Xiaomi’s modern smartphones have a powerful iron, but even flagship models can slow down when system storage overflows. One of the most voracious programs, which has been at the forefront of messenger rankings for years in terms of space, is Telegram. Users often do not even realize that correspondence, photos, videos and documents can take up tens of gigabytes of hidden memory.
Cleaning up the accumulated digital trash is not just a way to free up space, it's also an effective way to speed up the application itself. When the database grows to a giant size, the indexation of messages takes longer, leading to hanging over chats and long searches for media files. Regular cache maintenance allows you to keep the device in good shape.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all the cleaning options available, from the built-in features of the messenger itself to deep cleaning through Android settings and MIUI system utilities. You will learn to set up automatic deletion of old files so that the problem of crowded memory never suddenly arises again.
Analysis of the occupied space in Telegram
Before we take any drastic action to remove data, we need to assess the scale of the problem. Telegram is designed to store copies of all the media files viewed on the device so that you can quickly access them without re-uploading them, which is convenient, but quickly eats up the space. To understand how much memory is occupied, you need to look at the settings of the application itself.
Open the menu and go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you will see detailed statistics: the total cache size, the size of the downloaded files and the size of the database. Often users are surprised to find that the cache takes 5, 10 or even 20 gigabytes, these are the data that can be safely deleted.
It is important to understand the difference between Cache and Files. Cache is a temporary file that the app has created to speed up work (previews of pictures, temporary copies of videos). Files are something that you or the person you are talking to saved explicitly. Deleting the cache will not affect your correspondence, important documents or saved photos in the gallery in any way.
⚠️ Note: Deleting the cache will not delete your messages or contacts. However, if you delete Files or Downloads, they will disappear from your phone’s memory, although they will remain in the Telegram cloud and will be available for re-downloading.
The MIUI system installed on Xiaomi smartphones also provides analysis tools, but the built-in Telegram analyzer works more precisely in the context of the messenger itself, and will show which file types (video, photos, voice messages) occupy the most space.
Cleaning through the settings of the application itself
The safest and most correct way to free up space is to use the built-in functionality of the messenger, which ensures that you do not delete excess and do not disrupt the work of Android system files.
To start cleaning, go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. You will see a large button, Clear Telegram cache. When you click on it, the system will request confirmation. Once confirmed, all temporary files will be deleted, and the memory meter will be reset to minimum values.
However, just pressing a button is only half the solution. It is much more important to set up automatic cleaning so that you don't do it manually every month. In the same Memory Use menu, find "Media Autodelete" and you can set a timer for, say, 3 days, 1 week or 1 month.
- 📱 3 Ideal for devices with small memory (32-64 GB).
- 📅 1 week: The middle ground for most users, allowing you to store recent media.
- 🗓 1 month: suitable for those who often refer to the history of correspondence in offline mode.
- ♾ Never: Not recommended, as it will cause a re-overflow of memory.
Once you set up the timer, Telegram will delete old files from the cache itself, leaving them in the cloud. When you open the chat with such a file again, it will download again, which provides a balance between speed and free space.
☑️ Checklist of proper cleaning
Delete data through Android settings on Xiaomi
If the Telegram app is not working properly, freezes or the built-in cleaning does not help, you can use Xiaomi system tools, which is more aggressive and allows you to clean not only the cache, but also the data of the application if necessary.
Open your smartphone settings and find the Apps → All Apps section. Search Telegram in the list. This will open the program management menu. Pay attention to the Memory item. When you click on it, you will see two buttons: Clear and Delete.
The Clean button (or Clear cache) will only delete temporary files, similar to the actions inside the app itself. It's a safe operation. The Delete button (or Clear all data) will completely reset the app to a post-installation state, meaning you have to re-enter the phone number and wait for all chats to sync.
| Action. | What's removed | Impact on the account | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache | Temporary files, thumbnails | No influence. | Safe, recommended regularly |
| Clearing the data | All settings, sessions, local files | Re-entry required | Only when there is a problem with the work of the |
| Deletion of the annex | Complete removal of the program | Installation and entrance required | For a complete reinstallation |
| Cleaning in Telegram settings | Cash media files | No influence. | Basic method of service |
Use system cache cleaner if the Telegram interface doesn’t open or runs with critical errors. In normal cases, it’s better to use the messenger’s internal settings, as they are more flexible.
⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse the Clear Cache and Clear All Data buttons in the Android menu. The second action will force you to log in and download everything again, which will take a long time with a weak Internet.
Use of the Security app in MIUI
Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with a pre-installed system application Security, which includes a powerful tool “Clean up” This tool is able to find “junk” files left by various applications, including Telegram.
Run the Security app and select Cleanup. The system scans the device for temporary files, residual files and app cache. If Telegram has accumulated a lot of garbage, it will be listed with the amount of space occupied.
But be careful: automatic cleaning through MIUI can sometimes be too aggressive, it can delete previews of images that will have to be uploaded again, consuming traffic, and the system analyzer doesn’t always distinguish between cache and important local files if they are in shared folders.
Why can system cleaning be worse than built-in?
It is recommended to use "Security" for general prevention of the device, but for point work with the messenger, it is better to use specialized tools. However, if you need to urgently release 1-2 gigabytes right now, this method works quickly and efficiently.
Set up automatic memory management
To the problem of “how to clear the cache” is no longer relevant, you need to configure preventive measures. Telegram allows you not only to set the storage time, but also to limit the size of the cache, although this function is implemented through the auto-removal mechanism.
In Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use Make sure that the “Auto-Delete Media” slider is activated. Choose the optimal time for you. Also, you should pay attention to the “Save in the Gallery” item. If it is enabled, all the photos and videos received are duplicated into the phone’s system gallery, taking up space twice: in the Telegram cache and in the device memory.
Turning off the gallery save is a great way to save space.Photos will remain available inside Telegram chats, but won't clog your main gallery.You can export the desired shots manually.
- 📉 Traffic savings: with caching enabled, videos are not reloaded, saving mobile Internet.
- 🚀 Speed: Clean cache speeds up app launch and tape scrolling.
- 🛡 Privacy: Regular cleaning reduces the risk that an outsider will access your viewed media through a file manager.
Remember, Telegram stores all of your email history in the cloud, which means you can safely delete any local copies, knowing that you can restore them in a second if necessary, and local storage is only for speed, not for data security.
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Tip: If you have a dual-symbol phone and two Telegram accounts, the cache settings apply globally or for each account separately depending on the version of the app.
Solving memory overflow problems
Sometimes you clear the cache but the space isn’t freed up, or Telegram continues to take up an abnormally large amount of space (e.g. 50GB on a single device), which may indicate a database error or the presence of broken files.
In such cases, the radical method of removing the application and re-installing helps. Before you do this, make sure you remember the phone number and have access to the phone. SIM-Check if two-factor authentication (cloud password) is enabled to keep your account accessed.
Once reinstalled, Telegram will start to re-download only the chat list. Media files will only load as you open the relevant dialogs.This is a "clean start" that often solves interface brake issues.
⚠️ Warning: Before deleting the app, make sure you have access to the phone number your account is registered to. SMS-It will be impossible to restore access to a code or call, even if you remember the password.
Also worth checking the Android/media/org.telegram.messenger folder through the file manager. Sometimes there are tails from remote chats or channels. Manually delete files from there is not recommended if you are not sure of their purpose, it is better to use the Clean Data feature in the Android settings, which was discussed above.
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Reinstall the application is an extreme measure that is guaranteed to clear all local errors and bloated cache, returning the application to its original ease.