Owners of brand Xiaomi and sub-brand smartphones Redmi often face a situation when the internal storage is full, and notifications about lack of space begin to irritate. This is a common problem for devices with a fixed memory capacity of 64 or 128 GB, especially when actively using the camera and instant messengers.
The system MIUI has its own file management features that differ from stock Android. Understanding exactly how the shell allocates resources will allow you to free up space efficiently without losing important data. In this article, we will analyze proven optimization methods from basic cleaning to advanced settings.
Storage capacity analysis and system utilities
Before you start deleting files, you need to determine exactly what is taking up most of the disk space. The MIUI shell has a powerful analysis tool built into it, which is often ignored by users. Go to Settings → Memoryto see a visualization of data distribution.
The system automatically categorizes files: applications, images, videos, music and documents. Often it is the folder "Other" that hides gigabytes of forgotten downloads or residual files of deleted apps. By clicking on this category, you can explore the contents in detail.
Use the built-in "Cleaning" application, which is preinstalled on all devices Xiaomi. It finds duplicates, large files and system application cache. However, you should not rely only on automatic cleaning, as it may miss specific messenger folders.
⚠️ Attention: When using the “Deep Cleaning” function, carefully check the list of files before deleting. The algorithm can mark important documents as unnecessary if they have not been opened for a long time.
Periodically go to the “Trash” section in the Gallery and Files application. Deleted files are stored there for another 30 days and continue to take up space.
Managing cache and messenger data
Messengers like Telegram and WhatsApp are the main memory hogs on modern smartphones. They automatically save all received photos and videos to internal storage. To solve the problem, you need to change the settings for autoloading media files inside the applications themselves.
In Telegram, go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Here you can limit the cache size or set up automatic cleaning of files that have not been opened for more than a month. This is critical a step for users of active chats.
For WhatsApp, the procedure is slightly different. Go to Settings → Data and storage → Storage management. You will see a list of chats sorted by size. Remove large attachments from group chats where videos are often shared.
- 🗑️ Clear the cache of a specific application through the phone settings without deleting the account data itself.
- 📁 Disable autosave media to the phone gallery in the messenger settings.
- 🔄 Regularly use the “Chat Archiving” function before completely clearing the correspondence.
Do not forget that clearing the application data will completely reset its settings and delete the chat history if it is not saved in the cloud. Be careful when using the button Erase data in the application menu.
Transferring applications and files to a memory card
Many models Redmi support the installation of memory cards of the format microSD. This is the most effective way to physically increase your available volume. However, modern versions of Android limit the ability to transfer applications themselves to external media.
You can set up a memory card as portable storage and transfer all media files to it: photos, videos, music and downloads. To do this, in the menu Settings → Memory select a card and specify it as the main location for saving new camera files.
Some applications allow you to manually change the path for saving data in their internal settings. For example, navigators Yandex Maps or Google Maps allow you to download regional maps directly to an SD card, freeing up hundreds of megabytes of main memory.
⚠️ Attention: Not all applications support working from an external drive. Transferring system utilities can lead to unstable operation of the phone.
Use of Xiaomi and Google cloud services
If physical expansion is not possible, cloud technologies come to the rescue. The ecosystem Xiaomi offers the Mi Cloud service, which is deeply integrated into the system. It allows you to synchronize contacts, messages, notes and, most importantly, the gallery.
The “Free up space” function in the Xiaomi gallery uploads original photos to the cloud, and leaves small copies of them on the device. This allows you to store thousands of pictures while taking up virtually no space on your phone. An account is required to work. Mi Account.
An alternative is Google Photos. Turn on Space Saver in the app settings. The service will automatically compress the downloaded photos and offer to delete their local copies from the device. This is safe, since the originals remain in your Google account.
| Service | Free volume | Integration features |
|---|---|---|
| Mi Cloud | 5 GB | Full Xiaomi system synchronization |
| Google Drive/Photo | 15 GB | Universal solution for any Android |
| Yandex.Disk | 10 GB | Automatic uploading of photos from mobile phones |
Cloud storage is the best solution for photos. Local storage of originals in 4K resolution quickly exhausts the limits of even large drives.
Cleaning the downloads folder and hidden junk files
The folder Download often turns into a dump of APK installation files, forgotten PDF documents and images from browsers. Regular revision of this directory through a file manager can return several gigabytes of free space.
Pay attention to hidden folders created by applications. For example, a folder .thumbnails in the DCIM directory can grow to gigantic proportions. It stores miniatures for the gallery. It can be safely deleted, the system will create it again if necessary.
For advanced users, there is the option of cleaning it via a computer. Connect your phone via USB in file transfer mode and manually delete the contents of the folders Android/obb (game cache) and Android/data (application data) for already deleted games.
How to find the heaviest files?
Use the "Explorer" application from Xiaomi. From the menu, select sort by size. This will instantly show files occupying more than 100 MB, which are often forgotten videos or archives.
Resetting settings as a radical liberation method
If no methods help and the system is unstable due to lack of space, the last resort remains - a full reset to factory settings. This action will delete absolutely all data, but will return the phone to a “store-quality” state with maximum available memory.
Before the procedure, be sure to create a complete backup of your important data on your computer or in the cloud. The process takes about 15-20 minutes and requires a battery charge of at least 50%.
To perform a reset, go to Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Delete all data. After the reboot, you will need to set up your phone again and sign in to your Google account.
☑️ Preparing to reset your settings
⚠️ Attention: After resetting the settings, Google FRP protection will require input the password for the account that was the main one on the device before the reset. Make sure you remember it.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to combine internal memory and a memory card into one?
In modern versions of MIUI and Android, this function (Adoptable Storage) is often hidden or disabled by the manufacturer to ensure system stability. Forced activation via ADB commands is not recommended, as this can slow down the phone and lead to data loss when removing the card.
Why is space not freed up after deleting files?
Check the Trash folder in the Files and Gallery application. The files continue to take up space there for 30 days. It is also possible that the system cache has not yet been updated - try rebooting the device.
Is it safe to delete the MIUI Debug Log folder?
Yes, these are system debug logs that accumulate while the phone is running. Removing them is safe and will not affect the functionality of the device, but they may appear again during operation.
How to transfer WhatsApp to a memory card?
The app itself cannot be transferred. But in WhatsApp settings you can change the path where media files are saved. Go to Settings → Chats → Media Visibility and make sure that files are saved, and then manually move the WhatsApp folder from the internal storage to the SD card via Explorer.