Smartphones of the Redmi 8 i Redmi 8Aseries, released at the end of 2019, have long remained popular budget solutions due to their reliable housing and autonomy. However, their weak point has always been the modest amount of built-in storage - only 32 gigabytes. After installing the system and a basic set of applications, the user has only about 15-18 GB free, which in modern realities fills up at an alarming rate.
When the internal storage is full, the device begins to work unstable: applications crash, the camera cannot save photos, and the notification system constantly reminds of the lack of space. This problem is especially acute for owners of the 32 GB version, where every megabyte counts. In this article, we will look in detail at how to free up space safely and as efficiently as possible without deleting important personal data.
Many users mistakenly believe that deleting a couple of photos will solve the problem, but in reality, hidden system files, messenger caches, and duplicate downloads are often memory hogs. A competent approach to cleaning will extend the life of your Redmi 8 another year or two of active use without the need to buy a new gadget.
Analysis of occupied space and search for hidden files
Before deleting something blindly, you need to understand what exactly is taking up precious space. The MIUIshell installed on Redmi 8 has a built-in analysis tool that visually shows the distribution of data. Go to Settings → Storageto see a pie chart of categories: applications, images, videos, documents, etc.
Often, most of the space is occupied not by the applications themselves, but by their data. For example, one messenger can weigh 50 MB, but its folder with media files grows to 5-10 GB after six months of active correspondence. The system may incorrectly display the "Miscellaneous" category, hiding update logs, remnants of deleted apps and temporary files there.
⚠️ Attention: When deleting files through the built-in explorer, be extremely careful with folders whose names you do not know. Deleting system directories in the root of the storage may lead to a malfunction of the interface or loss of settings.
For a more in-depth analysis, it is recommended to use third-party utilities, such as Files by Google or DiskUsage. These apps build a memory map in the form of rectangles, where the block size corresponds to the file size. This way you will instantly find forgotten movies or archives that a standard file manager might miss.
Clearing the application cache and system data reset
The fastest way to free up a few gigabytes is to clear the cache. Cache are temporary files that applications create to speed things up, but over time they turn into digital junk. On Redmi 8, this is done through the app menu or storage settings.
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Sort the list by memory size. Select the heaviest apps (usually browsers, social networks and instant messengers) and press the button Clear at the bottom of the screen. It is important to distinguish between the "Clear cache" and "Clear all" buttons.
- 🗑️ Clear cache — securely deletes temporary files without affecting your logins, passwords and correspondence.
- ⚠️ Clear all (Reset) — completely deletes the application along with all data, returning it to the “just installed” state.
- 🔄 Cleaning by schedule —in the Xiaomi “Security” application, you can set up automatic garbage cleaning once a week.
Pay special attention to the browser Chrome or built-in MIUI Browser. They accumulate gigabytes of cache of pages viewed. Go to your browser settings, find "Privacy" and select clear browsing data. This will give you back from 200 MB to 1 GB of free space in a couple of seconds.
If you use streaming services like YouTube or Spotify, check your content download settings. Often, users download music or videos for offline viewing and forget about them. These files are stored in closed application folders and are not always visible in the general gallery, but they occupy a significant amount of space.
Use the "Deep Cleaning" function in the standard "Security" application. It finds similar photos, old screenshots and large files that you might have forgotten to delete manually.
Optimizing instant messengers: WhatsApp and Telegram
Messengers are the main culprits for low memory on smartphones with small storage. By default, all received photos and videos are automatically saved to the phone gallery. This leads to the fact that the same video can be stored in three copies: in the chat, in the messenger folder and in the general gallery. WhatsApp And Telegram By default, all received photos and videos are configured to automatically save to the phone gallery. This leads to the fact that the same video can be stored in three copies: in the chat, in the messenger folder and in the general gallery.
The situation is solved most elegantly thanks to cloud architecture. Go to Telegram the situation is solved most elegantly thanks to cloud architecture. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Set a cache limit (for example, 200 MB) and enable automatic cleaning. You can safely delete the entire messenger cache - all chats and media will remain on the server and will be loaded if necessary.
With WhatsApp the situation is more complicated, since it stores data locally. Go to the application settings, section Data and storage → Storage management. Here you will see a list of chats sorted by space. Go to the largest chat (often these are general groups) and delete old video files, leaving text correspondence.
| Action | Efficiency | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|
| Clear Telegram cache | High (up to 2 GB) | No (cloud data) |
| Disable autosave in WhatsApp | Medium (prevention) | No |
| Deleting old voice messages | Low | No |
| Resetting messenger data | Maximum | High (backup required) |
How to disable autosave in WhatsApp?
Go to Settings → Chats and turn off the "Media Visibility" switch. Then, under Startup Media, select Never for Mobile Data and Wi-Fi. This will prevent memory clogging in the future.
