Xiaomi’s ‘Other’ Storage: What It Is, Why It’s Growing, and How to Reduce It

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi smartphone’s storage settings and wondered why the “Other” partition takes up a disproportionate amount of space? 10, 20, or even 30GB – and yet you can’t tell which files are included. This mysterious category appears on every device in the brand, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 14, and its size often grows over time, eating up precious space.

Unlike obvious categories like Photos, Videos, or Apps, Another doesn't reveal its content even when you click it. It's not a bug or a system bug -- that's how MIUI's proprietary shell works. But why did developers hide these files from the user? And most importantly, can they be deleted without disrupting your smartphone? In this guide, we'll go into detail what's in Xiaomi's Other Storage, why it inflates, and how to safely reduce it, from simple methods to advanced methods for power users.

What’s hidden under the “Other” item in Xiaomi’s memory

MIUI’s Other category is a garbage bin for files that the system cannot categorize as standard.

• 📁 Application and system process cache – temporary files that are created to speed up programs, but often remain after they are closed.
• 🔄 Logs and error dumps – debugging files that are generated when work fails MIUI Applications (e.g. logcat, tombstones).
• 📱 Residual data from remote applications are fragments of programs that were not completely erased during the uninstallation.
• 🔗 Symbolic links and metadata – file system service information that takes up space but is not visible to the user.
• 🗑️ Update files are firmware packages (.zip) that are downloaded for installation but not deleted after installation.
• 🎮 Game data – saves, downloadable resources (e.g. textures in Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile).

The thing about MIUI is that it aggregates all these files into one category, so that the user can't view them individually, like in Google's Android or Samsung's Android, app cache and error logs are displayed as separate items, and here they're "hidden" under a generic name, which is designed to simplify the interface, but creates problems: the user can't understand which files are taking up space, and is afraid to delete them for fear of disrupting the system.

Interestingly, on some Xiaomi devices (such as the POCO F5 or Redmi K60), up to 40% of the total internal memory can be hidden in the Other if the smartphone is used actively for more than a year, due to the peculiarities of the F2FS file system, which Xiaomi uses on many models.

Why The Other Takes So Much Space: 5 Reasons

If the size of the Other in your Xiaomi is greater than 5-10 GB, it is not normal.

1. Incorrect cache cleaning: Many apps (especially social networks like TikTok or Instagram) do not delete the cache completely when cleared through settings. Files remain in the Other as “orphaned”.
2. Frequent MIUI updates: Each firmware leaves behind temporary files (update.zip, recovery.log) that can weigh 1-2 GB.
3. Heavy-resource games: Mobile games (such as PUBG Mobile or Honor of Kings) download textures and models in the background, but they are not always properly removed.
4. File system errors: When power is cut or crashes abruptly, "broken" files may appear, which the system marks as "Other" but cannot delete.
5. Hidden backups: MIUI automatically creates backups for settings and data (for example, for Mi Account), but does not always erase them.

One of the most insidious reasons is memory defragmentation, where Xiaomi’s file system breaks down into chunks and starts to reserve additional space for Other to avoid errors, especially on eMMC (unlike UFS) devices where defragmentation is less efficient.

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If you’re active in mobile games, check the size of the Other once every 1-2 months, for example, Genshin Impact can hide up to 3 to 5 GB of downloadable resources in this category that are not visible in the standard file manager.

How to Check What’s in the Other’s Place

Since MIUI doesn't provide a detailed analysis of The Other, you'll have to use third-party tools.

Method 1: Files by Google App

This is an official Google app that can analyze memory deeper than Xiaomi’s standard file manager.

1. Install Files by Google from the Play Market.
2. Open the app and go to the “Cleanup” tab.
3. Click Free Space → Other Files. Here you will see the distribution by type (cache, logs, temporary files, etc.).
4. Mark the unnecessary files and delete them.

Method 2: ADB (for advanced users)

If you are ready to work with the command line, you can get a full list of files in the "Other":

adb shell


su




du -sh /data/* | sort -h

This command will show the folder size in the /data system partition, where heavy files are often hidden.

• /data/log – system logs
• /data/dalvik-cache – cache of the Android virtual machine
• /data/app-lib – Residual application data.

