Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 8 smartphone often face a situation where the device starts to run slower and applications stop running. The main cause of such problems in most cases is crowded internal storage. Understanding how to correctly check the memory status on your gadget is the first step to restore its performance and stable operation.
Modern mobile operating systems, including the MIUI shell, require a significant amount of free space for the background processes to function correctly. If there is critically little space on the disk, the system cannot create temporary files, which leads to failures. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available methods of diagnostics of the drive, from embedded tools to advanced analysis methods.
Don't ignore the first signs of space scarcity, as it can affect the safety of your personal data. Timely diagnosis of storage will help avoid losing photos, contacts and important documents. We'll look not only at standard methods, but also at the hidden capabilities of the system that allow you to better understand the structure of the disk's occupancy.
Analysis of built-in MIUI tools
The easiest and safest way to assess the situation is to use the standard Security app, which is preinstalled on every Redmi 8. This tool provides basic information about occupied and free space, and offers automatic solutions to vacate space.
The system will scan and report how many megabytes or gigabytes are available to the user, but it is worth remembering that the standard analyzer often shows only the big picture without going into details of the file distribution by folder.
Go to Settings โ Phone โ Memory. Here you will see a color diagram that visualizes the distribution of data. Blue is usually for apps, green is for media, and gray is for system data and so on. By clicking on any of the sectors, you can get more detailed information.
It's important to look at the "Other" section, which often raises questions from users, which includes app cache, update files, messenger time data and remnants of remote programs, and this is where gigabytes of "digital garbage" that are safe to remove are most often hidden.
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To quickly clear the system cache in the Memory menu, click the Clear button, but donโt use aggressive third-party utilities that can delete the desired configuration files.
Use of the Engineering Testing (CIT) Menu
To further diagnose the physical state of the drive in Xiaomi smartphones, there is a special engineering menu that allows you to check the integrity of memory and identify possible hardware errors that are not visible in the normal interface.
Dial the combination ##6484## or ##4636##. In the CIT (Customer Information Test) menu, you need to find the item associated with memory or storage. Starting the test will allow the system to read and write test blocks of data.
โ ๏ธ Warning: Do not change the settings in the engineering menu if you are not sure of your actions. Incorrect configuration can lead to system instability or data loss.
During testing, the system can report the status of the SMART drive or the presence of broken sectors. If the test shows read/write errors, this is a serious signal that the memory chip begins to degrade, in which case it is recommended to immediately back up important data.
The results of the tests in CIT are often technical in nature and may not be clear to the average user. The main thing to look at is the final status of "Pass" (Successful) or "Fail" (Error). If you see "Fail", the problem is hardware in nature and software cleaning will not help.
What to do if the memory test does not start?
Detailed diagnostics via ADB and Fastboot
For advanced users who are not afraid of the command line, it is possible to get the most detailed information about the state of memory through debugging over USB. This method requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and installing ADB drivers (Android Debug Bridge).
The first step is to activate the developer mode. To do this, go to Settings โ About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI build number seven times. After that, the โFor Developersโ option will appear in the โAdditionalโ menu, where you need to turn on โDebugging by USBโ.
After connecting the phone to the PC, open the command line and enter a command to check the state of the data partition:
adb shell df /dataThis command will display information about the partition size, space used and available space in the blocks, and you can get more detailed information about the file system by asking for inode status, which will help identify file indexing problems.
It is also useful to check the system logs for input/output errors that may indicate problems with the memory controller. the adb logcat command shows system events in real time, and when you try to write to a damaged sector in the log, appropriate warnings may appear.
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Using ADB gives you access to hidden system settings that are not visible through the standard Android interface.
Analysis of the occupied space by third-party utilities
Android is not always easy to visualize large amounts of data. Third-party analytics apps like DiskUsage or Files by Google build interactive memory cards, allowing you to instantly find the heaviest files.
Once you install this app and grant permissions, it will scan all the folders, and you'll see rectangles of different sizes, each with a size that corresponds to the size of the file or folder, and it allows you to instantly identify forgotten videos, application logs, or the navigator cache.
Special attention should be paid to the folders of messengers such as WhatsApp and Telegram, which often store thousands of images and videos received, which are automatically uploaded to the phoneโs memory, and analyzers will help find and remove duplicates or unnecessary media files.
- ๐ DiskUsage is a classic tool with a tree-like structure of data display, ideal for deep analysis.
- ๐งน Files by Google โ official app with cleanup features and smart search for large or rarely used files.
- ๐ Storage Analyzer โ provides detailed statistics on file types and memory filling dynamics.
Using these gates allows you not only to clean the space, but also to understand the logic of filling the memory with your device, you can see which applications grow the fastest, and decide whether to remove or restrict them.
Cleaning cache and temporary files
Regular cache cleaning is a necessary procedure to keep the Xiaomi Redmi 8 healthy. Cache speeds up applications, but over time can take up gigabytes of space, especially if you actively use social networks or browsers.
To manually clean, go to Settings โ Apps โ All apps. Select an app that takes up a lot of space (like YouTube or Instagram) and click Memory. There you will see the Clear Cache button. It is important not to confuse it with the Clear Everything button, which will delete the authorization data.
โ๏ธ Checklist for safe cleaning
There is also a hidden function to clean the system cache through the Recovery menu. To do this, turn off the phone and press the combination of the buttons Volume up + Power. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe Data!).
โ ๏ธ Warning: The "Wipe Data / Factory Reset" item will completely delete all your personal data and reset your phone to factory status.Be extremely careful when navigating in the Recovery menu.
Automated cleaning through the built-in Security app is also effective if done regularly, and the system itself identifies temporary files that are safe to delete, reducing the risk of accidental deletion of important system components.
Table: Memory filling standards for stable operation
To understand when to sound the alarm, it is useful to focus on the following indicators, which will help determine whether your device is at risk.
| Status of memory | Places taken. | Impact on Redmi 8 | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimally. | 0% - 70% | Maximum speed, no lags | Maintain current levels |
| Permissible. | 70% - 85% | Rare downsizing is possible | Delete unnecessary photos and videos |
| Critically. | 85% - 95% | Slowdown of work, problems with installation of software | Urgent cleaning of cache and debris |
| Dangerous. | 95% - 100% | System failures, inability to receive messages | Transfer data to PC or cloud |
As you can see from the table, the threshold is 85 percent, and exceeding that on Redmi 8 with its slower Snapdragon 439 processor can lead to a marked decrease in interface responsiveness.
Common problems and their solution
Often, users are faced with a situation where the memory fills up on its own, even without active use of the phone, this can be caused by the โinflatedโ database of messengers or errors in the operation of system logs.
If you notice that the System or Other partition takes up a disproportionate amount of space, try rebooting your device, which in some cases causes the system to recalculate the file index and free up space that was mistakenly thought to be occupied.
It can also be a problem with a full folder. MIUI It's located at the root of the internal memory, where the error logs are stored, and it can be safely cleared through the file manager by deleting the contents of the folder. debug_log.
Why did the memory not clear after cleaning?
Can I use it? SD-map as an internal memory?
Does memory occupancy affect battery life?
Following these guidelines will allow you to keep Xiaomi Redmi 8 in excellent condition. Regular monitoring and competent file management is the key to a long and fast work of your smartphone.