Smartphones of the line Xiaomi i Redmi are famous for their price-performance ratio, but even powerful devices begin to suffer over time due to lack of free space. Internal memory clogged with junk files, application cache and duplicate photos, which inevitably leads to system slowdown and annoying notifications about storage fullness. Users often wonder how to effectively free up gigabytes without deleting important data or resetting the phone to factory settings.
The process of optimizing the drive in the shell MIUI or new HyperOS has its own unique features that distinguish it from clean Android. The company's built-in tools allow you to safely remove system junk, but deep cleaning often requires a manual approach to folders with media files and instant messengers. In this article, we will analyze in detail all available methods: from using the standard “Security” application to advanced methods of working with the file system via a computer.
Proper cleaning will not only return the phone to its former speed, but will also extend the battery life, since the system will not have to constantly index gigabytes of unnecessary data. We will look at which folders can be deleted without fear of losing contacts or messages, and which files should absolutely not be touched. Preparing for the procedure will only take a few minutes, but you will notice the result immediately after the first restart of the device.
Using the built-in Security application
The first and easiest step for any owner Xiaomi should be to use the pre-installed utility Security. This is a system application designed specifically for the MIUI shell, and it has deep access to system partitions that are hidden from third-party cleaners. Launch the shortcut in the form of a shield with lightning on the main screen and select Cleaning.
The system will automatically scan the device and offer to remove the so-called “garbage”. This includes remnants of uninstalled applications, temporary update files, and thumbnail images. Click the cleanup button to free up the first few gigabytes. However, you should not blindly trust the automation: after a quick check, click on the icon Deep cleaning, which is located below.
In deep cleaning mode, you will see a detailed list of categories: large files, unused applications, duplicate photos and videos. It is important to be careful here. Algorithms Xiaomi are good at finding duplicates, but sometimes they can mark important screenshots or documents as unnecessary. Manually check the boxes only for those files that you definitely do not need and confirm the deletion.
Periodically go to the “Large Files” section of the Security application - this is where forgotten installation APK files and old videos from instant messengers often accumulate, taking up the lion’s share of memory.
⚠️ Please note: The Clear RAM feature available in the same application does not free up internal storage space. It only temporarily speeds up work by closing background processes, but does not affect the available storage space for photos and apps.
Manually clearing the cache of instant messengers and social networks
The main eaters of free space in modern smartphones are instant messengers: Telegram, WhatsApp i Viber. These apps save all received photos, videos and documents to internal memory by default, creating gigantic archives over months of use. Simply deleting the application will not help, since the data folders will remain on the disk.
The most effective way to manage storage is through the internal settings of the applications themselves. In Telegram go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Here you will see a button Clear cache. Don’t be afraid to press it: media files are deleted only from the device, but remain on the messenger servers and, if necessary, will be downloaded again when viewing the correspondence. This is a safe way to free up to 5-10 GB of space.
For WhatsApp the procedure is slightly different. Go to Settings → Data and storage → Manage storage. The application will show a list of chats sorted by the amount of space they occupy. You can selectively remove media from specific conversations without deleting the conversation itself. This is especially useful for group chats where videos are constantly being sent.
- 🗑️ Regularly empty the “Sent” folder in the messenger gallery, as it stores copies of all the files you have ever sent to someone.
- 📸 Disable autosaving of media to the phone gallery in the settings of each messenger to avoid duplicating files in the DCIM system folder.
- 📹 Temporarily disable automatic video downloading while roaming or over a mobile network to avoid filling up memory with random content.
Deleting duplicate photos and screenshots
Over time, a huge number of similar pictures taken in burst mode, or unsuccessful frames that you forgot to delete, accumulate in your smartphone’s gallery. It is also common to find duplicate images saved from different sources: browser, social networks and instant messengers. Manually sorting through thousands of photos is a tedious task, so it is better to use specialized tools.
In new versions MIUI i HyperOS a built-in duplicate search function has appeared in the Gallery application. Open the album, click on the menu (three dots) and select Find duplicates. The system will group similar images, allowing you to select the best option from the series and remove the rest. This is one of the most effective ways to get back a place without losing important memories.
If the built-in tool does not find all duplicates, you can use third-party utilities, for example Files by Google, which have more advanced algorithms for comparing images by bit structure, and not just by file name. However, before mass deleting, always review the files proposed for deletion so as not to accidentally erase the originals of important documents or receipts.
Burst shooting and Portrait mode often create 5-10 files per frame. Regular cleaning of such series can free up up to 20% of the space in the photo folder.
Analyzing and deleting large files through Explorer
Sometimes the memory becomes clogged not with small junk, but with several huge files whose existence you might have forgotten. These could be downloaded movies, game archives, or system backups. Standard Explorer Xiaomi (application Explorer) has a convenient function for sorting files by size, which allows you to instantly identify such “heavyweights”.
