How to Clear Cache on Xiaomi 8T: 5 Ways to Get Your Phone Back

Xiaomi 8T is a popular smartphone with powerful stuffing, but even it eventually begins to “brake”; the most common fault is cache: system files, remnants of deleted applications and temporary data accumulate over the years, eating precious memory and slowing down. In this article, we will analyze all the ways to clean the cache, from standard MIUI tools to hidden functions for power users.

There are three types of cache: application cache (temporary program files), Dalvik cache (optimized data to speed up application launches), and system cache (MIUI and Android files), each of which solves different problems, from freeing up memory to fixing interface errors. It is important to understand that improper cleaning of the Dalvik cache can lead to a cyclical reboot of the phone – this method requires caution.

We tested all methods on Xiaomi 8T with MIUI 12-14 firmware (including global and Chinese versions), and the instructions are valid for other Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 models (such as the POCO F1 or Mi 8), but with their interface in mind. If your phone runs on a newer version of MIUI, some menu items may be slightly different, we will warn about this separately.

1. Cleaning the app cache through settings

The safest and easiest way is to delete temporary files for individual programs.This will not delete your data (photos, messages, save in games), but will free up from 500 MB to several GB of memory, depending on the number of installed applications.

How to do this:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select Sort by size – so you will see the most “gluttonous” programs.
• 🗑️ Select an app (like Facebook or Telegram) and tap Clear Cache. For some apps (like Google Play Services), the button may be inactive – that’s OK.
• 🔄 Repeat for all applications where the clean-up button is active. Pay special attention to messengers, social networks and browsers.

⚠️ Warning: Do not confuse Clear cache and Clear data! The second option will delete all settings and files of the application (for example, chats on WhatsApp or progress in games.

Video viewing apps (YouTube, TikTok)|Messengers (Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp)|Browser (Chrome, Mi Browser)|Social networks (Facebook, Instagram)|Games (especially with 3D-graphic)-->

This method is suitable for regular cleaning, but does not solve the problem of system cache. If the phone still brakes, move on to the following methods.

2. Automatic cleaning through "Safety"

MIUI has a built-in tool for system optimization, the Security app (or Global Firmware Security), which not only clears the cache, but also closes the background processes, saving battery life.

Instructions:

1. Launch the Security app (the shield icon on the desktop).
2. Press Cleaner (or Cleaner)
3. Wait until the scan is complete, the system will show how much debris can be removed.
4. Slip Clean and confirm the action.

📌 Important: In some versions MIUI The cache clearing option is hidden behind the Deep Clean button. If it's not available, update the Security app via Play Market.

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when the phone starts to brake|Never cleaned.-->

The advantage of this method is speed and simplicity, but it does not delete the Dalvik cache and some system files that accumulate after MIUI updates.

3. Cleaning Dalvik cache (for power users)

Dalvik cache is an optimized file that Android creates to speed up the launch of applications, which can get corrupted over time, leading to errors in the system, and cleaning the Dalvik cache helps in cases where:

• 🐢 The phone is slowing down after the update. MIUI.
• 🔄 Applications are closed spontaneously.
• 📱 On the screen appears a message Android optimizes applications after each reboot.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrectly cleaning the Dalvik cache can lead to a cyclical reboot of the phone.If you are not sure about your actions, skip this partition or back up your data via Mi Cloud.

Method 1: Recovery Mode (without root rights):

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. In the recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Dalvik Cache (control – volume buttons, confirmation – power button).
4. After cleaning, restart the phone (Reboot).

Method 2: Through TWRP (requires an unlocked bootloader):

• 🔧 Boot in. TWRP Recovery.
• Go to Advanced. → Wipe Dalvik Cache.
• Confirm the swipe.
• Reboot the phone.

Once the Dalvik cache is cleared, it takes 5-10 minutes to boot the phone for the first time, which is normal. The system will re-optimize the applications. Don't interrupt the process!

4. Manual cleaning of the system cache through the file manager

Some cache files are stored in hidden folders that are not cleaned by standard methods, and you will need a root file manager (such as Root Explorer or MiXplorer) or access via ADB to delete them.

📂 What folders can be cleaned:

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in folders /system, /vendor or /data/app — If you're not sure what the folder is, you'd better not touch it.

For cleaning without root rights:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Open the command line on your PC and type in: adb shell su rm -rf /cache/* rm -rf /sdcard/lost.dir/* rm -rf /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails/*
3. Reboot the phone.

adb shell pm clear com.miui.videoplayer

Replace com.miui.videoplayer with the desired application package (you can find it through the App Inspector in the Play Market).-->

5. Cache reset via engineering menu (hidden method)

MIUI has a hidden engineering menu where you can reset some system settings, including cache, which is useful if standard methods don't help and Recovery Mode isn't available.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##4636##.
2. In the menu that opens, select Battery Information (yes, it’s weird, but it works like that).
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Clear Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

🔍 Note: This method may not work on some firmware or may cause network resets. If your mobile internet is lost after the reboot, go to Settings. → SIM-Maps and mobile networks and select the operator manually.

Alternative code for resetting the cache of the communication module (useful if the mobile Internet is slowing down): # # #72626#. Once it is entered, the phone will restart automatically.

6. Complete cache reset via Fastboot (last resort)

If all previous methods failed and the phone continues to slow down, the cache is completely cleared via Fastboot, which deletes all temporary files, including the update cache, but does not affect user data, but requires a connection to the PC and installed Xiaomi drivers.

🛠️ What's the matter:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📦 Mi Flash Tool or Fastboot from Android SDK.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume down to log into Fastboot Mode.
3. Connect the phone to the PC.
4. Open the command line in the folder with Fastboot and type: fastboot erase cache fastboot reboot

⚠️ Warning: Do not use the fastboot erase userdata command - it will delete all your data! Also do not interrupt the cleaning process, otherwise the phone may stop loading.

💡

Clearing the cache through Fastboot is the most radical method, but it is guaranteed to delete all temporary files, including those that are not cleaned by standard methods.Use it if the phone has become unbearably slow after updating MIUI or installing custom firmware.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Clearing the cache seems like a simple procedure, but many users make mistakes that only make the problems worse.

1. Cache removal of all applications in a row. Some programs (like Google Play Services or Mi Account) start to work unstable after cleaning the cache. Only clean those applications that really take up a lot of space.
2. Using Play Market cleaners: Apps like Clean Master or CCleaner often delete not only cache, but also useful files, and also show false warnings about “critical errors.”
3. Cleaning the Dalvik cache without backup, and if you don't backup, and after cleaning, the phone doesn't boot, you're going to have to reset to the factory, losing all the data.
4. Deleting files in the /system folder will result in a phone breeze (completely disabled).

💡 Tip: If the phone gets worse after cleaning the cache, it's probably not the cache, it's the firmware itself. MIUI to the latest version or reset to factory settings (but don’t forget to back up!).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions