Xiaomi’s “Other Files”: What is this folder, why does it grow and how to reduce it

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi storage and wondered why the Other Files section takes up gigabytes of memory when you didn’t save anything?This mysterious category appears on the Settings → Memory menu on almost every device in the brand, from budget Redmis to flagship Xiaomi 14. Unlike the clear sections “Photos”, “Video” or “Audio”, here is collected data that the system can not uniquely attribute to the standard types.

In practice, Other Files is a dump of digital garbage: app cache, temporary update files, remnants of deleted programs, system log files, and even hidden messenger data. MIUI (the Xiaomi brand shell) does not always properly sort these files, so they accumulate for years, eating precious gigabytes. In this article, we will understand what exactly is stored in this section, why it grows and how to clean it without risk to the smartphone.

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What are Xiaomi’s “Other Files” and why do they take up so much space?

Xiaomi’s official documentation describes the “Other Files” section as “unclassified data” that doesn’t fall into the standard categories (photos, videos, documents, etc.) and is actually a collection of five main file types:

• 🗑️ Application cache and systems – temporary files that are created to speed up the operation of programs (for example, thumbnails in the gallery or map data in Google Maps).
• 📦 Remnants of Remote Applications – Not all programs are removed “cleanly”: many leave behind configuration files or databases.
• 🔄 Update files MIUI — After installing a new firmware version, old update packages often remain in memory.
• 📜 Log files and dumps of the system - error logs, crash reports and diagnostic information that MIUI debug.
• 🔒 Hidden data messengers — Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store media files in encrypted form, which the system cannot recognize.

Why is this partition growing? First, MIUI doesn’t optimize automatic cleanup as aggressively as iOS or stock Android. Second, many apps (especially Chinese ones) don’t keep their temporary files clean. Third, major system updates (like MIUI 12 to MIUI 14) leave undeleted packages weighing up to 1-2 GB.

🔍 Fun fact: On some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro) folder “Other files” can take up to 10-15 GB – almost a quarter of the standard memory capacity of 64 GB!

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

Unfortunately, MIUI doesn't provide a detailed analysis of the contents of this partition right in the interface, but there are three ways to find out what exactly eats up memory:

1. Through the built-in Memory Analysis, go to Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis. Here, the system will show the categorization, but without detailing by file.
2. With the file manager, Install Solid Explorer or FX File Manager (they show hidden folders). Search for files in directories: /data/data/ - application cache /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ - program residues /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/ - system log files
3. Through ADB-Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell du -h /data | sort -rh | head -n 20 It will show the most "heavy" folders in the system section.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from folders /system/ or /vendor/ manually – this can lead to the collapse of the system and the need to flash the!

Top.-5 Why “Other Files” Take Gigabytes

We analyzed Xiaomi user reports on the 4PDA and Mi Community forums and identified the main culprits of this section’s bloat:

💡 Tip: If you notice that the “Other Files” folder grew immediately after the update MIUI, check the folder /storage/emulated/0/Download/rom/ — There are often old firmwares left.

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Before cleaning, back up important data via Settings → Additional → Backup. This will prevent you from losing contacts and photos when you accidentally delete system files.

Safe Ways to Clean Other Files on Xiaomi

You need to remove the contents of this section carefully so that you don't disrupt the system, and here's a step-by-step guide to cleaning safely:

Make a backup copy of the data

Check the vacant space (should be ≥10%)

Disable important applications (banks, instant messengers)

Charge your smartphone at least 50%-->

1. Clean App Cache Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select a program (like Google Play Services) and click Clear Cache. Repeat for all major apps.
2. Open the file manager and delete the folders in /Android/obb/ and /Android/data/ belonging to the remote games.
3. Cleaning through “Storage” In the Settings menu → Memory click “Clean” – the system will find unnecessary files (including part of the “Other files”).
4. Remove old updates In Settings → Software Update Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select “Delete downloaded package”.
5. Cache reset via Recovery: Turn off your smartphone, press Power + Volume Up, select "Wipe Cache Partition." This will delete temporary files without losing data.

⚠️ Warning: If the smartphone starts to slow down or reboot after cleaning, then the critical files have been deleted, in which case the factory reset will help (but this is an extreme measure!).

Automatic cleaning of “Other Files”

If manual cleaning seems complicated, you can use specialized utilities. Here are the TOP-3 proven tools for Xiaomi:

• 🧹 SD Maid removes app residues, cache and empty folders. There is a feature CorpseFinder to find junk files.
• 🔍 Files by Google – a simple manager with the function “Clean up” and analysis of unnecessary files.
• 🛠️ CCleaner is a classic cleaner, but on MIUI It is unstable (can delete the necessary data).

🔹 Do not use programs like Clean Master or DU Speed Booster – They often show false “problems” and aggressively delete files, leading to crashes.

📌 Example from the practice: Redmi user 9T assisted SD Maid cleared 4.2GB of Other Files, of which 3GB came from Facebook and Instagram cache, and 1.2GB from old log files MIUI.

How to prevent the growth of “Other Files” in the future?

To prevent the “Other Files” folder from becoming a digital dump, follow these preventive measures:

• 🔄 Regular cleaning of cache - once every 1-2 weeks go to Settings → Memory. → Clean up.
• 🚫 Turning off app auto-update – in Google Play, select “Update only via Wi-Fi” or “Do not automatically update».
• 📁 Using Cloud Storage – Move media files from messengers to Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 🔧 Disabling diagnostics MIUI — In Settings → The phone. → Debugging → Error Reports Turn Off Log Sending.
• 🎮 Remove games through settings – not just delete the icon, but go to Settings → Apps and select “Delete all data».

📊 According to Xiaomi, users who follow the cleaning of the cache, face memory overflow 40% less often than those who ignore “Other files».

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The most effective way to control is to use a manual cleaning combination once a month. + utilization SD Maid for deep scanning, which reduces the volume of Other Files by 60-80% without risk to the system.

Frequent errors when working with “Other Files”

Many Xiaomi users make critical mistakes when trying to make room.

1. Delete files from /system/ or /vendor/ manually – this will lead to a “brick”** (inoperability) of the smartphone.
2. Use rm-rf commands without understanding – a single typo can wipe all user memory.
3. Clearing the MIUI Launcher cache will reset the desktop settings (widgets, wallpaper, folders).

⚠️ If after cleaning the smartphone stopped seeing SIM-If the card is not connected to Wi-Fi, it means that the configuration files of the communication module have been deleted, in which case only a flashing or a visit to the service center will help.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About “Other Files” on Xiaomi