The appearance of the system notification “Not enough memory on the phone” on Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones blocks the installation of updates, causes applications to malfunction and critically slows down the interface, which is especially important for budget and mid-budget models with limited internal storage capacity.
The reasons for storage overflow can be very different: from messenger cache accumulated over years of use to system errors when the phone incorrectly displays free space. In this article, we will look in detail at how to safely and effectively free up space without losing important data. You will learn about the hidden functions of the shell MIUI and HyperOSthat will help restore the device to its former speed.
Do not panic and immediately run to the store for a new gadget. In most cases, the problem can be solved using software methods in 15-20 minutes. We'll look at both standard cleaning tools and more in-depth file management techniques that are often overlooked by regular users. It is important to understand the difference between random access memory (RAM) and built-in memory (ROM), since the methods for optimizing them are radically different.
Storage diagnostics and occupied space analysis
The first step in solving the problem is to understand exactly what is taking up space on your drive. System Android in conjunction with the shell from Xiaomi provides convenient tools for data visualization. Go to Settings → About phone → Storage. Here you will see a color chart where each sector is responsible for a specific type of file: applications, images, video, audio or system data.
It often turns out that the lion's share of space is occupied not by the applications themselves, but by their data. Messengers like Telegram or Viber can quietly “eat up” tens of gigabytes, saving every photo and video viewed in a cache. If the “Applications” sector occupies more than 60% of the total volume, then it’s time to audit the installed software. Delete games that you have not played in the last three months and duplicate apps.
⚠️ Attention: Do not delete system applications marked with a robot icon or located in the “System” folder unless you are 100% sure of their purpose. This can lead to unstable operation Redmi or an endless reboot (bootloop).
For a more in-depth analysis, you can use third-party utilities, but the built-in file manager from Xiaomi usually copes better, since it has access to all system folders. Pay attention to the folder Android/datawhere caches of games and heavy applications are stored. Sometimes cleaning this particular directory frees up to 5-10 GB of space instantly.
Using the built-in Cleaning application
In every smartphone Xiaomi The proprietary “Security” application (green shield icon) is preinstalled, which includes a powerful “Cleaning” module. This is the first tool you should turn to when you see an out of memory error. The app's operating algorithm automatically scans the device for temporary files, residual data from deleted applications and advertising cache.
Launch the application and press the button Cleaning. The system will offer to delete files that it considers safe to delete. However, you should not blindly trust automation. Before confirming the action, carefully review the list of found objects. Sometimes important photo thumbnails or temporary files of work documents fall into the “Trash” category.
- 🧹 Application cache: Temporary files that speed up the launch of apps, but take up a lot of space.
- 📦 Residual files: Folders and configs remaining after uninstalling games and software.
- 📸 Image thumbnails: Hidden thumbnails of photos that the gallery creates for quick preview.
- 📢 Advertising cache: Files downloaded by free applications for displaying advertising.
After standard cleaning, go to the “Deep cleaning” section. Here you can delete old installation files APKthat were left after updating apps, and large files that you might have forgotten to transfer to your computer. The WhatsApp Cleanup feature allows you to selectively delete videos and pictures from chats, leaving only text conversations, which is extremely useful for saving space.
Regularly empty the trash in the Gallery and Files application. Deleted files do not disappear immediately, but are stored there for 30 days, continuing to take up space in the storage of your Redmi.
Optimizing the work of instant messengers and social networks
Modern instant messengers have turned into real harvesters, consuming a colossal amount of memory resources. Owners Xiaomi they often complain that even after clearing the cache, the space quickly runs out. The secret lies in the media autoload settings. By default, Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber save each received image and video to the phone’s internal memory.
To stop this process, you need to go to the settings of each messenger separately. Go Telegram to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage and set the cache storage limit, for example, to 1 GB or 500 MB. Also turn off the “Save to gallery” toggle switch. This will prevent duplication of files: they will be available in the chat, but will not take up space in the general gallery of the phone.
In WhatsApp the situation is similar: go to Settings → Data and storage and disable autosave media to gallery. For already accumulated garbage, use the built-in storage management function inside the application itself. It will show the “heaviest” chats and allow you to delete media files selectively without losing the chat history.
| Application | Path to cleaning | Recommended limit cache |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Settings → Data and memory | 500 MB - 1 GB |
| Settings → Data and storage | Manual cleaning once a week | |
| Viber | More → Settings → Memory | Clear the cache completely |
| Phone settings → Applications | Clearing the cache in the Android settings |
⚠️ Attention: Clearing data (not to be confused with clearing the cache) in the messenger application settings will lead to completely deleting your correspondence and logging out of your account. Be extremely careful and select the “Clear cache” item.
Transferring photos and videos to the cloud or to a PC
Media files - photos and videos - are the main consumers of space on any smartphone, and Redmi is no exception. Modern phone cameras shoot in high definition, and one minute-long 4K video can weigh several hundred megabytes. It becomes physically impossible to store terabytes of memories in the built-in memory of 64 or 128 GB.
