How to Clean Up 'Other Files' on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8

Owners of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 smartphone often face a difficult situation: the device’s memory is full, although there are no unnecessary photos in the gallery, and applications are deleted. The system shows that a significant amount of the category “Other files” or “Other”, but does not provide standard tools for its rapid cleaning, a problem characteristic of the MIUI shell, which aggressively caches data and saves temporary files.

The accumulation of digital debris leads to slowdowns in the interface, long downloads of applications and the inability to install important updates. Cleaning the Others section is not just about freeing up gigabytes, but a way to extend the life of the device. In this article, we will discuss safe methods for removing excess without touching your personal documents.

There are several levels of cleanup, from standard system tools to advanced tools, and it's important to understand that the files in the Others folder on Redmi Note 8 are often messenger cache and residual data from remote programs, and we'll go from simple settings to deep cleaning of the file system.

Analysis of the occupied space through settings

Before you delete anything, you need to determine exactly what's taking up space. MIUI It's not always accurate, but it gives you a general idea. → Memory. Here you'll see a color diagram where the gray or blue section may be marked "Others».

Often, users don't notice that the system classifies the bulk cache of apps like Telegram or YouTube as "Other Files." Click on "Clean" in the same menu. The system will prompt you to delete temporary files, but often leaves large cache files intact.

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to delete files through Android system folders unless you're sure of their purpose.Deleting system libraries could lead to a cyclical reboot of the Redmi Note 8.

For a more detailed analysis, use the built-in Security app, run it and select the Cleanup tool, and the scanner will find not only garbage, but also duplicate photos, large files and rarely used apps, which is the first step to freeing up space.

💡

Standard cleaning only removes surface debris, leaving the app cache intact, so a manual approach is required.

Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks

The main source of the Others expansion is messengers. WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber store every photo and video you view in the memory of the device. On the Redmi Note 8, with its limited internal memory, this becomes critical.

Consider the cleaning process using Telegram, which is famous for its voracious cache. Go to the app settings, select Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the Clear Cache button. After this operation, the Others section can decrease by several gigabytes.

You need to do the same for other apps. Youtube and Google Chrome also accumulate temporary files. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find the right app and click Clear Cache. It is important not to confuse it with the Clear Everything button, which will reset the authorization.

• 📱 Open the settings of a specific messenger.
• 💾 Find the Data and Memory section or the Storage section».
• 🗑️ Click on “Clear Cache” to make sure you don’t delete important chats.
• 🔄 Repeat the procedure for all heavy apps (Instagram, TikTok).

Regularly cleaning the messenger cache is the most effective way to combat memory overflow, and many users forget about it until the phone starts to brake. Set up automatic cleaning in the applications themselves, if this feature is available.

Files in the MIUI and Download folder

The MIUI shell creates many temporary files during system operation and application installation, and these files often remain in the system even after successful software upgrades or installations, and require a built-in Explorer to delete them.

Open the Explorer app and go to the root folder. Find the folder. MIUI. It often hides folders inside. debug_log Or a gallery with cloud previews that you don't need anymore, and it's also worth checking the Download folder, where all files from your browser are downloaded by default.

Download often contains APK installation files from older versions of apps, which can be deleted, and check the folders from remote games, which can leave tails in the form of cache or configs.

⚠️ Attention: In the folder MIUI You have system subfolders. You only delete the contents of the folders. debug_log, gallery (if you don't need previews) and custom folders. Don't touch files with the.xml or.ini extension at the root MIUI.

And the bluetooth folder, if you've ever transferred files over Bluetooth, they could stay there forever, check the contents through the explorer and delete the unnecessary ones.

Use of the Files app from Google

Xiaomi’s standard Explorer is functional, but sometimes hides some system folders. For a deeper cleanup, install Files by Google. It has a more advanced algorithm for finding duplicates and temporary files.

Once installed, launch the app and give it permission to access files. Go to the Cleanup tab. The app prompts you to remove Unused Apps, Screenshots, and Large Files. Google's algorithm often finds what the standard MIUI analyzer misses.

Files by Google is a feature of clever categorization, which can show that you have 10 identical photos taken at intervals per second (serial shooting), or videos that you have already sent in messengers, but they are preserved in their original quality.

• 🔍 Scanning takes up 1-2 minutes depending on the amount of memory.
• 📂 The application groups files by type (memes, gifs, screenshots).
• 🗑️ Secure Deletion: The app warns if the file may be system-based.
• 📈 It allows you to see the dynamics of memory filling in real time.

Using a third-party but verified FileManager helps maintain order, but you should be careful with the Clear Everything feature, as it can delete files you planned to save.

Hidden folders.thumbnails and system debris

One of the heaviest hidden folders is.thumbnails. It's on the DCIM →.thumbnails path. It stores thumbnails of all your photos and videos. With a lot of media, this folder can grow to a few gigabytes.

Deleting the contents of this folder is safe -- the system will just recreate the thumbnails when you open the gallery, which will temporarily load the processor, but free up space. To see this folder, you need to enable the hidden files in the Explorer settings.

Also worth paying attention to is the Android/data folder, which stores game and app data, and cleans it wisely: deleting the folder of a particular application will reset its settings or progress (if it is not saved in the cloud), but folders with remote game names can be deleted without fear.

Cleaning hidden folders requires care. Always check the date of creation of files. If the folder was updated today, it is better not to touch its contents until you find out what process it belongs to.

Radical methods: resetting and flashing

If the software cleanup doesn't work and the Others section continues to grow at 10-15GB, there may have been errors in the file system, in which case a full factory reset helps, guaranteed to remove all the debris, but requires backup.

Before reset, be sure to save important data to your computer or Google Drive cloud. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase all data. After that, the phone will be as new and the Other category will disappear or become minimal.

⚠️ Warning: Settings reset removes ALL data from the internal drive, including photos, contacts and apps. Make sure you have an up-to-date backup.

The alternative is to flash the device through the computer using the Mi Flash Tool with the option “Clean all” and reinstall the system cleanly, fixing possible file system errors that could have caused a false display of memory.

💡

Before performing a full reset, charge the Redmi Note 8 to at least 60% so that the process does not interrupt due to battery discharge.

After reset, take your time to install all the applications at once, install them one at a time, and monitor the growth of memory, which will help identify the culprit application that creates excess cache.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)