Xiaomi’s “Other” in Memory: What are these files and how to delete them without harming the system

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi storage settings and found that the Other is 10, 20, or even 30GB? And neither photos, apps, nor cache explain where gigabytes of memory went, a mysterious category that is one of the most common causes of complaints from MIUI users. Unlike the obvious Music or Video, The Other doesn't reveal its content, which raises suspicions that it's system junk, or critical files that will interrupt your smartphone.

In fact, The Other is a hoard of backup data, temporary files, logs, and even hidden application folders, some of which can be safely removed and some of which should not be touched. In this article, we will look at what exactly is hidden under this tag in different versions of MIUI (12 to 14), show how to analyze content using hidden system tools, and give step-by-step instructions for cleaning — from manual methods to automated scripts.

———

What is the Other in Xiaomi’s Memory and Why is it Growing?

In MIUI, the Other category is a container for files that the system cannot classify as standard partitions (photos, videos, apps, etc.) and includes anything that defies classification, from the update cache to the memory dumps after crashes, the main culprits of this partition bloating:

• 📁 System logs and dumps:.log,.dmp, *.trace files that are created when errors occur or are debugged, and a lot of them accumulate after updates. MIUI.
• 🔄 Remnants of Remote Applications: Folders /data/data/ and /data/app-lib/, which are not always cleaned when uninstalled.
• 🗃️ Hidden folders of messengers: Telegram, WhatsApp and even Viber store backups, stickers and media that do not fall into Multimedia».
• 🔧 Theme and widget cache: Xiaomi aggressively caches design elements, even if you have changed the topic a long time ago.
• 📱 ARCore and Google Services files: data from augmented reality and background services that are not cleared by standard means.

Interestingly, MIUI 14 has an average 15-20% higher share of the Other than MIUI 12, due to enhanced analytics and background processes. For example, after upgrading to Android 13, many Redmi Note 11 and POCO X4 Pro users complained about the sudden growth of this partition from 5 GB to 12-15 GB – the reason for this new mechanisms of diagnostic collection.

But why doesn't the system clean this automatically? Because some files are locked to the user (root rights are required even for viewing), and the other part is active data that is used by the background processes, for example, the /data/system/ folder contains MIUI settings, and cleaning it will lead to a reset of personalization.

How to see what exactly takes place in the “Other”

By default, MIUI doesn't show the detail of the "Other" section, but there are 3 ways to know what's stored inside:

1. Through the built-in analyzer (hidden function)

The newer versions of MIUI (13+) have a hidden memory analysis tool to activate it:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5 times in a row on the line "Version" MIUI» (A message will appear saying, “You’ve become a developer»).
3. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → Special features → Memory Analyzer.
4. Select Detailed Analysis and wait for the scan (can take up to 5 minutes).

The system will show you the file types, including hidden folders, and look at the System Data and Other Files sections, which form the Other.

2. via ADB (for advanced users)

If you have a PC, you can connect to your smartphone via ADB and execute a command to output a list of the largest folders:

adb shell du -h -d 1 /data | sort -rh | head -n 20

This command will show the TOP-20 folders that occupy the most space in the /data partition (where most of the “other” is hiding exactly) Attention: do not delete folders called com.android. or miui. - these are system components!

3. Through third-party applications

Apps like Files by Google or SD Maid (requires root) can show details of the Other, but with reservations:

• 🔍 Files by Google will show junk files (cache, duplicates), but not system logs.
• 🛠️ SD Maid will find the leftovers of applications and empty folders, but for a full scan you need root.
• ⚠️ Caution: Some cleaners (such as Clean Master) delete files at random, which can cause crashes.

———

Step-by-step: how to clean the “Other” without root

If you don’t have superuser rights, you can clean the Other in three safe ways (from the simplest to the more complex).

Method 1: Cleaning through MIUI settings

This is the safest method, but it only removes cache and temporary files:

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Slip on "Clean" in the "Junk" section.
3. Select “Deep Clean” and confirm the action.

This will free up 1-3 GB, but it won't affect system logs or application residues. For a deeper cleaning, we'll move on to the next method.

Method 2: Resetting the application cache

Many apps (especially social media and instant messengers) store data in the Other to clean it up:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by size (slip on "Size").
3. Select apps with a large cache (e.g. Facebook, Telegram, Google Play Services).
4. Press "Storage» → «Clear the cache».

Warning: Do not click “Clear Data” – this will delete settings and accounts in the app!

Method 3: Remove application residues via ADB

If after deleting applications in the "Other" remained their files, you can apply the command:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.packet

To find the names of the packages, use:

adb shell pm list packages -f | grep 'uninstall'

This method removes residual application data that normally remains in /data/data/.

Backup of important data

Check the vacant space (should be ≥1 GB)

Disable automatic update of applications

Close all background applications

-->

Cleaning the Other with root rights: risks and opportunities

If you have root, you can delete up to 70-80% of the files from Other, but it's risky.

• 💥 Resetting settings: deleting folders in /data/system/ Return the smartphone to factory parameters.
• 🛑 Stopping services: some system processes (Google Play Services, MIUI Daemon may stop working.
• 🔒 Data loss: if you delete the folders of messengers (com.whatsapp, org.telegram), chats will disappear.

If the risks don’t scare you, here’s what you can safely remove (pre-backup!):

Important: After cleaning, restart your smartphone and check the performance of key functions (calls, internet, camera). If something breaks, restore data from the backup.

adb pull /data/folder/ ~/backup/

This will allow you to recover data if something goes wrong.-->

What to do if the Other is growing again

Even after cleaning, "Other" can swell over time. Here's how to prevent it from growing:

• 📵 Turn off automatic diagnostics: go to Settings → The phone. → Debugging → Send an error report and turn off this option.
• 🔄 Limit background activity: in Settings → Battery → Power saving mode: Enable restriction for unnecessary applications.
• 🗑️ Set up automatic cleaning: in Settings → Memory. → Autocleaning: Enable the option and set the frequency (e.g. once a week).
• 📥 Move the cache to SD-card (if supported): some applications (e.g. Telegram) allow you to store media on a memory card.

If the Other is growing faster than 1GB per month, it could indicate:

• 🐛 Virus or malware (check your smartphone through Malwarebytes).
• 🔄 Failure to work MIUI (Helps reset settings or flashing).
• 📱 Storage problems (for example, wear of flash memory).

💡

If after all the manipulations, the Other takes >10 GB, most likely the problem is in the system files, in which case only resetting to factory settings or flashing through Fastboot will help.

Myths and misconceptions about the “Other” in Xiaomi

There's a lot of bad advice on the Internet about cleaning up The Other, and we're going to take a look at the most common ones.

⚠️ Attention: Deletion of folder /data/dalvik-cache/ It won’t free up space – the system will restore it the next time you run applications, but they will open longer.

Myth 1: The other is a virus.

In fact, viruses take up to 100-200 MB, and usually hide in /data/app/ rather than in "The Other," and if the antivirus doesn't find anything, the problem isn't infection.

Myth 2: “You need to format the /data partition.”

Formatting /data is like completely resetting your phone, which is an extreme measure that should only be resorted to if other methods have failed.

Myth 3: “Cleaning up with Recovery will remove all unnecessary things.”

Recovery (Wipe Data option) does not affect the Other – it only deletes user data, but leaves system files and logs.

Myth 4: “There is no Other on Xiaomi’s new smartphones”

Even on the Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi K60 Ultra, the Other takes 3 to 5GB — that’s okay. It’s just that newer models have more internal storage, and it’s less noticeable.

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