How to Clean the “Other” folder on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T: Safe Ways + Hidden Life Hacks

The “Other” folder on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T is a real black hole for smartphone memory, which can take from 2 to 10 GB, but the system does not show what exactly is stored there. Users often face a situation where internal memory is crammed to the end, and in the “Files” section there is a mysterious string “Other” with a multi-gigabyte weight. Why is this?

The fact is that MIUI classifies everything that does not fall into the standard categories as “Other”: system application cache, temporary update files, error logs, remnants of deleted programs and even hidden messenger folders (for example, Android/data/com.whatsapp). Just delete this partition can not – you risk breaking the system. But there are 5 proven ways to help safely reduce its size.

In this article, we will discuss:

• 🔍 What is stored in the folder “Other” and why it grows
• ⚙️ Systemic tools MIUI for cleaning (without root)
• 📂 Manual cleaning through the file manager (with indication of secure folders)
• 🚀 Hidden tricks that are not written in the official guides
• ⚠️ What can you do to avoid turning your phone into a brick»

1.What is the Other folder on the Redmi Note 8T and why does it take up so much space

The Other folder is a prefabricated section where MIUI dumps anything that can't be classified as photos, videos, audio or documents. On the Redmi Note 8T (with a Snapdragon 665 and 64/128 GB of memory), this section often grows because of the features of Android 9/10 and the MIUI 11/12 shell.

• 🗑️ Cache of system applications (for example, com.miui.home or com.android.systemui)
• 📦 Remnants of remote applications (folders lib, cache in) /Android/data/)
• 🔄 Temporary update files MIUI (folder /cache/ota/)
• 📝 Logs and error dumps (folders) /data/anr/, /data/tombstones/)
• 🤖 Dalvik-cache files (optimized versions of applications for fast download)
• 📱 Hidden data of messengers (for example, cache of stickers in Telegram or downloads from WhatsApp)

On the Redmi Note 8T, the “Other” folder can suddenly grow after:

• 📲 Updates MIUI (The system backs up old versions)
• 🎮 Installation/removal of heavy games (e.g. Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile)
• 📸 Intensive use of the camera (temporary processing files) HDR night-time)

An important nuance: on models with 128 GB of memory, the folder “Other” can take up to 8-10 GB, while on 64 GB – usually no more than 4-5 GB. This is due to the fact that MIUI actively uses free space for caching.

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If the Other folder grows again in a week after cleaning, check the applications for background activity, often the fault of messengers (Telegram, Viber) or launchers (Nova, POCO Launcher), which create hundreds of small temporary files.

Method 2: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools (without root)

The safest method is to use standard MIUI utilities, which do not require superuser rights and do not risk damaging system files. Here is a step-by-step guide for the Redmi Note 8T:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Tap on the "Other" line (may be called "Other" in some versions of MIUI).
3. Click on “Clean” (or “Delete Unnecessary Files”).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed (may take 2-5 minutes).

If there is no “Clean” button, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Open the All Apps tab and find Files.
3. Tap “Storage” → “Clear the cache” and “Clear the data”.

What's that gonna do?

• ✅ Remove the cache of system applications (free 0.5-1.5 GB).
• ✅ Clear temporary update files MIUI (0.3-1 GB).
• ❌ Will not touch the hidden folders of messengers and the remains of remote programs.

Close all apps (especially instant messengers and games)

Connect your phone to charge (the process can take up to 10 minutes)

Backup important data (in case of failure)

Check the space available (if less than 1 GB – cleaning may freeze)-->

⚠️ Warning: If after clicking "Clean" the phone is stuck on startup the logo MIUI — Don't panic. 10-15 minutes (system re-indexes files) If it doesn't work, go to the method 5.

Method 2: Manually clean through the file manager (which folders can be deleted)

For power users, there is a more efficient method of manually cleaning through a file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).

Safe to delete folders (paths for Redmi Note 8T):

How to delete:

⚠️ Warning: Never delete folders: /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/ — This is where game data is stored (delete – the games will stop working). /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/ (except backup/) — system-file MIUI. /data/ or /system/ — It'll lead to a phone blink!

Method 3: Cleaning through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods didn’t work and manual cleaning didn’t work, try ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your phone to your computer but allows you to delete files that aren’t available through the file manager.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. On the Redmi Note. 8T Turn on "Debugging by" USB»: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times to activate the developer mode, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: adb devices (the device should appear).
4. Run the command to clean the cache of all applications: adb shell pm clear --all
5. To delete temporary update files: adb shell rm -rf /cache/ota/*

What other commands can be used:

• 📊 View the folder size "Other": adb shell du -sh /data/* | grep -E '([0-9]+G)|([0-9]+M)'
• 🧹 Clean Dalvik-cache (reboot required): Adb shell rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*

⚠️ Attention: Adb shell rm command -rf /data/* delete all user data (photos, apps, settings) and result in a phone reset! Use only the exact paths from this instruction.

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ADB is the most powerful cleaning tool, but it's also the most dangerous, and if you're not sure about the team, check it in Safe Mode or backup first.

5. Method 4: Resetting cache via Recovery (if the phone is braking)

If the Redmi Note 8T started to slow down and the Other folder takes up more than 5 GB, resetting the cache via Recovery Mode will help.This method does not delete user data, but clears the system cache, which can weigh up to 1-2 GB.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the MI logo appears.
3. In the Recovery menu, select the language (if you have a choice: 📛 Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache 🔄 Confirm the action and wait for the completion. 📱 Reboot the phone (Reboot).

What's that gonna do?

• ✅ Cleans Dalvik-cache (will speed up the system).
• ✅ Delete temporary update files and logs.
• ❌ Will not affect user data (photos, videos, applications).

⚠️ Note: If the phone does not turn on after the cache is reset (it freezes on the boot) - it means that the system files were damaged. In this case, you will need a full reset (Wipe Data) or flashing through Fastboot.

6. Method 5: Complete reset (last resort)

If all previous methods failed, and the Other folder still takes 5+GB, it's a radical method that will bring the phone back to factory status, but delete all data, including photos, videos and apps.

How to make Hard Reset on Redmi Note 8T:

What happens after the dump:

• 📉 The folder “Other” will be reduced to 0.5-1 GB (minimum size for work). MIUI).
• 🚀 The phone will work faster (especially on models with the 3/4 GB RAM).
• ⚠️ All data will be deleted (including accounts, Wi-Fi passwords, settings, etc).

⚠️ Note: If the Other folder grows again quickly after reset, the problem is in the system application (for example, com.miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.midrop). ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics

7 How to prevent the “Other” folder from growing in the future

To prevent the Other folder from taking up gigabytes of memory on the Redmi Note 8T, follow these recommendations:

• 📵 Clean the app cache once in a while 1-2 Weeks (especially messengers and social networks).
• 🔄 Turn off automatic updates MIUI (if not necessary: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⚙️ → Auto-update.
• 🗑️ Use lightweight alternatives to standard applications MIUI (Simple Gallery instead of Xiaomi Gallery).
• 📱 Do not install applications on SD-map (MIUI It works poorly with adoptable storage and creates duplicate files).
• 🔍 Periodically check the Download folder - unnecessary ones accumulate there. APK archives.

Useful applications for memory control:

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the “Other” folder on Redmi Note 8T