How to speed up applications on Xiaomi: from cleaning cache to hidden MIUI settings

Xiaomi’s smartphone apps are slowing down over time, with games being stubbed, social media being loaded, and system utilities being delayed, not just because of the hardware of the device, but because of the features of MIUI’s firmware, which actively manages background processes. In this article, 10 proven ways to speed up applications on any Xiaomi smartphone (including Redmi and POCO), from basic to advanced, with the latest versions of MIUI 14/15.

We will discuss both software methods (cleaning the cache, turning off animations) and hardware tricks (configuring the processor through the engineering menu). All instructions are adapted to current models, from the Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14. Importantly, some of the recommendations require caution, so the article has warnings about possible risks.

1. Cleaning the cache and application data

The most common cause of brakes is crowded cache, which accumulates faster in MIUI than in pure Android due to aggressive optimization of the system. Clearing the cache does not delete important data (logins, saves in games), but frees up space for temporary files.

How to clear the cache for a separate application:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management
• 🔍 Select a brake app (such as Facebook or Facebook) PUBG Mobile)
• 🧹 Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – this will remove all settings!)
• 🔄 System applications (such as Launcher) may need to unlock rights through Settings. → Special facilities → Special access → Clearing all data

For mass cleaning, use the built-in Security utility:

1. Launch the Security app (Icon with shield)
2. Choose Cleaning → Deep Cleaning
3. Check boxes for unnecessary files (especially Residual Files and Application Cache sections)
4. Press Clean (may take 1-2 minutes)

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After cleaning the cache, restart the smartphone - this will lead to the reassembly of the Dalvik cache (temporary Android files), which will further speed up the work.

2. Disable animation and visual effects

MIUI is known for its beauty — smooth transitions, animations when opening applications, blur effects — all of which eat up CPU and RAM resources, and if you turn them off, you get up to 15-20% speed gains (especially on budget models like the Redmi 10A).

How to turn off animation:

• 🛠️ Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About the phone and 7 times click on the version MIUI
• 🔧 Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers
• 🎨 Find the items: The scale of window animation → Select No Animation Size of Transition Animation → Without animation Duration of animation → Off.

You can also turn off the MIUI Control Center (notification center):

1. Open Settings → Notification Center and Control Panel
2. Select Switching Effects → No Effects

3. Optimization of autoboot and background processes

MIUI aggressively manages background processes, but often does so suboptimally: some applications (e.g. messengers) close too quickly, while others (system services) remain active unnecessarily, resulting in constant application reboots and brakes.

How to set up autoload:

• 🚀 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Autoboot
• 🔍 Turn off autoboot for unnecessary apps (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music, if you are not using it)
• ⚡ Enable autoboot for critical services (e.g. Telegram, WhatsApp) if they are rebooted frequently

For fine-tuning background processes:

1. Enable Developer Mode (see previous section)
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Process Limit
3. Select Standard Limit (if you have 4-6 GB of RAM) or No Background (if 8+ GB and you need maximum performance)

For models with Qualcomm Snapdragon (e.g., POCO X5), you can use the hidden Background Process Limit setting:

adb shell settings put global background_process_limit 4

This command will limit the number of background processes to 4 (optimum for 6GB of RAM). ADB and the debugging on USB.

4. Use of Lite versions of applications

Many popular apps have lightweight versions (Lite) optimized for weak devices, which consume less resources but retain core functionality. For example, Facebook Lite weighs 2 MB versus 300 MB in the regular version, and Messenger Lite runs 3 times faster.

List of recommended Lite versions:

There are also lightweight versions for the games:

• 🎮 PUBG Mobile Lite – optimized for devices with 2 GB of RAM
• 🎮 Call of Duty: Mobile Lite (available in some regions)
• 🎮 Free Fire Max – has an “Ultra Low” mode for weak smartphones

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Lite versions not only speed up work, but also save traffic and battery life, for example, Facebook Lite consumes 5 times less data than the main application.

5.Tune performance through the engineering menu

Xiaomi smartphones have a hidden engineering menu where you can manually adjust the CPU, graphics and memory settings. This is an advanced method that requires caution - incorrect settings can lead to overheating or reduced battery life.

