Xiaomi’s “Other Files”: What They Are, Why They Take Place, and How to Clean Them

Have you ever noticed that your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO And suddenly, the space ends, even though you've deleted all the unnecessary photos, videos and apps long ago? The culprit is often the mysterious "Other Files" in the Storage section. This category can take anywhere from a few gigabytes to tens, but the system doesn't offer an obvious way to delete them. What's the catch?

In fact, Other Files are not just garbage in the conventional sense, but a mixture of app cache, temporary data, system logs, remnants of deleted programs, and even hidden microsoft files. Xiaomi (like other Android-based vendors) doesn’t always correctly classify this data, which makes it fall into the Other section. The worst news is that standard cleaners (like the built-in Optimizer) often ignore these files. The good news is that they can be manually deleted and we’ll show you how to do it without risking the system.

In this article you will find:

• 🔍 What are “Other Files” and Why Do They Take So Much Space?
• ⚠️ What files can be deleted and which can not (so as not to break the smartphone)
• 🛠️ Step-by-step instructions for cleaning through built-in tools and third-party utilities
• 📱 Features for different versions MIUI (from MIUI 12 before MIUI 14/HyperOS)
• 🚨 What to do if the place is not freed after cleaning

What are Xiaomi’s “Other Files” and Why Are They Spreading?

In your Xiaomi’s Storage menu, the “Other Files” (or “Other”) category is the “junk bin” of the operating system, and it includes everything that Android couldn’t categorize as standard: photos, videos, audio or documents.

• 📁 Application cache (including system cache) that has not been cleared after updates or removals
• 🗄️ Remnants of Remote Applications – Folders with Settings, Databases, and Temporary Files
• 📜 System and error logs (files with.log,.tmp,.bak extension)
• 🔄 Update files (firmware residues, packages) OTA, which did not leave after installation)
• 🎮 Game data (saves, cache textures that games do not classify as media»)
• 🔧 Hidden files MIUI (For example, backup copies of theme or font settings)

The main problem is that MIUI (Xiaomi shell does not always manage these files correctly, for example, after deleting the application, its cache may remain in the folder. /data/data, But the system won't show it in the Cash section, or the game saves gigabytes of textures to its folder, but they don't fall into the App category. 5–20 GB, and the user does not understand where the place went.

Another nuance: on devices with MIUI 13/14 And the algorithm for classifying files has changed, and now some of the junk can be hidden in the System Data section, which is also not cleaned by standard means.

Which “Other Files” Can Be Deleted and Which Are Dangerous to Touch

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand that you can not delete so as not to break the system.

Here is what you can do (but with caution):

• 🗑️ Cache folders in /data/data/packet/cache (for example, /data/data/com.tencent.mm/cache for WeChat)
• 📂 Remains of Remote Applications in /data/data (folders with packet names that are not in the list of installed programs)
• 📄 Logs and dumps with extensions.log,.tmp,.dmp in folders /data/log or /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log
• 🎮 Cash games /Android/obb or /Android/data (if the game has already been deleted)
• 🔄 Old update files in /cache or /sdcard/MIUI/ota

⚠️ Note: even "safe" files should not be manually deleted through a Root Explorer if you are not sure of their purpose. An error can lead to application failure or data loss).

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

Before cleaning, you need to understand which files inflated the Others section, and there are several ways to do this, from built-in tools to third-party applications.

Method 1: Built-in storage analyzer (MIUI 12–14)

Starting with MIUI 12, there's a file analyzer built into the system that shows the memory distribution by category:

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Slip to the “Other Files” (or “Other”) section.
3. The system will show you a list of folders, sorted by size, and you can see which apps or games are leaving the most trash.

Minus of the method: MIUI For example, TikTok cache may appear as “Other Files” when it is actually media files.

Method 2: Files app by Google

Files by Google (available in Play Market) can scan the storage and show hidden files that are stored in the store. MIUI It doesn't display. It doesn't display:

1. Install the application and open it.
2. Go to the section "Cleaning up» → «Analysis of the vault».
3. Wait for the scan to be completed and tap on the “Other” category.
4. The app will show you a list of large files and folders that can be deleted.

Files by Google does not require Root permissions, but may not see system folders (e.g., file by Google, /data/data). Other tools will be needed for deep cleaning.

Method 3: Root conductor (for advanced users)

If you have Root access, you can use conductors like Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer for manual analysis:

1. Open the Explorer and enable the display of hidden files.
2. Go to the root folder / and scan the following directories: /data/data — remnants of remote applications /cache — system cache and updates /sdcard/Android/obb — game-cash /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log — mistake

Sort files by size and remove unnecessary ones (see the section above on what to touch).

⚠️ Warning: If you're not sure what the file is, don't delete it. /data/dalvik-cache Looks like garbage, but cleaning it will slow down your smartphone until the next reboot.

Backup of important data|Check the vacant space (should be available) ≥10% of the total)|Close all applications (especially games and instant messengers)|Connect charging (the process may take time)-->

Step-by-step: how to clean “Other Files” without Root rights

If you don't have Root access, don't despair: most of the garbage can be removed by standard means or with third-party utilities. Here's a step-by-step algorithm that works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO (including HyperOS).

Step 1: Cleaning the app cache

The safest way to free up 1-3 GB is to remove the cache of all applications.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the top right corner and select "Sort by size."
3. Alternately open the applications that occupy the most space (especially messengers, social networks, games).
4. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – it will remove settings!).

