“Other” in Xiaomi storage: the analysis of hidden files, cache and garbage in Android

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi storage settings and wondered why the Other partition takes up gigabytes of memory when you haven’t downloaded anything? This mysterious item is one of the most common reasons for space shortages on smartphones running MIUI. Unlike explicit categories like Photos or Apps, The Other brings together everything the system can’t uniquely classify, from temporary files to hidden app data.

In this article, we will take a closer look at what exactly is included in the “Other” on Xiaomi, why this section grows over time and how to reduce it without risking the phone. MIUI, And you'll get step-by-step cleaning instructions, from standard tools to advanced techniques for power users. MIUI, which are not in the “pure” Android and often cause uncontrolled growth of this partition.

What is the Other in Xiaomi’s Storage and Why Does It Take So Much Space?

The Other section of MIUI is a container for files that the system cannot categorize as a specific category (such as Music or Documents).

• 🗑️ Application cache and systems are temporary files that are created to speed up programs, but often remain after they are closed.
• 📁 Residual data from remote applications are fragments of programs that were not completely erased during the uninstallation.
• 🔄 Logs and dumps of the system are error report files that MIUI It is used for diagnosis (especially after failures).
• 📱 Update files – firmware packages that have downloaded but not installed (for example, when an interrupted update is installed).
• 🔍 Hidden application folders – some programs (such as messengers) store data in non-obvious directories.

The main problem is that MIUI aggressively caches data to speed up the interface and applications. For example, after watching a video on YouTube or TikTok, hundreds of megabytes of cache can remain in the /Android/data folder. Xiaomi also actively uses preloading content for its services (for example, Mi Video or Mi Browser), which also inflates the “Other” section.

Another nuance is the error in the calculation of occupied space, sometimes MIUI misclassifies files and they fall into the “Other” instead of their categories, for example, documents downloaded on Telegram can appear as “Other”, although logically they should be in the “Files” section.

⚠️ Warning: If the size of the Other is greater than 5-7 GB on a smartphone with 64-128 GB of memory, this is a reason for deep cleaning. On devices with 32 GB, the critical mark is 3 GB.

The composition of the "Other": a detailed analysis of file types

To effectively clean the Other, you need to understand which files are getting there. Below is a table with the main types of data and their typical weight on Xiaomi smartphones:

Special attention should be paid to firmware files. MIUI through settings → The phone. → Update the system firmware packet (*.zip) remains in memory and can take up to 2–3 GB. It can be manually removed through a file manager (folder) /downloaded_rom), only after successful installation of the update.

Another invisible user of space is virtual memory (swap). On some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro), the system reserves up to 1-2 GB for a swap file, which is displayed as “Other”. You can not delete it, but you can reduce it by turning off the function in the developer settings (Settings → Phone → MIUI Version → 5 times tap → For developers → Virtual memory).

How to see what exactly takes place in the “Other”

Before you clean the Other, you need to understand which files fill it up. MIUI has built-in analysis tools, but they don't always show the whole picture. Here's how to proceed:

1. Standard storage analysis: Go to Settings → Storage and tap on “Other.” The system will show the categorization (e.g., “Cache,” “Downloads,” “Other Files”). However, this method is superficial – it does not display hidden folders.
2. File Manager with permissions: Use Mi File Manager (embedded) or third-party applications like Solid Explorer. Enable the display of hidden files (Settings) → Show hidden files and check folders: 📂 /Android/data — cache; 📂 /Android/obb — play-off; 📂 /MIUI/ota — update-file; 📂 /downloaded_rom — firmware.

ADB-team-up:

Connect your phone to your PC and execute a command to analyze the occupied space:

adb shell du -h -d 1 /storage/emulated/0 | sort -h

This will show the heaviest folders in the internal memory.

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If you see a folder in /Android/data with the name of the remote application (for example, com.tencent.ig for PUBG), it can be safely deleted - this is residual data.

To visualize occupied space, we recommend the DiskUsage app (available on Google Play) which builds an interactive memory card where it is easy to spot “heavy” files, for example, in the screenshot below you can see that 1.2 GB is occupied by the Chrome cache, although in standard analysis this was displayed as “Other”:

⚠️ Note: Do not delete folders with names like com.android.providers.media or com.miui.gallery – these are system data that can stop the gallery or other functions from working without.

How to Clean the Other Without Root Rights

If you don't want root access, you can clean the Other with standard MIUI and third-party tools.

Clear the cache in the storage settings

Remove unnecessary files from the Download folder

Clear data of unused applications

Remove old updates in /MIUI/ota folder

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1. Built-in cleaning MIUI

The easiest way is:

1. Go to Settings → Storage → Cleaning.
2. Select “Clean” (the system will prompt you to delete cache, temporary files and debris).
3. Slip on Deep Clean to remove residual application data.

This method removes up to 1-2 GB of garbage, but does not affect hidden folders.

2. Clearing the cache of individual applications

Some programs (like Facebook or TikTok) accumulate gigabytes of cache to delete it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Google Play Services) → Storage → Clear cache.
3. To clean up completely, click Delete Data (but this will reset the app settings!).

In extreme cases, resetting to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Resetting) will help.

1. Save important data (photos, contacts) to your PC or cloud.
2. Make sure you have a backup of SMS and calls (e.g., via Mi Mover).
3. Write down the logins/passwords from the accounts (they will erase!).

After reset, the Other usually deflates to 500MB-1GB, but will grow again over time.

• 🚫 Limit the background activity of applications in Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime.
• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Warehouse.
• 📵 Turn off auto-update apps on Google Play.

How to Prevent the Spread of the Other in the Future

To “Other” does not take up gigabytes of memory, follow these recommendations:

1. Set up automatic cleaning: MIUI has Auto Clean feature. Enable it in Settings → Storage → Auto Clean and select a schedule (e.g. once a week).
2. Use the Lite version of the apps: Replace Facebook with Facebook Lite and Messenger with Messenger Lite. They consume less cache.
3. Move the cache to SD-Card (if supported): In some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A) You can transfer some of the data to the memory card through Settings → Warehouse → Data portability.
4. Turn off content preloading: In Mi Video and Mi Browser, turn off the Video Preload option in the app settings.

It is also useful to monitor Other with widgets (like Storage Analyzer).If its size starts to grow for no reason, check the phone for viruses or file system errors.

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Regular monitoring and cache cleaning ensures that The Other won’t eat away at precious gigabytes, just 5 minutes a week.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the “Other” in Xiaomi’s storage