Redmi 8 smartphones have been well-deserved hits thanks to their excellent balance of price and quality, but over time, even such reliable devices can start to work slower. The accumulation of temporary files, residual debris after deleted applications and inflated cache are the main enemies of the speed of your MIUI system. If you notice that the interface twitches and applications open longer than usual, then it’s time to clean up the whole thing.
In this article, we will go into detail all the ways to clean Xiaomi Redmi 8’s phone to return it to factory speed. You will learn not only about standard cleaning methods, but also about the hidden features of the system that allow you to free up gigabytes of space that you did not even know you had.
Memory Occupation Analysis and Hidden Files Search
Before you start taking active action to delete, you need to understand what exactly is clogged with memory of your device. Android system often hides large files in non-obvious folders, and a standard analyzer may not show the full picture. Using third-party tools or built-in file analyzer will reveal the “heavyweights” occupying precious space.
Note the folders of messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, which by default save all received photos and videos to the gallery. These media files can take up to 70% of the available space, creating the illusion of lack of memory for installing new programs. Regular revision of such directories is the first step to optimization.
- 📂 Built-in storage is overflowing primarily with social media cache.
- 📂 Download folder often contains installation files APK, no longer needed.
- 📂 Errors in downloading large files can leave broken pieces of data.
- 📂 Gallery Recycle Bin Retains Deleted Photos for 30 Days.
For deep analysis, use the built-in Explorer app. Go to Memory to see the visualization of space. System files occupy a fixed volume that is best left unattended, but the Other section often hides exactly the debris that is to be removed.
Cleaning of system debris with built-in MIUI tools
The MIUI shell on Redmi 8 has powerful built-in maintenance tools that don’t require additional software. The standard Security app combines antivirus and cliner features to allow temporary files to be deleted at a single click, the safest way for inexperienced users.
When a cleanup is started, the system scans all directories for temporary files, residual debris and installer packages. Xiaomi algorithms are smart enough not to affect important user data, but caution should be exercised when manually sorting the files found.
☑️ Weekly cleaning of Redmi 8
It is important to note that Cleanup does not delete your personal photos, contacts or documents unless they are duplicates. However, if you use Deep Cleanup, the system will prompt you to delete large files and rarely used applications. Carefully check the file list before deleting in deep cleanup mode so that important work documents or personal archives are not accidentally erased.
⚠️ Warning: Do not use third-party accelerators from the Play Market at the same time as the built-in optimizer. Conflict of cleaning processes can lead to a cyclical system reboot or unstable background services.
Delete the application cache and residual files
App cache is temporary data that speeds up the startup of programs, but can grow to giant sizes over time, especially for browsers, social networks and mapping services. Clearing the cache does not delete your logins and passwords, but resets temporary settings and uploaded images.
To do this manually, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Select a heavy app (like YouTube or Instagram), click Memory and select Clear Cache. Don't confuse this button with the Clean All button, which will reset the app to factory settings and require re-authorization.
What's Dalvik Cache?
For advanced users, there is a possibility of cleaning through Recovery mode, but for Redmi 8 this is rarely necessary. Standard methods through the settings menu are enough to maintain system hygiene. Regular cleaning of the browser cache also frees up space and increases privacy by removing browsing history and cookies.
- 🗑️ Browser cache can take several gigabytes after watching high-resolution video.
- 🗑️ Garbage files often have extensions.tmp,.log or.bak.
- 🗑️ Residual folders of remote games can lie at the root of internal memory.
- 🗑️ Thumbnails – a hidden system cache that can be safely cleaned.
Optimization of RAM and Background Processes
RAM in Redmi 8 is limited, so good background management is critical to performance. MIUI aggressively unloads applications from memory, but some programs have learned to bypass these limitations by continuing to consume resources. Control over autoload and background activity helps to keep the battery and free RAM.
There's a "Security" feature in the "Accelerate" menu that forcibly closes the background processes, but a more subtle setup is available under "Advanced Settings" → "Memory," where you can see which apps are consuming the most resources right now, and if you need to stop them working.
| Type of process | Impact on the system | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| System services | Critical | Don't touch it. |
| Messengers | Average (notification required) | Leave in autoload. |
| Games | High (eating RAM) | Close after the game |
| Social media. | High (constant traffic) | Limit background activity |
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Use Do Not Disturb or Sleep mode in your battery settings for applications you rarely use, which will prevent them from running in the background and using up CPU resources.
It’s also worth looking at the developer settings (if enabled) and limiting the number of background processes. For Redmi 8, the optimal value is “Standard Limit” or “No More than 3-4 processes.” An unnecessary limitation can cause notifications to stop coming on time.
Fighting advertising debris and unnecessary notifications
One of the features of the MIUI shell is that it has built-in advertising in system applications like Explorer, Music or Downloads, which not only annoys but consumes CPU traffic and resources, and disabling ads through Mi Account settings and specific applications makes the system much easier.
To clean your phone of advertising noise, you need to turn off the msa service (MIUI System Ads). Go to Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data, find in the msa list and turn off the slider. The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds before confirming — this is a mandatory procedure.
⚠️ Note: After disabling system advertising, some features in standard applications (for example, news selection in the Music app) may stop updating or not work correctly.
In addition, many apps you install request permission to display notifications, turning the notification curtain into a promotional tape. Go through the permission list and turn off notifications for games and utilities that do not need to urgently tell you information. This will also reduce the load on the processor when the screen wakes up.
Radical measures: full reset to factory settings
If the software cleaning didn’t work and the phone kept running slowly, the last proven method is a full reset, which completely removes all data from the internal drive, returning the device to a “store-like” state, which is the most effective way to get rid of deep system errors and viruses.
Before starting the procedure, be sure to back up all important data to the Mi Cloud or your computer. After resetting, it will be impossible to recover deleted files without a backup. Also make sure that the battery is at least 50% so that the phone does not turn off at a critical moment.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The system will request confirmation of the screen unlock password and Mi Account. The process will take 5 to 15 minutes, after which the phone will restart and offer an initial setup.
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Hard Reset is the only tool that is guaranteed to remove viruses and deep system errors that cannot be eliminated by regular cache cleaning.