Open the Explorer application and go to the tab Files or use the sorting function. Select to sort by size (large to small). The first ten files in the list usually take up several gigabytes in total. Check their contents: if it is an old movie that you have already watched, or a game installation file that is no longer needed, feel free to delete it.
Particular attention should be paid to the folder Download (Downloads). Browsers and many applications save all downloaded data there by default. Often there are PDF instructions that were read a year ago, or installation packages for updates that have already been applied. Clearing this folder rarely leads to any negative consequences for the system.
| File type | Average size | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 4K video (1 min) | ~400-600 MB | Transfer to PC or cloud |
| APK installer | ~50-150 MB | Delete after installation |
| Whatsapp backup | ~1-5 GB | Store only the latest one |
| Map cache (Navigation) | ~500 MB - 2 GB | Delete unused regions |
Working with the Android folder and system junk
Deep cleaning requires visiting the system directory Android in the internal storage. The data of all installed applications is stored here. Inside this folder you are interested in two subdirectories: data and obb. The folder data contains settings and application cache, and obb contains heavy cache files for games.
Be extremely careful when deleting the contents of the folder obb. If you delete files from an installed game (for example PUBG or Genshin Impact), the game will no longer launch and will require several gigabytes of data to be downloaded again. Delete the contents of this folder only for those games that you have already removed from the system, but their “tails” remain on the disk.
In the folder data you can find directories for remote applications. They are often named as package names (for example, com.instagram.android). If you are sure that the application has been removed, you can erase the corresponding folder. However, do not touch the system services folders Xiaomi and Google, this may lead to malfunctions of the phone.
What to do if the folder is not deleted?
If the system writes “Cannot delete the file,” it means that it is being used by some process or application. Try restarting your phone and deleting the file immediately after turning it on, or find the application that created this file and clear its cache through the settings.
⚠️ Attention: Never delete the entire folder Android entirely! This will lead to data loss of all applications, reset of settings and possible instability of the operating system. Act precisely.
Transferring data to a memory card and to the cloud
If the internal memory of the phone is physically limited (for example, 64 GB), then a radical solution to the problem will be to transfer media files to external media. Smartphones Xiaomi support format memory cards microSD. You can configure the camera so that new photos and videos are saved directly to the card, and not to the internal memory.
To transfer existing files, use a file manager. Select the folders DCIM (photos and videos from the camera) and MIUI/Gallery/cloud/cache, select the “Move” option and specify the path to the SD card. This will free up valuable internal space for installing applications that, as a rule, cannot be transferred to external media in modern versions of Android.
An alternative to a memory card is cloud storage. Services like Google Photos, Yandex.Disk or proprietary Xiaomi Cloud allow you to set up automatic uploading of photos. After a successful download, you can use the "Free up space" function, which will delete local copies of files, leaving them only in the cloud. This is an ideal option for those who do not want to carry additional cards with them.
☑️ Preparing to transfer data
Reset settings as a last resort cleaning measure
When none of the above methods help free up enough space, or if the system is unstable due to errors in the file system, the last option left is a full factory reset. This procedure completely erases all data from the internal storage, returning the phone to "as-store" state.
Before performing this operation, it is critical to create a complete backup of all data. Use the built-in application Mi Migration to transfer data to another phone or save important files to your computer. After the reset, you will have to set up your phone again, sign in to accounts and install applications, but you are guaranteed to get the maximum amount of free memory.
To perform a reset, go to Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Delete all data. The system will warn you that the action is irreversible. Make sure that the phone is connected to a charger, as the process may take from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of data and the speed of the drive.
⚠️ Attention: Before resetting, be sure to log out of your Mi account and Google account. Otherwise, after turning on, the phone may be locked and ask for a password from the previous owner (FRP protection), which you may not remember.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why does the memory quickly fill up again after cleaning?
Most likely, you have auto-saving of media files enabled in instant messengers or the function of automatically downloading application updates in the background. Check the settings Google Play and specific instant messengers, limiting content downloading only over Wi-Fi or disabling it altogether.
Is it safe to use third-party applications like Clean Master?
In most cases, this is not recommended. Third-party cleaners themselves often consume a lot of resources, display intrusive ads, and can aggressively delete necessary files. The built-in tool Xiaomi is quite enough to safely and effectively clean the system without the risk of damaging the software.
What is “Other” in the storage and how to clean it?
The “Other” category usually contains system files, application caches, data from streaming services (offline playlists) and temporary files updates. You can clear this through a deep clean in the Security app or manually by deleting the cache of specific heavy applications in the phone settings.
Is it possible to delete the .thumbnails folder?
Yes, the .thumbnails folder (which is located inside DCIM) can be deleted. It stores thumbnails of your photos for quick display in your gallery. The system will automatically create it again the next time you open the gallery, but this will free up space if thumbnails have accumulated over years of use.