What is “Other files” in Xiaomi memory: a complete analysis

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face a mysterious situation: the device begins to report a lack of free space, although photos and applications seem to be few. When you check the storage in detail, it turns out that the lion’s share of memory is occupied by the category “Other” or “Other”, this section can grow to tens of gigabytes, causing the system to slow down and inability to install updates.

Android’s MIUI or HyperOS shell classifies files by type, but not all data is automatically sortable. Cache data, remnants of deleted applications, system logs, and instant messenger files often fall into this gray area. Understanding the nature of this data is the first step to freeing up space without risking removing something important.

In this article, we will take a closer look at what this section really consists of, why standard cleaners don’t always work, and what safe methods exist to free up memory, how to distinguish system debris from important data, and whether radical cleaning techniques are worth resorting to.

The nature of the category “Other” in MIUI

The Other category is not a virus or a system bug, but rather a feature of Android’s file sorting algorithms. When the operating system can’t uniquely identify a file as an image, video, audio or document, it puts it in this section. Xiaomi, like other manufacturers, uses its own add-ons over Android, which adds specific system files to this basket.

The bulk of this is the application cache, for example, streaming services save buffered data, and navigators store maps offline. Over time, this data ceases to be relevant, but the system finds it useful and does not delete it automatically, and it may also hide firmware update files that were not deleted after installation.

⚠️ Warning: Third-party climatology applications that promise to instantly clear the Other should not be blindly trusted. Aggressive removal of system files can lead to unstable shell operation MIUI or loss of settings.

Another source of growth is the remnants of remote programs. When an application is uninstalled through a standard interface, some of its data may remain in memory. This can be error logs, temporary databases or configuration files. The file system marks the space as free, but for the memory analyzer, these bytes are still occupied with unknown data.

Main sources of junk files

To effectively combat memory overload, you need to know the enemy in person. Most often, the Other comes from a few specific sources that you can control, and knowing where gigabytes are hiding allows you to spot-clean the device.

• 📱 Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store thousands of viewed images and videos in hidden folders that the system does not always recognize as media.
• 🔄 System Logs and Reports: Android constantly records reports on applications and system errors that take up space but do not benefit the average user.
• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications: Remote Program Names Remaining in the Root Directory of Internal Memory.
• 🌐 Temporary browser files: Cookies, scripts and cache pages that accumulate when actively surfing the Internet.

Social media cache deserves special attention. Apps like Instagram or TikTok cache the feeds they've watched so that they load faster when they're reopened. However, this cache can be as large as several gigabytes. The app's settings often include a cache cleanup feature that's safer than cleaning it through Android settings.

Also worth mentioning are.thumbnails. These are thumbnails of your photos and videos that the system creates to quickly display in the gallery. If you have a lot of media, a thumbnail folder can weigh more than the originals. Sometimes it is mistakenly classified as "Other" if the paths to the files have been changed or the media scanner index has been damaged.

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Use the built-in Security → Cleanup app regularly, but always check before deep cleaning what exactly will be removed.

Storage analysis: What exactly takes place

Xiaomi standard tools provide basic information, but for a deeper understanding of the processes, it is better to use more advanced tools to avoid accidental deletion of important documents.

The built-in memory analyzer in MIUI shows the big picture, but often hides the details. To see the real structure of folders, you can use file managers with visualization, such as Files by Google or Total Commander, which show the size of each folder in a diagram, which allows you to instantly find heavyweights.

Special attention should be paid to the MIUI folder at the root of internal memory, which stores themes, sounds and, most importantly, backups and update files. If you successfully upgraded the system, you can safely delete old firmware packets, but you need to manually do this through the file manager, because the automatic cleaner does not see them.

Safe cleaning methods with standard means

The safest way to free up space is to use Xiaomi’s built-in tools, designed to be specific to the shell and minimize the risk of damage to system files, and using these tools regularly keeps the system on track.

To start, use the Security app. Select Cleanup. The system will scan the device and suggest removing obvious debris. However, to work with the Other category, you need to go deeper. In the Explorer app, find the Storage Analysis section, which will show which types of files occupy the most space.

An effective method is to clear the cache of specific “heavy” applications. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the application you use most often (such as a browser or social network). Click Memory and select Clear Cache. Don’t confuse it with the “Clear All” button, it will delete your logins and settings inside the application.

Also, remember the shopping cart in Gallery and Explorer: Deleted files don't disappear without a trace, but move to the clipboard for 30 days, continuing to take up space. Cleaning the cart is an instant way to free up a few gigabytes that the system still counts as busy.

Radical methods and working with the file system

If standard methods have failed and the Other category continues to grow, more serious measures are needed, which require caution but allow for the return of tens of gigabytes of free space.

One effective way to do this is to clean the.thumbnails folder. Open Explorer, turn on the hidden files (usually in menu settings) and go to the DCIM folder. Find the.thumbnails folder and delete its contents. The system will automatically create new thumbnails as needed, but the old tails will disappear.

⚠️ Note: Before removing system folders or files with the.apk extension at the root of the system, make sure they are not critical to the shell.

Another powerful tool is the developer mode and the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which, by connecting your phone to your computer, you can remove the cache of all applications with one command through the command line, which is safe for personal data, but resets the cache of system services.

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999999

This command forces Android to force free up space by removing the app cache until the specified free space value (in bytes) is reached. The specified number is conditionally "infinity", so the system will clean the cache to the end.

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Use of the ADB-commands are the most effective way to clear the system cache without losing personal data, but require a PC and basic command line skills.

Prevention of memory overflow

To keep the Other from coming back, it is important to develop a digital hygiene habit: prevention takes less time than dealing with the effects of a crowded storage facility; regular monitoring keeps the system in optimal condition.

• 🚫 Turn off auto-save in instant messengers so that media files do not duplicate in the gallery.
• ☁️ Use cloud storage for photos and videos, including the “Free Space” feature in Google Photos.
• 📉 Limit the cache size in some app settings if such a feature is available.
• 🔄 Regularly reboot the smartphone – this helps the system correctly complete background processes and clean temporary files.

It's also worth revising the number of apps installed. Many of the apps we put in just in case and forget about, and each of these apps, even if you don't use it, can create logs and temporary files, inflating the "Other" category.

So in conclusion, the Other category is an inevitable part of Android's job, and it's not going to be completely eliminated, and it's not going to be necessary, because some of that data speeds up the system, and the main goal is to keep this partition from spreading out of control and taking up all the space available.