How to Clean the Other section on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 is one of the most popular smartphones in the budget segment, but over time even its 64 or 128 GB of memory begins to “melt” before your eyes. The main culprit is the mysterious “Other” section in storage, which can take up 10 to 30 GB for no apparent reason. Unlike photos or applications, this data is not deleted by standard methods, and MIUI (especially versions 12-14) actively caches system processes, leaving behind gigabytes of “garbage”.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to clean the Other on the Redmi Note 8, including hidden MIUI features, working with ADB and manually deleting unnecessary files. Importantly, some methods require root rights or a PC connection, but most solutions are available without them, and you’ll learn which files are hidden under the Other label and why they come back after cleaning.

What is the “Other” section of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8?

In MIUI, the Other section is a container for system and user data that does not fall into the Applications, Media or Document categories.

• 📁 Cache of system applications (e.g. com.miui.home or com.android.systemui)
• 🗃️ Residual files after deleting programs (folders) /data/data/)
• 🔄 Logs and dumps (.log,.dumpstate files after crashes)
• 🎮 Game data (save, Game Turbo cache)
• 📱 Updates MIUI (folder /cache/ file-wise update.zip)

On the Redmi Note 8 with MIUI 12-14, the main contribution to the Other is made by:

• 🤖 Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms cache can weigh up to 2-3 GB)
• 📡 Files. OTA-Updates (even after installing the firmware)
• 📊 Usage statistics (MIUI Analyzes activity and stores data in /data/system/)

Interesting fact: on the Redmi Note 8 with pure Android (for example, after the firmware Pixel Experience) the “Other” section takes up 3-5 times less space than on MIUI.

Method 1: Clearing the cache of system applications (without root)

The safest method is to remove the cache of embedded MIUI services. On the Redmi Note 8, this can be done through a hidden settings menu:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show All Apps.
3. In the search bar, enter the name of the system service (for example, com.miui.home for launcher).
4. Select the application → Storage → Clear the cache.

List of key cleaning apps on the Redmi Note 8:

⚠️ Note: Do not clear data (clean all data) for system applications – this can lead to malfunctions MIUI. Cash is safe to remove.

Method 2: Delete files OTA-update

MIUI saves firmware files even after installing updates. On the Redmi Note 8, they can take up to 2-4 GB in the /cache/ folder.

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode).
2. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Mac/Linux) and enter: adb shell su rm -rf /cache/update rm -rf /data/ota_package/*
3. Reset the device.

If you don’t have access to your PC, use a root-enabled file manager (such as FX Explorer or Solid Explorer):

• 🔍 Go to the root catalogue (/).
• 🗑️ Delete the contents of the folders /cache/ and /data/ota_package/.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /system/ rootless can lead to a device blink. /cache/ and /data/.

💡

After cleaning, OTA-The phone is loading for a long time – don’t panic. MIUI Restores folder structure automatically, but it can take 5-10 minutes.

Method 3: Manually clean /data/log/ (root required)

MIUI maintains detailed logs of system processes that can take up to 500 MB-1 GB. These files are stored in /data/log/ and are usually not available without root.

1. Install Root Explorer or Mixplorer (with root access enabled).
2. Go to /data/log/.
3. Select all files with the extensions.log,.txt,.dumpstate.
4. Remove them and restart the phone.

Alternative method through ADB (without root, but with limitations):

adb shell


su




find /data/log -type f -name "*.log" -delete




find /data/log -type f -name "*.txt" -delete

On the Redmi Note 8, logs are especially “growing”:

• 📜 bugreport-*.zip (archives with crash reports)
• 📄 dumpstate_*.log (system state dumps)
• 📋 events.log (event log) MIUI)

Method 4: Resetting MIUI and Google statistics

MIUI and Google collect device usage data stored in /data/system/. These files can take up to 1-2 GB and are not deleted by standard means.

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Application data.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Reset Statistics.
3. To reset Google data: Open Settings → Google → Manage Google account. Go to Data and Personalization → Manage activity data. Choose Delete activity for all time.

You can also manually delete statistics files via ADB:

adb shell


pm clear com.google.android.gms




pm clear com.miui.analytics

⚠️ Note: Resetting Google statistics may result in re-authorization on some services (e.g. YouTube or Google Pay).

Method 5: Complete reset to factory settings (last resort)

If previous methods have failed, and the Other still takes up more than 10GB, the last resort is hard reset. On the Redmi Note 8, it's done like this:

1. Back up important data (photos, contacts, SMS) through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select to erase all data (reset to factory).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

After discharge:

• 📱 Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It may contain the same “junk” files.
• 🔧 Turn off automatic app updates on Google Play.
• 📊 Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.

💡

Hard reset deletes ALL data, including hidden system files, but does not guarantee that the Other will not reappear. MIUI Google.

Why does the other come back after cleaning?

Even after thorough cleaning, the "Other" section may grow back in a few days.

• 🤖 Automatic caching MIUI: The shell creates backup copies of settings and logs in the background.
• 📱 Google Play Services: Update cache in the background (especially if Auto Sync is enabled).
• 🎮 Games and Social Media: Many apps (e.g, PUBG Mobile or TikTok store data in system folders.
• 🔄 Updates MIUI: Each new firmware leaves a mark on the /cache/.

To slow the growth of the Other:

• 🛑 Turn off Auto Update. MIUI In Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🚫 Limit Google Background Activity: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Google Play Services → Battery → Limit background activity.
• 📵 Use Greenify or Brevent to freeze unnecessary services.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up the "Other" on the Redmi Note 8