Xiaomi’s Android folder: hidden files, cache and garbage – full parsing

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi store and seen the Other folder take up gigabytes of memory, but didn't know what it was? It's one of the most mysterious categories in the Memory section of smartphones running MIUI. Unlike photos, videos or apps, the content of The Other isn't always obvious, it hides system files, cache, temporary data, and even remnants of deleted programs.

In this article, we will take a look at what’s stored in Xiaomi’s Other folder, why it grows over time, and how to clean it without risking your phone, which files can be manually deleted and which should not be touched, and get step-by-step instructions for different versions of MIUI (including HyperOS), with a special focus on hidden system folders that don’t appear in a standard file manager, but take up to 30% of memory.

What is the “Other” folder on Xiaomi and why it takes up so much space

The Other folder (or Other in the English version of MIUI) is a collection category for all files that the system cannot assign to the standard sections: Applications, Images, Videos or Audio.

• 📁 Application cache – temporary files that programs create to speed up work (for example, thumbnails of images in a gallery or web page data in a browser).
• 🔄 Remnant applications – not all programs are removed “cleanly”, leaving behind configuration files and databases.
• 🖥️ System Logs and Dumps: Error Report Files (.log,.dmp) that Android creates when crashes.
• 📂 Hidden user folders – for example,.thumbnails (image sketches) or.data (application settings).
• 🔗 Symbolic links – virtual shortcuts to files that the system perceives as separate objects.

On Xiaomi smartphones, the “Other” folder often grows due to the features of MIUI:

• 🔄 Aggressive caching: The system retains copies of frequently used data even if it is out of date.
• 📦 Duplication of files: Some applications (such as Gallery or Music) back up media files.
• 🛠️ Updates MIUI: After installing new versions of the firmware, old system files remain in the folder /cache.

According to Xiaomi Community user analysis, the average folder “Other” takes from 5 to 15 GB on devices with 128 GB of memory; on models with 64 GB, this partition can “eat” up to 20-25% of the total storage.

How to view the contents of the folder “Other” on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

To figure out what's stored in the Other section, you need to use built-in memory analysis or third-party tools.

Method 1: Using the standard "Memory Analysis" in MIUI

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Slip on Memory Analysis (could be called Cleanup in newer versions of HyperOS).
3. Wait for the scan to be completed and select the Other section.
4. The system will show file categories (for example, “Cash”, “Downloads”, “Logins”).

Method Limitation: MIUI does not show the full path to files, so you can’t delete anything specific.

Method 2: File Manager with root rights

If you have root access, use Root Explorer or Solid Explorer:

1. Open the manager and enable the display of hidden files (Settings → Show hidden files).
2. Go to the root folder /storage/emulated/0/.
3. Look for folders with a dot at the beginning of the title (e.g..thumbdata,.data).
4. Check the size of /Android/data/ and /Android/obb/ folders, and there are often tails from remote games.

.thumbnails folder (image sketches)

Download folder (old downloads)

DCIM/.thumbs folder (galleries cache)

Android/data folder (application residues)

-->

⚠️ Attention: Delete files from folders /system or /vendor Do not touch files with extensions.odex,.apk or.so are critical components of Android.

Method 3: With ADB (for advanced users)

If you are familiar with ADB, you can get a detailed report on the occupied space:

adb shell df -h


adb shell du -sh /storage/emulated/0/*

These commands will show the size of each folder in internal memory, and you'll need superuser rights to analyze the system partitions.

What files in the “Other” folder can be deleted and which can not

Not all files in the Other section are equally secure to delete, and below is a table that tells you what to clean and what to leave.

Pay special attention to the folders:

• 📂 /Android/data/com.miui.gallery/ — Here is stored cache Gallery Xiaomi, which can weigh several gigabytes.
• 📂 /Android/data/com.android.providers.media/ — Databases of media files that are sometimes “blown up” due to errors.
• 📂 /data/log/ — System logs that can be cleaned through Engineer Mode (##4636##).

💡

Before mass deletion of files, back up important data, such as the DCIM/Camera folder, which can be copied to a PC or the cloud so that photos are not accidentally erased.

How to Clean the “Other” folder on Xiaomi without root rights

If you don’t have root access, use these methods:

Method 1: Integrated cleaning in MIUI

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
2. Choose Deep Cleanup (or HyperOS Garbage Cleanup).
3. Check the boxes for Cash, Temporary Files and Logs.
4. Press Clear.

Method 2: Files app by Google

Files by Google (formerly Files Go) can find and delete unnecessary files.

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open the Cleanup tab.
3. Select the categories of Application Cash, Duplicates and Large Files.
4. Remove the unnecessary.

Method 3: Manual cleaning through file manager

Use the standard files or Total Commander:

1. Open the manager and enable the display of hidden files.
2. Go to internal memory → Android → data.
3. Delete folders with app names you deleted long ago (e.g. com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile).

Cleaning the “Other” folder with root rights: advanced methods

If you have root access, you can delete files that are usually hidden from the user.

1. Removal of dalvik-cache

The /data/dalvik-cache folder contains optimized versions of the applications, and cleaning it will speed up the system, but will require a restart:

su


rm -r /data/dalvik-cache/*




reboot

2. Cleaning the /cache folder

Temporary update files and recovery cache are stored here:

su


rm -r /cache/*




reboot

3. Removal of old APK-file

Once the apps are updated, the old versions of.apk remain in the /data/app-lib/ folder.

su


find /data/app-lib/ -name "*.apk" -delete

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from folders /system/app or /system/priv-app — It's going to crash the system. /data/data/, unless you are sure of the consequences.

💡

Root-rights cleanups are the most effective, but you need to be careful, always back up your files via TWRP or OrangeFox before you delete them.

What to do if the “Other” folder is not cleaned

If after all the manipulations, the Other section still takes up a lot of space, try these solutions:

1. Reset settings (without data loss)

MIUI has a function to reset only system settings, without deleting files:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset all settings (not Reset to factory!).
3. Confirm the action.

2.Remarking memory through TWRP

Sometimes the f2fs or ext4 file system gets corrupted, causing the system to miscalculate the space it has taken, and this can be fixed through custom recovery:

1. Download to TWRP.
2. Select Wipe → Advanced Wipe.
3. Mark Dalvik/ART Cache and Cache.
4. Run the Repair File System (if available).

3. Update MIUI to the latest version

Older versions of MIUI (especially 12-13) had a bug that misrepresented the space occupied.

1. Go to Settings. → Updating the system.
2. Download the latest version of MIUI or HyperOS.
3. Install the update and restart the phone.

If nothing works, the last option is a full factory reset, and make sure to back up your data via Mi Cloud or Google Drive before doing so.

How to Prevent Filling in the “Other” Folder in the Future

To prevent the “Other” folder from growing again, follow these recommendations:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 weeks) through Settings → Memory.
• 🚫 Limit the background activity of applications in Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime.
• 📱 Use the “Lite” version of the application (for example, Facebook Lite instead of the usual Facebook).
• 🔍 Check Downloads for old files (especially.apk and.zip).
• 🛡️ Install an antivirus (such as Bitdefender) to prevent malware from infecting you that creates hidden files.

It is also useful to disable automatic updates of apps in Google Play and update programs manually, which will allow you to control what data is cached.

💡

If you install and delete games frequently, use APK Extractor to back up.apk and.obb. So you can restore the game without re-downloading without clogging up memory.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the folder “Other” on Xiaomi