When your smartphone Xiaomi or Redmi starts to slow down, freeze, or display low-space notifications, this is a sure sign that the internal storage is full. The system MIUIinstalled on these devices accumulates a huge amount of temporary files, application cache and system logs during daily use. Ignoring this problem can lead not only to slower performance, but also to the inability to update installed apps or take new photos.
Many users make the mistake of deleting important system data or relying solely on third-party dubious “booster” utilities. In this article, we will look at safe and effective methods that will help you get back gigabytes of free space without harming the stability of your gadget. You will learn how to properly use built-in tools, find hidden folders and optimize the work of instant messengers.
Using the built-in Security application
The first and most logical step for any owner Xiaomi is to use a pre-installed system tool. The company has built into the shell MIUI a powerful application called Securitythat combines the functions of an antivirus and a cleaner. To get started, you don’t need to download anything - just find the icon with a green shield on the desktop or in the “Tools” folder.
When you launch the application, use the function Cleaningthat will automatically scan your device for junk files. The system will analyze the cache, remnants of uninstalled apps and advertising files, offering to delete them with one click. It is important to understand that this tool only deletes safe temporary data, without affecting your personal photos or documents.
However, standard cleaning often leaves large files and duplicates untouched. For deeper work, go to the Deep Clean section inside the application. Here you can manually select categories of data, such as large files, rarely used applications or installation packages APK.
⚠️ Attention: When using the Deep Clean function, carefully check the list of files before deleting. Sometimes the system may mark as garbage important documents that you downloaded from the Internet, but rarely opened.
Regular use of this tool allows you to keep your system clean without the need to manually sort folders. It is enough to run a scan once a week to prevent critical filling of the drive.
Storage analysis and removal of duplicates
If automatic tools have not freed up enough space, you must proceed to manual analysis of the memory contents. In your smartphone settings, go to Settings → About phone → Storage. Here the system will clearly show how much space is occupied by applications, images, videos and system files.
Particular attention should be paid to the section with images and videos. The camera of modern Redmi takes high-resolution pictures that quickly eat up gigabytes. Often users take a series of identical shots or forget to delete unsuccessful takes. The built-in file manager or application Gallery has a search function for similar images, which allows you to quickly remove unnecessary ones.
Also check the folder Download (Downloads). Documents, presentations and installation files that are no longer needed are often downloaded here. Putting things in order in this directory can instantly free up several gigabytes.
- 🗑️ Delete screenshots that were taken a long time ago and no longer have informational value.
- 📂 Check the folder
DCIM → .thumbnailswhere photo thumbnails are stored (this folder can weigh hundreds megabyte). - 🎬 Watch downloaded movies or TV series offline on streaming services.
Don't forget that the cart in the gallery also takes up space. After files are deleted, they are moved to temporary storage for 30 days. To free up space immediately, you need to empty the trash.
Enable synchronization of photos with Google Photos or the Mi Cloud, and then use the “Free up space” function, which will delete local copies of pictures already uploaded to the cloud.
Clearing the cache of Telegram and WhatsApp instant messengers
The most voracious applications on any Android smartphone, including Xiaomi, are instant messengers. Telegram and WhatsApp automatically save all received photos, videos and voice messages to internal memory. Over time, the cache of these applications can grow to 10-20 GB, which is critical for devices with a small storage capacity.
W Telegram cleaning is done most safely and effectively through internal settings. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Here you will see the total cache size and can click the Clear cachebutton. Important: this operation will not delete your correspondence, the media files will simply be downloaded again from the cloud if necessary.
With WhatsApp the situation is a little more complicated, since the files are stored in the file system. Go to the messenger chat settings and select Storage. You can sort files by size and remove the heaviest videos or transfers. It is also recommended to disable autosaving of media to the gallery so as not to duplicate files.
Path for manually clearing WhatsApp (via the file manager):
Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Media/
This folder contains subdirectories WhatsApp Images, WhatsApp Video and others. Deleting files from here will free up space, but will also delete them from the correspondence if they were not saved to the cloud.
Clearing the messenger cache through their internal settings is safer than deleting folders through the file manager, since it preserves the structure of the message database.
Managing startup and background processes
Many Applications, even if you are not actively using them, continue to run in the background, taking up RAM and creating temporary files. The shell MIUI has a powerful tool for controlling startup. Go to the application Security → Permissions → Autorun.
