How to Clean Memory on Xiaomi 8 Pro: A Complete Guide with Hidden MIUI Chips

Why Xiaomi 8 Pro is “clogging” memory and how to fix it

Owners of Xiaomi 8 Pro (codenamed UD) often face a problem: the smartphone suddenly begins to “brake” despite 6-8 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of internal storage. The reason lies not in the “weak hardware” (the Snapdragon 845 processor is still relevant for medium tasks), but in the features of MIUI and user habits. The system actively caches data, applications create temporary files, and background processes accumulate “junk” that is not always visible in the standard file manager.

The main mistake is to try to clear memory through Settings → Memory by pressing the “Clean” button. This method only removes the surface cache without affecting deep system files, duplicate photos or residual data of remote applications. In this article, we will discuss 7 ways to free up 3 to 15 GB of memory on the Xiaomi 8 Pro without root rights, including hidden MIUI functions and secure ADB commands.

Before you start, check the actual state of memory:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → The phone. → Status of memory.
• 🔍 Please note the System Data section - if it is >10GB, problem with accumulated trash.
• 📊 Compare free space with data in Settings → Memory (often inflated numbers are shown there).

Method 1: Deeply clean the cache through the hidden MIUI menu

MIUI hides advanced cleaning settings that are not visible in the standard interface.

1. Open the phone (calling) application.
2. Enter the combination: ##4636###.
3. Select the item Use Statistics → Memory usage.
4. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Clean All.

This method removes the cache of system applications that is not affected by the standard cleaning, for example, temporary files of Google Play Services (up to 1-2 GB), Mi Cloud data or residues from MIUI updates can be stored here.

⚠️ Note: Don’t confuse this menu with the engineering menu (#3644633##) – it’s designed to test smartphone modules and can cause malfunctions if used incorrectly.

Once cleaned, restart your phone. If less than 500MB of space is added, move on to the next method, and the problem is deeper.

Method 2: Remove duplicate photos and “dead” files

The Xiaomi 8 Pro automatically creates copies of photos when editing in the standard Gallery app, and also saves thumbnails for previews. These files take up to 3-5 GB, but do not appear in the main DCIM folder.

To find and remove them:

1. Install a file manager with support for duplicate search (e.g. Files by Google or SD Maid).
2. Run a search by criteria: 📷 Files with the same resolution (e.g., files with the same resolution, 4032×3024). 📁 Folders: /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.thumbnails and /DCIM/.thumbnails. 🔍 Name files. IMG_20230515_123456_edit.jpg or Screenshot_2023..._markup.png.

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Additionally, check the /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery folder – temporary gallery files up to 1-2 GB can be found here.

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Before mass deleting photos, turn on the display of hidden files in the file manager settings. Often, the “junk” is hidden in folders with a dot at the beginning of the name (for example,.nomedia).

Method 3: Cleaning Application Data Through ADB (without root)

If standard methods didn’t work and System Data in Settings → Memory takes >10 GB, use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to delete the cache and data of applications that MIUI “forgets” to clean.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times on the line with the version, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute commands in the terminal (or PowerShell): adb shell pm list packages -f | grep 'miui' | cut -d= -f2 | xargs adb shell pm clear adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job
3. Reboot your smartphone.

The first command cleans the data of all Xiaomi system applications (including Mi Browser, Mi Video, Security), the second – optimizes background processes, after which you may need to re-enter passwords in some applications.

⚠️ Note: Do not use the command adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 [name packet to remove system applications on Xiaomi 8 Pro. This can lead to a bootloop cycle due to dependencies MIUI 10/11.

Method 4: Transfer applications to memory card (if supported)

Xiaomi 8 Pro does not officially support microSD cards in the SIM2 slot, but some users use USB-C → microSD adapters to expand memory. If you have such an adapter, transfer some of the applications to an external drive:

1. Connect the card through the adapter.
2. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Select an app (such as Telegram or Spotify) → Storage → Change → Specify a memory card.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not all apps support portability (such as WhatsApp or banking programs).
• ❌ Applications with a card are faster than internal memory (especially on microSD Class 10).
• ✅ Suitable for media files: music, videos, photos.

Method 5: Disabling the automatic caching of MIUI

MIUI aggressively caches data to speed up work, but this often leads to overflows of memory.

1. Open Settings → Additional settings → Privacy.
2. Select Special Permissions → AutoRun and disable AutoRun for unnecessary applications (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music, Cleaner).
3. Return to Settings → Memory → Settings and turn off the Caching option in the background.

It is also recommended to limit background activity:

• 🔄 B Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery Management Select Energy Saving Mode for Unnecessary Applications.
• 🚫 B Settings → Annexes → Permits → Background activity disable background work for social networks and instant messengers (except for the main ones).

These actions will reduce memory load, but can increase the load time of applications on the first run.

Disable autorun of unnecessary applications |Limit background social media activity |Stop caching in the background |Remove widgets from the home screen |Disable animation in the developer settings-->

Method 6: Reset the partition cache (wipe cache partition)

If your smartphone starts to “glutch” (spontaneous reboots, application errors), and the memory is filled with unknown things, reset the cache of the cache partition. This will not delete your data, but will clear the temporary files of the system.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart.

After this procedure:

• ✅ 1-3 GB of memory is freed.
• ✅ Errors like “The app has stopped” will disappear».
• ⚠️ The first download will take up to 5-10 minutes (the system will restore the cache).

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data (full reset)!The second option will delete all your data, including photos and apps.

Method 7: Manually remove unnecessary system applications (for experienced)

MIUI installs a lot of pre-loaded applications (bloatware) that can't be removed by standard means, and if you're willing to take a chance, they can be deactivated via ADB:

List of safe packets to remove (checked on Xiaomi 8 Pro with MIUI 10-12):

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer  # Mi Video


pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.player       # Mi Music




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.weather #Weather




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.scanner # Scanner




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browser # Standard browser

How it works:

1. Connect your phone to a PC with USB debugging enabled.
2. Enter commands one by one, checking the result after each.
3. Reboot your smartphone.

Warnings:

• 🚨 Do not delete packages with the names com.android, com.qualcomm or com.xiaomi.finddevice, this will cause the key functions to fail.
• 🔄 After updating MIUI Remote applications can be restored.

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Removing system applications via ADB does not require root rights, but it can disrupt some MIUI features (such as dark theme or gestures).

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the memory Xiaomi 8 Pro