Owners of the popular Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro flagship often face the same problem: the phone’s memory is overflowing, and a mysterious section called “The Other” appears in storage. This section can take up tens of gigabytes, slowly but surely turning the performance of a smartphone into anguish. Understanding what lies behind this label is the first step to freeing up valuable space on your device.
The Other section is not a virus or a system bug, but a collection of temporary files, application cache, residual data after deleted programs and system logs. Cleaning this section requires a comprehensive approach, since standard methods are not always effective. In this article, we will discuss safe and advanced ways to regain free space on your Mi 8 Pro.
Do not ignore memory overflow, as this affects not only the ability to install new applications, but also the overall stability of the MIUI operating system. Proper organization of the file structure and regular hygiene of the digital space will allow your gadget to work as on the first day after purchase.
What is hidden in the “Other” section
Before we start taking drastic measures, we need to understand the nature of data accumulation. Android, and in particular the MIUI shell, classifies files by types: images, video, audio, documents and applications. Anything that does not fall into any of these clear categories or has a non-standard extension, is automatically sent to the “Other” folder, most often a cache of messengers such as Telegram or WhatsApp, which stores the photos and videos viewed in a hidden format.
Also, a significant portion of the volume is from streaming services like Spotify or YouTube, which store buffered data to speed up playback, and over time, these files grow to giant sizes, especially if you often watch high-resolution videos or listen to music offline. Another source of debris is the remnants of remote games and programs that were not completely cleaned when uninstalled.
Special attention should be paid to system logs and error reports. If the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro was out of order, the system could store detailed reports about them, which weigh quite a lot. The Other section can take up to 40% of all available memory if the device was actively used for a year without deep cleaning.
- 📱 Social network cache and instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber).
- 🎵 Temporary files of streaming services and online cinemas.
- 📂 Residual files of remote applications and games.
- 📝 System logs, error reports and update logs.
⚠️ Note: Before removing any files from system folders, we strongly advise you to back up important data to a cloud server or computer to avoid accidental loss of information.
Analysis of the content of the section often shows that the lion’s share of the “junk” is accounted for by media files from messengers, users forget that every video viewed on Telegram is stored in the cache of the application, even if it has already been viewed and is no longer needed.
Basic cleaning with standard MIUI means
The easiest and safest way to start the fight for space is to use Xiaomi’s built-in tools. The MIUI shell is equipped with a powerful Security app that has functionality for analyzing and cleaning storage. To use it, go to the Settings menu → Storage or run the Security → Cleanup app. The system will scan and suggest removing obvious debris.
But standard cleaning is often superficial: it only deletes temporary files, but it doesn't touch the app cache that forms the basis of the "Other" section. For more in-depth work, go to the application management section. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, select a "heavy" application (such as a browser or social network) and click Clear the cache. Don't confuse it with the "Clear All" button, as it will reset the application settings to factory ones.
Regularly performing this procedure for the top-5 The most used applications can free up a few gigabytes of space.
☑️ Checklist of basic cleaning
Remember to check the Downloads folder, often downloading APK installation files that have already been used or documents that are no longer needed, and deleting them safely and instantly frees up space that the system previously classified as Other.
Deep Cleaning Through Application Management
If standard methods have not yielded the desired result, you will have to resort to more detailed analysis. The “Other” section is often inflated by specific applications that aggressively caches content. In Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, you need to go to Settings → Applications → Application Management and sort the list by memory size, which will identify the “culprits” of the celebration.
Special attention should be paid to messengers. Telegram, for example, can set up automatic cache cleaning. Open the app settings, go to Data and memory → Memory use and set a autodelete timer (for example, 3 days), This will prevent the accumulation of gigabytes of media files in the future, similar settings are available on WhatsApp and Viber in the Storage section.
For some system applications, such as Google Play Services or MIUI System, cache cleaning can also be effective, but you need to be careful: If the application is not working properly after cleaning, its data can be restored, but it is better to limit it to cache. In rare cases, removing updates to system components helps, after which they will be updated again, but without any accumulated debris.
- 🔍 Sort applications by the size of the memory occupied.
- 🗑️ Clean the cache of applications that take up more than 1 GB.
- ⚙️ Set up autocleaning the cache inside messengers.
- 🔄 Remove unused applications completely.
⚠️ Note: Do not use the "Erase All Data" button for system applications unless you are sure of your actions.This can result in a reset of your phone settings or loss of important information.
