How to Clean Apps and Their Data on Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi and Redmi are famous for their performance and functionality, but over time, even a powerful device can start to work slower. A common reason for the slowdown in system speed is the accumulation of temporary files, app cache and residual data after remote programs. Understanding how to properly manage these savings is a key skill for any owner of modern technology.

Properly cleaning the device’s memory not only restores performance, but also frees up valuable space for photos and new utilities. MIUI and the new HyperOS have powerful built-in tools for maintenance, but many users are unaware of hidden features or afraid to remove excess. In this article, we will detail secure methods for cleaning data without risking loss of important information.

You'll learn to distinguish between cleaning types, when to use resets and when simple cache cleaning is enough, and good data storage management extends the life of the drive and ensures that the gadget runs smoothly throughout the day. Let's take all the optimization options available in order.

Basic cleaning methods through system settings

The safest and most recommended way to clean up your smartphone is to use a regular settings menu. Android operating system in conjunction with the MIUI shell provides convenient access to manage each installed program. First, go to Settings → Applications → All applications, which provides a complete list of installed software.

Select the app from the list to see the details of it. Here you will find the “Clean” and “Clean Everything” buttons. The first option deletes only temporary files (cache), which often take up gigabytes of space in browsers and messengers, but does not affect your personal accounts and settings. The second option completely resets the application to the “post-install” state, removing logins, passwords and saves.

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Use the Clean Everything function only if the application is not working properly or you want to completely remove traces of it from the system.

It's important to understand the difference between these actions so that you don't accidentally lose progress in games or correspondence. If you plan to sell a device or transfer it to another user, you'll need a deeper cleaning, which will be discussed in the following sections. For daily maintenance, you just need to check the amount of space you occupy on this menu regularly.

• 📱 Go to the settings menu and select the "Applications" section».
• 🔍 Find a program that takes up a lot of space in the list.
• 🗑️ Click “Clean” to delete temporary files or “Clear All” to completely reset.
• 🔄 Repeat the procedure for the most demanding applications, such as social media.

Use of the built-in "Security" application

Every Xiaomi smartphone has a Security system app pre-installed, which users often underestimate. This tool not only checks the device for viruses, but also contains a powerful garbage cleaner module. By running the app and selecting Cleanup, the system automatically analyzes the file system for unnecessary residues.

Once scanned, you'll see a list of files that can be deleted without harming the system, including remnants of deleted apps, temporary ad files, and empty folders. Xiaomi's security analyzer is able to find up to 500 MB of trash even on relatively new devices. This is a quick way to make room before installing a major game or update.

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Regular use of built-in cleaning extends the life of flash memory and prevents data fragmentation.

However, be careful when using Deep Clean. Sometimes algorithms can count rare but important files as trash. Always check the list before final confirmation of an action. Unlike manually cleaning through settings, this method works faster but gives less control over specific files.

• 🛡️ Open the Security app on your desktop.
• ⚡ Click on the “Cleanup” icon and wait for the analysis to be completed.
• 📂 Carefully study the files proposed for deletion in the category "Deep Cleanup».
• ✅ Confirm the removal of only those items that you are sure of.

Cleaning up data through the developer menu

For advanced users who want to gain full control of the system, the developer menu is available. To activate it, you need to click on the MIUI version number several times in the About Phone section. After activation in the main settings, a new option will appear “Additional” → “Developers”.

This section contains the Don't Keep Activities feature, which forcibly destroys background processes immediately after leaving the application, and while it doesn't physically delete files, it effectively clears RAM and helps identify the "heavy" applications that are slowing down the system, and you can also limit the number of background processes.

⚠️ Attention: Changing the settings in the developer menu can lead to unstable operation of some applications or rapid battery discharge.

Another useful option is to reset debugging settings over USB, which can help if the smartphone stops seeing the computer, but for the main purpose of cleaning application data, this section is more for diagnosing and managing processes in real time than for deleting files.

Using these tools requires caution, and if you accidentally change a critical setting, the system can start to behave unpredictably, so you can always go back to the developer menu and click resetting all the settings at the bottom of the screen, returning the factory settings of that partition.

Full reset to factory settings (Hard Reset)

The radical, but often most effective, cleaning method is to completely reset the device, which removes all user data, apps, photos, contacts and settings, returning the smartphone to the “out of the box” state, ideal before selling the gadget or in case of serious software failures that cannot be fixed otherwise.

To perform a reset through the menu, go to Settings → About Phone → Reset. The system will warn you that all data will be destroyed. Make sure you back up important information to the Mi Cloud cloud or to your computer, as it will be impossible to restore the deleted information after that.

There is also a Recovery Mode reset method that is used if the phone is not loading, which is to turn off the device and pinch the button combination (usually Volume up + Power), and the menu that appears uses volume buttons to select the Wipe Data item, and then confirm the action.

Removal of system applications and bloatware

One of the things about Redmi and Xiaomi is that there's a lot of pre-installed software, often called bloatware. Many of these programs can't be removed by standard methods, and the "Delete" button is inactive, but there's a way to get rid of them by freeing up space and resources.

This will require a computer and an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility. By connecting a phone with USB debugging enabled, you can send commands to delete packets. For example, pm uninstall -k --user 0 packet name allows you to hide the system application for the current user. This does not physically delete files from the system partition, but makes them invisible and inactive.

There are also special assistant programs like Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools that have a GUI and tick safe apps, making it much easier for those who don’t want to understand console commands. Once cleaned, the list of applications will be much shorter and RAM freer.

⚠️ Warning: Removing critical system components (such as Services & Feedback or system launcher) can lead to a phone "brickling" or endless reboot.

Cleaning DNS cache and network settings

Often, page loading or application problems are not caused by memory shortages, but by network errors. Network resets are an effective way to refresh your connection, and this operation will delete stored Wi-Fi passwords, Bluetooth settings, and mobile network settings, but will not affect your personal files.

To do this, go to Settings → Connection & Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. Once confirmed, the phone will reboot network modules. This is especially useful if you have changed providers, routers or are having trouble connecting to certain application servers.

Also worth mentioning is cleaning up DNS. In the connection settings (private DNS), you can temporarily prescribe the address dns.google or 1.1.1.1, and then return the value of "Auto" to the Cache of Domain Names, which can speed up the response of the browser and some applications.

• 📶 Open the connection and sharing settings.
• 🔄 Select the network reset option (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile).
• 🔑 Be ready to re-enter passwords from your Wi-Fi networks.
• 🌐 Check the Internet after restarting the device.

Prevention and optimization of memory

To avoid having to struggle for space, it’s important to maintain digital hygiene. Regularly checking the storage helps to identify bloated applications like Telegram or Viber that can take up tens of gigabytes of media files. These messengers have their own cache cleaning tools that you need to use once a week.

Use cloud storage for photos and videos. Set up automatic sync with Google Photos or Mi Cloud with Free Space allows you to store originals in the cloud, leaving only compressed copies on the device or deleting them altogether, which frees up huge amounts of memory for the system to work.

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Make a rule: If you haven't opened an app for more than a month, delete it. Modern web versions are often more functional than heavy mobile apps.

Also, you should limit background activity for rarely used programs, and in the application management menu, you can prevent auto-start and background work for dozens of services that you don't need every minute, not only clearing RAM, but also significantly extending battery life.