How to Clean the Other Files section of Xiaomi

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a mysterious situation: the device’s internal memory is filled, and when you analyze the storage in detail, the lion’s share of the space is occupied by a section called “Other” This storage can grow to tens of gigabytes, occupying up to 40-50% of all available space, which causes the user to panic and want to immediately remove the excess.

The MIUI system drive aggregates application cache, temporary files, messenger data, files left over from deleted programs, and system logs and updates into this category. Understanding the nature of this data is critical, as blind deletion can lead to unstable operating systems or loss of important correspondence.

In this article, we will analyze in detail the mechanisms of forming the category “Other”, analyze the main sources of “garbage” and propose a step-by-step algorithm for safe cleaning, which will return your device performance.

The Nature of the Other Section in the MIUI Shell

The “Other” section is not a separate physical memory sector, but a logical category where the Android operating system folds all files that cannot be uniquely classified as “Photos”, “Video”, “Apps” or “Documents”, a process that is complicated in the Xiaomi ecosystem by the active operation of proprietary background optimization services.

The bulk of the data here is cached files from streaming services like YouTube, Spotify or Netflix. When you watch videos online, buffering saves temporary copies to the disk, and if an app isn't programmed to automatically clean that buffer, it can grow indefinitely.

Telegram and WhatsApp store the history of media files in their internal folders, which the system often does not see as separate galleries, but refers to the general data of applications falling into the category of “Other”.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete files from system folders manually through a file manager without understanding their purpose.Deleting.so libraries or.xml configuration files can lead to a cyclical smartphone reboot.

Storage analysis: search for hidden volumes

Before taking decisive action, you need to audit the memory. Standard Android tools often show the big picture, hiding the details. For deep analysis, the best way to use the built-in Cleanup tool or third-party utilities like DiskUsage, which visualize memory.

Go to Settings → Memory and carefully study the distribution schedule. If the Other partition is more than 10 GB, it is a signal to action. Often this volume includes folders called MIUI, Android (data/obb folder) and browser caches.

Special attention should be paid to the folder DCIM And.thumbnails. It creates thumbnails for all images in the gallery for quick preview, and over time, this folder can grow to several gigabytes, formally remaining part of the system or "other" files.

Cleaning through built-in system facilities

The safest way to free up space is to use the regular Security app, pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones, which has access to system areas closed to ordinary file managers.

Run the app and select Clean up. The system will scan and suggest removing the garbage. However, standard cleaning is often superficial. For a deeper analysis, click on the garbage icon or go to the application management section.

Here you can selectively clear the cache of heavy apps. For example, for Instagram or TikTok, clearing the cache can free up 500MB to 2GB of space without losing personal account data.

It is important to distinguish between Clear Cache and Clear Everything: The first action securely deletes temporary files, the second one resets the application to the state immediately after installation, removing logins, settings and local saves.

Manual cleaning through the file manager

For advanced users, manual cleaning is available through built-in Explorer, a method that allows you to see the real folder structure and delete specific heavy files that the system ignores.

Turn on the hidden files in the Explorer settings (usually a three-dot button or a slider in the menu). Find the Android/data folder. This is where all the installed apps are stored. Look for folders with the names of social networks or games.

Inside instant messenger folders like Telegram, video, image, or cache are often found. You can safely delete the contents of the cache folder, but be careful with download folders if you want to save the received files.

Specifics of cleaning messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp

Messengers are the main memory eaters in the Other category.Telegram, unlike WhatsApp, stores the entire history of media files locally by default, unless automatic deletion is configured.

To clean up, go to the settings of the app itself: Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the exact amount of space occupied. The “Clear Cache” function in Telegram is completely secure: your photos and videos will remain in the chat cloud, you will simply delete their local copy.

On WhatsApp, the situation is different. Media files are stored in the file system. Go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. Here you can delete files larger than 5 MB or media from specific chats that inflate the volume of the Other.

⚠️ Before mass cleaning of messengers, make sure that important documents and photos are saved in the cloud or on your computer. Local cleaning in some scenarios can delete files without the possibility of recovery from the chat if they were deleted by the interlocutor.

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Set up auto-delete in Telegram: set a cache limit (for example, 1 GB) and a storage period (for example, 3 days).The application will automatically delete old files, freeing up space without your participation.

Using ADB for Advanced Cleaning

If standard methods don't work, you can use the ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer via USB and enabling debugging mode.

Using the adb shell pm list packages command, you can get a list of all the packages. To clear the cache of a particular system application that does not allow it to be done through the interface, you use the command:

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999

This command forcibly trims the cache of all applications to the specified size in bytes. Be extremely careful: executing commands on behalf of a superuser (root) can violate the integrity of the system.

You can also remove the system applications using ADB that occupy space in the Other section of your data, even if you are not using it. The pm uninstall-k --user 0 name packet command will delete the application for the current user.

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Using ADB is a powerful tool for experts to access system partitions that are not accessible to the average user, but require accuracy in commands.

Prevention and system setting

To keep the problem from re-expanding the Other section, you need to introduce a habit of regular prevention. MIUI has flexible automation settings that are worth taking advantage of.

Enable Memory Acceleration in the developer settings or in the Security app, which will allow the system to more often unload background processes and clear temporary files.

Check the Download folder regularly. Often installations are downloaded there. APK-files that, after installation, become useless ballast, taking up space in the "Other».

• 📱 Set up automatic cache cleanup in the Security app on schedule (e.g., once every 3 days).
• 📸 Turn off autosave storis from Instagram and WhatsApp statuses to the gallery if this feature is active.
• 💾 Periodically transfer large files (video, photo archives) to a cloud server or external drive.

Compliance with these simple rules will help keep the Other partition size within reasonable limits (usually 5-10 GB) and ensure your Xiaomi runs smoothly throughout its lifetime.