Memory Cleanup on Xiaomi 8 Pro: A Complete Ownership Guide

Xiaomi 8 Pro is a flagship smartphone with powerful stuffing, but even it eventually begins to “brake” due to overcrowded memory. If your device gives notifications about the lack of space, applications suddenly close and photos are not saved, it’s time to act. In this article, we will discuss all effective ways to clean memory, from basic to advanced, taking into account the features of MIUI and the hardware Xiaomi 8 Pro.

It's important to understand that just delete files is not enough. We need to take a systematic approach to the problem - analyze what exactly takes up space (cache, junk data, duplicates), and clean without risking the health of the phone. We will look at both built-in MIUI tools and third-party utilities, and also give recommendations for preventing memory filling in the future.

1. Analysis of occupied space: what eats up memory?

Before you clean, you need to figure out what exactly takes up space. On the Xiaomi 8 Pro, you can do this in two ways: through built-in MIUI tools or third-party apps. The built-in analyzer gives basic information, but often does not show hidden files and cache of system applications.

To open the memory analyzer:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on the graph “Occupied” – the system will show the distribution by category (applications, multimedia, files, etc.).
3. Tap on any category (such as “Apps”) to see a detailed list.

Pay attention to the following memory eaters:

• 📱 Application cache – temporary files that can take up to 5-10 GB (especially in messengers and social networks).
• 📸 Media files – high-resolution photos (on Xiaomi) 8 The camera saves the pictures in 4000×3000 pixels), video in 4K, download.
• 🗑️ Garbage files – remnants of remote applications, system logs, duplicates.
• 🎮 Game data – game cache (e.g., game cache, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact can weigh up to 3-4 GB).

If the built-in analyzer shows an incomplete picture, install DiskUsage or Files by Google from the Play Market. These utilities scan deeper and reveal hidden files, for example, in /data or /cache folders.

2.Cleaning the app cache: Quick and secure

Cache is a temporary file that apps create to speed up work. Over time, it accumulates and can take up gigabytes. On Xiaomi 8 Pro, the cache can be cleaned selectively (for individual applications) or globally (for all at once).

To clear the cache for all applications:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the top right corner and select "Clear Cache."
3. Confirm the action – the system will remove the cache of all applications except system.

For selective cleaning:

1. In the same App Management menu, find the app you want (like WhatsApp or Instagram).
2. Click on it → “Storage” → “Clear the cache”.

Please note: Clearing the cache does not delete account data (messages, gallery photos, etc.), but it can slow down applications a little when you first start after cleaning.

⚠️ Note: Do not manually clear the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui or com.miui.home) through ADB Or Root. It could lead to the collapse of the interface. MIUI and the need to reset to factory settings.

3. Removal of junk files and duplicates

MIUI has a built-in garbage cleanup tool called Security (formerly Optimization) that deletes temporary files, remnants of deleted applications and other unnecessary data, but its capabilities are limited: it does not find duplicate photos or large files manually downloaded files.

To start the cleanup:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to the "Cleaning" tab» → «Garbage».
3. Click “Clean” and the system will show how much space will be vacated.

To search for duplicates and large files, it is better to use third-party utilities:

• 🔍 Files by Google – Finds duplicate photos, rarely used apps and suggests removing them.
• 🗃️ SD Maid (requires Root) – deep cleaning of system folders, search for “dead” files.
• 📊 CCleaner – analyzes cache, browser history and junk files.

The Xiaomi 8 Pro is particularly problematic with duplicate photos, with automatic backups to Google Photos and Mi Cloud, as well as saving edited copies to find and delete duplicates:

1. Open the Gallery → click on three dots → “Select”.
2. Select a few photos → click “More” → “Find duplicates”.
3. The system will show similar pictures - choose which ones to remove.

4.Storage optimization: transferring files to a memory card or cloud

If the Xiaomi 8 Pro has a microSD card installed, you can transfer some of the data to it, but MIUI does not support transferring all applications to the card — only multimedia and some files, and A1 or A2 memory cards are slower than the internal memory, which can slow down access to data.