How to open the engineering menu:

1. Open the phone application
2. Enter the code ##4636##
3. Select Phone Information or Testing (depending on MIUI version)

The main settings for acceleration:

• 🔧 CPU Usage — check the kernel load. If one kernel is 100% loaded all the time, it's possible that the application freezes"
• 🔥 Battery Information - High temperature (>45°C) may be the cause of trolling (automatic performance loss)
• 🎯 GPU Rendering - Enable Force GPU rendering to speed up graphics (but it will increase battery consumption)

For models with a Snapdragon processor (for example, Xiaomi 13), you can use Qualcomm Snapdragon Profiler:

adb shell setprop debug.qc.perf.lock 1

This command unlocks hidden performance settings, and when you enter it, you'll have additional options to adjust the CPU/GPU clock speeds in the engineering menu.

Do not change the voltage settings (voltage)

Do not increase the frequency of the processor above standard values

Monitor the temperature through Settings → Battery → Battery status

Reset the settings if the smartphone began to overheat

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⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings in the engineering menu can lead to unstable operation of the device. If after the changes the smartphone began to spontaneously restart or turn off, reset to factory settings through Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings.

6. Update MIUI and firmware

Application slowdowns are often due to an outdated firmware version. Xiaomi regularly releases updates that optimize resource consumption and fix memory management errors. MIUI 14, for example, added a Smart Balance feature that automatically allocates resources between applications.

How to update MIUI:

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system
• 📥 Click Check Updates and wait for the latest version to download.
• 🔋 Make sure the battery is charged >50% before installation
• ⏳ Update will take 10-20 minutes, the smartphone will reboot automatically

If the update is “hang” or not coming:

• 🌐 Connect to another Wi-Fi network (sometimes updates are blocked on corporate networks)
• 📡 Use it. VPN (ProtonVPN – sometimes it helps you get an update faster
• 🔧 Download the firmware manually from the official Xiaomi website and install through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Threefold → Select a firmware file

Custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) is available for enthusiasts, which can give performance gains of up to 30%, but installation requires unlocking the bootloader and may be unwarranted.

7. Optimization of storage and RAM

Lack of free space on the internal drive (<8 GB) leads to a significant drop in performance. MIUI begins to actively use swap (paging file), which slows down by 2-3 times. Optimally maintain 10-15 GB of free space.

How to make room:

• 📸 Transfer photos and videos to the cloud (Google Photos or Mi Cloud)
• 🎵 Remove downloaded music from Mi Music or Spotify (music app cache can weigh several GB)
• 🗑️ Clean the Download folder – unnecessary files often accumulate in it
• 🎮 For gamers: use SD-Card as an internal storage (in Settings) → Warehouse → SD-map → Set up as an internal)

To clean the RAM:

• 🔄 Enable Auto Cleanup in Security (Settings) → Security → Cleanup → Autocleaning)
• 🚫 Turn off widgets on the home screen – they are constantly hanging in memory
• 📱 Use Performance Mode in Settings → Battery → Modes (select High Performance)

For advanced users, zRAM (RAM compression) is available:

adb shell su -c "echo 2G > /sys/block/zram0/disksize"

This command increases the size of the zRAM to 2 GB, allowing the smartphone to manage memory more efficiently.

8.Reset to factory settings (last chance)

If all the previous methods didn't work, the radical solution is to reset to factory settings, which will delete all the data, but return the original speed to the smartphone, especially for devices that have been updated over the air for several years in a row, accumulating residual files and conflicting settings.

How to perform the reset:

1. Backup important data (photos, contacts, messages) via Mi Cloud or Google Account
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings
3. Choose to Erase All Data (not to be confused with Settings Reset – it’s just settings, not data!)
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes)

After discharge:

• ⚡ Do not restore data from the backup immediately – first check the speed of the clean system.
• 📥 Install applications gradually, watching the performance
• 🔧 Turn off automatic app updates in Google Play (Settings) → Auto-update of applications → Not update automatically)

⚠️ Note: Some models (Redmi Note 11 and later) may require re-assignment of the Mi Account after reset. Make sure to remember the username and password, otherwise the device will be blocked!

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi acceleration