Cache Clearing on Xiaomi Mi 8: A Complete Guide for All Versions of MIUI

Why Xiaomi Mi 8 is slowing down and how cache affects performance

Even the flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi 8, released in 2018 with the top chipset Snapdragon 845, after 2-3 years of active use begins to “hang”, the reason for this is not only the moral obsolescence of iron, but also clogged cache — temporary files that the system and applications accumulate to speed up the work. Paradox: what should optimize speed, over time kills it.

The Mi 8 cache is divided into three types: system (MIUI files), application cache (messaging, social media, games) and Dalvik cache (optimized code for fast downloading programs). Ideally, the system manages this garbage itself, but in practice - especially after MIUI upgrades to versions 12.5+ - automatic cleaning works poorly. The result: busy gigabytes of memory, lags when opening applications and sudden reboots.

This article is not about radical reset to factory settings (although this is the way we will consider), but about spot cleaning of the cache without losing photos, contacts and messages. You will learn how to free up to 3-5 GB of space, return smooth animations and even extend the life of the battery - after all, the background processes associated with a crowded cache consume charge 15-20% faster.

Method 1: Clearing the cache of individual applications through settings

The safest method is to manually clean the cache for specific programs, which does not affect system files and does not require superuser rights, but is suitable if only one application (for example, Instagram or Google Chrome) is slowed down.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the right app (for example, Facebook).
3. Choose Warehouse.
4. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – it will delete all settings and accounts!).

For convenience, sort apps by cache size: in the same Application Management menu, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Size. So you quickly find the main memory eaters, for example, Telegram cache can take up to 1-2 GB, and Google Play Services can take up to 500 MB.

📱 Social media (Facebook, VK, Instagram - up to 1.5 GB

🎮 Games (PUBG, Genshin Impact – up to 3GB

📺 Media Players (YouTube, MX Player - up to 800MB

🗺️ Maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator) – up to 1 GB

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⚠️ Note: Do not cache system applications named com.android. or com.miui. manually – this can cause malfunctions MIUI. Use method 3 (cleaning through Recovery) for them).

Method 2: Automatic cleaning through “Safety” (MIUI Optimizer)

MIUI 10-14 firmware has a built-in optimization tool called Security (or Security in global versions) that not only removes cache, but also closes the background processes, saving battery life.

How to use:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to the Optimization (or Cleaner) tab.
3. Click Deep Clean (not to be confused with Quick Cleanup – it only deletes temporary files).
4. Check the Cash of applications and Garbage files, then tap Clean.

The advantage of this method is that it analyzes all types of cache, including residual files after deleted applications, for example, after uninstallation of a game, folders with weight may remain. 100-300 MB in /Android/obb/. MIUI Optimizer finds them.

Once a week | Once a month | Only when it brakes | Never cleared |I don't know what it-->

Method 3: Clear cache via Recovery Mode (for system files)

If the Mi 8 has become very slow after updating MIUI or installing custom firmware, the usual methods may not help, in which case you need to clear the Dalvik cache and system cache through Recovery mode, which does not delete user data, but resets some of the system settings.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up at the same time and hold for 10-15 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select the language (if you have a choice), then tap Wipe & Reset.
4. Choose Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe All Data – it’s a complete reset!).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 1-2 minutes).
6. Restart the device via Reboot.

⚠️ Attention: If after cleaning the cache through Recovery, the smartphone loads longer than usual (up to 5-10 minutes), this is normal!

Method 4: Using ADB for deep cleaning (for advanced)

If you are familiar with the command prompt, you can clear the cache through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) this method is useful when standard methods do not work or you need to remove the cache of system applications without risking damage to the MIUI.

What you need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 On the smartphone enabled Developer Mode and Debugging by USB.

Cleanup commands:

adb shell pm clear --user 0 com.android.chrome # Clearing Chrome cache


adb shell pm clear --user 0 com.facebook.katana # Clearing Facebook cache




adb shell su -c 'rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*' # Cleaning Dalvik cache (requires root)

To clean the cache of all user applications, use:

adb shell pm trim-caches 500M

This command will limit the cache of all applications to 500 MB.

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Before using ADB, back up your data via Mi Cloud or Google Drive. A command error can result in the wrong files being deleted.

Method 5: Complete reset (last resort)

If none of the methods worked, and the Mi 8 is still lagging, then there is Hard Reset, a factory reset, which will delete all data, including photos, messages and installed apps, but return the smartphone to the “second wind”.

How to reset:

1. Create a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Reset all settings and confirm the action.
4. After the reboot, set up your smartphone as new.

After discharge:

• 🔄 Do not restore data from a backup right away – check the clean system first.
• 📥 Install applications gradually, watching the performance.
• 🔋 Calibrate the battery: discharge the smartphone to 0% and charge up to 100% without interruptions.

💡

Resetting to factory settings is a last resort: 80% of the time, cleaning the cache through Recovery (method 3) or ADB (method 4) is enough.

How to prevent cache clogging in the future

To avoid having to clean the cache every week, follow the simple rules:

1. Turn off autoloading of unnecessary apps: Go to Settings → Apps → Autostart and turn off autoload for instant messengers, games and social networks that you rarely use.
2. Limit background activity: In Settings → Battery → Select battery mode, choose Saving Charge or Balanced. This will reduce the background activity of applications.
3. Use lighter versions of apps: Replace Facebook with Facebook Lite and Instagram with Instagram Lite, which take up 2 to 3 times less space and don't clog up.
4. Update MIUI regularly: New firmware versions optimize cache management algorithms. Check for updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update.

It’s also worth installing a memory monitoring app like Files by Google or CCleaner (but don’t overuse automatic “cleansing” – they can delete useful files).

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the cache on Xiaomi Mi 8