Cache Cleanup on Xiaomi 8T: 5 Proven Ways to Speed Up Your Smartphone

Clogged cache is one of the main reasons for the brakes on Xiaomi 8T, even if you have the latest version of MIUI installed. Over time, temporary application files, update remnants and web page data take up gigabytes of memory, slowing down the system. But not everyone knows that there are three types of cache: system (from MIUI), user (from applications) and Dalvik-cache (from the Android virtual machine).

Many users mistakenly believe that clicking Clear Cache in the app settings is enough, in practice, it only removes some of the debris. For example, the MIUI system cache (including data on topics, fonts and animations) is not cleaned by standard means. And if you are actively using Google Chrome or social networks, their cache can weigh up to 1-2 GB — and this is despite the fact that the application itself takes up many times less! Next, we will analyze all the ways, from simple to advanced, including cleaning through Recovery Mode and ADB.

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1. Clearing the cache of individual applications through settings

The safest method is to manually clean the cache for specific programs. It doesn't require superuser rights and is suitable for beginners. Open Settings → Apps → App management and select a program that slows down or takes up too much space. For example, TikTok or Instagram often inflates the cache to 500 MB or more.

In the application card, click Storage → Clear cache. Important: don’t confuse with the “Clear Data” button – it will delete all settings and accounts! For system applications (such as Google Play Services), the cache clearing button may be inactive – this is normal, as they are protected by MIUI.

• 📱 Priority cleaning applications: browsers (Chrome, Mi Browser), social networks (Facebook, VK), Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), games with heavy graphics.
• 🔄 Cleaning frequency: for browsers - once in a while 1-2 For weeks, once a month, for social media, you don't have to touch the system apps.
• ⚠️ Exceptions: Do not clear the cache of the Google Play Store and Google Play Services – this can lead to app update errors.

If the Clear Cache button is inactive, the app uses a shared MIUI cache. In this case, only system cleaning will help (see next section). Also note that some applications (for example, Xiaomi Community) automatically recover the cache after rebooting - this is a feature of their work.

Systemic cleaning of cache through the "Storage" menu

MIUI has a built-in tool to massively clean up unnecessary files, including app cache, update residues and temporary data. Go to Settings → Storage → Cleanup. The system will scan the device and show how much space can be freed up. Here you will see the categories:

• 🗑️ Application cache – temporary program files (safe to delete).
• 📁 Downloads – files from the Download folder (check if there is any important one there!).
• 🔄 Remains of updates - old versions MIUI and patches (can be removed if there are no plans to roll back).
• 🎵 Music and video – multimedia cache (e.g. miniatures from a gallery).

Important nuance: MIUI often labels files that may actually be useful as "junk" -- for example, in the "big files" section, you might have backups or archives. Always check the list before you delete them! If you see a MIUI/Camera or DCIM/.thumbnails folder, it's safe to clean it up -- these are thumbnails of photos.

After cleaning, restart the Xiaomi 8T, which will allow the system to correctly recalculate the free space. If after the procedure, some applications (for example, YouTube) began to load longer, do not worry: they simply restore the necessary cache.

Close all active applications

Connect the charger (the process can take 5-10 minutes)

Check the file list for important data

Backup your contacts and photos (just in case)-->

3. Clean Dalvik-cache and system cache via Recovery Mode

If the smartphone is severely slowed down even after a standard cleaning, the problem can be hidden in the Dalvik-cache - this is the cache of the Android virtual machine, which is responsible for fast downloading applications. Its cleaning requires rebooting to recovery mode (Recovery Mode). On Xiaomi 8T with MIUI 12+, this method only works when the bootloader is unlocked!

Instructions:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up at the same time until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select the language (English / Whale), then go to Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 1-2 minutes).
5. Reboot the device (Reboot → System)

What does that do? Cleaning Dalvik-cache will force the cache of all applications to be re-cacheed the next time it runs, which can eliminate lags and "App Stopped" errors, but the first download after the procedure will take 30-50% longer than usual, which is normal.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! The second option will reset the smartphone to factory settings, deleting all your data. 2-3 months – this can lead to wear of flash memory.

If you have customized Recovery (TWRP), the process is similar, but with additional options. In TWRP, you can clean not only Dalvik-cache, but also ART-cache (for Android 5.0+), which gives you deeper optimization.

4.Using third-party applications to clean up the cache

If manual methods seem complicated, you can use specialized utilities.

• 🧹 SD Maid – Deep Cleanup, including system folders (/data, /cache). Requires root for full functionality.
• 🔍 Files by Google – simple interface, shows “garbage” by category (cache, duplicates, large files).
• 🛠️ CCleaner is a classic of the genre, but on MIUI It is unstable (may not see the cache of some system applications).
• 📊 Xiaomi Cleaner is a proprietary app from Xiaomi, but often skips the cache of third-party launchers.

