Previous articleOther files on Xiaomi Redmi 7: what it is, how to clean and not break your phone

You opened up storage on your Xiaomi Redmi 7, and there are a few gigabytes of mysterious “Other Files”? The system stubbornly refuses to show them, and standard cleaning does not work? This problem is familiar to most owners of Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI — especially on budget models like Redmi 7 with limited memory. Unlike the obvious categories (“Photos”, “Video”, “Audio”), the “Others” folder collects everything that the system could not classify: app cache, temporary update files, remnants of deleted programs and even hidden messenger data.

The main challenge is that not all of these files can be simply deleted, which may hide critical MIUI data or user settings, and cleaning "nahum" often leads to camera failures, lost contacts, or even a "brick" of the phone. In this article, we will understand which files can be safely deleted on Redmi 7 without root rights, and which should not be touched, and we will show hidden cleaning methods, which are silent on the standard storage menu.

What are the “Other Files” on Xiaomi Redmi 7 and why do they take up so much space?

On Redmi 7 (as on other Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 10-12), the Other Files category is the operating system’s garbage can, and it includes anything that doesn’t fit into the standard categories:

• 📁 Application cache – temporary data that programs save for quick operation (for example, thumbnails in a gallery or map data in Google Maps).
• 🔄 Remnants of remote applications – files that remain after uninstallation of programs (settings, databases).
• 📥 Update files are firmware packages that have been downloaded but not installed (for example, MIUI_OTA memory-root).
• 📊 System logs – error logs and reports about the operation of the phone (folders) /data/log or /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log).
• 🔒 Hidden data messengers — Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store here media files that did not get into the gallery.

On Redmi 7, with its modest 32-64GB of storage, Other Files can take anywhere from 1-2GB to 10+GB — especially if the phone has been in use for a long time without reset. The reason is that MIUI aggressively caches data but doesn’t clean it well. For example, after a firmware update, old files often remain in the /cache folder, and the system doesn’t delete them automatically.

⚠️ Note: If there is more in the "Other Files" 5 GB, most likely, there are accumulated the remains of old firmware (MIUI_OTA) Google Play Services cache, which can be manually deleted, but not through the standard storage menu!

How to see what exactly ranks in the “Other Files” on Redmi 7

Standard storage analysis in Settings → Memory only shows the total volume of Other Files, not their contents. To see the details, you will need third-party tools:

1. A file manager with root rights (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer) allows you to look into system folders like /data or /cache, where garbage is usually hidden.
2. Storage Analyzer (DiskUsage) applications scan memory and show large files, even without root rights.
3. ADB-commands (for advanced users) for example, the adb shell du command -h /sdcard | sort -rh | head -n 20 top-20 heavyweight.

If root is not available, start with DiskUsage:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Start the scan (may take 5-10 minutes).
3. Note the folders from 100 MB:

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders /sdcard/Android/obb and /sdcard/Android/data It stores game and application data, and only delete the contents of specific folders (e.g., Facebook cache in com.facebook.katana).

How to Clean Other Files on Redmi 7 Without Root Rights

If you don’t have root access, you can safely free up 1-3GB using standard and hidden MIUI tools.

1. Clean through the Memory menu

This will only remove some of the debris, but will not damage the system.

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Tap on "Other files» → «Clean up».
3. Confirm the deletion (the system will prompt you to clear the cache and temporary files).

👉 200-500 MB free, but large files will remain.

2. Removing the application cache manually

Some programs (such as Google Play Services or Mi Video) accumulate gigabytes of cache:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort by size (shoot by three dots → “Sort → by size”).
3. Select an app (like Google Play Services) → Storage → Clear cache.

Clear the cache of Google Play Services|Delete the Mi Video data|Check the cache Telegram/WhatsApp|Clean the Downloads folder-->

3.Removing old MIUI updates

Firmware files weigh 1-2 GB and often remain in memory after updating:

1. Open any file manager (such as Mi File Manager).
2. Move to the /sdcard/MIUI_OTA.
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension (e.g, miui_HMNote7Global_V12.0.1.0.QFLMIXM_...).

🔹 Important: If your phone has recently been updated, wait 2-3 days before removing it in case of rollback.

4. Cleaning up the.thumbnails folder

Miniatures for the gallery can take up to 500 MB:

1. In the file manager, enable the display of hidden files (in Mi File Manager: three dots → Settings → Show hidden files).
2. Go to /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails.
3. Delete all files inside (they will be restored automatically).

💡

If after cleaning the gallery began to open more slowly, restart the phone - the system will recreate the thumbnails in the background.

Cleaning Other Files with root rights: risks and opportunities

If you're willing to take a chance, root access will open up the system folders where the main debris is hidden.

• 🚨 Loss of warranty – Xiaomi officially does not support unlocking the bootloader on budget models.
• 🔧 Risk of “bricking” – incorrect deletion of files in the /system or /data It can make the phone inoperable.
• 🛡️ Security issues – some banking applications (e.g. Sberbank Online) refuse to work on rooted devices.

If root is already there, here’s what you can clean as safely as possible:

⚠️ Warning: Never delete folders /data/data or /system This will cause a complete reset of your phone, and don't touch files with the.odex or.apk extension in the system partitions.

How to Prevent the Accumulation of Other Files in the Future

To avoid cleaning your memory every week, set up Redmi 7 to auto-optimize:

• 🔄 Turn off automatic update download: Go to Settings → The phone. → Update the system. → «Settings» → Turn off “Automatic booting over Wi-Fi».
• 🗑️ Set up automatic cache cleanup: Install SD Maid or CCleaner from Google Play. Enable automatic cleaning once a week (in the app settings).

Transfer the app cache to SD-map

1. Put it in. SD-map (format) FAT32 exFAT).
2. B Settings → Memory. → By default, write down SD-map.

🔹 Bonus tip: If you install/remove apps frequently, use App Cloner or Island (from Google Play) to isolate test programs.

💡

Regularly cleaning the cache of Google Play Services and Mi App Store can free up to 1-2 GB per month without risk to the system.

Frequent errors when cleaning “Other Files” on Redmi 7

Many users make the problem worse by trying to clear the memory head-on.

• 🚫 Delete the Android folder completely, and all applications are stored there, com.facebook.katana/cache).
• 🚫 Formatting the internal memory will cause the phone to reset completely. Use only selective cleaning.
• 🚫 Delete files with the.db or.xml extension manually are application databases. Damage to them can cause errors in the operation of programs.
• 🚫 Use cleaners like Clean Master – they often delete files and show false virus warnings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Other Files on Redmi 7