What is the “Other” in Xiaomi Redmi 8T memory and how to clean it

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 8T smartphones often face a paradoxical situation: the gallery is empty, applications are removed, and free space is steadily disappearing. The culprit usually becomes the mysterious “Other” section, which can grow to tens of gigabytes, turning the once-quick budgetary into a slow device. Understanding the nature of this section is the key to returning performance to your gadget without having to buy a new phone.

The MIUI system installed on Redmi 8T classifies files quite specifically, and anything that doesn't fall into the categories of "Applications," "Photos," "Video," "Music" or "Documents" automatically goes to "Other," a kind of file system black box where the remnants of remote programs, streaming cache, and system logs accumulate.

In this article, we will discuss in detail what this volume actually consists of, why standard cleaning methods are often powerless and how to safely free up space. Do not ignore memory overflow, as this leads to reduced speed and possible malfunctions in the operating system.

Anatomy of the "Other" section in MIUI

The Other section on Redmi 8T is not a single file, but a collection of disparate data, primarily app cache, social media, messengers, and browsers save temporary files to load content quickly, and over time, that data can weigh more than the operating system itself.

The second important component is system logs and error reports. Android keeps a detailed record of system actions, and if the application often crashes or malfunctions, these logs can grow exponentially. MIME-Types of file, such as files with modified extensions or damaged archives.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete files from system folders through root-righted file managers without knowing exactly what they are intended for. Deleting critical libraries can result in a cyclical device reboot (bootloop).

The third element is the tails of remote applications, and even after uninstallation, folders with settings or temporary data may remain in memory, and MIUI does not always correctly track these residues, especially if the application was removed in a non-standard way.

Finally, Other often hides offline maps and cache maps from games, and if you’ve ever used Google Maps or Yandex.Navi offline, these gigabytes of data might be counted in that category, rather than as regular documents.

The main reasons for the growth of hidden files

One of the main reasons for overflow is the active use of instant messengers, especially Telegram and WhatsApp. These applications are set to automatically save all received media files to cache. If there are a lot of videos and “circles” in chat rooms, the cache can grow to 5-10 GB, which the system sees as “Other”.

Streaming services also contribute. YouTube, Netflix and music services cache buffered video. Even if you haven't downloaded the clips for offline viewing, temporary buffer files can take up a significant amount. MIUI cleanup algorithms don't always aggressively delete this temporary data, believing that it might be needed to quickly re-upload.

• 📱 Social media cache: Instagram and TikTok tapes upload previews and videos to memory, creating huge arrays of temporary data.
• 🗑️ Residual files: Folders from long-deleted games and programs that were not erased by the uninstaller.
• 📦 System Updates: Files from previous firmware versions that are sometimes saved for rollback but often remain dead weight.
• 📂 Unknown formats: Files obtained via Bluetooth or from unverified sources that the system cannot classify.

Another reason is background processes, where some applications can create temporary files to work and forget to delete them when the task is complete, and this becomes critical faster on the Redmi 8T with its storage capacity than on flagships.

Standard cleaning methods through settings

The safest way to start the fight for gigabytes is to use Xiaomi’s built-in tools, which offer basic garbage removal functionality that, while not perfect, can remove the surface layer of accumulated junk.

To start, go to the Security app (green lightning icon). Select Clean. The system will analyze the device and suggest removing the app cache, advertising files and remnants of deleted programs. Read carefully what exactly is proposed to be deleted so that important data is not accidentally erased.

⚠️ Note: Standard cleaning often does not affect the cache of messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), as it considers correspondence to be important user data.

You should also use Deep Clean up on the same menu, which scans large files, duplicates and long-overdue apps, and it's a good way to find forgotten videos or APK installation packages that are taking up space.

Don't forget to manually clean the cache in the settings. Go to Settings → Memory → Clear Memory. You can see the categorization here. If the Other section is still large, move on to deeper methods.

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Before any major cleanup, back up important contacts and photos to the Google or Mi Cloud cloud.This will take a couple of minutes, but will save your data in case of an error.

Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks

As mentioned earlier, the lion’s share of The Other is messengers. Telegram cleanses most efficiently through built-in settings, bypassing Android system tools. Open Telegram, go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use.

Here you'll see a caching slider. Set a limit of, say, 256 MB or 1 GB. Also click "Clear cache." Importantly, this action won't delete your correspondence or photos, they're stored on the server. If necessary, the media files will be downloaded again when viewed.

WhatsApp is similar, but requires a little more attention. Go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. Here you can see which chats take up the most space, and delete media selectively or completely.

Social networks like VK or Instagram also accumulate gigabytes of cache. These apps often have a “Clear Cache” feature in their settings. If it’s not available, the only safe way to do so is to reinstall the app or clear the data in your Android settings (Applications → VK → Storage → Clear Cache).

Use of third-party disk space analyzers

When the built-in tools are powerless, specialized tools come to the rescue, and applications like Files by Google, DiskUsage, or SD Maid allow you to visualize the file system and find the heavyweights hidden in the back of the folders.

DiskUsage is one of the best visualization tools. It's a block map memory. You'll immediately see which folder takes up the most space. Often it's the Android/data folder, where game and application data is stored.

When using such programs, be careful: Do not delete files whose purpose you do not know, especially if they are in system partitions. Delete only what you are sure of: cache, logs, temporary files.