Owners of a popular budget smartphone Redmi 8 often face a lack of internal memory after a year and a half of active use. The system Android over time accumulates gigabytes of hidden data that is not visible during normal viewing of the file manager. This leads to a slower interface, long application downloads and sudden errors when installing updates.
Automatic cleaners often remove only superficial debris, leaving deeply hidden logs and remnants of deleted apps. In this material, we will look at how to deep manual cleaning your device to return it to its former speed without losing important photos and contacts.
The method described below is safe for the system if you follow the instructions carefully. We will not use dubious apps from the Play Market, which themselves consume resources, but will use the built-in capabilities of the shell MIUI and standard file system tools.
Analysis of storage fullness and search for large objects
Before you start deleting, you need to understand what exactly is taking up space. The built-in memory analyzer Redmi 8 works quite accurately, but sometimes misses specific messenger folders. Start by going to the menu Settings → Storagewhere the system visualizes the distribution of data by category.
Pay special attention to the “Other” section. Often this is where cached data from streaming services and offline maps of navigators are hidden, which can take up to 10 GB of space. Users rarely check this item, relying only on clearing the Recycle Bin and application cache.
For a more detailed analysis, it is recommended to download a lightweight file manager, for example Files by Google or the built-in Explorer from Xiaomi. Sort files by size to find forgotten high-definition videos or archives with installation files for games that are no longer needed.
Before deleting any files from the Androidobb folder, be sure to check if the games in question are installed. Deleting these folders will result in the need to completely re-download game resources.
Do not rush to delete everything from the folder Download. Often there are important documents, receipts or tickets that you downloaded a month ago and forgot. Manual sorting will take 15 minutes, but will save you from losing critical information.
Clearing the system cache and application data
The most effective way to free up space is to work with the cache of specific applications. Social networks, such as Telegram i VK, save every viewed photo and video to the device’s disk. Without manual configuration, this data is stored forever.
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the heaviest apps (usually browsers, instant messengers and YouTube). Tap an app, select Storage, and then Clear Cache. It is important not to confuse this button with “Clear all”, otherwise you will delete logins and app settings.
- 🗑️ Telegram: Go to the settings of the application itself → Data and memory → Memory usage → Clear cache. There you can also set auto-delete after 3 days.
- 📸 Instagram: The cache often grows to gigabytes due to viewed stories. Cleared through the system application menu.
- 🌍 Browsers (Chrome, Mi Browser): Deletes browsing history and temporary site files, which can take from 500 MB to 2 GB.
⚠️ Attention: Clearing data (not cache) the application will return it to the “as after installation” state. You will lose saved passwords, correspondence and settings within the app.
Pay special attention to the “Gallery” system application. Sometimes a cache of thumbnails accumulates there, which is not deleted by standard means. To clear it, you may need to go to the advanced developer menu or use ADB commands, but in 90% of cases standard cleaning through the app menu is enough.
Working with garbage folders in the file manager
File system Android on devices Xiaomi has a specific folder structure that is safe to delete. Open File Explorer and navigate to the root directory of your internal storage. Here you can manually delete several types of directories that create apps.
The folder MIUI/debug_log contains system error reports that are needed only by engineers when developing firmware. These logs are useless to the average user and can be safely deleted. The same applies to the folder backupif you have already backed up to the cloud or to your computer.
Folders safe to delete:
/MIUI/debug_log
/MIUI/gallery/cloud/cache
/Android/data/.cache (with caution)
/Tencent/QQfile_recv (tested files)
The folder Tencent stores messenger data QQ and sometimes the remains of files WeChat. If you do not use these services, the directory can be deleted completely. However, inside the folder QQfile_recv there may be documents that you accepted from colleagues, so check the contents before completely deleting them.
What is the .thumbnails folder?
This is a hidden system folder where thumbnails of all your photos are stored. If there are a large number of photos, it can take up several gigabytes. You can delete it, but the system will create it again over time.
Deleting the remains of deleted applications (APK and logs)
A common situation: you deleted a game or app, but its “tails” remained in memory. These can be configs, saved progress or boot files. On Redmi 8 with the shell MIUI there is often a folder with the name of the deleted game in the root of the internal memory.
Also check the folder Download for presence APK files. Once the application is installed, the installation file is no longer needed, but many users forget to delete it. One such file can weigh 100 MB, and if you often install apps manually, their amount will be impressive.
| File type | Where to look | Can I delete? | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| .apk | /Download, /Bluetooth | Yes, after installation | No |
| .log | /MIUI/debug_log | Yes | No |
| .tmp | Different folders | Yes | Low |
| obb | /Android/obb | Only if the game is deleted | High (game reset) |
Use the search in the file manager by entering the extension .apk. The system will show all installation packages located on the device. Feel free to delete those whose creation dates are older than a month - most likely, you have already installed these apps or no longer need them.
Cleaning messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp
Messengers are the main “eaters” of memory on a modern smartphone. WhatsApp by default, saves all received media files to the gallery, duplicating them in its internal database. Telegram stores the cache in the cloud, but for quick access downloads it to the device.
In WhatsApp go to Settings → Data and storage → Storage management. Here you will see a list of chats sorted by the amount of space they occupy. You can select a specific conversation and delete the forwarded videos, leaving the text correspondence untouched.
⚠️ Attention: In Telegram, the “Clear cache” function does not delete your correspondence from the server. You can re-upload photos or videos at any time by opening the chat. This is the safest way to free up space.
For Viber the situation is similar: media files are duplicated. It is recommended to disable autosaving to the gallery in the settings of the application itself so that new pictures do not clog up the memory Redmi 8 automatically.
☑️ Weekly memory maintenance
Using developer mode and hidden settings
For advanced users, it is possible to disable unnecessary system logs that are written in the background. This will not remove the debris that has already accumulated, but it will prevent it from appearing quickly in the future. Activate developer mode by clicking 7 times on the build number in the menu About phone.
In the developer menu, find the item “Don't keep activities.” Do not enable it for continuous operation, as this will close all background applications. However, you can use debugging tools to view the actual size of the process cache.
A safer method is to limit the background activity of heavy applications. In Battery Settings, select an app and limit its background activity. This will prevent constant downloading of data and updating the cache when the screen is off.
Regular manual clearing of the messenger cache is more effective than any third-party cleaning utilities, which often only imitate vigorous activity.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it safe to delete the Android/data folder?
Completely deleting this folder will reset many applications and lose game saves. Delete only the contents of the folders of those applications that you have already deleted from your smartphone, or clear specific cache subfolders inside them.
Why is the space not freed up after cleaning?
Perhaps you only cleared the cache and did not delete large files. Also check the Trash folder in the Gallery and in Explorer - deleted files are often stored there for another 30 days, taking up space.
Is it possible to transfer applications to a memory card on Redmi 8?
Shell MIUI based on Android 9-10 limits this function. Most modern applications cannot be officially transferred to an SD card. It is better to use a memory card only for storing photos, videos and documents.
How often should you clean your phone manually?
It is enough to carry out a full audit once a month. Daily cleaning is not required if you have set up automatic cache deletion in instant messengers and do not download a lot of heavy files.
Resetting to factory settings will help better?
Yes, a full reset (Settings → About phone → Reset settings) will remove absolutely all garbage. But this is an extreme measure that requires first saving all important data to an external storage device.