How to Clean the Other section on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T: A Complete Guide with Tables and Tips

Why Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T is clogged memory and what is the “Other”?

You notice that your Redmi Note 8T suddenly ran out of space, even though there are almost no photos and apps? The culprit is the mysterious Other section in the memory settings. It's not just garbage: there's a cache of system processes, remnants of deleted applications, temporary update files and even hidden messenger data. In practice, The Other can take anywhere from 3-5 GB to 15+ GB - especially if the smartphone is used for more than a year without cleaning.

The problem is compounded by the fact that MIUI (Xiaomi firmware) actively caches data to speed up work, but often forgets to delete it. For example, after upgrading the system through OTA, old firmware files can remain in memory as “junk.” The same goes for the Google Play Services cache, which grows to a giant size. In this article, we will discuss how to safely clean the “Other” without resetting to factory settings and losing personal data.

Important: On the Redmi Note 8T with MIUI below 12.5, cleaning the Other through standard settings may not work – additional steps will be required (see ADB section).

Method 1: Cleaning the cache of system applications

Start with the safest method, manually cleaning the cache of embedded services, and more often than not, the Other is inflated by:

• 📱 Google Play Services – caches data to work with a Google account (can take up to 2-3 GB).
• 🔄 MIUI System – system log files and temporary firmware data.
• 📊 Download Manager – Remains of downloaded but not installed APK-file.
• 🎵 Media Storage – Miniatures and Media Metadata (even after deleting files).

Instructions:

1. For Google Play Services, also click Space Management → Clear all data (this won’t delete your accounts, but may require re-entering a password in some apps).

Clear the Google Play Services cache | Delete Download Manager | Check the MIUI System for large files |Reboot the phone after cleaning-->

Result: usually freed 1-4 GB. If the volume of the "Other" has not changed, move to the next method.

Method 2: Remove the remnants of MIUI updates through Storage Analyzer

Xiaomi stores firmware files in a hidden /cache folder, even after a successful upgrade. On the Redmi Note 8T, these files can weigh up to 1-2 GB and not appear in a standard file manager.

Use the built-in Storage Analyzer tool (available in MIUI 12+):

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis.
2. Wait for the scan to be completed and click on the Other section.
3. In the list, find folders with names like com.xiaomi.market, ota_update or fota are the remnants of updates.
4. Click on the folder and select Delete.

After cleaning, restart your phone. If the volume of the Other has decreased slightly, check the log files:

• 📄 folder /data/log — Contains debugging information (can be manually deleted).
• 🔧 folder /data/tombstones — System error dumps (safe to remove).

Method 3: Recovery Mode cache reset (without data loss)

If previous methods didn't work, try resetting the cache partition through recovery mode. This doesn't affect personal files, but deletes all temporary system data.

1. Turn off the Redmi Note 8T.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (use volume buttons for navigation, power button for confirmation).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 1-2 minutes).
5. Choose Reboot. → Reboot to System.

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

After restarting, check the Other's capacity in the memory settings, which usually frees up 2 to 5 GB if the system cache was the problem.

Once a month |Only when I run out of memory |Never cleaned |Use automatic cleaners-->

Method 4: Remove unnecessary APKs and application residues via ADB

Sometimes the “Other” is inflated due to the remnants of deleted applications or preinstalled ones. MIUI-services that cannot be removed by standard means. ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

Preparation:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-Drivers and open the command line in the folder with the platform-tools.

Cleanup commands:

adb shell pm list packages -f | grep "xiaomi" | awk '{print $2}' | xargs adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0


adb shell pm list packages -d | xargs adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0

These teams:

• 🧹 Delete everything. MIUI-Applications that can be uninstalled without root rights (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music).
• 🗑️ Clear the remnants of previously deleted programs (.apk files and data in the /data/app).

⚠️ Note: Do not use the command adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.xxx for system components (e.g. com.android.phone) – this can disrupt your phone!

After completing the commands, restart the phone. You can check the result in Settings → Memory.

Method 5: Manually clean.thumbdata and.nomedia folders

Photos and videos create hidden thumbnails (.thumbdata) and metadata (.nomedia) files that take up hundreds of megabytes but don't show up in the gallery. On the Redmi Note 8T, these files often remain even after the original media is deleted.

How to find and remove them:

1. Install a file manager with hidden file support (such as Solid Explorer or Root Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails /storage/emulated/0/Pictures (look for.thumbdata3* files) /storage/emulated/0/Download (folders with.nomedia)

.thumbdata

.thumbdata3

.nomedia

💡

To prevent.thumbdata from being re-accumulated, turn off self-creating thumbnails in the gallery: open Gallery → Settings → Additional → Turn off "Create thumbnails."

What do you do if nothing helps?

If the “Other” section still takes up a lot of space after all the manipulations, the reasons may be more serious:

• 🔍 Damaged file system – requires flashing through Fastboot.
• 📦 Hidden viruses – some Trojans masquerading as system files (check out Malwarebytes).
• 🛠️ Hardware problem - wear of flash memory (typical for phones older than 3 years).

For diagnosis:

1. Install DiskUsage from Google Play – it visualizes which files are taking up space.
2. If you find a folder with an unfamiliar name (e.g. com.sec.android.app.launcher on Xiaomi), search the web before deleting it.
3. In extreme cases, perform a reset to factory settings (don’t forget to make a backup!).

💡

If the Other takes up more than 10 GB and does not clean, this is an occasion to check the phone for viruses or contact a service center. On the Redmi Note 8T with worn memory (write cycles > 1000), you may need to replace the storage chip.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up the "Other" on Xiaomi