How to Safely Clean the Other on Xiaomi Redmi 8: A Step-by-Step Guide to Dealing with Hidden Files

Xiaomi Redmi 8 owners often encounter a mysterious “Other” section in their memory settings that takes up gigabytes of space but doesn’t have an explicit description. The system doesn’t offer tools to clean it up, and standard methods (such as deleting the app cache) don’t work.

In fact, "Other" is a collection of utility files that MIUI and Android create while they're working: error logs, temporary update data, remnants of deleted applications, backups of settings, and even firmware fragments. Not all of them can be deleted without risking system stability, but some files are safely cleaned manually. In this article, we'll look at how to reduce the volume of "Other" on Redmi 8 with minimal consequences, using both built-in tools and third-party utilities.

It is important to understand that the size of the “Other” can vary from 1 to 10.+ GB depending on the time of use of the smartphone and the number of applications installed. On Redmi 8 with its modest 32-64 GB of memory, this partition is often the main reason for space shortage. → Memory ignores these files, leaving the user confused.

We tested 5 cleaning methods on Redmi 8 with MIUI 11-14 firmware and found out which ones have real effects and which ones are only temporary relief. Spoiler: the most effective way is to manually delete files via ADB, but it requires caution.

What is the “Other” in Xiaomi Redmi 8 memory and why it takes up so much space

The Other section is a container for files that the system cannot categorize as standard (photos, videos, apps, etc.) and includes:

🔹 Logs of system and applications (/data/log/, /data/anr/) — They're recorded when the software crashes, updates or malfunctions. 8 can occupy up 1–2 GB, if you haven't cleaned it for a long time.

🔹 Remnants of remote applications – folders with settings and cache of programs that you have long uninstalled, but the files remained in the /data/data/.

🔹 Temporary update files (/cache/, /data/ota_package/) — Firmware fragments that the system did not remove after installation.

🔹 Backup copies MIUI — Automatic setting backups created before updating or resetting.

🔹 Dalvik-cache files (/data/dalvik-cache/) — optimized versions of applications to speed up their launch, and when you update or delete programs, these files become junk».

Redmi 8 is particularly crowded with MIUI logs and Google Services cache, as it is often used with a lot of background processes, such as if you are actively using Google Maps, YouTube or social media, the system creates dozens of temporary files a day that it doesn’t always delete.

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools (no root)

Before you resort to radical methods, try standard MIUI features. They will not remove the whole Other, but will help reduce its volume by 10-30%.

📌 Steps to clean up:

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Click Clear (the button at the bottom of the screen) and this will remove the app cache and some temporary files.
3. Go to Files (a standard MIUI app) → Categories → Garbage. There may be hidden files that the system has flagged as unnecessary.
4. In the same Files app, select Memory Analysis – sometimes it finds large files in the Other section that can be manually deleted.

⚠️ Note: Deep cleaning function in MIUI can delete data from certain applications (e.g. save in games) and do not use it unless you are prepared to lose unsaved data.

💡 After cleaning, restart your smartphone – this will help the system recalculate the occupied space and sometimes “frees up” additional megabytes.

Method 2: Remove the Google Play Services cache and other system applications

Google Play Services and MIUI System are the main memory eaters in the Other section, and their cache can take up to 3 to 5 GB, but it cannot be deleted through standard settings.

📌 Cleaning instructions:

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear the data (Clear Data) of these applications! This will lead to malfunctions in the smartphone, including loss of sync with your Google account and errors. MIUI.

🔍 How to check the results?

After cleaning the cache, go to Settings → Memory and update the data. The Other section should decrease by 0.5-2 GB (depending on the degree of contamination).

💡

If after cleaning the cache Google Play Services smartphone began to slow down, restart it – the system will restore the necessary files automatically.

Method 3: Manually clean through file manager (for power users)

If the built-in methods didn’t work, you can manually delete some files from Other, but only if you have a backup of the data, and you will need a file manager with access to system folders (for example, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).

📂 What folders can be cleaned (with caution!):

• 🗑️ /data/log/ — You can delete all the contents.
• 🗑️ /data/anr/ — memory dumps when applications freeze.
• 🗑️ /data/tombstones/ — debugging files when the system crashes.
• 🗑️ /cache/ — Delete everything except the recovery folder.
• 📁 /data/data/com.android.vending/ — Google Play Store cache (cache folder only).

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in folders:

• /data/app/ – This is where the installed applications are stored.
• /data/system/ – Critical settings for Android.
• /data/dalvik-cache/ - Deletion will cause errors in the program launch.

🛠 Step-by-step instruction:

1. Install FX File Explorer from Google Play.
2. Enable “Show hidden files” in the manager settings.
3. Go to /data/ (root access or ADB permission may be required).
4. Remove the contents of the folders from the “white list” above.
5. Reboot your smartphone.