High instead of Original) and confirm.

Method 2: Automatic compression during shooting

• 📸 Open the chamber. → Settings (cogs) → «Photo permission».
• 🔄 Choose. 9 MP instead of MP 108 MP (the difference on the screen of the smartphone is minimal, and memory is saved in the 3-4 once).

Method 3: Transfer media to the cloud or PC

To automatically upload to Google Photos:

1. Install the Google Photos app.
2. Open it → tap on the avatar → “Photo settings” → “Backup and sync”.
3. Turn on the function and select the quality “High” (non-original).

⚠️ Note: If you delete photos from your phone after uploading to the cloud, make sure they are actually saved online. Check this out through the web version of the service (e.g. photos.google.com).

5. Clean up system files and MIUI updates

MIUI is known for leaving behind tails — old firmware files, log files, and duplicate system applications — that can be safely removed, but not all of the ways are obvious.

What can be removed:

• 📦 folder /MIUI/backup/ — backup copies of system settings (weigh up to) 1 GB).
• 📄 folder /MIUI/debug_log/ — error logs (up to) 500 MB).
• 🔄 folder /cache/ — Temporary update files (up to) 2 GB).
• 📱 folder /MIUI/stability/ — fault-reporting.

How to delete:

1. Use MIUI Explorer (or Solid Explorer from Google Play).
2. Enable the display of hidden files (in Solid Explorer: Settings → Display hidden files).
3. Remove the folders listed above (except /MIUI/theme/ – the themes are stored here).

To remove old firmware (can take up to 3-4 GB):

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Slip on three dots → “Delete downloaded service packs”.

6.Use of built-in MIUI tools for cleaning

MIUI has a few hidden memory optimization features that many users don't use.

1. Light function (Light mode)

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → light.
• 📉 Turn on mode – the system will turn off animations and background processes, which will reduce memory usage.

2. Cleaning through "Safety"

• 🛡️ Open the Security app (Icon with shield).
• 🧹 Select "Cleaning up» → «Deep cleaning».
• 🗑️ Delete “File Remains”, “Duplicates” and “Large Files».

3. Disabling the preloading of applications

• ⚙️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Preload.
• 🚫 Turn off preloading for unnecessary apps (such as Mi Video or Mi Music).

4. Restriction of background activity

• 🔄 Open the Settings. → Battery and productivity → Battery management.
• 📵 Select “Limit background activity” for applications that shouldn’t work in the background (e.g. games).

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Built-in MIUI tools often work more efficiently than third-party cleaners, as they have access to system folders closed to conventional applications.

7. Radical methods: reset to factory settings

If the memory is so full that none of the methods work, it leaves a complete reset, which deletes all the data, but returns the phone to its "clean" state. Xiaomi has two types of reset:

Soft reset (saves media files)

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Reset” (not “Delete all data”).
3. Confirm the action.

Hard reset (removes everything)

• 🔄 Turn off the phone.
• 🔧 Hold the Loud up. + Food to enter recovery mode.
• 📛 Select "Wipe" Data/Factory Reset (manage – volume buttons, confirmation – power button).
• 🔙 After reset, select “Reboot System».

Before discharge, it is mandatory:

• 📱 Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• 🔐 Write down logins and passwords from accounts (they will erase!).
• 📸 Move photos and videos to PC or cloud.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro) may require re-assigning your Mi Account to unlock after a hard reset!

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleanup on Xiaomi