How to effectively clean the memory of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, released in 2018, is still a popular device thanks to its transparent design and powerful Snapdragon 845 processor. However, over time, even such a productive hardware faces a lack of free space. Internal memory is filled with app cache, residual files of deleted programs, duplicate photos and system debris, which leads to a slowdown of the interface.

Users often notice that after a year of active use of the device, the system begins to issue warnings about overflowing storage. This is not just an annoying notification, but also a signal that the operating system is experiencing difficulties with buffering data. If you do not take cleanup measures, the phone may begin to arbitrarily close applications or completely stop receiving new messages.

In this article, we will not only look at standard file deletion methods, but also deep cleaning, which will help to restore the device to its previous speed, you will learn where the “heavy” folders hide, how to work safely with system partitions, and which MIUI tools are best suited for serving the Mi 8 Pro.

Analysis of vault occupancy

Before embarking on radical removal measures, it is important to determine exactly what takes up precious gigabytes. Android standard tools often show only the big picture, hiding details in the depths of the file system. For owners of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, it is critical to understand the folder structure, since the model has several modifications to the memory capacity.

The easiest way to get the primary information is to go to the settings. Open the Settings menu → Storage. Here, the system visualizes the data by breaking it down into categories: apps, images, video, audio, etc. Pay special attention to the "Other" section, which often contains hidden messenger cache and temporary update files.

⚠️ Note: Do not manually delete files from system folders unless you are sure of their purpose.

You can use third-party utilities for more detailed analysis, but the built-in MIUI analyzer usually does a good job of showing which applications take up the most space and allowing you to immediately move to managing them. Often, it turns out that the lion's share of memory is occupied not by installation files, but by accumulated cache.

Use of the built-in "Cleaning" tool

The MIUI shell that is installed on the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro features a powerful built-in tool called Security. It's not just an antivirus, it's a complete combine to service the device. Run the Security app and select Cleanup. The system will automatically scan the device for junk files.

After scanning, you will see a list of categories: app cache, advertising files, remnants of remote programs and APK installer packages. Standard cleaning is safe and only removes what is not necessary for the system to work. However, if you click on the "Clean all" button, you may miss the option of selective removal.

You should click on each category separately, for example, in the App Cache section, you can see that messengers take hundreds of megabytes. You can clear the cache of a particular application without deleting its correspondence history completely, if the system allows selective cleaning, which will help save important data by freeing up space.

• 📱 Launch the Security app from the home screen.
• 🧹 Click on the "Clean" button and wait for the scan to finish.
• ✅ Carefully review the proposed files before final deletion.
• 🗑️ Click "Clean" to remove selected garbage.

It is important to understand that the Cleanup tool does not affect the user’s personal files, such as photos in the gallery or downloaded documents, and you will need to use a file manager or manual deletion mode to work with them.

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Run a standard cleanup through the Security app at least once a week to prevent large amounts of temporary files from accumulating.

Deep cleaning of messenger cache

The most voracious apps on any smartphone, including the Mi 8 Pro, are messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber. They store every photo, video and voice message received in the memory of the device. Over time, folders with media files can grow to several gigabytes, occupying up to 50% of all free memory.

Cleaning is best done inside the apps themselves, as it allows you to save the structure of the correspondence. In Telegram, for example, you can set up automatic cache cleaning. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use and set the cache storage period for example 3 days or 1 week.

On WhatsApp, the situation is similar. Go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. Here you will see a list of chats sorted by volume, you can go into a specific dialog and delete only heavy video files, leaving text messages and important documents intact.

⚠️ Note: When cleaning the messenger cache, make sure that important files are stored in the cloud or on your computer, as it will be impossible to restore the deleted cache without a backup copy.

Remember that once the cache is cleared, when you re-view old media files, they will be re-downloaded from the network if they are not stored permanently on the server, which can lead to a temporary increase in traffic, but will free up significant disk space.

Working with DCIM folder and duplicates

The DCIM folder is the standard storage for all photos and videos taken by the camera. On the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro with its quality camera modules, files can weigh quite a lot, especially if you were shooting in high resolution or 4K format. Often duplicates accumulate in this folder and its subdirectories.

Use the built-in Gallery app to find similar photos. MIUI can automatically group similar photos and suggest removing blurred or failed frames. It's also worth checking the Screenshots folder inside the DCIM or at the root of internal memory, where screenshots are stored that are often forgotten to be deleted.

The Video folder inside DCIM deserves special attention. Videos take up the most space. If you have videos that you have already sent to the cloud or to your computer, they can be easily deleted from your device. It is convenient to use a USB cable and a computer to carry large amounts of data.

Also check the MIUI → gallery → cloud folder if you’ve used Mi Cloud cloud sync, which can leave local copies of photos already uploaded to the cloud that can be safely deleted.

Delete residual files and application cache

When you delete an app in the standard way, the phone often has folders with its settings, cache and temporary data. On the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, these files can accumulate for years.

Look at folders with names of remote applications or services at the root of internal memory. It is also worth checking the Android/data and Android/obb folder. It stores app data and game cache. You need to delete the contents of these folders with caution: removing the folder with the game name will reset its progress to the entry level.

Pay special attention to the Download folder. Often users download APK installation files, PDF documents or archives that are no longer needed. Once you install the program, you can safely delete the APK installer - it is no longer necessary.

• 📂 Open the file manager and go to the root of internal memory.
• 🔍 Find folders with names of remote applications.
• 🗑️ Remove files with the.apk extension from the Download folder.
• 🎮 Check the folder. Android/data for the presence of garbage from remote games.

If you don’t use certain Xiaomi system apps (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music, if you use third-party analogs), their cache can also be cleared through the application management menu in the settings.

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Regular manual check of Download and Android/data folder allows you to free up to 2-3 GB of space, which often go unnoticed.

Resetting to factory settings as a radical method

If none of the above methods gave the desired result and the memory of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro is still full, the last measure remains – a complete reset to factory settings. This action completely removes all user data, applications and settings, returning the phone to the “out of the box” state.

Before you do this, make sure to back up all your important data. Use Mi Cloud, Google Drive, or transfer files to your computer. Without a backup, you will lose contacts, photos, correspondence, and settings forever.

To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Reset. Select “Erase All Data.” The system will alert you to the consequences and ask you to enter the unlock password. Once confirmed, the process will begin, which can take 10-15 minutes.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure the battery is at least 50% battery power before starting the reset. interruption of the process due to battery discharge can damage the bootloader and not be able to turn on the phone.

Once you restart, you'll get a clean system. When you set up initially, don't be in a hurry to restore all the applications at once. Install only what you need to control the memory from the start.

Prevention of memory overflow

To avoid the problem of space shortage on the Mi 8 Pro in the future, you should introduce a few habits: First, set up automatic synchronization of photos with the cloud (Google Photos or Mi Cloud) with the function “Free space”, which deletes local copies of already uploaded pictures.

Second, check the installed list periodically, and if you haven't used the program in the last six months, you probably don't need it, and removing the rarely used apps is the easiest way to keep the system on track.

Third, use microSD cards if your model supports this feature (although the Mi 8 Pro does not have a card slot, this advice is relevant for users switching to other models, and Mi 8 Pro owners should consider using it). OTG-file-storage).

• ☁️ Set up auto-delete local copies of photos after synchronization.
• 📉 Once a month, remove apps you don’t use.
• 📦 Use cloud storage to archive old documents.
• 🔄 Clean the Recycle Bin Regularly in the Gallery and File Manager.

Compliance with these simple rules will allow your Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro to run quickly and consistently throughout the life of the device, avoiding critical filling of the internal drive.