How to choose? Files by Google is good for users without root, it doesn't require additional permissions and integrates well with MIUI. If you have superuser rights, SD Maid will find 20-30% more garbage, including the cache of remote applications and firmware residues.

Example of working with SD Maid:

1. Open the app and provide root access (if any).
2. Go to CorpseFinder, where you can see the remnants of the remote programs.
3. In AppCleaner, select apps and press Clean.
4. To clean the system cache, use SystemCleaner (requires root).

⚠️ Warning: Some cleaners (such as Clean Master) aggressively delete files, which can cause malfunctions. MIUI. There are cases where after cleaning these programs lost the icons of the application or stopped working gestures. Always check the reviews of the program before installing!

If your smartphone gets worse after using a third-party utility, try rebooting in Safe Mode (hold the shutdown button → “Reboot Safe Mode”) and check if the problems have gone away.

5. Automatic cache cleanup: setting up MIUI Optimized

MIUI has an automatic optimization engine built in, which you can customize to your needs, and it not only clears the cache, but also closes the background processes, saving battery life.

1. Go to Settings → Special features → Optimized settings (on some versions of MIUI, the path may differ: Settings → Battery and Performance → Optimization).
2. Enable the Auto Clean option and set up a schedule (recommended Every Week).
3. In the Exclusions section, add apps that don’t need to be cache-cleaned (like Spotify for offline music).

Hidden settings: MIUI 14+ has an undocumented deep cleaning feature to activate it:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. 5 times click on the MIUI version and the message “You became a developer” will appear.
3. Go back to the basic settings, open Additional → Developers → Optimize MIUI.
4. Enable Deep Cache Cleanup and Memory Optimization.

These settings cause MIUI to manage memory more aggressively, but can lead to more frequent reboots of background processes. For example, Telegram or WhatsApp can take longer to load when you open. If you notice such problems, turn off deep optimization.

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If notifications from apps (such as VK or Instagram) are missing after automatic cleaning, check the battery settings: MIUI could add them to the optimized list. Corrects to Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization (select "No Limits").

6.Cache clearing via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) for deep cleaning, which requires connecting your smartphone to your PC and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on PC (download developer.android.com).
2. Turn on the Xiaomi 8T developer mode (as in the previous section) and activate debugging over USB.
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and type in the command line:

adb shell


su




pm trim-caches 1000000000# Clears the cache of all applications (1 GB = 1000000 KB)




rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*




rm -rf /cache/*




reboot

Explanation to the teams:

• pm trim-caches – clears the cache of applications by specifying the maximum size (here 1 GB).
• rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/* - removes Dalvik-cache (requires root).
• rm -rf /cache/* - clears the system cache (safe).

Once you've done the commands, the smartphone will restart. It can take up to 5 minutes to boot the first thing, which is normal, because the system recovers the files you need. Don't interrupt the process! If you have a black screen or endless download animation after the reboot, wait 10-15 minutes. If the problem persists, you'll have to reset the settings via Recovery Mode.

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf If you don't specify the right path, you can delete critical system files! Always double-check the path. -rf /data/* without specifying the subfolder (dalvik-cache) will result in the loss of all user data.

For users without root, a simplified cleaning version is available:

adb shell pm clear com.android.chrome # Clears Chrome cache


adb shell pm clear com.facebook.katana # Clears Facebook cache

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ADB-Cleaning is the most powerful method, but it requires caution. Use it only if other methods have not worked, and you have a backup of the data.

7.How to prevent fast cache accumulation on Xiaomi 8T

Cleaning the cache regularly is good, but it is best to avoid over-accumulation. Here are some tips for prevention:

• 📵 Limit background activity: In Settings → Battery → Battery optimization, select Restricted mode for unnecessary applications, which will reduce their caching.
• 🌐 Use lighter versions of apps: Replace Facebook with Facebook Lite, and Chrome with Chrome Lite or Bromite. They cache in Facebook. 2-3 less data.
• 🔄 Turn off automatic app updates: Google Play → Settings → Auto Update Apps Select “Only via Wi-Fi” or “Do not automatically update".
• 📸 Set up photo backup: In Google Photos, enable the option to “Delete copies from your device after download” to avoid duplicates in the folder. DCIM.
• 🎮 Limit the cache of games: In heavy gaming settings (e.g, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact) reduce graphics quality and disable shader caching.

Cache myths: Many people think that the more often you clean the cache, the better.

• ❌ Frequent cleaning of the browser cache leads to the fact that the sites load longer (you have to download all the elements again).
• ❌ Deleting the cache of system applications (for example, MiuiHome) can lead to shell failures.
• ❌ Cleaning the cache before updating MIUI It does not speed up the process, but can cause errors in the installation.

Optimal strategy: Clear the cache of user applications every 2-3 weeks, system cache every 2-3 months, and only if there are performance problems. Use automatic MIUI optimization, but do not turn on aggressive modes unnecessarily.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the cache on Xiaomi 8T