“Other” in the storage Xiaomi: secret memory eater – what it is and how to deal with it

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi storage settings and were surprised to find that the mysterious Other section is tens of gigabytes long? It's like a black hole in your smartphone: you don't know what's going in there, but the place is disappearing at an alarming rate. Unlike photos, apps or cache that can be easily identified, The Other is a hoard of system files, temporary data and debris that MIUI doesn't want to show explicitly.

The problem is that even after cleaning the cache and removing unnecessary applications, this partition can remain huge. In some cases, it eats up to 30-40% of total memory, especially on devices with 64 or 128 GB. Why is this happening? It's about the MIUI architecture, which actively uses hidden system files to speed up work, backup and even analytics. But not all of this is really necessary for the user. In this article, we will understand what exactly is hidden under the "Others", which files can be deleted without risk, and which cannot be touched categorically - and how to return precious gigabytes.

What is the “Other” in Xiaomi’s vault: the official explanation and reality

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

• 📁 System files – the OS core, libraries, drivers and other components, without which the smartphone will not boot.
• 🔄 Temporary files – remnants from application installation, system updates and cache of system processes.
• 📊 Logs and dumps are debugging files that are created when crashes or for diagnostics (such as logcat or tombstones).
• 🔒 Encrypted data – part of files protected MIUI (For example, Mi Account or Google Services).
• 🗑️ Garbage after deleting applications - not completely erased folders, settings and cache.

However, in practice, the Other often hides other things that Xiaomi does not mention:

• 🎮 Cash games – some games (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile) store gigabytes of data in system folders that don’t show up as “App Cache».
• 📱 Remains of firmware - after updating MIUI Older versions can stay in memory for years.
• 🔍 Analytics Files – Xiaomi collects device usage data (even if you have disabled Improvement). MIUI»).
• 📂 Hidden application folders – some programs (such as TikTok or Facebook) create hidden storage for media files.

The problem is that MIUI doesn't provide the tools to analyze this section in detail, you only see the total volume, but you can't figure out what it's actually about, and that makes cleaning difficult, because removing it at random can cause failures.

Why the Other is Growing So Fast: 5 Reasons

If you notice that the “Other” section is growing like a yeast, the following factors may be to blame:

1. Frequent MIUI updates: Each update leaves behind tails — temporary files, backups of system applications, and old libraries — for example, up to 1-2 GB of garbage can remain in memory after upgrading from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14.
2. Xiaomi is known for its customization, but every installed theme or widget creates a cache in the system folders, which is not always deleted correctly.
3. Automatic memory optimization: The MIUI Smart Cleanup feature should free up space, but often simply moves files to Other instead of deleting them.
4. Aggressive caching applications: Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), social networks (Instagram, TikTok) and streaming services (YouTube, Netflix) can store data in hidden folders.
5. Failures and incorrect deletions: If an application has been removed “curvely” (for example, through ADB or root), its files may remain in the system as “orphans”.

Interesting fact: on root-access devices, you can see that part of the Other is duplicate files that MIUI creates for backup, for example, the /data/system/backup folder can weigh several gigabytes, even though the user has never manually run a backup.

How to safely reduce the “Other” without root: step-by-step instructions

If you don't have root rights, don't despair -- there are several ways to reduce the volume of the Other without risking damage to the system. Importantly, not all methods are equally effective, and some may require a repeat in a few weeks.

Back up your important data | Charge your phone at least 50% | Connect to stable Wi-Fi | Close all background apps-->

1. Cleaning the cache of system applications

Many system applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video, Security) accumulate cache that is not visible in the standard cleaning menu.

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 with large cache (e.g. com.miui.player, com.android.browser) and clear their data.

2.Removal of old MIUI updates

Old firmware can take up to 3-5 GB in the /cache folder.

1. Open the File Manager app.
2. Go to Categories → System memory → Cache.
3. Delete files with names like update.zip, miui_OTA recovery.

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If the Cache folder doesn’t show up, try using a third-party file manager like Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer.

3. Reset the “Security” and “Optimization” settings

Security often caches scanning and cleaning data to reset it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Security.
2. Click on “Storage” and select “Clear Data”.
3. Reset the device.

