Redmi series smartphones, including the popular Redmi 8 Pro, are famous for their excellent value for money, but over time, each user faces a shortage of free space. The device’s internal memory quickly fills up with multimedia files, messenger data and application cache, which inevitably leads to a decrease in system performance. When the drive is more than 90% full, the MIUI operating system begins to work with noticeable delays, and some applications may simply stop running.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the effective ways to free up space on your gadget, from standard tools to advanced cleaning methods. You will learn how to find hidden files that take up gigabytes, and properly manage storage so that the phone flies again.
Analysis of storage occupancy through standard tools
The first step to freeing up space is diagnostics. The MIUI-based Android operating system provides built-in tools to visualize what takes up precious gigabytes. The user does not need to install third-party software immediately, as the basic functionality is informative enough to analyze the situation in the first place.
To get started, you need to open the standard “Security” app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones. In the menu of this application, you should select “Clean up” option, after which the system will automatically scan the device and report on garbage files. However, this report is often superficial, so it is important to click on the “Deep Clean” button to see a more detailed structure of the occupied space.
In the menu that opens, you'll see a diagram that shows different colors for file categories: apps, images, videos, documents, etc. By clicking on any category, you can go through the content in detail and delete the unnecessary content, and you should pay special attention to the "Big Files" section, where often forgotten archives or video editor cache are hidden.
- 📱 Click on the “Security” icon on your desktop to launch the scanner.
- 🗑️ Use the Deep Clean feature to find duplicates and residual files.
- 📊 Study the memory distribution diagram in the "Storage" section in the settings.
- 🔍 Sort files by size to find the most voluminous objects.
⚠️ Note: When using the Deep Clean feature, carefully check the list of files before deleting, as the system can mark important data, such as saved offline cards or work documents, as garbage.
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Periodically check the recent folder in the gallery – screenshots of the interface and random photos that can be safely deleted often get there.
Clearing the cache and data messengers
The main consumers of free memory in modern smartphones are messengers such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber. These applications have the feature of accumulating a huge number of media files that are automatically stored in the memory of the device when you view. Even if you delete correspondence, its “traces” in the form of cached images and voice messages can take several gigabytes.
The most effective way to clean up is to use the apps themselves, for example, on Telegram, you can go to the settings, select Data and Memory and then Memory Use, and there's a "Clear Cache" button that doesn't affect your correspondence, but deletes downloaded files from the device, freeing up space instantly, and there are similar features on WhatsApp in the "Storage and Data" section.
If the built-in tools of messengers do not give the desired result, you can resort to a more radical method through the Android settings. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find the right messenger and select Memory. Here you can clear the cache, but be careful with the “Clear all data” button, as this will completely reset the application to the state after installation, removing all logins and settings.
It is important to set up automatic cleaning so that the problem does not return too quickly. In most messenger settings, you can prevent the auto-save media files to the phone gallery. This will prevent duplicate files: they will be stored inside the application, but will not take up space in the system gallery, which will simplify the management of space.
Removal of duplicates and large files
When you use your smartphone, especially if you share files frequently via Bluetooth or Mi Drop (now Mi Share), you can accumulate copies of the same documents in memory. Duplicate photos taken during editing or re-uploading video files are all “dead load” that eats up the useful amount of the drive.
To find such objects, it is convenient to use a file manager, such as the standard “Conductor” from Xiaomi or the more advanced Total Commander. MIUI Explorer has a convenient sorting of files by type and size. Go to the Files category and sort the list by decreasing size, this will instantly identify forgotten high-resolution videos or.apk installation packages that are no longer needed.
The Download folder deserves special attention, and many users do not even know how much garbage is accumulating there: old versions of applications, PDF-instructions, temporary images from the browser, and regularly reviewing this folder is a great habit to keep order. DCIM/.thumbnails, where the thumbnails of the photos are stored; sometimes this cache can grow to gigabytes and can be safely deleted.
| File type | Where to look (way) | Can I remove it? | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Settings → Applications | Yes. | Low (passwords will come in) |
| Downloaded APKs | Download folder | Yes. | No. |
| Miniatures photo | DCIM/.thumbnails | Yes. | No (will be created again) |
| Log/Trace files | MIUI/debug_log | Yes. | No. |
How to find hidden folders with garbage?
Use of cloud services and memory cards
The internal memory of the Redmi 8 Pro is not rubbery, and sooner or later its limit will be reached even with the most thorough cleaning. The solution is the competent use of external drives and cloud technologies. The smartphone supports microSD memory cards, which allows you to transfer the main array of media there.
You don't have to take your phone out of your hands to transfer data to a memory card. You can change the default path in the storage settings to save new photos and videos. In addition, many file managers allow you to select the DCIM/Camera folder and move its contents to an external medium in one action, which will free up the internal space for the system to run and install heavy applications that, unfortunately, can not be transferred to the map.
Cloud services like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk offer automatic download and subsequent removal of local copies. Once you have synced, you can easily delete photos from your phone knowing that they are safely stored on the Internet. Google Photos’ “Free space” feature automatically removes from your device those pictures that are already uploaded to the cloud.
- 💾 Buy a high-quality speed class memory card U3 or V30 videotape.
- ☁️ Set up automatic upload to the cloud via Wi-Fi.
- 📂 Move your documents and music folders to an external drive.
- ⚙️ Change the default location of the camera settings to SD-map.
Special MIUI Opportunities for Optimization
The MIUI shell on the Redmi 8 Pro contains a number of specific features that can help or hinder free memory. One of these features is Memory Extension, which uses a portion of the internal drive to run RAM. If you have critically little space, it's best to turn it off in settings to return those gigabytes to the user.
Also worth noting is the Second Space feature, which is a mode that creates an isolated environment with its applications and files. If you've ever created it just in case and don't use it, it can take up a significant amount of space by duplicating system files. You can delete it through Settings → Second Space → Delete the second space.
Another hidden space eater is the debugging log and system logs, which can take months to accumulate in some firmware versions, and you can use the Services and Feedback app (or Feedback) to clean them up, where you have a "Send Report" item on the menu. Before sending (which can be interrupted), the system often clears old logs, freeing up space. ADB-cleaning commands, but it requires a PC connection.
⚠️ Note: It is not recommended to remove system applications through third-party programs without root rights, as this can disrupt the shell. MIUI And lead to an endless reboot of the phone.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Radical measures: Resetting to factory settings
If none of the above methods have produced a tangible result, and the phone still signals a lack of space, the last, but most effective option is a complete factory reset, which completely removes all user information, applications and settings, returning the smartphone to the “store-like” state.
Before starting the procedure, it is critical to create a full data backup. You can use the built-in Xiaomi cloud, Google services or save data to your computer. After creating a backup, go to Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase all data. The process will take a few minutes, after which the phone will restart with a clean system.
Once reset, you'll be surprised at how much free space was available initially, and the system will work as quickly as possible as the file system fragmentation will disappear. However, when you install the applications again, try not to return the junk programs and immediately set up automatic cleaning so that the problem does not recur in the future.
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A complete reset is the only way to ensure that you remove all hidden system errors and remnants of remote applications that are not visible to the user.