Xiaomi’s Other Category: The Secret Place Eater and 7 Ways to Clean It

Have you ever looked at the Settings section? → The memory on their Xiaomi smartphone has puzzled over the mysterious category of "Other": these gray gigabytes that stubbornly don't want to shrink, even after removing all the unnecessary files, cache and applications. Why does the system include up to 30% of the device's total memory? And most importantly, can it be safely cleaned without turning your phone into a brick»?

In this article, we will not just explain what is really hidden under the category of “Other” in the MIUI (spoiler: it’s not just garbage, but also critical system data, but also show 7 proven ways to reduce its size – from basic to advanced, including hidden settings and ADB-You'll learn which files can be deleted without risk, and which ones can not be touched categorically, even if they take 10.+ GB: And yes, we're going to break down the myth that "The Other" is just an unaccounted cache (that's just a small part of the truth).

What is the “Other” category in Xiaomi memory: official explanation and reality

According to Xiaomi’s documentation, the “Other” category in the Memory section includes:

• 📁 System files (including update backups, log files, recovery data)
• 🗑️ Cache system applications (not the one that is cleared through settings, but deep cache) MIUI)
• 🔄 Temporary files from software updates and firmware (including failed installation attempts)
• 📊 System service databases (e.g. com.android.providers.media for media indexing)
• 🔒 Secure data (e.g., encryption keys for Mi Account)

In reality, however, the “Other” is often hidden:

• 🎮 Remnants of remote games (especially those with heavy assets, such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile)
• 📱 Files from old versions MIUI (They are still in the air after the updates»)
• 🔍 Unindexed media files (e.g. screenshots that the system “does not see” in the gallery)
• 🤖 Debugging data (if ever included Developer Mode)

Fun fact: on some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro) The “Other” category can take up to 15-25 GB – this is normal for MIUI 12-14, but not for fresh HyperOS. If you have more, that's a reason to clean up.

Why the “Other” grows like a leap: 5 main reasons

If you notice that the Other category is increasing over time, it's not just the system processes that are to blame.

1. Updates MIUI «airborne» (OTA). Each update leaves a backup of the old firmware in the folder /data/ota_package. Xiaomi. 12T or Redmi K50 it could be 2–4 GB for each update.
2. Logs and dumps of the system. MIUI actively writes logs in /data/log and /data/tombstones (Especially if there were failures. POCO F4 buggy GPS These files can weigh up to 1 GB per day.
3. Cache media player and gallery. The system creates thumbnails (.thumbnail) even for deleted files. On the Redmi Note 11 with 128 GB of memory, this can take 3-5 GB.
4. Remnants of remote applications. When uninstallation through Settings, often files remain in the /data/data and /data/app-lib.
5. Debugging files ADB. If you’ve ever connected your phone to the Mi Flash Tool or used fastboot, you could still have temporary files weighing up to 500MB in memory.

⚠️ Note: If the Other has grown dramatically (e.g., from 5GB to 15GB in a week), it may indicate a virus (especially if you have installed it). APK In this case, first check the phone with an antivirus (for example, Malwarebytes), and then perform a memory check through Repair & Erase in the Mi Flash Tool.

How to See What’s in The Other: MIUI’s Hidden Tools

MIUI Does not show the detailed composition of the "Other" category, but there are workarounds:

Method 1: Through “Storage” in settings (limited access)

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Slip on "The Other."
3. The system will only show the total volume, but sometimes a Clean button appears here (deletes cache and temporary files).

Method 2: Through "Storage Analysis" (Hidden Function)

This method works for MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Slip 5 times on the version MIUI, to activate the Developer Mode.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → Warehouse.
4. Select Storage Analysis (may be called Memory Detailing).
5. Wait for the scan – the system will show folders with maximum weight (for example, the system will show the folders with the maximum weight, /data/log or /data/media/0/MIUI).

Method 3: Through ADB (for advanced users)

If you need a full memory card, connect your phone to your PC and do:

adb shell


du -h -d 1 /data | sort -h

This command will show the weight of each folder in /data (Be careful: deleting files from here without knowledge can break the system!

7 Ways to Clean Up Xiaomi’s “Other” Memory: From Simple to Complex

Warning: Not all methods are equally safe: Start at the first and move to the radical only if the Other takes more than 10 GB and interferes with the device.

✅ Method 1: Cleaning the cache of system applications

This is the safest method that removes up to 1-3 GB of garbage:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort by system (shoot three points in the upper right corner).
3. Select applications like Media Storage, Downloads, Gallery.
4. Slip the vault. → Clear the cache.

✅ Method 2: Remove old firmware (OTA-packet)

If you updated your phone “over the air”, you could still have firmware files in your memory:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer (MTP).
2. Go to the Internal Storage folder → MIUI → downgrade or internal storage → downloaded_rom.
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension (weighing 1.5-3 GB each).

⚠️ Method 3: Clearing the folder. /data/log (experienced!)

The logs of the system are stored here, but not everything can be deleted:

Files older than 7 days

folder /data/log/panic (unless there are critical errors)

.txt files size >10MB-->

🔧 Method 4: Reset media storage (if the gallery is slowing down)

If there is a lot of space in the Other that is not displayed in the gallery:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Find a media storage (or media storage)
3. Slip the Warehouse → Space Management → Clear all data.
4. Restart your phone – the system will re-index your media files (it can take 5-10 minutes).

🛠️ Method 5: Delete temporary files via Recovery

This method will work if the previous ones did not help:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power to enter Recovery.
3. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action – this will delete the update cache and temporary files (does not affect user data).

💻 Method 6: Manual cleaning through ADB (advanced)

If you are confident in your actions, you can remove garbage through the command line:

adb shell


pm clear com.android.providers.media # Cleaning up media storage




rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* # Delete temporary files




rm -rf /data/log/*.log # Deletion of logs (except critical)

⚠️ Warning: The wrong command can break the system.Before executing, back up through adb backup!

⚠️ Method 7: Complete reset (last resort)

If the Other takes up more than 20 GB and no methods help, then only Hard Reset remains:

1. Make a backup copy of important data.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data.

After the reset, the “Other” will be reduced to 2-5 GB (normal for the MIUI).

💡

Never manually delete folders. /data/data or /data/system — This will cause the phone to lose its performance!

Table: What can and cannot be removed in the category "Other"

Myths about the category “Other”: what to do exactly not worth it

The Internet is full of tips for cleaning up The Other, but many of them are dangerous or useless.

🚫 Myth 1: «We need to delete the folder. /data/data»

This folder contains all applications, including system applications, and deleting it will lead to:

• 🔄 Losing all settings and accounts.
• 📱 Phone malfunctions (will only be loaded in Recovery).
• 🔧 Needs to completely flash through the Mi Flash Tool.

🚫 Myth 2: “Cleaning Dalvik Cache Will Help»

Dalvik cache (/data/dalvik-cache) — These are optimized files for fast application operation:

• 🐢 Slows down the first launch of all programs after restarting.
• 🔄 The system will restore them automatically, but it will take time and resources.
• 📉 It will not free up significant space (usually less than 500 MB).

🚫 Myth 3: «We need to format the section. /data»

Formatting /data through TWRP Fastboot is equivalent to a complete reset, but at risk:

• 🔐 Lose all data, including photos and messages.
• 🔧 It can break encryption (on some models, for example, Xiaomi 13).
• 📦 Does not guarantee the cleaning of the "Other" (system files will remain).

💡

If you see the advice to “remove everything from” /data», Close the tab - this is a guaranteed way to kill the phone.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Xiaomi’s “Other” Category