How to clean the “Other” on Xiaomi Mi 8: step-by-step instructions with photos and videos

The “Other” section of the Xiaomi Mi 8 storage is a real black hole for free space. Even after removing all the photos, apps and cache, the system stubbornly shows that 10-20 GB is occupied by unknown things. What’s the catch? The fact is that MIUI (especially versions 12-14) refers to the “Other” cache of system processes, error logs, temporary update files, backups and even remnants of deleted applications, while standard cleaning tools like Optimization or Security often ignore this data.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to clean the Other section on the Mi 8, from secure (via built-in MIUI features) to radical (using ADB and third-party utilities). All methods are tested on MIUI 12.5, 13 and 14 firmware and do not require superuser rights. Important: before you start, back up important data — some operations can delete files without the possibility of recovery.

If you've tried to clear the cache through Settings → Storage, but the Other partition still takes gigabytes, the problem goes deeper. MIUI hides some of the system files from the user so that it doesn't break the phone, but with the right approach, you can free up 5-15 GB without risking the device, let's start with the simplest method.

1. Cleaning through the built-in "Safety" utility

The first step is to use standard MIUI tools. The Security utility (formerly Optimization) is able to find and remove up to 3-5 GB of garbage, including:

• 🗑️ Residual files after deleting applications (folders) /data/app-lib)
• 📁 Temporary system process files (e.g. com.android.providers.media)
• 🔄 Error logs and memory dumps (/data/tombstones)
• 📥 Uncompleted downloads from the browser or messengers

How to do this:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon on your desktop).
2. Go to the Cleanup tab (or Acceleration → Deep Cleanup).
3. Click Scan and wait until it is completed (may take 1-3 minutes).
4. Select the category “Junk Files” and “Residual Files”, then click “Clean”.

Not all files in the Other section will be shown here. MIUI hides some of the data so that the user does not accidentally delete critical system files. If the Other does not decrease after cleaning, move on to the next method.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use the Acceleration Clear option, which closes the background processes, but does not delete files».

2. Removing the cache of system applications manually

MIUI creates a cache for each system application, and over time it grows to several gigabytes. For example, the cache of the Gallery (com.miui.gallery) can weigh 1-3 GB, even if you haven't used photos in a long time, and the download cache (com.android.providers.downloads) accumulates garbage after each application update.

To clean it up:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the top menu, select “All Apps” (not “Installed”).
3. Sort the list by size by clicking on three dots → “By size.”
4. Open any system application (e.g., Gallery, Downloads, Contacts) and click Clear Cache.

Pay special attention to these applications (they most often take place):

• 📷 com.miui.gallery - Gallery (cash miniatures and edited photos)
• 📥 com.android.providers.downloads – Downloads Manager
• 🎵 com.miui.player - Music (cache album covers)
• 📞 com.android.contacts – Contacts (cache of avatars)
• 🌐 com.android.browser – Browser (cache of web pages)

Critical information: Do not clear the data (Clear Data button) of system applications unnecessarily! This can cause MIUI to crash (for example, all contacts or network settings will disappear).

3. Delete update files and backups

Xiaomi Mi 8 automatically saves firmware files and backups in a hidden folder /MIUI/backup. Even if you haven’t done a backup in a long time, the system can store old versions of updates there. 1-2 GB each, MIUI Creates update logs in the folder /data/log, which are never automatically removed.

How to find and delete these files:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (in File Transfer mode).
2. Open the internal memory and go to the MIUI → backup folder.
3. Delete all date folders (e.g., 2022-05-15) are old backups.
4. Go back to the root of the memory and find the folder. downloaded_rom — This is where the downloaded firmware is stored. Delete everything except the current version.

If the folders MIUI or downloaded_rom No, check hidden files (turn on the hidden folder in the file manager settings:

Control Panel → Folder settings → View → Remove the tick “Hide protected system files”

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder MIUI It's the whole thing, it's not just the backups, it's the theme settings. Only remove the backup contents and the old firmware from the backup folder. downloaded_rom.

4.Use of ADB for deep cleaning

If previous methods didn’t work, it’s time for ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a tool that allows you to delete files that aren’t available through the standard MIUI interface.

• 🗃️ folder /data/local/tmp (temporary files of system processes)
• 📜 Logs of the core in /data/tombstones (memory dumps)
• 🔧 Cash Dalvik (/data/dalvik-cache) — takes 1 GB

Instructions for cleaning through ADB:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on "Debugging by" USB» on the phone: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click 7 times to become a developer, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB.
3. Connect the Mi 8 to your PC and type in the command line: adb shell su (if root is available) rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* rm -rf /data/tombstones/* rm -rf /data/log/* exit

Without root rights, you can only clean some of the folders. Complete cleaning will require unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk, but that’s risky for the Mi 8 (Widevine L1 could break, which will stop Netflix working in HD).

5.Cache reset in Recovery Mode

If the Other takes up more than 10GB and previous methods didn’t work, try resetting the cache through Recovery, which deletes all temporary system files, including the Dalvik cache, which often grows to several gigabytes.

How to do this:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the power button + volume up to enter Recovery Mode.
3. Choose your language (if required).
4. Go to Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
6. Restart the phone (Reboot).

This method doesn’t delete user data, but resets all temporary system files. Once rebooted, the phone can run a little faster, and the “Other” partition will shrink by 2-5 GB.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! The second option will completely reset the phone to factory settings by deleting all your files.

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If the phone is slower after resetting the cache, wait 10-15 minutes. MIUI restores the Dalvik cache in the background, and at this time the device can slow down.

6. Radical method: reset to factory settings

If the Other takes 15GB or more and no methods work, it leaves a complete reset, and it deletes all data, including:

• 📱 Applications and their settings
• 📸 Photos, videos and music (if not saved) SD-map)
• 📞 Contacts, SMS Call logs (if not synced with Google)
• 🔐 Wi-Fi passwords and accounts in apps

How to Reset Xiaomi Mi 8 Right:

1. Back up important data (via Settings → Additional → Backup or manually on PC).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data”.
4. Enter your password (if required) and confirm the reset.

Once reset, the phone will be “like new” and the “Other” partition will be reduced to 1-3 GB (which is normal for a clean system), minus the method – you will have to reconfigure all applications and accounts.

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Factory reset is the only way to completely clean the Other if it is occupied by the remnants of deleted applications or corrupted system files. Use this method only as a last resort!

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the “Other” on Xiaomi Mi 8