“Other files” on Xiaomi smartphones: a complete guide to cleaning and memory management

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi storage and found the lion's share of memory in the mysterious "Other Files" category? They can't be opened as photos, they don't disappear after they're deleted, and even factory resets sometimes leave them intact. In this article, we'll look at what's really behind the Other Files in Redmi smartphones, POCO Mi, why the system creates them and how to competently manage this “garbage” without the risk of breaking the phone.

Spoiler: It's not as simple as it seems. Some of these files are critical data to work with. MIUI, The other part is really unnecessary junk that you can safely remove, and we'll teach you how to distinguish one from the other, show you hidden cleaning tools (which even the official Xiaomi documentation doesn't mention), and tell you why, after updating to the top of the list, you can use the top of the list. MIUI 14/15 The volume of "Other Files" may suddenly increase to 30-50%. Ready to regain control of your smartphone memory?

What is “Other Files” on Xiaomi: Official Explanation and Reality

According to Xiaomi documentation, the category “Other files” in the storage menu (Settings) → Memory includes:

• 📁 Cache of systems and applications (including data that is not included in the Cache section»)
• 🔄 Temporary files from updates MIUI applications
• 📄 Logs and dumps (error logs, debugging information)
• 🔐 Encrypted data (e.g. Mi Cloud or Google Drive files in sync process)
• 🧩 Fragments of deleted files (remains after incomplete cleaning)

However, in practice, other types of data often fall under this category:

• 🎮 Game data that is not properly classified by the system (e.g. saving Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile)
• 📱 APK-Installed application files (if they were not updated via Google Play)
• 🔍 Index files for quick search (/data/media/0/Android/data/com.miui.search/index)
• 📊 Use statistics (Data from Digital Wellbeing and Security App)

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 13 The newer part of the "Other Files" can take up a backup storage for the OTA-updates (before) 1-2 It cannot be manually removed, which will cause a failure when the system is updated next.

Interesting fact: on smartphones with Qualcomm chipsets (for example, Redmi Note) 12 Pro+ Xiaomi 13) The volume of "Other Files" is usually 20-30% More than on devices with MediaTek (for example, POCO M5). This is due to the features of the file system F2FS, Which Xiaomi uses on flagships.

Why Other Files Take So Much Space: 5 Top Reasons

If you notice that the Others section suddenly grew from 500MB to 5GB, the blame may be:

1. Updates MIUI through OTA. Each update creates a backup of the current firmware (/data/ota_package) and temporary rollback files (/cache/recovery). Even after successful installation, they are not always automatically removed.
2. Failures in the file system: For example, if the phone suddenly dies while recording a video, the file may be saved as "broken" and placed in the "Other" category.
3. Active use of themes and widgets MIUI. Each theme (.mtz file) and widget (.apk) are cached in the /data/system/theme and can borrow up to 1 GB.
4. Aggressive caching applications: Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), social networks (TikTok, Instagram) and games often store data in non-obvious folders.
5. File classification errors: For example, downloads from a browser (Mi Browser or Chrome) sometimes end up in Others instead of Downloads.

This is especially true for devices with 128 GB of memory and less, where "Other Files" can take up to 15-20% On the flagships with the 256 GB+ Their share usually does not exceed 5-8%, The absolute size can be impressive (for example, 10-15 GB on Xiaomi 14 Ultra).

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After the update MIUI The volume of "Other Files" has increased by more than one 2 GB, check the folder. /data/ota_package through a file manager with root rights or ADB. Often there are old firmware weighing 1.5-2.5 GB.

How to Safely Clean Other Files on Xiaomi: Step-by-step instructions

Before you start cleaning, remember the main rule: do not manually delete files through Windows Explorer or macOS. This can damage the structure of Android folders and system failure.

Make a backup copy of important data|Charge your phone at least 50%|Connect to Wi-Fi (for downloading tools)|Close all background applications-->

Method 1: Integrated MIUI tools

The safest way is to use standard cleaning functions:

1. Open Settings → Memory → Cleaning.
2. Click on “Deep Clean” (password confirmation may be required).
3. Select "Other Files"
4. Delete everything except the items marked "System Data" (shown in gray).

