Cleaning up internal memory on Xiaomi Redmi 8T: a complete guide with step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi Redmi 8T internal memory fills up unexpectedly quickly: photos, app cache, system updates and temporary files take up precious gigabytes. When the smartphone starts issuing warnings about space shortages, many users are lost - what can be deleted without risk to the system, and which files are better to get rid of first?

This article will help you understand the nuances of memory cleaning on Redmi 8T (model M1908C3JG/M1908C3JH).We will look at both standard methods through the MIUI settings, and hidden functions that are not written in the official instructions.

It is important to consider that the Redmi 8T was released with 32/64/128 GB of memory, and even with a microSD slot, internal storage requires regular cleaning.

1.Analysing Occupied Space: What Eats Memory on the Redmi 8T

Before we start cleaning, we need to identify the culprits of memory overflows, and MIUI has a built-in tool for this, but it doesn't always show the full picture, and let's look at both the standard and the extended.

Open Settings → About Phone → Memory. Here you will see a diagram of the allocation of memory by category: System, Applications, Multimedia and Other. Click on each category to see the details:

• 📱 System — This shows the firmware weight of MIUI (usually 8-12 GB on Redmi 8T) and you can't reduce this partition without resetting to factory settings.
• 📦 Apps -- shows the amount of software that is installed. Pay special attention to games (e.g., Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile can weigh 5-10 GB each).
• 📸 Multimedia — photos, videos and music. Redmi 8T often accumulates duplicate photos from Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 🗑️ The other is the most insidious partition, and it's cache, temporary files, system logs, and remnants of deleted applications, and it's where the most invisible gigabytes are hidden.

For more detailed analysis, use third-party utilities, such as Files by Google or SD Maid.

• 🔍 Files >500MB in size (often forgotten downloads or backups).
• 🧹 Photo and video duplicates (a typical problem after transferring data from another phone).
• 📂 Garbage folders: DCIM/.thumbnails, Download (downloaded APK), Android/obb (game cache).

⚠️ Warning: If the Other partition takes up more than 5GB, it's a signal of system debris accumulation, in which case only manual cleaning through Recover Mode or resetting will help.

2.Cleaning App Cache: A Safe Way to Free 1-3GB

App cache is a temporary file that is created to speed up programs, which accumulates over time and can take up several gigabytes. On Redmi 8T, the cache is growing especially fast due to the features of MIUI and preinstalled services Xiaomi.

To clear the cache for all applications at once:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Clear Cache.
3. Confirm the action. It can take 1-2 minutes.

For selective cleaning (recommended for frequently used applications):

• 📌 Open the list of applications in the same settings.
• 🔍 Find programs that take >500MB (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube).
• 🧹 Click on the application → Storage → Clear the cache.
• ⚠️ Do not clean data (Clear all data) – this will delete logins and settings!

Pay special attention to system applications:

⚠️ Warning: After clearing the cache, some apps (like Google Maps or Spotify) will take longer to load when they first run.

Close all background applications

Connect your phone to charge (the process consumes a lot of power)

Backup of important data (in case of failure)

Do not interrupt the cleaning process-->

3. Removal of unnecessary applications and their residues

Xiaomi Redmi 8T comes with pre-installed apps, many of which cannot be removed by standard means, but even system programs can be disabled, and unnecessary user programs can be removed completely along with their data.

List of apps that can be safely removed or disabled:

• 🚫 Mi Pay is a payment service Xiaomi, does not work in Russia and the CIS.
• 🚫 Mi Credit is a credit service that is useless outside of India.
• 🚫 Mi Community is a Xiaomi forum, duplicates the functions of the browser.
• 🚫 Cleaner is a built-in cleaner, often worse than third-party cleaners.
• 🚫 Facebook Services are the background processes of Facebook, even if you don't use the social network.

How to remove or disable:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the unnecessary app.
3. If the Remove button is active, press it. If not, click Disable (this will remove the updates and stop the background work).
4. Root rights will be required to completely remove system applications (not recommended for beginners).

After deleting, check the Android/obb folder, which often leaves files for remote games.

• 📂 Download: Downloaded APK- files, documents, archives.
• 📂 DCIM/Screenshots - Screenshots (can be transferred to the cloud)
• 📂 Android/data — Remnants of data from remote applications.

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Use the Mi File Manager file manager with the “Show Hidden Files” feature enabled (in the menu → settings) to find junk folders that don’t usually show up.

4. Optimization of multimedia: photos, videos and music

Photos and videos are the main memory eaters on Redmi 8T. Even when shooting in 12 MP mode (standard for this model), one photo takes 3-5 MB, and a minute video in Full HD - up to 100 MB.