The most reliable way to free up space is to transfer the archive to external media or cloud storage. Ecosystem users Xiaomi can use the cloud Mi Cloud, which is integrated directly into the gallery. However, there is not much free space there (only 5 GB), so for large archives it is better to consider alternatives: Google Photos, Yandex.Disk or Cloud Mail.ru.
Set up automatic uploading of photos to the selected service. After you make sure that the photos are uploaded to the cloud, use the “Free up space” function (it deletes copies from the phone, leaving them in the cloud). For videos that take up a critical amount of space, it is recommended to manually transfer them to your computer via a USB cable or use a file manager to transfer to a memory card Google Photos it deletes the copies from the phone, leaving them in the cloud). For videos that take up a critical amount of space, it is recommended to manually download them to your computer via a USB cable or use a file manager to transfer them to a memory card microSDif your model Redmi supports this function.
☑️ Preparing for transfer photo
Don't forget about the folder DCIM. This is where all the pictures from the camera are stored. If you're actively shooting video, also check the folder MIUI Inside DCIM, which may store screenshots and screen recordings that you might have forgotten about.
Manage applications and transfer to a memory card
If the built-in memory is critically low, you should think about transferring some applications to a memory card. Although modern versions Android limit this ability for security and performance reasons, on many devices Xiaomi with shell MIUI this option is still available or can be activated through the developer settings.
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Choose a heavy app or game (for example PUBG or Call of Duty). If the “Move to SD card” button is active, feel free to click it. This will transfer the main application file, freeing up valuable megabytes on the internal partition. Unfortunately, some of the data will still remain in the internal memory, but this is better than nothing.
For games, it is often possible to transfer the cache (folders obb and data). Some file managers, such as Total Commander or the built-in explorer Xiaomiallow you to manually move these folders to the memory card. However, after the transfer, the game may not start if the paths to the files are not written correctly. In this case, you will have to return the files back.
How to activate forced transfer of applications?
To do this, you need to enable developer mode (click on the build number 7 times in "About phone"), then in the "For Developers" menu find the item "External drives as internal memory" or "Allow saving to external drives." However, this method may lead to unstable operation of some applications.
Regularly check the list of installed apps. Often, applications that you used once when setting up a new phone remain on your phone. Removing even five such apps of 100-200 MB each can provide the necessary space for the system to operate.
Resetting settings as a last resort
If all of the above methods did not help, and the system continues to claim that the memory is full even though you have deleted almost everything, there may be a file system error or critical system garbage has accumulated that cannot be cleaned normally. In this case, the only effective solution is a full reset to factory settings.
This procedure will return your Xiaomi Redmi to the state in which it was immediately after purchase. All user data, accounts, photos and applications will be permanently deleted. Therefore, before starting the operation, it is critical to create a complete backup of your data on your computer or in the cloud.
To perform a reset, go to menu Settings → About phone → Reset settings. Select "Delete all data". The phone will reboot and begin the cleaning process, which may take from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the storage capacity. After turning on, you will receive a clean system with the maximum amount of free memory.
⚠️ Attention: Before resetting the settings, be sure to remove the SIM card and memory card microSDif installed. This will protect your contacts on the SIM card and files on the flash drive from accidental formatting, although the system usually warns about this.
Full reset is a radical, but the most effective way to get rid of file system errors and hidden system garbage that cannot be removed by other methods.
Often asked questions (FAQ)
Why is space not freed up after deleting applications?
This is a common problem on Android. When you uninstall an application, its data and cache folder sometimes remains in memory. You need to go to the file manager, find the folder Android/data and manually delete the remains of deleted apps. Also check the recycle bin in the gallery and file manager.
Is it possible to increase the memory on Redmi programmatically?
It is impossible to physically increase the internal memory (ROM) programmatically. The "Memory Expansion" function that is advertised Xiaomi, uses part of the random access memory (RAM) as virtual swap for running applications, but does not increase the storage space for photos and files.
What is the .thumbnails folder and can it be deleted?
This is a hidden folder where the system stores thumbnails of all your photos for quick display in the gallery. Over time, it can grow to several gigabytes. It can be safely deleted through the file manager (by turning on the display of hidden files), but the system will create it again over time.
The phone says “Memory is full,” although I see free space. What to do?
This is a data caching bug in the system. Try rebooting your phone into safe mode or clearing the cache of the Storage (Media Server) application through the app settings. As a last resort, only resetting to factory settings will help.
How to transfer WhatsApp to a memory card on Xiaomi?
It is often impossible to directly transfer the WhatsApp application itself to a memory card. However, you can transfer media files. In the phone settings, find WhatsApp, click “Storage” and change the path for saving files, if such an option is available in your version MIUI, or manually move the folder WhatsApp/Media to the SD card.