Method 3: Through Mi PC Suite (Official Software from Xiaomi)

Mi PC Suite allows you to analyze the memory of the device from the computer:

1. Download and install Mi PC Suite.
2. Connect your smartphone via USB (enable “Debugging by USB” in the developer settings).
3. In the program go to "File Management» → «Memory analysis. There's a more detailed report here than on the phone.

Importantly, none of these solutions will be 100% accurate, as some of the files in the Other can be encrypted or hidden at the Android kernel level, but they will help identify the main memory eaters.

Safe Ways to Clean the Other in Xiaomi Storage

Now that you know what's in The Other, you can start cleaning up, and let's start with the safest methods that don't require root rights and don't risk the stability of the system.

Method 1: Cleaning the application cache

The easiest way is to remove the cache for all applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Sort by size."
3. Open each major application (social networks, instant messengers, games) and click “Clear cache”.

Pay particular attention to:

• 📱 Facebook, Instagram, TikTok – can accumulate up to 1-2 GB of cache;
• 🎮 Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile – up to 5 GB of downloadable resources;
• 🗺️ Google Maps, Yandex.Maps – cache of cards can weigh hundreds of megabytes.

Method 2: Delete temporary update files

MIUI often leaves behind firmware files to delete them:

1. Open Explorer (standard or Files by Google).
2. Go to the Download folder and delete files with names like miui_*.zip or update.zip.
3. Then go to Internal Storage → MIUI → download and clean it up.

Method 3: Resetting settings (without data loss)

If previous methods didn’t help, try a “soft” reset:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset All Settings (not to be confused with Delete All Data!) and this will return the system settings to factory settings, but will not affect the user files.

Backup important data |Close all applications |Connect charging (process may take time) |Check free space after cleaning-->

Warning: Do not use Optimization or Deep Cleaning features in third-party applications (such as CCleaner or SD Maid) and may delete critical MIUI files, causing shell failures.

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Cleaning up cache and temporary files is the safest way to reduce the Other, but if it is larger than 15 to 20 GB, it is likely that the problem lies deeper (such as file system errors or hidden backups).

Advanced Methods: Cleaning with root rights

If the standard methods didn't work, and the Other still takes tens of gigabytes, you'll have to use radical measures. All of the actions below require root rights and can lead to unstable smartphone operation. Continue at your own risk!

Method 1: Removal of logs and dumps

Error logs (/data/log, /data/tombstones) can weigh several gigabytes to delete:

su


rm -rf /data/log/*




rm -rf /data/tombstones/*

Method 2: Cleaning Dalvik cache

The cache of the Android virtual machine (dalvik-cache) often inflates after updates:

su


rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*

After that, be sure to restart the device. The system will restore the cache automatically, but it will be "clean."

Method 3: Deletion of residual application data

When you uninstall applications, their data can remain in /data/data and /data/app-lib folders to find and delete them:

su


cd /data/data




ls | grep -v "com.android" | grep -v "com.xiaomi" # List of third-party application folders




rm -rf name folders applications #Remove unnecessary

⚠️ Note: Before performing these commands, be sure to make a backup copy through TWRP Mi Flash Tool: A mistake in one command can make a smartphone inoperable!

How to Prevent the “Other” from Bloating in the Future

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

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 weeks) through Settings → Warehouse → Clean up.
• 🚫 Don’t use “memory optimizers” from the Play Market – they often delete the right files.
• 📱 Delete Games correctly: First, clear their data in Settings → Apps, then uninstall.
• 🔄 Update. MIUI through settings → Update the system, not manually (so temporary firmware files are deleted automatically).
• 📁 Use cloud storage for photos/video (e.g. Google Photos or Mi Cloud) to reduce the load on internal memory.

If you install/remove apps or games frequently, consider using a memory card (on supported models) and migrating some of the data to a microSD will reduce the load on internal storage and reduce the size of the Other.

Frequent Mistakes in Cleaning the Other and How to Avoid Them

Many Xiaomi users make critical mistakes when trying to make room, and here are the most common ones and how to avoid them:

⚠️ Attention: if after cleaning the "Other" smartphone began to slow down or reboot, most likely, critical files were deleted, in this case, only a complete reset or flashing through Fastboot will help.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About “The Other” in Xiaomi’s Storage