Brand smartphones Xiaomi are famous for their price-quality ratio, but over time, even the most powerful models begin to work slower. The main reason for poor performance is the accumulation of system garbage, residual files from uninstalled applications, and a full cache. If you notice that your Redmi or Poco has taken a long time to open apps or freeze, it’s time to do some general cleaning.
In this article we will analyze not only the standard cleaning methods available to every user, but also delve into the hidden system settings. You'll learn how to safely remove junk without damaging important data or operating system functionality. The correct approach to servicing the device can extend the life of its comfortable operation by several years.
Before taking radical measures like resetting the settings, it is worth trying a comprehensive cleaning with standard means. Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells have built-in algorithms that cope quite effectively with surface debris. However, deep cleaning will require manual control and understanding of the file system structure.
Using the built-in Security application
The easiest and safest way to start cleaning is to use a pre-installed utility. Every smartphone Xiaomi has an application Security (Security), which combines an antivirus and a memory cleaning tool. Launch it and click on the large button Cleaning. The system will analyze the device and offer to delete the application cache, advertising files and update remnants.
It is important to understand that the automatic scanner does not always remove everything unnecessary. It often misses large files uploaded to messenger folders or duplicate photos. After the initial cleaning, go to the Storage management section inside the same application. Here you will see a detailed breakdown of file types: images, videos, documents and apk installers.
⚠️ Attention: When clearing the “App Cache” section, you can reset settings inside some apps (for example, the theme in the browser or the location of widgets), but your personal data (correspondence, logins) will be saved.
Particular attention should be paid to the “Large Files” section. Often there are old videos or archives that you have long forgotten about. Deleting such objects frees up gigabytes of space instantly. Do not forget to regularly check this section, as junk files tend to accumulate unnoticed by the user.
Set up automatic cache clearing in the Security application so that the phone itself deletes temporary files every week without your participation.
Manual clearing of the cache and application data
Automatic tools are good, but manual control gives maximum result. Some applications, especially social networks and instant messengers, are growing to incredible sizes. To check this, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Sort the list by memory size.
Select the most “gluttonous” application, for example, Telegram or TikTok. Go to its properties and find the item Memory. Here you will see two buttons: “Clear cache” and “Clear all”. The first button is safe - it deletes temporary files (picture previews, uploaded stories). The second button completely resets the application to its factory state, deleting logins and correspondence.
- 🗑️ Cache —temporary files that speed up content loading that can be deleted without fear.
- 📂 Data —account settings, message databases and saved files inside applications.
- ⚙️ Permissions —Check if the application does not have access to the microphone or geolocation unnecessarily.
- 🚫 Autostart —Disable it for rarely used apps so that they do not hang in the background.
Regularly checking the application list helps identify parasitic apps that you have not used for a long time, but which continue to take up space and processor resources. If you see an app you haven't used in the last three months, feel free to delete it. This will free up not only space, but also RAM.
☑️ Manual cleaning checklist
Analysis of instant messenger and social network folders
The main source of memory clogging on Android are instant messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber save all received photos and videos to internal memory by default. Over time, the folder Android/media or the root folder of the messenger can take up tens of gigabytes.
To correct the situation, it is not necessary to delete correspondence. Go to the settings of the messenger itself. Telegram, for example, has an excellent tool Memory usage → Clear cache. There you can also configure automatic cache deletion: set the value to “3 days” or “1 week”. The application will automatically delete old media files, loading them again only when necessary.
⚠️ Attention: In WhatsApp, files are saved to the general gallery of the phone. Before cleaning through the file manager, make sure that you do not delete important photos that you wanted to keep.
For deeper cleaning, you can use the built-in file manager. Find the folders WhatsApp/Media or Telegram/Telegram Images. Often thousands of “circles”, postcards and random videos sent in general chats accumulate there. Removing this “visual husk” gives an instant increase in free space.
How to find hidden messenger folders?
