Memory Cleanup on Xiaomi Redmi 8: From Cache to Deep Optimization

Xiaomi Redmi 8 with its 32 or 64 GB of internal memory is quickly clogged with photos, videos, app updates and system debris. Even if you do not install games, after a year of use of free space, less than 10% remains, and the phone begins to “brake” by issuing notifications “Memory is almost full.” In this article, 7 working methods of cleaning, from basic to advanced, taking into account the features of MIUI and the hardware limitations of Redmi 8.

It's important to understand that just deleting files is not enough. We need to approach the problem systematically: analyze what's taking up space, stop background processes, reconfigure caching and, if necessary, transfer data to a memory card, and we will analyze each method with step-by-step instructions, risk warnings and prevention tips.

This article is relevant for all versions of MIUI (from 10 to 14), including global and Chinese firmware. If your Redmi 8 runs on custom firmware (for example, LineageOS), some features may be missing - in this case, pay attention to universal methods (sections 4 and 6).

1.Analysis of occupied space: what exactly "eats" memory

Before you clean it, you need to figure out which files take up the most space. MIUI has an in-built analyzer, but it doesn't always show the full picture. Here's how to get accurate data:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Memory. Here you will see a diagram with the distribution by category: “Apps”, “Images”, “Video”, etc. Click on each category to see the details.
2. For in-depth analysis, use third-party utilities such as Files by Google or SD Maid, which will show hidden files, duplicates and remnants of deleted applications.
3. Pay attention to /Android/data/ folder – it stores the caches of games and instant messengers (for example, Telegram or WhatsApp can take up gigabytes).

Typical memory eaters on Redmi 8:

• 📸 High-resolution photos and videos (especially if the camera is set to shoot at 48 MP).
• 🎮 Cash games, for example, PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty can take up to 2-3 GB).
• 📱 Updates MIUI, which are downloaded in the background and are not always removed after installation.
• 🗑️ Residual files after uninstallation of applications (folders) /Android/obb/).

If the System section is more than 10GB occupied, it is normal for MIUI, but if the figure is more than 15GB, it is worth checking the phone for viruses or resetting the /system partition cache (about this in Section 5).

2. Cleaning the cache of applications and systems without root rights

Cache speeds up applications, but it grows to gigabytes over time; Redmi 8 can be manually or automatically cleaned. Importantly, cleaning the cache does not delete personal data (photos, messages), but can reset settings in some applications (for example, in games you will have to reload additional files).

Method 1: Clearing the cache for individual applications

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook or YouTube) and click Clear Cache.
3. To clean up completely, click “Clear Data”, but note: this will remove all settings and logins to accounts.

Method 2: Mass cleaning of the cache

• 🧹 Go to Settings. → Memory. → Clean and click “Clean” (remove the cache of all applications).
• 🔄 In the same menu, enable the option “Auto Clean” – the system will remove garbage when the charge or memory level is low.
• 🚫 Do not clear the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui) – this can cause crashes.

Method 3: Cleaning up the MIUI update cache

After updating the system, the firmware files remain in the /cache folder and can take up to 1-2 GB.

1. Open the File Manager (MI File Manager) application.
2. Go to the Inner Memory → cache.
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension or names like update.zip.

⚠️ Warning: If after cleaning the cache, applications start to “fly out” or load for a long time, restart the phone.

Close all active applications

Connect your phone to charge (the process can take 5-10 minutes)

Backup important data (in case of failure)

Check the vacant space after cleaning-->

3. Delete unnecessary files and duplicates

Even if you delete photos regularly, Redmi 8 still has invisible files: thumbnails, temporary copies, screenshots of system errors, and can be found and deleted manually or with special utilities.

How to find and delete hidden files:

1. Open MI File Manager and enable the display of hidden files (three dots in the upper right corner → Settings → Show hidden files).
2. Go to the folders: /DCIM/.thumbnails – photo and video thumbnails (you can delete without consequences). /Pictures/Screenshots – old screenshots. /Download – uploaded files from the browser or messengers.

Files by Google

Removal of duplicates:

Apps like Duplicate Files Fixer or CCleaner find repetitive photos, music and documents. On Redmi 8, this is especially true, as the camera defaults to save images in two versions: full-size and optimized for Google Photos.