To speed up the process, you can use a built-in optimizer:

1. Go to Settings → Storage → Cleaning.
2. Click “Clean” (the system will find the unnecessary cache).

Step 2: Removing Remnants of Remote Applications

When you delete an app through the Play Market or settings, its data folder often stays in the system.

1. Install the app SD Maid (or CCleaner) from Play Market.
2. Start the scan in the "Basket" section» (SD Maid) or "Cleaner" (CCleaner).
3. The utility will show you a list of folders from remote applications. Select them and click "Delete".

Example: If you deleted Facebook long ago, but folder /data/data/com.facebook.katana It's still there, and it can be cleaned.

Step 3: Clean Download folder and instant messenger downloads

Many of the files in Others are actually in the Download folder or in messenger directories (WhatsApp, Telegram) to delete:

1. Open any file manager (e.g., embedded Files or Files by Google).
2. Move to the /sdcard/Download and delete unnecessary files.
3. Then check the messenger folders: WhatsApp: /sdcard/WhatsApp/Media Telegram: /sdcard/Telegram Viber: /sdcard/Viber/media

Delete old media files (especially videos and GIFs).

Step 4: Delete logs and temporary files

System logs (.log) and temporary files (.tmp) can take up to 500 MB-1 GB to clear:

1. Install. 1Tap Cleaner or Clean Master.
2. Run the scan in the "Deep Cleanup" or "System garbage" section.
3. The utility will find logs and temporary files. Delete them.

If you want to do it manually,

1. Open a file manager with hidden files (such as Solid Explorer).
2. Move to the /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log or /data/log (if there is access).
3. Delete all files with extensions.log,.tmp,.dmp.

Step 5: Cleaning up the games cache (OBB-file)

Games (especially heavy ones like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) store gigabytes of data in a folder. /sdcard/Android/obb. If the game is deleted, these files become garbage:

1. Open the file manager.
2. Go to /sdcard/Android/obb.
3. Delete folders with the names of games you have deleted long ago (for example, com.activision.callofduty.shooter for the game name). CODM).

If the game is still installed, but you want to clear its cache:

1. Go to Settings. → Annexes → [play-off] → Warehouse.
2. Click on “Clear Cache” (not “Clear Data”!).

💡

Cleaning up the cache of apps and games is the safest way to free up 2 to 5 GB of space without risk to the system.

Deep Cleaning: What to Do When Standard Methods Don’t Work

If the other files still take up a lot of space after all the manipulations, it’s time to move on to advanced methods, which take longer and sometimes technical knowledge, but allow you to free up to 10-15 GB.

Method 1: Reset the partition cache (Wipe Cache Partition)

This method does not delete personal data, but clears the system cache, which can inflate "Other Files".

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo (Recovery mode) appears.
3. Use volume buttons for navigation and power button for selection.
4. Select the option "Wipe & Reset» → «Wipe Cache».
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
6. Reboot the device (Reboot).

This method is especially effective if the “Other Files” inflated after the update. MIUI.

Method 2: Use of the ADB file-cleaner

If you have a computer, you can connect your smartphone to ADB And manually delete the files that you don't need:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on the smartphone "Debugging by" USB» (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (tap 7 times) → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb shell su rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* rm -rf /cache/* exit exit

These commands will clear the temporary files of the system. Without the Root rights, you can't delete the files to the system. /data/data, But even this cleaning is often enough.

Method 3: Manual cleaning through TWRP (advanced)

If you have a custom recavator installed on your device TWRP, You can manually delete unnecessary files:

1. Download to TWRP (Nutrition + Volume Up).
2. Select "Advanced» → «File Manager».
3. Move to the /data/data Remove folders from long-deleted applications.
4. Check it out, too. /cache and /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log.

Be careful: Deleting the wrong files can cause crashes!

Method 4: Complete reset (last resort)

If nothing worked, and the Other Files take up more than 10GB, it could be the problem with the corrupted system data, in which case only a complete reset would help:

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data”.
4. After resetting, restore the data from the backup.

This method is guaranteed to clean all unnecessary files, but takes time to set up the smartphone again.

Features of cleaning on different versions MIUI hyperos

Memory management algorithms vary depending on the firmware version.

HyperOS also has a Smart Cleanup feature that automatically deletes unnecessary files to enable it:

1. Go to Settings → Storage → Smart Cleaning.
2. Activate the option and set up a schedule (e.g., clean up once a week).

However, even on HyperOS, smart cleaning doesn’t delete all Other Files, so periodic manual analysis is still necessary.

What to do if the place is not freed after cleaning

Sometimes you've kind of deleted all the files you don't need, but the Others section still takes up a lot of space.

• 🔄 The system has not updated the data: sometimes MIUI Solution: Reset your smartphone and check again in 10-15 minutes.
• 📁 Hidden system files: some files (e.g, /data/app-lib) Solution: Use DiskUsage (app shows occupied space visually).
• 🛡️ Secure folders: MIUI Solution: Try cleaning through ADB (see section above).
• 🔍 File system error: if the memory is "hung", check through Recovery will help. TWRP Choose "Advanced» → «Fix Permissions».

If nothing helps, check your smartphone for viruses (for example, through Malwarebytes).Some malware creates hidden files that take up space but do not appear in the explorer.

💡

If after cleaning the "Other files" smartphone began to work slower, try to disable animation in the developer settings (Settings) → For developers → Scale of window/transition animation = That'll speed up the system until the cache recovers.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Xiaomi's "Other Files"