Modern Xiaomi smartphones, which are powered by the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, have powerful optimization tools, but over time, even they accumulate digital garbage, such as temporary files, remnants of deleted applications, advertising caches, or just old photos that take up precious space. Users often notice that the device is starting to work slower, applications are loading longer, and notifications of memory shortages appear more often.
Cleaning your phone completely isn’t just about removing images, it’s about taking a comprehensive approach to maintaining the Android operating system. In this article, we’ll look at everything from securely deleting temporary files to radical resetting to factory settings, and learn how to distinguish system debris from important data, and when you really need to resort to full formatting.
Before you start taking action, you need to understand the degree of interference in the work of the gadget. Recovery Mode resets all data without the possibility of recovery, so backup is a must. We will look at methods of different depths so that you can choose the best option for your situation, whether it is to want to free a couple of gigabytes or prepare your smartphone for sale.
Memory Occupancy Analysis and Hidden Files Search
The first step in the cleaning process is diagnostics. Xiaomi's standard tools provide basic information, but deeper analysis often requires more advanced techniques. MIUI has a built-in analyzer, however, it can skip folders left by remote applications or duplicates in the gallery.
Use the built-in Security app for initial evaluation, which scans the system for known junk files and cache, but for heavyweights — video files, forgotten downloads or error logs — it's better to use a file manager with disk analysis, which will allow you to visually assess which partitions occupy the most space.
- 📂 Check the folder. Download/AllShare or MIUI/Bluetooth, where files received through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct exchange are often automatically saved.
- 🗑️ Find folders with names of remote applications that may have remained at the root of internal memory and contain cache.
- 📸 Watch the Screenshots and Video albums, as they are often inflated by short but heavy instant messenger videos.
⚠️ Note: When manually deleting files through the file manager, never touch folders with system names such as Android, MIUI (System configs, Data or System: Deleting the contents of these directories may cause the interface to fail or the network settings to lose.
Special attention should be paid to messengers such as Telegram or WhatsApp, which store media files in their own directories, which a standard cleaner can ignore, considering them important data, and in the settings of the applications themselves, you can find the section "Memory Use", where you can clean the cache without losing correspondence.
Use of built-in MIUI and HyperOS optimization tools
Xiaomi’s shells are known for their aggressive memory management policies, which in this case play into our hands. The built-in Cleaner tool is able to safely delete temporary files, APK installer packages and image thumbnails, and is the safest method for daily use.
To access advanced features, go to the Security app and select the Cleanup section. The system will prompt you to remove obvious debris. However, if you click on the Cleanup button and wait until it's done, the option "Deep Cleanup" often comes up, which allows you to access large files and rarely used applications.
Acceleration also helps free up RAM by closing the background processes. Although this is temporary, regular use helps the system redistribute resources more efficiently, especially on models with a small amount of RAM.
- 🚀 Use the “Accelerate” function before launching heavy games or video editing apps.
- 🧹 Run Deep Cleanup once a month to remove social media cache that can take up gigabytes.
- ⚙️ Enable automatic cleaning in the Security settings so that the phone itself deletes temporary files when memory is low.
It is important to understand the difference between cache and application data. Cache cleaning is secure and only removes temporary files, speeding up work. Data cleaning returns the application to the "what-after-installing" state, removing logins, settings and saves.
Manual cleaning of application cache and system services
Some apps, especially social media and browsers, accumulate gigabytes of data that are not always properly deleted by standard means. Manual cleaning through the Android settings menu allows you to control this process in more detail, this is especially true for applications that you rarely use, but continue to work in the background.
To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Select the app you want (like YouTube or Instagram) and find Memory. Here you will see a clear separation between the size of the application, the size of the data, and the size of the cache. Clicking on Clear Cache will securely delete temporary files.
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If the application is not working properly (flying or freezing), try to clear not only the cache, but also the data. This will reset its settings, but often solves software errors.
