Xiaomi’s “Other”: What it is, why it grows and how to reduce it without harming the system

You open up your memory settings on your Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO, and suddenly you find that the Others partition is 10, 20, or even 30 GB — and neither photos, nor apps, nor cache explain that expense. Where does this mysterious garbage come from, why does the system not show its contents, and can you safely delete these files without breaking your smartphone? In this article, we will not only understand the nature of the Other, but also show you specific ways to clean it up — from standard MIUI tools to hidden commands for power users.

Let me warn you right away, "Other" is not always useless junk. This category hides system files, application temps, log files, and even remnants of deleted programs. You need to clean them carefully, otherwise you run the risk of getting phone bugs. We've put together proven methods that work on MIUI 12/13/14 (including HyperOS), and explained which files can be deleted and which ones should be left. If you have questions after reading, there's an FAQ at the end of the article with answers to typical problems.

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

The “Other” section of MIUI is a “basket” for all files that the system cannot categorize as standard: Apps, Photos/Video, Audio or Documents.

• 📁 Cache system applications (e.g. Google Play Services, MIUI Launcher or Security that is not cleaned by standard means.
• 📜 Log files (error logs, crash reports, debugging data) – they are created by the same person. MIUI, and third-party programs.
• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications: Sometimes, after a program is uninstalled, its files remain in the system depths (especially if the deletion was interrupted).
• 🔄 Temporary update files – for example, after installing a new version MIUI Update apps through Google Play.
• 🔒 Encrypted data (e.g. from Mi Account or banking applications) that the system cannot classify.

Why does Other grow over time? First, MIUI (like any Android) doesn’t always delete temporary files correctly. Second, many apps (especially social media and instant messengers) create hidden folders to store backups, thumbnails or analytics. Third, after system updates, there are often duplicate files that aren’t deleted automatically.

Critical: If the Other takes up more than 15-20% of the total memory, it is a signal that the system is littered or not working correctly. On new phones (for example, Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13 Pro+), this is unlikely, but on devices with MIUI 12 and older, this is the usual situation.

How to check what exactly occupies the place in the “Other” section

Before cleaning, you need to understand which files are stored in the "Protoma" -- unfortunately, the standard memory analysis in MIUI only shows the total volume, but does not detail the contents.

Method 1: Built-in "Memory Analysis" (limited functionality)

Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis. Here you will see a diagram with categories, but “Other” will be marked in gray without details. Click on it – the system will show a list of applications that could potentially create these files (usually Google Play Services, MIUI Security and instant messengers).

Method 2: File Manager with root rights (for experienced)

If you have root access, use Root Explorer or Solid Explorer (with Root enabled).

• /data/data/ – This is where application data, including hidden cache, is stored.
• /data/log/ - The log files of the system.
• /data/system/ – Temporary update files and backups.

Note: Deleting files from these folders without understanding their purpose can cause crashes!

Method 3: ADB-Analysis commands (without root)

Connect your phone to your PC, turn on USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to activate Developer Mode) and execute in ADB:

adb shell du -h /data | sort -rh | head -n 20

This team will show the top-20 And the folders that take up the most space, and you'll usually see folders like this in the results. /data/app/ (residues of annexes; or /data/dalvik-cache/ (cache of the Android virtual machine).

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If you see a large folder in ADB results, /data/media/0/MIUI/, these are backups of themes and wallpapers. These can be safely deleted through Settings → Themes → My Themes → Delete downloads.

Safe Ways to Clean the Other Without Rooting and Resetting

If you don’t want to risk system stability, start with these methods.They don’t require special knowledge and are suitable for any Xiaomi models, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Mi 11.

Method 1: Cleaning the cache of system applications

Many of the files in Prochem are a system service cache that is not deleted through a standard cleanup.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
3. Find apps: Google Play Services MIUI Security (or Security), Download Manager (Download Manager) Media Storage (Multimedia Storage)

Warehouse → Clear the cache

Method 2: Delete log files through the engineering menu

MIUI maintains detailed logs of the system, which can take up gigabytes, to delete them:

1. Enter the phone code in the app: ##4636##.
2. Select Usage Statistics (or Usage Statistics).
3. Click on the three dots in the top corner and select Clear Statistics.

This will remove application logs. Use ADB to clean your system logs:

adb shell su -c "rm -rf /data/log/*"

Method 3: Reset the “Security” and “Google Play” settings

MIUI Security and Google Play Services often accumulate unnecessary data.

1. For MIUI Security: Settings → Applications → Security → Storage → Delete Data.
2. For Google Play Services: Settings → Apps → Google Play Services → Storage → Space Management → Clear all data.

Note: After resetting Google Play Services, you may need to re-authorize some apps (e.g., YouTube or Gmail).

Make a backup copy of important data|Check the vacant space (should be available) ≥10%)|Close all applications|Disable automatic update of applications|Connect the charger (in case of long-term cleaning)-->

Advanced methods: cleaning through ADB and hidden settings

If standard methods haven’t worked, and Others still takes tens of gigabytes, it’s time to move on to deeper cleanups – methods that require ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or activation of hidden MIUI features. They’re suitable for users who are willing to risk stability for memory free.

Method 1: Removing duplicate update files

After installing updates MIUI Often leaves old versions of firmware in the folder /data/ota_package/. You can remove them through ADB:

adb shell su -c "rm -rf /data/ota_package/*"

If you don’t have root, try the standard method:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click on the three dots in the top corner and select Remove the downloaded package.

Method 2: Cleaning Dalvik cache (accelerates the system)

Dalvik cache is a temporary file of the Android virtual machine, which can take up to 1-2 GB.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery.
3. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

If none of the methods worked, the last option is a factory reset. Before that, be sure to back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

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If the Other takes up more than 30% of the memory and does not decrease after all the manipulations, this is a sign of a serious failure, in which case it is better to perform a complete reset or reflash the phone via Fastboot.

FAQ: Frequent questions about “other” in the memory of Xiaomi