Xiaomi smartphones are famous for their performance and functionality, but even the most powerful models eventually begin to lack free space. One of the most voracious programs in the user’s arsenal is Telegram. This messenger has the feature of accumulating huge amounts of temporary data, called cache. If you actively use channels and chats, this figure can reach tens of gigabytes, which critically affects the work of MIUI.
Understanding how caching works helps you manage your device better, and when you watch a photo or video, it's stored in your phone's memory so that it can be loaded instantly when you reopen it. However, if you don't clean it regularly, it slows down your system and causes you to have a lack of space for new files. In this article, we'll go through all the available ways to free up space.
Redmi and Poco owners often experience memory overflows because of the multimedia files in their instant messengers. Fortunately, they have provided convenient storage management tools. You don't need to be an IT expert to do this. You just need to follow the simple steps below to get your gadget back on track.
Why Telegram is taking up so much space on Xiaomi
The main reason for the app’s proliferation is its architecture: Unlike some other messengers, Telegram stores the history of correspondence and media files on its servers, but for the user’s convenience, actively caches them on the device. This means that every video viewed, voice recording listened to or open image takes up space in the internal memory of your Xiaomi. Over time, this “baggage” becomes heavier than the original files themselves.
Especially critical situation for models with a small amount of internal memory, for example, 64 or 128 GB System. MIUI It can start to work slower if the free space is less 10% The messenger cache, in these cases, becomes the main enemy of productivity. 70-80% All available space if the user is in active channels with heavy content.
⚠️ Warning: Deleting the app itself through Android settings without first saving important data can result in the loss of secret chats, as they are not stored on a cloud server.
And the default automatic download of media is enabled in many versions of the client, which means that even if you just flipped through the news feed, all the images and video previews are already cached. Cleaning up that data doesn't remove it from the cloud, you can always open it again, but it won't take up space right now.
Clearing the cache through the settings of the Telegram
The safest and most appropriate way to free up space is to use the messaging app's built-in tools, which allows you to flexibly manage what you want to delete, so you can choose to delete only the video or clean everything at once. First, open the app and go to the settings menu.
Click on the three bars in the top left corner (or the gear icon, depending on the interface version) to open the main menu. Next, select Settings. In the list that opens, find the Data and Memory section. This is where all storage management tools are concentrated. This path is universal for all Android versions of Telegram.
In the Memory Use section, you'll see the current cache size. By clicking on Clear Cache, you'll start the process of deleting temporary files. The system will alert you that media files will be deleted from your device but will remain available in the cloud. This is the key point: your dialogs and files won't be lost, they'll just stop taking up disk space.
☑️ Cleaning algorithm through the application
To fine-tune the sliders below, you can set up automatic cleaning if the cache reaches a certain size, or set media storage times, for example, you can set up the deletion of videos that have not opened for more than 3 days, which will save you from having to do manual cleaning in the future.
Memory management via Android settings on MIUI
If the app doesn't open or you want to do a deeper cleaning with system tools, you can use the MIUI operating system settings. This method works at the Android level and allows you to see exactly how much space the app and its data takes up. Open the settings of your Xiaomi smartphone.
In the settings menu, find the Apps section and select All Apps. In the list, find Telegram. Click on it to open the app card. Here you are interested in Memory or Storage. This section displays the space you have broken down into yourself. APK-file, user data and cache.
You'll see two basic buttons: Clear and Delete. Clicking Clear will offer two options: Clear cache and Clear everything. Choose Clear cache. This operation is secure and only deletes temporary files. The Clear All option will reset the app settings and require re-authorization, which can be inconvenient.
| Action. | What's removed | Risk of data loss | Entry required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache in Telegram | Temporary media files | No. | No. |
| Clearing the cache at MIUI | Temporary system files | No. | No. |
| Clearing all data | Settings, cache, logins | High (for secret chats) | Yes. |
| Deletion of the annex | Complete removal | Medium (secret chats) | Yes. |
What to do if the cleaning button is inactive?
Using Xiaomi's built-in cleaner
Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with a powerful built-in tool for system maintenance called “Security” or “Cleaner” and this application is pre-installed on all devices of the brand and is able to find “junk” in installed programs, including Telegram. Launch the Security app on the home screen.
Select Cleanup. The system will analyze the device and find unnecessary files. After scanning, the "App Cache" or "Recommended" section often appears. Search the Telegram list. You can expand the list and choose which messenger files to delete, or just click the "Clean Up" button if you trust the automatic selection.
The advantage of this method is that it removes not only the messenger cache, but also the remnants of deleted programs, advertising files and system debris. However, beware: automatic cleaner can sometimes be too aggressive. It can remove thumbnails of images, which will make the gallery longer to download previews the next time you log in to the application.
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For quick cleaning in the future, add the Cleanup widget to your desktop, which will allow you to remove garbage in one touch without opening the settings.
Set up auto-removal and prevent overflow
The best way to deal with this problem is to prevent it. Telegram has a great automatic cache management feature that many people forget about. Go back to the Data and Memory settings -> Memory Use. You can activate the Media Autodelete slider here.
Set the optimal time frame for you. For example, choosing a 3-day period means that all photos and videos you haven't opened in the last three days will be automatically deleted from your device, while remaining in the chat and downloading again with a click if needed, which is the perfect balance between speed and space saving.
You should also rethink your media autoload settings, so you can turn off downloading heavy videos and files over your mobile network or even over Wi-Fi for certain types of chats, and prevent gigabytes of garbage from channels you don't even read but are in.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling the autoload may result in you not getting a notification about a new photo until you manually open the chat.
Regularly monitoring folder size is another good habit: once a month, check the storage and check if the cache has grown again. On Xiaomi devices, with their aggressive optimization of background processes, it is sometimes useful to manually run the cleanup before installing major system updates.