Method 2: Cleaning up with Security App

The Security app has advanced options:

1. Launch the Security App (Shield icon).
2. Go to the section "Cleaning up» → «Deep cleaning».
3. Select the “Others” tab and mark: 🗑️ Residual files (residues after deleting applications) 📦 Large files (archives, APK) 🔄 Temporary files (update cache)

Clean up

Method 3: Manual removal through ADB (skilled)

If the built-in tools don’t help, you can use them. ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method requires caution!

adb shell pm trim-caches 256


adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job

These commands will clear the cache of all applications and optimize the Dalvik cache (can free up to the same time). 1-2 GB).

⚠️ Note: Do not use the commands adb shell rm -rf /data/* Or similar – this will lead to a complete reset of the phone without the possibility of recovery!

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Cleaning through ADB Effective, but requires developer mode enabled (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times) and installed drivers.

Which “Other Files” Can Be Deleted and Which Cannot Be Deleted: A Detailed Analysis

Not all files in the Other category are equally useful, but here's what you can safely delete and what you shouldn't touch:

Special attention should be paid to files with the extension.dex and.oat in the folder /data/dalvik-cache. They're responsible for optimizing applications, and you can delete them, but then you can:

• 🔄 The phone will be slower first. 10-15 minutes after rebooting (until files are restored).
• 📱 Some applications may give an “Application Optimization” error when you first start up.

Hidden folders you didn’t know about: where are the “Other Files” hiding

MIUI It hides from the user a lot of system folders that accumulate unnecessary data:

• 📂 /data/media/0/Android/obb/ — This is where you can store additional game data (like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile graphics packages) and you can clean it manually, but you have to download it again.
• 📂 /data/media/0/MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/ — Mi Cloud backups. If you don't use the cloud backup, you can delete them.
• 📂 /data/media/0/Download/.thumbnails/ — thumbnails of downloaded files. Securely cleaned.
• 📂 /data/media/0/DCIM/.thumbnails/ — You can delete it, but the gallery will rebuild it.
• 📂 /data/media/0/Android/data/com.xiaomi.market/ — Mi App Store cache often takes up 500 MB.

To access these folders, you’ll need a root file manager (such as Root Explorer) or ADB. An alternative way is to connect the phone to the PC and use the command:

adb shell ls -la /data/media/0/

This will display a list of all folders in the main storage, including hidden ones.

On devices with MIUI 14+ Some folders are protected by SELinux, so even with root rights, they can't be deleted directly:

adb shell su -c "rm -rf /data/media/0/MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/*"

What to do if “Other Files” take 10+GB and don’t clear

If standard methods don’t work and the Other Files are over 10GB, the problem may be more serious:

1. Check the health of the memory using the command: adb shell df -h If the output has lines with errors or corrupted, flashing is required.
2. Virus or malware: Some Trojans are disguised as system files, scan through Security App and Malwarebytes.
3. Failure to work MIUI. Try resetting to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Reset settings), but pre-do backup.
4. File classification error: Sometimes multimedia files (video, music) get into "Others." Check Files by Google or FX File Explorer.

If none of these methods worked, the last option is to flash it over Fastboot, which is a radical solution, but it's guaranteed to clean up all the files you don't need.

1. Download the official firmware for your model from the Xiaomi Firmware website.
2. Unpack the archive and launch the script flash_all.bat (for Windows or flash_all.sh (for macOS/Linux).
3. Connect your phone in Fastboot mode (press the Power). + Vol− off-phone).

⚠️ Warning: Fastboot flashing wipes out all internal memory, including photos, contacts and apps. Pre-backup on PC or Mi Cloud!

How to Prevent the Accumulation of Other Files in the Future: 7 Tips

To avoid the problem again, follow these recommendations:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Memory. → Cleaning (sufficient 1 time in 2 weeks).
• 🚫 Turn off automatic app updates on Google Play (or limit it to Wi-Fi only).
• 📱 Use light themes. MIUI (Avoid animated wallpaper and widgets).
• 🔍 Check the Download folder for old ones. APK and archives.
• 📁 Transferring heavy files to SD-card (if the phone supports memory expansion).
• 🔄 Update. MIUI timely - in new versions optimized work with cache.
• 🛡️ Install an antivirus (such as Bitdefender or Kaspersky) to protect against Trojans that create hidden files.

If you frequently install games or heavy applications (such as AutoCAD, Lightroom), you should make a rule: after removing such software, you should perform a deep cleaning. 500 MB–1 GB in folders /Android/obb/ and /Android/data/.

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On devices with MIUI 15 and newer, there's a hidden autoclean feature that deletes unnecessary files once a week. → Memory. → Three points. → Auto-cleaning.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Xiaomi's "Other Files"