Cleaning memory on Redmi 8 Pro: a comprehensive guide

Modern smartphones, such as Redmi 8 Prooffer a lot of functions and capabilities, but over time, built-in storage is inevitable is filled in. The operating system MIUIinstalled on the device tends to accumulate temporary files, application caches, and remnants of uninstalled apps. This leads to a slowdown in the interface, problems with installing updates, and the inability to take new pictures.

Users often encounter a situation where the system issues a warning about low space, even if visually it seems that there are few important files. In fact, hidden system folders and error logs can take up gigabytes of usable space. Proper cleaning requires not just deleting random files, but understanding the data storage structure in Android.

In this article we will look in detail at how to free up space on your device, using both built-in tools and third-party methods. You will learn which files can be deleted without fear of losing data, and which files are strictly prohibited from being touched. The right approach to memory management will extend the life of your gadget and return it to its former speed.

Analysis of storage capacity and system tools

The first step before any cleaning should be diagnostics. It is necessary to understand exactly what is eating up free space. The shell MIUI has a powerful built-in tool for this. It allows you to visualize various types of data: applications, images, videos and system files.

To start the analysis, go to the menu Settings → Memory. Here you will see a color chart where each sector is responsible for a specific type of content. It often turns out that the lion's share is occupied not by photos, but by messenger data or browser caches. The system will automatically offer to clean out the “garbage”, but you should be careful with automatic solutions.

Click on the button Cleaning, which is usually located in the center of the screen or in the form of a broom icon. The application will scan the device and find temporary files, remnants of installation packages APK and empty folders. However, the automatic mode does not always delete the deeply hidden cache of social networks, which can reach tens of gigabytes.

⚠️ Attention: Do not use third-party “accelerators” from the Play Market with aggressive advertising. They often consume a lot of resources themselves and can delete important system logs necessary for diagnosing failures.

Pay attention to the "Other" section in memory statistics. This is the most mysterious category, which is often inflated to incomprehensible proportions. Offline map data, cached streaming videos, and application databases can be stored there. Manually checking this partition through a file manager often gives better results than automatic cleaning.

Managing application cache and messenger data

The largest amount of temporary data is generated by instant messengers and social networks. Applications like Telegram, WhatsApp i Viber save every photo and video you view to the internal memory. Over time, these media files turn into a giant archive, which is duplicated in the gallery and in application folders.

To clean, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Select the desired messenger from the list. Inside the application menu, find the item Storage. Here you will see a clear division between the size of the application itself, the amount of user data and the cache size. The "Clear cache" button is safe - it will delete only temporary files without affecting correspondence.

However, for messengers, clearing the cache through the Android settings is not enough. You need to go inside the application itself. For example, Telegram has a built-in memory management function. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Here you can set a limit on the cache size or clear it completely with one click.

• 🗑️ Regularly clear the cache of YouTube and browsers (Chrome, Yandex), as they save thumbnails and parts of video streams.
• 📸 Disable autosaving of media from chats to the gallery in WhatsApp and Telegram settings to avoid file duplication.
• 📂 Check the folder Download once a month, deleting old installation files and documents.

Be extremely careful when clicking "Clear data" (or "Reset") buttons. Unlike clearing the cache, this operation will delete all chat history, account settings, and the application database. You will receive the application in the same form as it was immediately after installation. Use this function only if you want to completely reinstall the messenger without deleting the APK file itself.

Working with the gallery: duplicates, screenshots and trash

Media files traditionally take up the most space on users' smartphones. The camera Redmi 8 Pro takes high-quality pictures, which can weigh 3-5 MB each. High definition videos are even more power hungry. Over time, the collection grows, and the user forgets what exactly is stored in memory.

Start by checking the folder Screenshots. We often take screenshots to quickly convey information and then forget about them. These files have no long-term value and can be deleted en masse. Also check the folder DCIM →.thumbnails. This is a hidden folder where thumbnails for the gallery are stored. Sometimes the thumbnail file can weigh more than the original photo due to indexing errors.

Pay special attention to the "Trash" function in the gallery. In modern versions MIUI deleted photos do not disappear immediately, but are moved to the trash, where they are stored for 30 days. They continue to take up disk space until they are finally deleted. Go to the "Trash" album and empty it if you are sure that you haven't accidentally deleted anything important.

File type	Approximate size	Recommendation
Photo (JPEG)	2 - 6 MB	Transfer to the cloud or PC
Video (1080p, 1 min)	60 - 120 MB	Delete after viewing
Screenshot	1 - 3 MB	Delete immediately after use
Portrait photo	4 - 8 MB	Keep only the best shots

To find duplicates, you can use the built-in Cleanup tool in the Security application. It can find similar images and suggest removing duplicate frames. This is especially useful after serial shooting, when you have chosen one successful frame, and the remaining ten remained dead weight.

Deleting unused applications and residual files

Often, your smartphone has apps installed that you have not used for several months. Games that are played once, or food ordering apps that are rarely needed, take up space not only with their installation file, but also with data. Some apps can weigh 100 MB during installation, but grow to 1 GB during use.

Go to the section Settings → Applications and sort the list by size. This will show the heaviest "tenants" of your phone. If you see an application that you haven't used for six months, feel free to delete it. This is especially true for games, since they often load additional cache packs of several gigabytes.

