How to increase memory Xiaomi Redmi 8: effective methods

Budget smartphone owners often face a shortage of internal storage, and the Redmi 8 is no exception: basic versions of the device offer only 32 or 64 GB, of which a significant part is occupied by the system and preinstalled services. When the space runs out, the gadget starts to work slower, messages stop coming, and installing new applications becomes impossible.

There are several proven ways to solve this problem without having to buy a new device. Optimizing the file system and using external drives correctly allow you to significantly extend the comfortable use of a smartphone. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods, from simple settings to more advanced manipulation of access rights.

Before you start taking action, it’s important to understand the memory architecture in the MIUI shell. The system divides data into user files, application cache and system partition. Clearing temporary files is the first and most secure step, often yielding instant results of several gigabytes.

Analysis of the current state of the storage

The first step is always to diagnose. You need to know exactly what takes up precious gigabytes. Xiaomi's built-in tools provide fairly detailed statistics, but for deep analysis, it's better to use specialized tools. The standard way to get information is through the settings menu, where the overall occupancy is displayed.

For a detailed picture, go to Settings → Memory. Here you will see a color diagram showing apps, images, videos and system files in different colors. Often, it turns out that the lion's share of the space is occupied by messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, which have been accumulating media files for years.

⚠️ Warning: Before deleting large amounts of data or manually cleaning folders, be sure to back up important photos and documents in the cloud or on your computer.

Using third-party analyzers like DiskUsage, you can visualize the folder structure as a map, which helps you find hidden error logs or forgotten downloads that are not displayed in the standard gallery, and data visualization makes it much easier to find heavy items.

Use of microSD memory card

The Redmi 8 has a separate memory card slot, which is a huge advantage: you can install a microSD of up to 256 GB, turning a budget card into a multimedia center, but just inserting a card is not enough — you need to set it up properly to work with the system.

Once you have installed the media, you'll have to choose the mode of use. To store photos, music and documents, choose Portable Storage. If you want to migrate applications there, you'll need formatting as internal storage, but this method has its own nuances in new versions of Android.

• 📸 Set up automatic photo and video saving from the camera directly to SD-map through the settings of the camera application.
• 🎵 Transfer downloaded music from streaming services (Spotify, Yandex.Music) to the application settings on an external drive.
• 📂 Change the default path for downloads in Chrome or MI Browser on the memory card.

It is important to choose cards with high write speed (class 10 or U3), otherwise the smartphone interface may slow down when accessing files. Cheap and slow cards often cause system freezes and data loss.

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Use Files by Google to quickly clean duplicates and temporary files, it safely removes debris without affecting important system data.

Transfer of applications to SD-map

The issue of transferring installed programs to an external drive is acute for owners of 32 GB versions. In modern versions of Android, this feature is limited to application developers, but in the MIUI shell there are ways to get around the restrictions. Not all programs support portability, but many games and heavy utilities do.

To check the possibility of transfer go to Settings → Annexes → All applications. Select the application you want and find the "Move to" button. SD-If it is active (not grey), you can free up internal memory by transferring the body of the program, leaving only the minimum necessary data on the inner disk.

If the standard transfer button is inactive, you can use the debugging mode by USB and the pm setInstallLocation 2 command, but it requires a computer connection and knowledge ADB-This method makes the memory card unreadable on other devices without resetting.

Cleaning the cache and removing system debris

Daily smartphone use generates a huge number of temporary files. Cache speeds up the load of frequently visited pages and functions used, but over time it inflates to incredible size. Regular cleaning is the basic hygiene for any gadget.

Xiaomi's built-in Security app can find remnants of remote programs and empty packages. Run a scan and press the "Clean" button. However, for deeper cleaning, you should go to the repository of specific applications, such as social networks, and manually clear their cache through settings.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse the "Clear Cache" button with the "Erase Data" button. The second action will completely delete your account, correspondence and settings within a particular application.

Also worth paying attention to is the Download and Bluetooth folder, which often saves APK installation files that are no longer needed after installing programs, or old documents, and deleting them is safe and makes space available instantly.

Optimization of the work of messengers

Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber are the main memory eaters on any Android smartphone, and these apps store every photo and video they see in the memory of the device, and without setting up, they can take up tens of gigabytes, clogging internal storage with unnecessary content.

In Telegram, you need to go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. You need to limit the cache size to, for example, 500 MB or 1 GB, and set a period of automatic cleaning (for example, 3 days), after which the application will delete the old media files, downloading them again only when you re-view them.

On WhatsApp, the path is slightly different: Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. Here you can massively delete files larger than 5 MB or media from specific chats. Regular maintenance of these two programs can free up up to 10 GB of space.

Advanced Methods: ADB and Root Rights

For power users who lack standard methods, there are ways to deep optimize: Using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) allows you to remove system applications that cannot be removed in the usual way.

To work, you will need to enable debugging via USB in the “Developers” menu (you need to click on the build number in “About Phone” 7 times). Then a command is executed through the computer to remove packets. For example, removing unnecessary services from Google or Xiaomi can give an additional 1-2 GB.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

Magisk's superuser rights allow you to take full control of the file system, transfer any data to the memory card, and even combine internal memory with external memory, but this eliminates the warranty and increases security risk.

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Use of the ADB-System garbage removal teams are the most effective way to make room without losing personal data, but require caution and follow the instructions accurately.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)