In some versions of Android, messenger folders have been moved to the Android/data directory. To access them, you may need a third-party file manager, since the system explorer may restrict access to this folder for security reasons.
Working with the File Manager and hidden garbage
The standard explorer Xiaomi is quite functional, but for advanced cleaning it is better to know the structure manually. Go to the application Explorer and pay attention to the section Analysis. It will show duplicate files, similar images and rarely used applications.
The folder Download (Downloads) is of particular interest. APK installation files after updating applications, PDF documents and images from the browser often end up here. Many users forget about this folder for months. Go through it and mercilessly delete everything that is no longer relevant.
| File type | Where to look | Can be deleted | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| APK files | Download folder | Yes | No |
| .log files | System root | Yes | No |
| thumbnails | DCIM/.thumbnails | Yes | Slow gallery |
| temp | Different folders | Yes | No |
Also worth checking the folder MIUI/debug_log. It stores system error reports that are needed only by developers for debugging. These files are useless to the average user and can be safely erased. If this folder has grown to gigabytes, this is a sure sign of the need for cleaning.
Do not forget about the “Trash” in the gallery and explorer. Deleted files do not disappear immediately, but are stored there for 30 days, continuing to take up space. To free up memory right now, go to the trash and click Clear.
Accessibility and developer mode
For users who want to gain maximum control over the device, there are advanced settings. Enabling developer mode allows you to control how background processes are limited. Go to Settings → About phone → MIUI version and quickly click on the version number 7-10 times until a notification appears.
Now an item For developerswill appear in the advanced settings. Find the section Applications and item Background process limit. Set to "No more than 2 processes". This will force the system to more aggressively unload applications from RAM, which indirectly affects the speed of clearing the cache, since background processes will not have time to accumulate garbage.
⚠️ Attention: Changing settings in developer mode may lead to unstable operation of some applications. Return the default settings if you notice any problems.
There is also an option in this menu Don't save actions. If you enable it, the system will not save the application state upon exit. This is a radical method: every time you open the app, it will start again, as if after a reboot. This is useful for older devices with little RAM, but is inconvenient for everyday use.
Developer mode is a powerful tool, but use it with caution. For normal cleaning, standard tools and manual checking of folders are sufficient.
Dramatic measures: Reset and format
If none of the above methods helped and the phone continues to slow down, the problem may lie in deep system errors or memory fragmentation. In this case, the last argument remains - a full reset to factory settings. Before doing this, be sure to back up all important data to the cloud Xiaomi Cloud or to your computer.
The procedure is performed through the menu Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Delete all data. The device will return to its “out of the box” state. This is guaranteed to remove all the garbage, viruses and erroneous configurations accumulated over years of use. After the reset, the phone will work as quickly as possible.
An alternative to a full reset can be wiping the partition Wipe Data via Recovery mode. To do this, turn off the phone and hold down the Volume Up + Powerbuttons. In the menu that appears, select Wipe Data. This method is used if the phone does not boot into normal mode.
What to do after the reset?
Do not restore all applications at once from a backup. Install only the essentials manually. Often, it is restoring old settings that brings back performance problems.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to delete the Android folder on Xiaomi?
It is impossible to completely delete the folder Android as it stores the data of all installed applications. However, you can safely clear its subfolders cache and obb (if you deleted the corresponding game). Deleting the entire folder will cause apps to malfunction.
Why does the memory fill up on its own after cleaning?
This is normal system behavior. Applications create new temporary files (cache) for faster operation. Messengers also continue to upload new photos and videos. It is recommended to set up automatic cleaning or monitor the memory once a week.
Is it harmful to use third-party cleaning applications (Clean Master, etc.)?
On modern versions of Android, such applications often do more harm than good. They work in the background, consume the battery and show ads. The built-in MIUI tools are quite enough for effective cleaning.
How to clear the cache of only one specific application?
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, select the desired app, click Memory and then Clear cache. This will not affect your personal data inside the application.