After deleting an application, empty folders or configuration files may remain on the system. Although Android this process has become better managed, manual checking will not hurt. Use a file manager to find folders with the names of deleted applications in the root of the internal memory or in the folder Android/data.

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete system applications whose names contain the words "System", "Services", "Framework" or logo Xiaomi. This can lead to unstable operation of the system or an endless reboot (bootloop).

If the application cannot be deleted in the standard way (the "Delete" button is inactive), then it is a system application. In this case, you can only “Disable” it. This will hide the icon from the menu and prevent the application from running in the background, freeing up some RAM, although it will take up less storage space. Be careful when disabling Google services, as this may interfere with other apps.

What to do with Xiaomi system applications?

Many pre-installed applications (Mi Video, Mi Music, Payee) can be safely disabled if you use analogues from Google or third-party developers. This will not remove them completely, but will stop background activity.

Cleaning the Android folder and working with the file manager

For advanced users, the most effective method is manual cleaning through the file manager. In Redmi 8 Pro a standard explorer is preinstalled, which allows you to see the directory structure. The bulk of the garbage accumulates in the folder Android, namely in the subdirectories data and obb.

Folder Android/obb contains cache files for games and heavy applications. If you deleted a game, but the folder with its name remains here, you can safely erase it. This often frees up 500 MB to 2 GB of space. The folder Android/data contains application data. You need to clean it selectively: delete only the folders of those apps that you have already uninstalled.

It is also worth checking the root of the internal memory for the presence of folders from uninstalled apps. Developers often create folders with their brand name (for example, Yandex, Avito, Sberbank). If the application is not on the phone, a folder with its name is usually not needed. The exception is folders DCIM, Download, Bluetooth and MIUI —they cannot be touched.

Another source of garbage is folder .MIUI or hidden system logs. Sometimes, after an unsuccessful update or a system crash, memory dump files (log files) accumulate in the system. They have an extension .log or .txt and can weigh hundreds of megabytes. Deleting them is safe, since they are just error reports.

Transferring data to a memory card and to the cloud

If internal memory Redmi 8 Pro is critically small (for example, a 64 GB version), the best solution would be to transfer the data to an external drive. This smartphone supports the installation of memory cards microSD. You can transfer all photos, videos, music and documents there, freeing up internal space exclusively for applications and the system.

To transfer files, use the file manager. Select the desired files in your phone's memory, select "Move" and specify the path to the SD card. It is important to note that transferring the applications themselves to a memory card in modern versions of Android is difficult and often impossible without root access, but their media data can and should be moved.

An alternative to a memory card is cloud storage. Services like Google Photos, Yandex.Disk or Google Drive allow you to upload media files to the Internet. The Free Up Space feature in Google Photos automatically removes photos from your device that are already uploaded to the cloud. This is an ideal option for those who do not want to carry unnecessary files with them.

• ☁️ Set up automatic photo upload to the cloud via Wi-Fi so as not to waste mobile traffic.
• 💾 Format the memory card in exFAT format to support files larger than 4 GB.
• 🔄 Regularly back up important documents before wiping your phone.

Remember that the speed of applications installed on the memory card may be slower than when installed in the internal memory. Therefore, it is better to leave the system and main apps (messengers, browser, bank clients) on the internal drive, and take the data archives outside.

⚠️ Attention: Before removing the memory card, always perform a software extraction through the menu Settings → Memory → Remove SD card. Physically removing the card while data is being written may result in data loss and damage to the file system.

Radical measures: Reset to factory settings

If none of the above methods helped free up enough space, or if the phone is unstable due to data fragmentation, the last resort is a hard reset. This operation will return Redmi 8 Pro to the state in which it was when purchased out of the box. All user data will be permanently deleted.

It is critical to create a full backup before performing a reset. Use the built-in application Mi Backup to save contacts, messages, call logs and system settings to a memory card or computer. Save photos and documents separately.

To start the process, go to Settings → About phone → Reset settings. Select item Delete all data. The system will ask for confirmation and password for your Mi account. The process may take from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of data. After the reboot, you will receive a clean system with the maximum amount of free memory.

Why does the memory quickly fill up again after a reset?

If immediately after reset to restore a full copy from the backup, you will also return all the accumulated garbage. It is recommended to set up your phone as new by installing applications manually and restoring only contacts and photos.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why does the memory fill up by itself immediately after cleaning?

This is normal system behavior. Applications create new cache files to quickly load content, and the system records operation logs. Messengers also continue to receive new photos and videos. It is recommended to carry out preventative cleaning once every 1-2 weeks.

Is it possible to delete the Android folder completely?

No, you cannot delete the entire folder Android . It stores critical data for the operation of installed applications. Deleting this folder will cause apps to stop running and lose settings and authorization. You can only delete specific subfolders within it.

Is it safe to use applications like Clean Master?

Modern versions of Android have built-in effective cleaning tools. Third-party cleaner apps often work aggressively, killing useful background processes and displaying intrusive ads. The built-in tool in MIUI is quite enough for most tasks.

How to find out which application wastes the most memory?

Go to Settings → Memory and click on internal storage. The system will sort applications by space. Usually the leaders are social networks, games and navigators with loaded maps.

What is a swap file and can it be deleted on Redmi 8 Pro?

The swap file is used by the system to expand RAM at the expense of internal memory. On Redmi 8 Pro it is created automatically when there is insufficient RAM. It is not recommended to delete it manually, as this can lead to the crash of heavy applications and games.