Cleaning up the downloads:

• 📥 folder /Download often contains installation files (.apk) that remain after installing applications.
• 🎵 Music and podcasts from Spotify or Yandex Music cached in /Android/data/com.spotify.music/.
• 📄 Documents from Telegram or WhatsApp are accumulated in the /Android/media/.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from folders /Android/obb/ Some games (such as Genshin Impact) store critical data here, and deleting it will cause a failure.

4. Transfer data to a memory card (if supported)

Xiaomi Redmi 8 has a microSD slot (up to 512 GB), but not all data can be transferred to it.

What can be transferred:

• 📷 Photos and videos (via Gallery or Files).
• 🎵 Music and podcasts (manually or through player settings).
• 📄 Documents (PDF, Word, Excel).
• 🎮 Some games (e.g. Minecraft allows you to choose the installation path).

What can't be transferred:

• 📱 Apps (on Redmi 8, Adoptable Storage is disabled by the manufacturer).
• 📥 Cache and application data (such as saving games or WhatsApp chats).
• 🔧 System files and updates MIUI.

How to transfer photos and videos:

1. Open the Gallery, select an album, and click “More” (three dots) → “Move”.
2. Specify the memory card (/storage/XXXX-XXXX/) and confirm.
3. To automatically save new photos to the map: Camera settings → Save Place → Memory Map.

How to make a memory card the main storage by default:

Unfortunately, this is not possible on Redmi 8 without root rights, but you can manually specify the save path in each application (for example, on WhatsApp: Settings → Storage → Path to Media).

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If the memory card is not identified, format it in FAT32 or exFAT via a computer. MIUI does not support NTFS.

5. Reset the recovery cache (for power users)

If standard methods didn't work and the system takes more than 15GB, try resetting the recovery partition cache.This will delete temporary update files and debris, but will not affect personal data.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up until the MI logo appears.
3. In the recovery menu, select the language (if you have a choice) and go to Wipe & Reset.
4. Choose Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe Data – it will reset your phone to factory settings!).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 1-2 minutes).
6. Restart the phone (Reboot).

What does it mean?

• 🧹 Removes the remnants of failed updates MIUI.
• 🔄 Fixes errors such as “Insufficient Memory” when installing applications.
• 🛠️ Eliminates lags associated with overflowing cache.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone loads longer than usual (up to 5-10 minutes) after the cache is reset, do not interrupt the process.

6. Optimization of applications and background processes

Many apps (especially social networks and instant messengers) continue to run in the background, consuming memory and battery power. Redmi 8 can limit their activity.

How to limit background activity:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Facebook) and click on “Background Limitation.”
3. Turn on the option “Limit background activity” and turn off autostart.

Shutdown of autoboot:

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Auto-start.
• 🚫 Turn off auto-run for unnecessary apps (such as AliExpress or Wildberries).
• 📴 For WhatsApp and Telegram, leave auto-run, otherwise notifications will arrive with a delay.

Optimization of Google Play Services:

This system application can take up to 1 GB of cache, to reduce its impact:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Google → Google Services.
2. Turn off Data Backup and Application Auto Update (if not used).
3. Clear the Google Play Services cache (as in Section 2).

Using the Battery mode to save memory:

Turn on the power saving mode (Settings → Battery → Battery Mode → Energy Saving) This will limit background activity and reduce memory consumption.

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Limiting background processes not only frees up memory, but also increases battery life by 15-20%.

7.Extreme measures: reset to factory settings

If there is less than 1GB of free memory left and the phone slows down even after all the manipulations, the last option is a full reset.This will delete all data, including photos, messages and applications, so be sure to make a backup.

How to reset Redmi 8 to factory settings:

1. Save important data to your computer or cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud).
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Delete all data.
3. Enter the password (if set) and confirm the reset.
4. After the reboot, the phone will be like new – you will need to re-set.

What to do after the discharge:

• 🔧 Don’t restore all data at once – install critical applications first.
• 📱 Do not install applications from unknown sources (.apk from the Internet).
• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 weeks).

⚠️ Warning: If the phone fills up memory quickly again after reset, check it for viruses with Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light.

FAQ: Frequent questions about memory cleaning on Redmi 8