How to clean up memory on Xiaomi Redmi 8T

Modern applications and multimedia files take up more and more space, turning the problem of shortage of gigabytes into a daily headache for owners of Xiaomi Redmi 8T. This smartphone, despite its popularity and balance of price with quality, often faces an overflow of internal storage, which leads to a noticeable decrease in performance and system errors. When the free space runs out, the device begins to work slower, and some programs may simply stop starting or flying.

However, don’t rush to buy a new model or memory card if the current situation seems critical. Proper cleaning of the system, deleting hidden temporary files and properly configuring cloud services allow you to return the device to its former speed. In this article, we will discuss effective methods of freeing up space that will help your Redmi 8T fly again, like on the first day after purchase.

Analysis of storage occupancy and search for large files

Before we start taking drastic measures, we need to determine exactly what is eating up precious gigabytes. The MIUI shell on Redmi 8T has a powerful analysis tool built in that visualizes the distribution of data. Users are often surprised to find that a significant portion is not the apps, but the messenger cache or forgotten video files in download folders.

For a detailed look, go to Settings → Storage. This is where the system will suggest a primary cleanup, but we need a deeper analysis. Click on Documents or Apps to see the customer rating of the place. Often it turns out that Telegram or WhatsApp alone can take up to 10-15 GB if the chats were actively sharing video and voice messages.

Special attention should be paid to the Downloads folder, many users have been downloading installation files for years. APK, PDF-documents and images from browsers, forgetting to delete them, these files are dead weight and do not bring any benefit, taking up space for system needs.

• 📁 Open the standard Files Explorer and sort documents by size to find heavy archives right away.
• 🗑️ Check the folder. DCIM →.thumbnails, where the gallery's miniature cache often accumulates, inflating to gigabytes.
• 📹 Check out the video section as one forgotten movie in the 4K It can take up more space than all the games installed.

⚠️ Note: When manually sorting files, be extremely careful with system folders whose names contain the words “Android”, “System” or “System "MIUI". Deleting the contents of these directories may result in incorrect interface operation or loss of settings data.

Using third-party disk analyzers like DiskUsage or Storage Analyzer, you get an even more detailed picture of a graphical memory card. These utilities show square areas where the square size is proportional to the file size, allowing you to instantly visualize the "eaters" of space.

Cleaning the cache and temporary files of the system

In the process, Xiaomi Redmi 8T accumulates a huge amount of temporary data that is necessary for fast loading of frequently visited pages and applications. However, over time, this cache grows, contains broken links and begins to slow down the device instead of speeding it up. Regular cleaning is the basic hygiene for any Android operating system.

The standard Security app, preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones, has a cleaner functionality. Run it, press the Cleanup button and wait for the scan to be completed. The system will suggest removing the junk files, but don't rush to agree to everything - it's better to check the list manually.

Deeper cleaning is available through application-specific settings. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select a heavy program (like YouTube or Instagram) and find Memory. There you can safely click Clear Cache without deleting logins and passwords, which would happen when you select Clear All Data.

• 🧹 Delete Chrome or Mi Browser cache through their internal history settings, as the system cleaner sometimes leaves some debris behind.
• 🔄 Drop the cache. DNS and temporary network files, if you notice connection problems, through the special features menu.
• 📦 For navigation applications (Google Maps, Yandex.Maps), periodically clear the cache of offline maps if you do not use them constantly.

There's a myth that constantly cleaning the cache extends the life of the battery. It's not quite true: the cache saves traffic and speeds up startup, but overflowing it does make the Redmi 8T processor work harder, processing requests more slowly. So the middle ground is a once-in-a-week cleaning.

Optimization of messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp

The undisputed leaders in memory consumption on Xiaomi Redmi 8T are messengers, which automatically save all received media files to the memory of the device. If you are in dozens of channels and chat rooms where videos and pictures are posted daily, your phone becomes a warehouse of digital garbage.

Telegram handles the situation most elegantly thanks to the cloud nature of the service. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you can set a cache limit (for example, 500 MB or 1 GB) and set a period of automatic cleaning. All media files will remain available in chat rooms, but will be downloaded from the server again as needed, freeing up local storage.

WhatsApp is more complicated because it stores all data locally, you need to go to the chat settings, select Storage, manually delete large files, and you should also turn off auto-save to the gallery so that photos from work chats do not duplicate in the system folder photos.