Automatic optimization through Google Photos:

• 📲 Install the Google Photos app and log in to your account.
• 🔧 Go to Settings → Free up space.
• 🗑️ The app will offer to delete local copies of photos that have already been uploaded to the cloud (the High Quality option allows you to store an unlimited number of images for free).

Manual optimization:

• 📸 Reduce camera resolution: go to Camera → Settings → Photo resolution and select 9 MP instead of 12 MP (the difference is minimal, and memory savings are up to 30%).
• 🎥 For video, select HD (720p) instead of Full HD (unless high detail is required).
• 🔍 Remove duplicate photos using apps like Remo Duplicate Photos Remover or CCleaner.
• 🗃️ Transfer media files to a microSD card (if installed). Use Mi File Manager: highlight files → Move → select a memory card.

Pay special attention to the DCIM/.thumbnails folder - photo and video thumbnails are stored here, which can take up to 1 GB. These files are safe to delete: they are automatically restored when viewing the gallery.

⚠️ Warning: When you migrate applications to microSD (via Settings → Applications → Move to SD), be aware that the speed of the program may decrease. Do not move messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and games to the memory card - this will cause errors.

5. Cleaning up system debris through Recovery Mode

If standard methods didn’t work, and the Others partition still takes several gigabytes, it’s time to manually clean up Recovery Mode, which removes temporary system files, update cache, and remnants of deleted applications that are not visible to the user.

Instructions for Redmi 8T:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power and Volume buttons up at the same time until the Mi logo appears.
3. Release the buttons – you will be taken to the Recover Mode menu (manage by the volume and power buttons).
4. Select the Wipe & Reset option → Wipe Cache.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 2-5 minutes).
6. Restart your phone via Reboot.

After this procedure, the system can boot longer than usual (up to 10 minutes) – this is normal, since the application cache is restored.

What is removed when cleaning through Recover Mode:

• ✅ Cache systems and applications.
• ✅ Temporary update files MIUI.
• ✅ Error logs and system dumps.
• ❌ Not deleted: personal files (photos, videos, documents), messages, contacts, installed applications.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! The second option will delete all your data without the possibility of recovery.

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Cleaning with Recovery Mode is the most effective way to remove invisible debris that is not cleaned by standard methods, and it is recommended to do this every 3-6 months.

6.Reset to factory settings: a last resort

If all previous methods failed and there is critically little free memory (less than 1 GB), the last option is a complete reset, which will delete all data, including apps, settings, photos and accounts, so you need to make a backup before the procedure.

How to save important data:

• 📱 Contacts: sync with Google Account (Settings → Accounts → Google → Contact Sync).
• 💬 Messages: Use SMS Backup & Restore to save the history of SMS.
• 📸 Photo/video: copy to your PC or upload to Google Photos/Mi Cloud.
• 🎮 Games: Link accounts to Google Play Games or social media.

Discharge procedure:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Erase all data (reset to factory settings).
3. If necessary, enter a pattern lock or password.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 5-15 minutes).

After resetting, the phone will restart to its original state.

• 🔄 Go through the initial setup (language selection, Wi-Fi connection).
• 🔓 Sign in to Google Account to restore contacts and applications.
• 📥 Manually return photos and files from backup.

Resetting to factory settings on the Redmi 8T is also useful if:

• 🐢 The phone is slowing down after the update. MIUI.
• 🔄 Errors in the system (e.g., constant restarts) have occurred.
• 📱 Planned to sell or transfer the phone to another user.

7.Prevention: How to prevent memory filling

To avoid future memory problems, follow these guidelines:

• 📅 Weekly Cleanup: Delete cache and temporary files once a week (you can set up automatic cleanup in Security → Cleaner).
• 📱 Installation Control: Remove unused apps immediately after installation. Use lightweight alternatives (e.g. Facebook Lite instead of the main app).
• 📸 Media optimization: Set up an automatic upload of photos to the cloud (Google Photos or Mi Cloud) and delete local copies.
• 🔄 Updates: Update MIUI regularly – newer versions often optimize memory.
• 🛡️ Antivirus: Use Xiaomi’s Security to look for malicious files that can fill memory.

For convenience, you can configure notifications about filling memory:

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Activate the option Warning about memory shortage.
3. Set a threshold value (for example, 1 GB of free space).

It is also useful to disable the automatic download of media files in messengers:

• 💬 WhatsApp: Settings → Storage → Media Autoboot → Select “Only over Wi-Fi” or “Never”.
• 📎 Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot Media → Disable for Mobile Data.

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Regular prevention saves time: 10 minutes of weekly cleaning will eliminate the need to spend hours on radical measures like factory resets.

Frequently asked questions