To transfer files to microSD:

1. Open Files (the File Manager app).
2. Select a category (e.g., “Images” or “Video”).
3. Select files → click “More” → “Move” → select a memory card.

For automatic backup of photos and videos, set up sync with cloud services:

• ☁️ Google Photos – free to store photos in compressed quality (up to 15 GB per account).
• ☁️ Mi Cloud – 5GB free, integrated with MIUI.
• ☁️ Yandex Disk – 10 GB free, convenient for users from Russia.

To enable autoloading in Google Photos:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Slip on the avatar → “Photo settings” → “Backup and synchronization”.
3. Turn on the switch and select quality (“High” – Unlimited Storage).

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Cloud on Xiaomi 8 Pro, turn off the option “Mobile Network Sync” (Settings) → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Synchronization: otherwise, the background upload of photos consumes traffic quickly.

5. Removal of unnecessary applications and their data

Many users install apps to try and forget to delete them. Even unused programs can take up space with cache and data. The Xiaomi 8 Pro also preinstalled MIUI system applications that cannot be removed by standard methods, but can be disabled.

To remove unnecessary applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by size (click on three dots → “Sort by size”).
3. Select the application → “Delete.” If the button is inactive, click “Disable” (for system applications).

Some apps can’t be deleted, but you can clear their data (this will reset settings and delete all files associated with the program):

1. In the application management menu, select the desired one.
2. Click on “Storage” → “Clear Data”.

List of MIUI system applications that can be safely disabled (if not used):

• 🎵 com.miui.player – Music (if you use Spotify or Yandex Music).
• 📺 com.miui.videoplayer - Video player (replaced with video player) VLC).
• 📰 com.miui.browser – Mi Browser (if you use Chrome).
• 📡 com.xiaomi.scanner - Scanner QR-codes (if you don't scan frequently).

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Before you delete the app, check if it is connected to important features. For example, com.xiaomi.finddevice is responsible for finding the phone when you lose it - it is not recommended to turn it off.

6.Reset to factory settings: a last resort

If all previous methods have failed and there is critically little space (less than 1 GB) left on the Xiaomi 8 Pro, you will have to resort to a complete reset.This will delete all data, including apps, photos and settings, so be sure to back up.

To reset the phone:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Reset all settings” (or “Delete all data”).
3. Enter the password (if installed) and confirm the action.

Once reset, the phone will reboot and be like new.

• 🔑 Sign in to your Mi Account (if linked).
• 📱 Restore data from a backup (if it was created).
• 🔄 Install the required applications again.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi 8 Pro reset via Recovery Mode (Power buttons) + Vol Up erases all internal memory, including folder DCIM If the phone doesn't turn on and the data is important, first remove the memory card (if any) and connect the phone to your PC to copy the files.

7.Memory Fill Prevention: Rules for Xiaomi 8 Pro

To prevent memory from filling up too quickly on Xiaomi 8 Pro, follow these guidelines:

• 📲 Turn off auto download in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram): Settings → Data and storage → Autoboot multimedia.
• 🎥 Shoot the video in Full HD, not 4K, If you do not need maximum detail (the difference in file size is 3-4 times).
• 🔄 Clean up downloads regularly: The Download folder often contains unnecessary files (APK, PDF, archive).
• 🚫 Do not install memory cleaners – they take up space and are often useless.

Also set up automatic cleaning in MIUI:

1. Open Security → Cleanup → Settings (cog in the corner).
2. Turn on Auto Clean and set a schedule (e.g. once a week).

If you often install APK-Files from third-party sources, use APK Extractor to back up installed applications, so you don't have to download them again after you reset them.

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Regular cache cleaning and deleting unnecessary files allows you to keep the Xiaomi 8 Pro working without resetting to factory settings. However, if the phone is used actively (a lot of photos, games, instant messengers), a complete reset every 1-2 years helps to return the original performance.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleaning on Xiaomi 8 Pro