• 🚫 Disable the “AutoSave” function in the gallery for all chats in the privacy settings of messengers.
• 🗑️ Use WhatsApp’s built-in Storage Management feature to delete files older than a certain period.
• 📤 Regularly back up chats on Google Drive and delete the local database that takes up a lot of space.

⚠️ Note: Before clearing the messenger data, be sure to back up important correspondence. When choosing the option "Clear all data" (not to be confused with cache), you will lose access to the message history and have to log in again.

Remember the "Sent" folder in the gallery. Every time you send a photo to someone, it's copied to the messenger folder. If you edit the same photo 10 times and send it to different people, you'll have 10 copies of that file.

Removal of duplicate photos and videos

Xiaomi Redmi 8T camera takes great pictures, but files in HEIC or high-quality JPEG take up a lot of space. Plus, users often take serial pictures, forget to delete failed shots or save screenshots that are no longer relevant. Search and remove duplicates is one of the most effective ways to quickly make room.

The MIUI built-in gallery can find similar images, but third-party apps do it more precisely. Algorithms compare not only file names but also their contents, finding even duplicates that have been renamed or slightly edited, which allows you to safely delete copies, leaving the originals in better quality.

It's also worth checking out the albums Screenshots and Sent, which have accumulated thousands of images, checks, correspondence and instructions over the years, and that have lost their value, and removing that visual noise will not only free up gigabytes, but also speed up the gallery itself.

• 📸 Use the “Delete Similars” feature in Google Photos Gallery or Xiaomi’s standard gallery for a group cleanup of serial photography.
• 🎞️ Check the Recycle Bin folder – deleted photos are often stored there for another 30 days, continuing to take up space on the disk.
• ☁️ Set up sync with Google Photos in Free Place mode to remove local copies of already uploaded images to the cloud.

Video files require a special approach. One minute video in 4K can weigh more than a thousand photos. If you're shooting videos for social media, consider reducing the recording quality in the camera settings to 1080p if ultra-high detail is not required.

Use of cloud storage and memory cards

The Redmi 8T’s physical memory is limited and cannot be expanded with a larger chip, but it can be used efficiently with external resources. MicroSD card support allows you to transfer all media content (photos, videos, music) to an external medium, leaving internal space for the system and applications.

Use the file manager to transfer files. Select files in internal memory, click Move, and specify the path to SD-Importantly, not all applications can handle data on a memory card, so it's better to leave programs and their data inside. Also note that card read speeds may be lower, which will affect the launch of heavy files.

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Buy UHS-I Class 10 or higher memory cards. Cheap and slow cards can cause lags when playing videos or saving photos, creating the illusion of a smartphone power shortage.

Cloud services like Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, or Mi Cloud offer an alternative to a physical card, so you can delete files from your phone by uploading them to the cloud. Many services have a smart storage feature where files are displayed in a list, but only physically downloaded when opened.

When using a memory card, it is recommended to format it as “Portifical Storage”, and not as part of internal memory, if you do not have root rights, this will ensure compatibility with other devices and reduce the risk of data loss when resetting your phone.

Radical measures: Resetting and formatting

If none of the above methods worked, and the phone still writes "Memory is full," it may have accumulated critical file system errors or remnants of deleted applications, in which case a full factory reset helps.

This procedure will return the Xiaomi Redmi 8T to the “out of the box” state, all user data, accounts, applications and files will be permanently deleted, so make sure to make a full backup of important data to your computer or to the cloud before starting the operation.

Settings → About the phone → Reset settings → Erase all data

After reset, take your time to restore all applications from the backup at once. Install only the essentials and watch the memory fill. Often users do not notice how they install twin programs or miner viruses that clog up the storage again.

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Factory Reset is a last resort that solves 99% of memory problems but requires careful preparation and storage of data in advance.

There is also the option of formatting via Recovery mode if the system is not booting. To do this, turn off the phone and press the Up + Power button combination. From the recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data. This action will clear even partitions that are not available during normal system operation.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure the battery is at least 50% full before resetting. Interrupting the formatting process due to battery discharge can cause the device to “brick” and then it will be extremely difficult to restore it.

Once back to factory settings, it is recommended to set up automatic cleaning and sync immediately so that the overflow problem does not return in the near future.A clean system installation often works wonders, giving an old smartphone a second life.