Don't forget about the chat archiving function. Although it doesn't delete messages from the device, it does help organize the data. To really free up space on Redmi 8, it is best to periodically export important correspondence to a computer or to the cloud, and then delete them from the phone.
Transferring photos and videos to external media
The built-in 32 GB of memory is not physically designed to store a large media library. The Redmi 8 camera takes good pictures, but one minute video in 1080p resolution can weigh 150-200 MB. The only rational solution is to transfer the archive to a memory card microSD.
The smartphone supports cards up to 256 GB. Insert the card into the slot (it is shared with the slot for the second SIM card) and format it as internal storage or portable media. To store photos, it is better to select portable media mode so that when you change your phone, the files remain readable.
After installing the card, go to the "Explorer" application. Select the folders DCIM (photos from the camera) and Pictures (screenshots and images from social networks). Click "More" → "Move" and select a path on the SD card. The system will automatically transfer the files, freeing up internal memory.
⚠️ Attention: Do not move Android system folders such as
Android/dataorAndroid/obbto the memory card. This may cause games and applications to stop launching or lose saves.
Also set the camera so that new pictures are immediately saved to the card. In the Camera app, click on the settings cog and find the "Save" option. Switch the checkbox to "SD card". This is a critical step for Redmi 8A owners to avoid re-filling.
☑️ Preparing to transfer files
Removing system junk and the .thumbnails folder
There is a hidden folder in the Android system .thumbnails, which is located inside the directory DCIM. It is designed to store thumbnails of your photos so that the gallery loads faster. The problem is that on Redmi 8 this folder can grow to unimaginable sizes (sometimes 5-10 GB), even if there are no original photos left.
To get to it, you will need a file manager with access to hidden files (for example, FX File Explorer or a standard explorer with the "Show hidden files" option enabled). Find the path /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails.
/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnailsYou can safely delete the contents of this folder. The system will automatically create it again, but empty, the next time you open the gallery. This will instantly free up gigabytes of space. However, keep in mind that the next time you open the gallery, it may slow down until it recreates the thumbnails.
Another source of garbage is the folder MIUI/debug_log. The system dumps error reports here. If you are not a developer and do not send reports to Xiaomi upon request, this folder can be cleared completely. The files in it weigh little, but their number can number in the thousands, which loads the file system.
Regular cleaning of the .thumbnails folder is the most effective way to deal with “phantom” occupied space that is not displayed in the standard storage analysis.
Uninstalling pre-installed software and updates
Redmi 8 smartphones come with a set of pre-installed applications that the user does not always need. Some of them can be removed, and some can only be disabled. Go to Settings → Applications and carefully study the list.
Look for applications from Google or Xiaomi that you do not use: Google Movies, Google Music, Gmail Mail (if you use another), Mi Video, Mi Music. Click on the application and select "Uninstall". If there is no delete button, click Disable. This will hide the application and stop its processes, freeing up some RAM.
It is also worth checking for older versions of applications. Sometimes when you update your system or apps, old APK installation files remain in memory. Use the application Clean Master or the built-in analyzer to find and remove old APK files.
The issue of system updates is also important. Firmware update files can take up to 2 GB and are stored in a hidden partition. After successful installation of the update, the system should remove the installation package itself, but sometimes this does not happen. If you see a file with a name containing update.zip or similar in the root of the memory, you can delete it.
⚠️ Attention: The MIUI interface is updated periodically. The location of some menu items may vary slightly depending on the Android version (9 or 10) and shell version. If you do not find the item in the specified location, use the search in the settings.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why is the space not freed up after deleting files?
This is a common problem with the folder .thumbnails or messenger cache. Try rebooting your smartphone after cleaning - the system will recalculate the free space. Also check the trash in the Gallery and Explorer application, files can be stored there for another 30 days.
Is it possible to transfer applications to a memory card on Redmi 8?
In modern versions of Android and MIUI, the ability to transfer applications (App2SD) is officially limited or absent for most apps. The developers do not recommend this due to the low speed of memory cards, which leads to application lags. Transfer only photos and videos.
Is it safe to delete the Android folder?
Absolutely not. Deleting the entire folder Android will lead to resetting all application settings, loss of game saves and possible system inoperability. Delete only specific cache subfolders inside it if you are sure of their purpose.
How to prevent the memory from quickly filling up in the future?
The main rule: disable auto-saving of media in instant messengers and set the camera to save photos directly to the SD card. Regularly (once a month) audit the "Download" folder, where installation files and documents accumulate.
Will resetting to factory settings help?
Yes, this is a radical, but the most effective method. Resetting will remove absolutely everything, returning the phone to “as from the store” state. Before doing this, be sure to make a complete backup of your contacts and photos, since it will be impossible to restore deleted data.