Discuss the category “Other” in memory Xiaomi Redmi 8

Owners of budget but reliable smartphones often face unexpected shortages of space. Xiaomi Redmi 8, with 32 or 64 gigabytes of internal memory, fills up faster than expected, and the system shows that a significant part is occupied by a section called "Other".

This mysterious category can grow to 10-15 gigabytes, causing slowdowns in the interface and the inability to install new applications. In this article, we will discuss in detail what this volume actually consists of and how to safely clean the device without losing personal data.

Understanding the structure of the MIUI file system is key to managing space, and we’ll look not only at standard cleaning methods, but also at hidden folders that are often ignored by built-in utilities.

The nature of the “Other” section in the MIUI shell

Android, in conjunction with MIUI, classifies files by type: images, videos, apps, documents, but there is a lot of data that doesn’t fall into any of these clear categories, and it is they who form the volume of the Other.

The app cache is a major component of this section: Social networks, browsers and streaming services save temporary files to speed up work, but over time this cache stops optimizing the system, but only takes up space.

In addition, this includes remnants of remote programs, error logs, temporary update files and data that applications have hidden in system folders so that the user does not delete them accidentally.

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to delete files from system folders manually through a file manager unless you know exactly what they're intended for.This could lead to unstable Xiaomi Redmi 8 performance.

It's important to understand that the file system on a smartphone is more complex than it looks, and some data is labeled "Other" temporarily, until it's rebooted or fully indexed.

Hidden backups and messenger data

One of the biggest reasons for the category’s inflatedness is messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber, which create local copies of databases and media files that the system often doesn’t recognize as normal photos or videos.

For example, Telegram stores a cache of viewed videos and files in its own folder, which in the memory statistics of Xiaomi Redmi 8 is often displayed in the “Other” or “System files” section.

• 📱 Local databases of correspondence that are not synchronized with the cloud.
• 📼 Cache of viewed stories and statuses on WhatsApp and Instagram.
• 📂 Temporary video editing files in TikTok and CapCut.
• 🗺️ Offline maps downloaded in navigators (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps).

Users often forget that voice messages also take up space. If you actively communicate in voice chats, their cache can take up several gigabytes.

To free up space, you need to go to the settings of a particular application and find the item "Memory Use", where you can safely clear the cache without deleting the correspondence itself.

Memory analysis with built-in tools

Before resorting to third-party software, it is worth using the tools that are already available in Xiaomi Redmi 8. MIUI shell has a powerful built-in utility for managing files.

Go to Settings → Storage, where the system will analyze and show a detailed breakdown. Click on “Other” to see which apps contribute the most to filling.

Users often ignore the folder MIUI/debug_log, If you're not a developer and you don't send error reports to Xiaomi, you can clear this folder.

It is also worth checking the Downloads section. The files with the.apk extension left over after installing the programs are no longer needed and rank in the Other category if the system does not recognize them as installers.

💡

Use the Cleanup feature in the Security app once a week to prevent garbage files from accumulating.

Manual cleaning through the file manager

Deeper cleaning requires a file manager, such as a standard Explorer or a more advanced MiXplorer, and you need to go to the root folder of the internal drive.

And look at the Android folder, which is where the data and obb subfolders are, and this is where the heavy game files and the application data are stored, and removing the obb folder for an already remote game will free up gigabytes of space.

For example, Tencent directory (for QQ users or some versions of WhatsApp) or Skype may contain old accepted files that you have long forgotten.

⚠️ Note: When manually cleaning folders Android/data Only remove subfolders whose names correspond to the applications that you have already deleted.

Another place to check is the thumbnails folder, which is on the DCIM/.thumbnails path, and it's where you store thumbnails of your photos, and sometimes it grows to incredible sizes if you have lots of photos and videos in the gallery.

Deleting the.thumbnails file is safe: the system will automatically recreate it, but in a smaller size when you open the gallery, and it will instantly free up space in the Other section.

Use of Developer Mode and ADB

For advanced users who want to get the most out of the Xiaomi Redmi 8, a USB debugging cleaning method is available.This requires a computer connection and an ADB driver installation.

First, activate the developer mode. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI version. After that, a new section will appear in the menu “Additional” → “For developers”.

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999

This command forcibly cuts the cache of all applications to the lowest possible value, and this is one of the most effective ways to combat the bloated "Other" section.

• 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC in file transfer mode.
• 💻 Run the command line on a computer with administrator rights.
• 📱 Allow debugging on USB in the pop-up window on the smartphone screen.

You can also use the adb shell pm list packages to see a list of all packages, and find the ones that take up the most space, even if they don’t appear in the interface.

Prevention of memory overflow

To prevent the problem from returning regularly, you need to develop a digital hygiene habit. Automatic synchronization with cloud services such as Google Photos or Xiaomi Cloud will help keep local memory clean.

Configure your messaging apps so that media files don’t automatically save to the gallery. On WhatsApp, this is done through Settings → Chats, where you can turn off the visibility of media in the gallery, which often changes the way the system stores them.

Check the installed list regularly, and if you haven't used the program for more than a month, you'd better delete it, and the residual files of such programs often migrate to the "Other" section.

⚠️ Warning: Do not install questionable accelerator apps from the Play Market. They are often the source of junk files and ads themselves.

Use the Memory Extension feature (if available in your Redmi 8 version of MIUI), which allows you to use part of your internal memory as virtual RAM, which indirectly affects your file management.

💡

Regular manual check of messenger folders and cleaning the cache once a month is more effective than any third-party accelerators.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)