Cleaning Redmi 8 Pro from unnecessary files: a complete guide for MIUI

Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro

The problem is aggravated by the characteristics MIUI: The system actively caches data to speed up work, but rarely cleans it automatically. For example, the cache of Google Play Services can take up to three hours. 1-2 GB, and a folder. /Android/data — store gigabytes of garbage from long-distant games. 7 Proven methods of cleaning Redmi 8 Pro – from embedded tools to hidden features MIUI And secure third-party utilities, all of which have been tested on firmware. MIUI 12–14 and do not require root rights.

⚠️ Note: Do not use cleaners like Clean Master or CCleaner, which often delete critical system files. MIUI, This leads to a breakdown in Google’s camera, sensors and services.The official methods in this article are safe and recommended by Xiaomi.

1. Built-in cleaning MIUI: What to remove and how to use correctly

Let's start with the standard tool, Clean up in MIUI settings, which deletes temporary files, application cache, and residual data, but many users use it inefficiently, such as simply clicking Clear without analysis, skipping the heaviest files.

To open the tool, go to Settings → About Phone → Memory → Clean (or Settings → Apps → Cleanup in new versions of MIUI). The system will scan the device and show the categories of garbage:

• 🗑️ App cache – temporary program data (e.g. YouTube thumbnails or Google Maps cache) is deleted securely without consequences.
• 📁 Unnecessary APK — outdated application installer files left over after updates.
• 🔍 Residual files – data from remote programs (often take hundreds of megabytes).
• 📥 Downloads - files from a folder /Download, which you haven't opened in a long time.

One important caveat: Do not clear the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui or com.miui.home) – this can cause interface failures.

☑️ Proper cleaning through MIUI

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After cleaning, check the free space in Settings → Memory. If less than 1 GB is free, proceed to the following methods.

2 Manual cache removal of individual applications

The built-in MIUI cleanup doesn't always remove the cache completely, for example, Facebook or Instagram can store up to 500MB of temporary data that the system doesn't classify as junk, to clear the cache of a particular application:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Google Chrome or TickTock).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. For complete cleaning, click Delete Data (⚠️ This will reset the application settings!).

Pay special attention to these applications - they most often "inflate" the cache:

Critical information: If Google Play Services stop working after cleaning the cache (for example, no location is determined), restart your phone and wait for the cache to be automatically restored (it will take 5-10 minutes).

3. Clean up /Android/data folder: Hidden debris from remote applications

One of the most clogged folders on Redmi 8 Pro is /Android/data, which stores app data, including those you deleted long ago, for example, after uninstalling a PUBG Mobile game, this folder may leave 1-2 GB of unnecessary files in this folder.

To clean it up:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Open the internal memory folder → Android → data.
3. Delete folders with the names of remote applications (for example, com.tencent.ig for PUBG).

⚠️ Note: Do not delete folders of current applications (for example, com.whatsapp) - this will lead to crashes. Also do not touch folders called com.android. or com.miui. - they are critical for the operation of the system.

If you don’t have a PC, use a file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager):

1. Open Mi File Manager.
2. Go to internal memory → Android → data.
3. Press and hold the folder of the remote application → Delete.

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Before deleting, check the date of change of the folder. If it is older than 6 months and belongs to a remote application, feel free to clean.

4. Removal of duplicate photos and videos

Photos and videos take up the lion's share of memory on the Redmi 8 Pro, especially if you're actively using the camera, the problem is that MIUI and Google Photos often create duplicates: for example, when editing photos in Google Photos, the original is saved, plus an edited copy is created.

To find duplicates, use:

• 📸 Google Photos: Open the app → Library → Utilities. → Free up space. The service will find non-optimized copies and suggest that they be removed.
• 🔍 Files by Google: Install the app from Play Market, open the Cleanup section → Duplicate files. The tool will find repetitive photos and videos, even if they have different names.
• 📁 Mi File Manager: Go to Categories → Images, sort by size and manually check similar files.

Example: If you have 10 photos from one angle (like selfies with different filters), leave the top 1-2 and delete the rest.

5. Cleanup of downloads and temporary files

folder /Download — Another graveyard of unnecessary files:

• 📄 Outdated. APK-files, for example, com.whatsapp_2.21.12.14.apk).
• 📊 Document archives (PDF, DOCX), which you have long discovered.
• 🎵 Audio files from messengers (voice messages, music from the VK).
• 📺 Videos from social networks (for example, saved videos from TikTok).

To clear the folder:

1. Open Mi File Manager → Categories → Downloads.
2. Sort files by date (change date) and delete anything older than 3-6 months.
3. Note the files >100MB in size, and deleting them will free up the most space.

Also check the /Android/obb folder, which stores additional game data (e.g., graphics packages for Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile). If you haven’t played for a long time, these files can be deleted (they will be rebooted the next time you start the game).

6.Storage optimization through Google Files

Files by Google (or Google Files Go) is one of the most effective tools for cleaning the Redmi 8 Pro. It analyzes memory deeper than the built-in MIUI utility and finds:

• 🗃️ Large files (video, archives, installers).
• 📄 Duplicates and similar files.
• 🔄 Unused applications (the ones you haven’t used) >3 months).
• 📥 Old downloads.

How to use:

1. Install Files by Google from the Play Market.
2. Open the Cleanup section.
3. Click Free Place and follow the recommendations.
4. In the Analysis section, check the Unused Apps category – it’s often the place where forgotten games or test programs are found.

⚠️ Note: Google Files may offer to remove the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.vending - Google Play Market).This is safe, but after cleaning the application store may temporarily run slower.

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Files by Google finds 30-40% more garbage than built-in MIUI cleaning, thanks to the analysis of duplicates and large files.

7. reset the partition cache (wipe cache partition) through Recovery

If after all the manipulations the phone still brakes, try to clear the partition cache. This will not delete your data, but will reset temporary system files that can cause lag.

• 🐢 The phone has become slower since the update. MIUI.
• 🔄 Applications are closed spontaneously.
• 📱 A message appears on the screen saying, “The system is not responding».

Instructions:

1. Turn off the Redmi 8 Pro.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (use volume buttons for navigation, power button for confirmation).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
5. Choose Reboot. → Reboot to System.

After the reboot, the phone will run faster, and the free space will increase by 200-500 MB (by removing outdated updates and temporary system files).

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up the Redmi 8 Pro