System services such as Google Play Store or Google Play Services also have cache, and cleaning it can help if the app store is slow or not loading updates, but only if there are problems, as the system will take time to recreate the necessary temporary files.
| Type of data | What's removed | Is it safe? | Impact on the account |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Temporary files, thumbnails, logs | Yeah, totally. | No. |
| Application data | Settings, logins, saves, databases | Yeah, but you'll lose the settings. | We'll have to come in again. |
| Deletion of the annex | All files related to the program | Yes. | Re-installation required |
| System cache | Temporary OS files | Yes. | No. |
Remember that after cleaning the messenger data (unless you back up the chats to the cloud), the entire correspondence history will be lost. Always check for the current backup in the settings of the messenger itself before performing such operations.
Resetting settings to factory via phone menu
If the software cleanup failed and the phone is still slow, the most effective solution is a complete reset, which returns the device to the “out of the box” state by removing all user data, accounts and installed programs, ideal before selling a smartphone or in case of serious software failures.
To reset via the menu, make sure that the battery is at least 30-40%. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset. The system will offer two options: Reset (reset the system settings, but save files) and Erase all data (full formatting).
☑️ Preparation for full discharge
Once you select "Erase all data", the phone will request confirmation and input of the unlock password of the screen. The process can take from 5 to 15 minutes depending on the memory capacity and speed of the drive, at which time the device will restart, and the MIUI or Android logo can be displayed on the screen.
⚠️ Note: Find Device can lock your phone after a reset if you haven’t logged out of your Mi Account beforehand. Be sure to untie your device from your account or remember your login and password to activate it.
Once the procedure is complete, the phone will turn on as new, suggesting you choose a language and connect to Wi-Fi. All personal photos, contacts and files will be permanently deleted, so re-reminding you of the importance of backup is critical here.
Complete cleaning through Recovery (Hard Reset)
In situations where the phone is locked, does not turn on to the desktop or a virus blocks access to the menu, Recovery mode is used. This is a low-level recovery mode built into the firmware that allows you to perform a hard reset even without access to the Android interface.
To enter Recovery mode on Xiaomi, turn off the phone completely. Then press the Volume Up and Power buttons simultaneously. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, after which the power button can be released, continuing to keep the volume up until the Recovery menu appears. Navigation is done with volume buttons and selection with the power button.
What to do if the Recovery menu doesn’t appear?
Select a language from the menu (usually only English and Chinese), then go to Wipe Data. You will be asked to select Wipe All Data. Confirm the action by selecting Confirm. The system will warn you about the loss of data again. After the process is complete, select Reboot → Reboot to System.
This method is the most radical and guaranteed to remove all traces of user activity, including possible malicious files that may have infiltrated the system, but it does not reinstall the operating system itself, but only cleans the user partition.
Cleaning the Cache section in Recovery Mode
A separate point to mention is cleaning the cache partition through Recovery, which is different from resetting data, which removes temporary system files that may have been damaged after a firmware update or apps malfunction, a safe operation that often solves problems with bootloop or logo hovers.
When you log in to the Recovery menu (as described in the previous section), select Wipe Data, but instead of completely reset, look for the Wipe Cache option (if available in your version of Recovery) or use Wipe All Data with an understanding of the implications. In newer versions of MIUI, the option of separate cache cleaning is often hidden or combined, so be careful when choosing.
If you use custom Recovery (like TWRP) that was installed earlier, there is a separate Wipe → Cache button, which allows you to clear Dalwick's cache and system cache without affecting the user's personal files, a recommended procedure after each major firmware update.
- 🔄 Clear the cache through Recovery if after the system update the phone began to work unstable.
- 🛡️ This procedure does not delete photos, contacts, or installed apps (unlike Wipe Data).
- ⚡ Apps may need to be re-optimized on the first run, which will take a few minutes.
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Cache clearing through Recovery is a “soft” reboot of system files that often solves performance issues without losing personal data, as opposed to a complete reset.