Users are often surprised that a normal browser can take up 2-3 GB of memory.This is due to the accumulated history, saved pages and cache of images. Regularly cleaning the browser’s data through its own settings is often more effective than system cleaning.
Using a computer and conductor for analysis
Sometimes the mobile interface doesn't give the full picture of what's taking up space. - Xiaomi Mi Connection 8 Pro to the computer through USB-The cable allows you to see the file system in more detail (MTP) And open up the internal storage. You're interested in the app names folder, the folder. Android/data and Android/obb.
The Android/data folder stores data from many applications, you can find old files from remote games or programs, be careful: you can only delete folders of applications that you know for sure, or that have already been deleted from your phone, you can not touch system folders, and you should also check root folders, such as Tencent (if you used Chinese versions of software) or MIUI, for forgotten videos or logs.
You can use third-party conductors like Total Commander or X-Plore to visualize the space on the phone itself, and they have a Memory Map feature that shows in sectors which folders weigh the most, which allows you to quickly find hidden heavy files that the system doesn't see as junk.
Should I delete the folder.thumbnails?
Using a PC is especially effective for finding forgotten files in a Download or DCIM/.thumbnails folder.The computer file manager allows you to sort files faster by date and size, identifying forgotten archives or videos that you once downloaded but forgot to delete.
Radical methods: Resetting and flashing
If the Other partition continues to grow despite all efforts and clearing the cache only gives a temporary effect, it is possible that critical errors have accumulated in the file system. In this case, the most effective solution is a complete reset to factory settings. Before doing this, make sure to back up all important data to the Mi Cloud cloud or to your computer.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. This process will delete all apps, photos, contacts and settings, returning the phone to the “out of the box” state. The “Other” section will disappear completely as the file system will be formatted. This is a guaranteed way to get rid of any software junk.
In extreme cases, when even a reset doesn’t work (which is extremely rare and indicates possible flash memory problems), you may need to flash the device through your computer using the Mi Flash Tool utility.This is a complex procedure that requires an unlocked bootloader and skills, but it allows you to install the operating system cleanly, eliminating any software errors of data accumulation.
| Cleaning method | Efficiency | Risk of data loss | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard cleaning | Low (1-5GB) | No. | Low. |
| Cleaning up the app cache | Medium (5-15 GB) | No (logins only) | Medium |
| Analysis through PC | High (depending on the user) | Medium (human factor) | Medium |
| Reset to factory settings | Maximum (100%) | High (needs backup) | Tall. |
The choice of method depends on your willingness to waste time setting up your phone again, and if you need memory urgently and have a backup, resetting is the best solution, and if you want to keep the system current, you have to spend time manually "surgery" files.
Prevention of memory overflow
To prevent the problem of “Other” from returning in a month, it is important to change the habits of using Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro. First of all, turn off auto-save media files in the gallery for instant messengers. Telegram and WhatsApp settings have options that allow you to download photos and videos only over Wi-Fi and not save them to the system gallery, which significantly reduces data duplication.
It's also useful to check the storage regularly, at least once a month, and delete the unnecessary. Don't let the memory fill up "on the back" - Android needs free space (at least 10-15%) for the cache and the system as a whole to work correctly. If there is little memory, the system starts to work slower, and the cleaning process becomes more difficult.
Using cloud-based photo and video storage services, such as Google Photos with Free Space, helps keep local storage clean, and photos stay in the cloud, while the phone takes up minimal space or is deleted completely after synchronization.
- ☁️ Set up sync photos with the cloud and delete local copies.
- 🚫 Turn off auto-save media in messengers.
- 📅 Once a month, you audit the installed applications.
- 📉 Make sure that there is at least 5 GB of memory free.
⚠️ Warning: Constant lack of free memory (less than 1 GB) can lead to physical wear and tear of flash memory of the smartphone and reduce its lifespan.
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Use the “Clean” feature in Google Photos. Once sync is enabled, click on your profile avatar and select “Free space.” The app will remove photos and videos from your device that are already securely stored in the cloud.
Compliance with these simple rules will allow your Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro to remain fast and responsive even after years of use.Memory is a resource that requires management, and regular device hygiene will pay off with steady work.
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The most effective way to deal with the “Other” section is not a one-time cleaning, but setting up automatic cache management in applications and the habit of regularly removing unnecessary files.