Disable autorun for all applications that should not work immediately after turning on the phone. These include games, stores, news aggregators and delivery services. Leave only messengers and system services turned on, otherwise you may miss important notifications.
It is also worth checking the list of installed applications. Often there are apps hanging on your phone for years that you have not used even once in the last six months. Removing such “parasites” will not only free up space, but also reduce the load on the processor.
⚠️ Attention: Do not disable autorun for system applications with names containing MIUI, Google or Androidif you are not sure of their purpose. This may cause notifications or synchronization to fail.
For advanced users, an option is available to limit background activity. In the battery settings, you can select a specific application and set a limit on its background activity, which will prevent the accumulation of excess cache.
Transferring data to a memory card and to the cloud
If your internal memory Redmi is limited (for example, 32 or 64 GB), the best solution would be to use an external memory card microSD. Modern models support cards up to 512 GB or more. After installing the card, you can transfer photos, videos and music to it.
In the camera settings, you can immediately set to save new pictures to the memory card. To do this, open the camera, go to the settings (three bars or gear) and find the item Save to SD card. This will prevent the internal storage from filling up in the future.
An alternative solution is to use cloud storage. Services like Google Drive, Yandex.Disk or Mail.ru Cloud allow you to store files on the Internet. Many of them have the function of automatically uploading photos, after which the local copy can be deleted.
| Data type | Recommended storage location | Advantages |
|---|---|---|
| Photo and Video | SD card or Cloud | Fast access, saving internal memory |
| Documents | Cloud storage | Protection against loss if the phone breaks down |
| Music | SD card | Playback without Internet |
| Applications | Internal memory | Maximum operating speed (they work slower on SD) |
Remember that transferring the applications themselves to a memory card in modern versions of Android is often unavailable or unstable. It is better to store only media files on the card.
What is Adoptable Storage?
This is a function that allows you to format a memory card as part of the internal memory. On Xiaomi it is often hidden, but can be activated via ADB. However, this will make the card unreadable on other devices.
Resetting settings as a last resort
If none of the above methods helped, and the phone still signals that there is not enough space, the system may have accumulated critical errors or hidden files that cannot be deleted manually. In this case, the only effective solution is a full reset to factory settings.
Before performing this procedure required create a backup copy of all important data. Resetting will delete absolutely everything: contacts, messages, applications, photos and settings. Make sure that your data is synchronized with your account Google or copied to your computer.
To perform a reset, go to menu Settings → About phone → Reset settings. Select item Erase all data. The device will reboot and begin the cleaning process, which may take from 5 to 15 minutes.
⚠️ Attention: Make sure the battery level is at least 50% before starting reset. Interruption of the process due to discharge may lead to breakdown of the phone software (“bricking”).
After the reset, the phone will be as clean as the day it was purchased. This is guaranteed to remove all software junk and return the device to its original operating speed.
☑️ Preparing for a full reset
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to delete the Android folder on a Xiaomi phone?
You cannot completely delete the folder Android as it stores the data of all installed applications and the system cache. However, it is safe to clear a subfolder Android/data of the cache of specific apps if you know which ones are taking up a lot of space. Deleting the entire folder will reset the settings of all applications and possible errors in their operation.
Why does the memory fill up by itself immediately after cleaning?
This is normal system behavior. Applications constantly create new temporary files, browser caches grow when browsing, and instant messengers download new media. If the memory fills up abnormally quickly (within a few hours), check your phone for viruses or “faulty” applications that create cyclic logs.
How to disable advertising in the system, which also takes up space?
Advertising in MIUI (MSA) can accumulate a cache. To limit its activity, go to Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data and disable permission for the application msa. Also, in each system application (Explorer, Downloads, Music) in the settings you can disable the “Receive recommendations” item.
Does full memory affect Internet speed?
Directly - no, but indirectly - yes. When memory is full, the system begins to use the swap file more aggressively, which loads the processor and slows down the processing of network requests. The browser may work slower because it has nowhere to store a cache of downloaded pages.
Is it safe to use applications like Clean Master?
Third-party cleaning applications themselves often consume a lot of resources and display intrusive ads. The built-in tool Xiaomi is quite sufficient for safe cleaning. Third-party utilities may mistakenly delete necessary files or disrupt the system for the sake of demonstrating “efficiency.”