“Other” in the memory of Xiaomi: hidden files, cache and garbage – how to figure out and free up space

Why is the Other eating up gigabytes of your memory?

Have you ever looked into Settings → Storage on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO and seen the mysterious 5 to 20GB “Other” section there? This item doesn’t open when you click, it doesn’t have explicit files, and it’s often the main cause of memory shortages. But what’s really hiding under this tag?

Unlike obvious categories like Apps, Photos, or Videos, Other is a hoard of system caches, temporary files, remnants of deleted programs, and even hidden MIUI data. The manufacturer does not specifically detail this section to prevent users from deleting critical files, but it often hides gigabytes of unnecessary data that can be safely cleaned.

In this article we will understand: What exactly is included in the "Other"?, How to distinguish system files from garbage?, What tools will help to reduce this section without risk to the smartphone?.

Spoiler: Sometimes it takes a few clicks to get back 3-10 GB of free space.

What is in the “Other” section of Xiaomi?

The Other section is a container for all files that MIUI cannot categorize as standard, and here are the main components that it consists of:

• 🗑️ Application cache and systems: temporary files that are created to speed up programs, such as YouTube or Telegram cache can weigh several gigabytes.
• 📁 Residual files of remote applications: after uninstallation of the program, its settings, databases or cache in folders often remain. /data/data.
• 🔄 Logs and dumps of the system: debugging files that are created when failures (/data/tombstones, /data/anr). A lot of them are accumulating after the updates. MIUI.
• 📱 Hidden files MIUI: themes, wallpapers, fonts and other customization elements that are loaded automatically.
• 🔗 Symbolic links and metadata: Technical information about a file system that takes up space but is not visible to the user.

Interestingly, Android 12+ and MIUI 13/14 are typically more likely to have the Other than older versions, due to a change in cache storage policies and new security mechanisms (e.g., isolated storage for apps).

How do you check what is in the “Other”?

MIUI doesn't provide built-in tools for detailed analysis of the Other section, but there are workarounds. Here are 3 working methods to find out which files are eating your memory:

Method 1: Analysis through Settings → Storage → Files

Even if the “Other” section is not clickable, you can try:

1. Open the settings → Storage → Files.
2. Scroll down to the Other section (sometimes hidden under Show Everything).
3. Slip on it – subcategories like “Download”, “Documents” or “Cash” may appear here.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global) this section may be empty – that’s fine, just move on to the next method.

Method 2: Use of a file manager (with root rights)

If you have root access, you can manually scan the folders:

/data/data/ – cache and application data


/data/system/ - System Logic




/data/media/0/ – User files (including hidden files)




/cache/ - update cache

Without root, many folders will not be available, but even a superficial look at the Download or DCIM/.thumbnails folder can reveal extra files.

Method 3: Third-party analyzers (without root)

Apps like Files by Google, SD Maid or Storage Analyzer can show the structure of the storage in more detail, for example, SD Maid finds out:

• 🧹 Residual files (orphaned files)
• 🗃️ Duplicate images
• 📜 Empty folders

💡

If the analyzer shows a folder /data/app weighing several gigabytes, that's OK. It stores installed applications, and you can't manually clean it!

Top.-5 How to Clean Up “Other” on Xiaomi

Now, let's get to the practice. Below are proven methods that will help reduce the "Other" section without harming the system. Start with the safest (P.1) and move on to the more radical ones if the space is not vacated.

1. Clearing the cache of all applications

This is the most innocuous method that can be performed once every 1-2 months:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select “Clear all apps cache.”

📌 Effect: Frees from 500 MB to 2-3 GB (depending on the number of installed programs).

2. Delete unnecessary files through MIUI Cleaner

The built-in MIUI tool can detect garbage, but it often works superficially to enhance its effectiveness.

Enable “Deep Cleaning” in the Cleaner settings

Delete “Residual Files” (Section “Junk”)

Clear the “Big Files” tab (Files tab)

Check the "Dublicates" section (if any)

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3. reset the /cache partition cache (without data loss)

This folder stores temporary update files and can inflate up to 1-2 GB to clear it:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery Mode.
3. Select Wipe Cache Partition (use volume buttons for navigation).
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

⚠️ Note: Do not confuse with Wipe Data/Factory Reset is a complete reset to factory settings!

4.Removing old MIUI updates

After installing new firmware versions, the old update files remain in the folder. /data/ota_package and can weigh up 3–4 GB to remove them:

• 🔍 Use a root-access file manager (e.g., Root Explorer).
• 🗑️ Or connect your phone to your PC and manually delete the folder through ADB: adb shell su rm -rf /data/ota_package/*

5. Disable automatic loading of themes and wallpaper

MIUI likes to download themes, wallpaper and fonts in the background, to stop it:

1. Go to Settings → Wallpaper → Theme settings.
2. Turn off Auto Update Themes and Download Recommended Content.
3. Remove unnecessary topics manually through Topics →

📌 Effect: Releases up to 1-1.5 GB if you have previously downloaded a lot of customizations.

💡

The safest methods (cache cleaning and MIUI Cleaner) have up to 70% effect, while the remaining 30% require root access or ADB.

What can I delete from the “Other” section?

In pursuit of a free space, it's easy to accidentally damage the system, and here's a list of files and folders that you can't touch.

⚠️ Note: If you see a folder in the "Other" /data/media/0/MIUI — Don't delete it completely. It stores system sounds, fonts and animations. You can only clean subfolders like the wallpaper or theme if they take up too much space.

Why does the other grow again after cleaning?

Many users complain, “I cleaned the cache, removed the garbage, and a week later, the Other takes 10 GB again!”, and 4 key factors are to blame:

1. Automatic app updates: Google Play and MIUI App Store download updates in the background, leaving the old versions in cache.
2. Background social media activity: Facebook, TikTok and Instagram aggressively caches videos and stories.
3. System Logs: MIUI keeps detailed error logs, especially if you have USB debugging enabled (Settings → Developer).
4. Residual messaging files: Telegram and WhatsApp store thumbnails and temporary files in hidden folders.

🔹 Solution: So that the Other doesn't grow too fast:

• 🛑 Turn off auto-update apps on Google Play.
• 📵 Limit background social media activity in Settings → Battery → Choice of applications.
• 📊 Regularly (once every 2 weeks) clean the cache through MIUI Cleaner.

Xiaomi’s Different Models: Who is Most Suffering from the Other?

The volume of the Other section depends heavily on the version of MIUI, the amount of RAM and even the memory chip (eMMC vs UFS).

💡 Insight: On smartphones with eMMC (e.g. Redmi 9 or EMMC) POCO M3) «The other is growing faster than the models with UFS (for example, Xiaomi 11T). This is because eMMC is slower to process write operations, and the system compensates for this by increasing cache.

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