4. Disabling unnecessary system functions

Some MIUI features actively write data to Other, and disabling them will help reduce partition growth:

• 🔍 «Improvement MIUI» — turn off the settings → The phone. → Reviews and analytics.
• 📊 «Automatic Diagnostics – Turn off in Settings → Special facilities → Diagnostics of the system.
• 🎨 «Animation of System Applications" - reduce or disable in Settings → Display. → Animation.

5.Use of ADB for deep cleaning

If you're prepared for more radical measures, you can use ADB to delete unnecessary files.

adb shell pm clear com.miui.analytics


adb shell pm clear com.xiaomi.midrop




adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*




adb shell rm -rf /data/log/*

These commands will delete analytics files, temporary data, and logs. Don't delete files in /system or /vendor, this will cause a crash!

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The safest way is to combine cleaning the cache of system applications and removing old updates, which will free up to 2-5 GB without risk to the system.

Radical methods: what can be done with root access

If you have root, the possibilities of cleaning the Other are vastly expanded.However, the wrong actions can lead to a device blink (completely inoperable).Before you go on, make sure you have a backup of NANDroid.

Here's what we can do:

1. Removal of unnecessary system applications (debloat)

MIUI comes with dozens of pre-installed apps, many of which are never used, and can be removed via root explorer or ADB:

adb shell


su




mount -o rw,remount /system




rm -rf /system/priv-app/MiBrowser




rm -rf /system/priv-app/MiVideo




rm -rf /system/priv-app/Analytics

A full list of secure apps for removal can be found on the XDA Developers forums (e.g., for Redmi Note 10 Pro or Poco X3 Pro).

2. Cleaning of folders with logs and dumps

The /data/tombstones, /data/anr, and /data/log folders can weigh hundreds of megabytes.

rm -rf /data/tombstones/*


rm -rf /data/anr/*




rm -rf /data/log/*

3. Removal of duplicates in /data/data

Some apps create duplicate files in their folders. For example, WhatsApp can store copies of media files in /data/data/com.whatsapp/files and /storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp. With a root guide (such as Root Explorer), you can find and delete duplicates.

4. Optimization of dalvik-cache

The /data/dalvik-cache folder contains the cache of the Android virtual machine, which can be cleaned and recreated:

rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*


reboot

After the restart, the system will restore the necessary files, and unnecessary ones will be deleted.

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Before deleting any system folder, check its contents online, for example, deleting /data/misc could result in loss of IMEI or network problems.

What You Should Not Do When Cleaning the Other

In the pursuit of memory freedom, many users make critical errors that lead to crashes or data loss.

⚠️ Note: Never delete files from folders /system, /vendor or /boot. This will result in the inability to load the device ("brick»).

• 🚫 Delete files without backup. Even if you're sure you don't need a file, make a copy of it on your PC first.
• 🚫 Using cleaners like Clean Master, these apps often delete important files by masking them as junk».

It is especially dangerous to delete files related to:

• 📡 Modem (folders) /firmware, /persist) — loss.

⚠️ Warning: If after cleaning the Other, the smartphone starts to overheat, discharge quickly or issue errors, immediately reset to factory settings.

Comparison of cleaning methods: what works best?

To understand which method is most effective, we tested different methods on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G (128 GB) with MIUI 14.

As you can see from the table, the safest and most effective methods don't require root, but if you're willing to take the risk, debloat and cleaning dalvik-cache will get the most out of it.

How to Prevent the Growth of the Other in the Future

To prevent the Other from growing again, follow these guidelines:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly. Use the built-in cleaning tool (Settings) → Warehouse → Clean once in a while 1-2 weekdays.
• 🚫 Turn off automatic updates MIUI. Install firmware manually to avoid accumulating temporary files.
• 📱 Use lightweight alternatives to system applications, such as installing Chrome or Firefox instead of Mi Browser.
• 🔍 Keep track of "problem" applications. If the "Other" has grown dramatically since you installed it, delete it and check the reviews. 4PDA or XDA.
• 📂 Transfer files to SD-Media files, documents and backups should not be stored in internal memory.

It is also useful to disable the following MIUI functions:

• 📊 «Usage Analytics – Settings → The phone. → Reviews and analytics.
• 🔄 «Automatic optimization – Settings → Battery and productivity → Optimization.
• 📁 «Backup MIUI» — Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

If you install and uninstall applications frequently, consider using them. SD-Cards as internal storage (c Settings) → Warehouse → SD-This will transfer some of the cache and application data to the external drive.

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