Xiaomi’s Other Files: What is this garbage and how to remove it without risk

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi memory settings and found in horror that the mysterious Other Files category is tens of gigabytes long? It's not a system bug or a virus -- it's real data that the smartphone accumulates as it works. But what exactly is behind this vague formulation? Why does MIUI not allow you to delete it in one click? And most importantly, how do you free up space without breaking your phone?

In this article, we’ll look at what types of files fall into the Others category, why they’re growing so fast (especially on models like the Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5), and provide 5 proven cleanup methods, from standard MIUI tools to manual methods for power users, and what files you can’t touch so you don’t turn your smartphone into a brick.

What are the “Other Files” in Xiaomi Memory?

The category “Other files” (or “Other” in the English version of MIUI) is the “junk box” of the operating system, where data that could not be classified as standard categories: photos, videos, applications or cache is stored.

• 📁 Residual files of remote applications are not completely erased data of programs that you have long uninstalled.
• 🔄 Temporary system files – logs, memory dumps, update files that MIUI failed or failed to remove.
• 📊 Third-party launchers and widget cache – if you’re using a Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher, their cache often gets here.
• 🎮 Game saving is especially important for heavy projects like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile.
• 📄 Downloads from browsers – files downloaded through Chrome or Mi Browser, but not transferred to the Downloads folder».
• 🔧 Configuration files – Application settings that have not been correctly deleted.

Why doesn't MIUI clean this automatically? The fact is that some of these files can be critical to the system or individual applications, like saving games or setting up a launcher, and the system doesn't risk deleting them without your knowledge.

On Xiaomi models with MIUI 14 and later (for example, Xiaomi 13T or Redmi Note 13 Pro+), the volume of “Other files” can reach 15-30 GB — and this is not always garbage.

• 📱 Backups (if you have used Mi Cloud or local backup).
• 📡 Files. OTA-Updates – downloaded but not installed firmware packages.
• 🎵 Media files from messengers – audio and video from Telegram or WhatsApp that did not get into the gallery.

Why are “Other Files” growing so fast?

If you notice that the Others folder is growing like a leap, it's not just you who are to blame.

1. Automatic MIUI updates – the system downloads firmware packets in the background, but does not always remove them after installation. On a POCO F5 or Redmi K60, this can eat up to 5-7 GB per year.
2. Hamyak apps – some programs (especially Chinese ones) create temporary files but don’t clean them, such as UC Browser or APUS Launcher.
3. File system errors – if the smartphone is incorrectly disabled while recording data, files can be “lost” and get into “Others”.
4. Telegram and Viber store media files in their folders, but sometimes they are duplicated in system directories.

Interesting fact: on smartphones with a micro-memory card (for example, Redmi) 10C) «Other files may appear on the SD-This is because of the Adoptable Storage in Android.

How to Safely Clean Other Files on Xiaomi: 5 Ways to Work

Before you start cleaning, remember the golden rule: never delete files from /system, /vendor or /data/app folders manually. This can cause your smartphone to fail.

Method 1: Built-in cleaning in MIUI

The safest method is to use a regular tool:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
2. Click on “Deep Clean” (or “Deep Clean”).
3. Select “Other Files” and confirm the deletion.

Cons: This method only deletes cache and temporary files, but does not affect saves or configuration data.

Method 2: Cleaning through File Manager

The standard MIUI file manager can find large, unnecessary files:

1. Open the File Manager app.
2. Go to the tab “Analysis” or “Storage Analyzer”.
3. Select the “Other” category and sort the files by size.
4. Delete anything that looks suspicious (e.g. files with.tmp,.log,.bak extensions).

Files with the extension.tmp,.log,.bak

- Empty application folders (e.g. com.example.cache)

- Old ones. APK-Files (remainders from installing programs)

- Cache of messengers (folders Telegram/Telegram Documents)

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Method 3: Use of ADB (for experienced)

If you're confident, you can connect to your smartphone via ADB and manually remove the garbage.

1. Turn on "Debugging by" USB» In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click on version 7 times, then return to "More»).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell pm trim-caches 256m This will clear the cache of all applications.
3. To delete the residual files, use: adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*

💡

Before using ADB, back up via Mi Cloud or TWRP (if installed).A single error in the command can erase critical data.

Method 4: Cleaning applications (with caution!)

You can use third-party utilities like SD Maid or Files by Google, but be careful:

• ✅ Safe: Delete cache, temporary files, empty folders.
• ❌ Dangerous: Cleaning up “system garbage” or “residual files” without manual inspection.

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

If the Other Files take up more than 20GB and don't clear, and the phone slows down, maybe hard reset will help.

⚠️ Attention! Reset will delete everything: photos, messages, apps. Pre-copy important data on a PC or in Mi Cloud.

To make the discharge:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Erase all data”.
3. Confirm the action.

💡

If the "Other Files" grows back quickly after reset, the problem is in a particular application. Try uninstalling recently installed programs or checking your smartphone for viruses.

Which files from the “Others” cannot be deleted?

Not all files in the Other category are garbage, and this is something you can't touch unless you want to lose data or break your phone.

If in doubt, it is better to transfer a suspicious file to a PC and check its contents than risk the health of the smartphone.

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

To prevent the “Others” folder from growing again, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly – run “Deep Clean” in the settings every 1-2 weeks.
• 🚫 Avoid cleaners – Clean Master, CCleaner, and the like often delete the right files.
• 📱 Control installed applications – remove unnecessary programs through Settings → Apps, not just “freeze” them.
• 🔄 Update. MIUI — in new versions of the firmware (for example, MIUI 14.0.5+) Improved waste cleaning system.
• 📁 Use cloud storage – transfer photos and videos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud to avoid clogging local memory.

On models with expandable memory (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro with a microSD slot), you can transfer some applications to the map, but remember: this can slow down their work.

Frequent errors in cleaning “Other Files”

Many Xiaomi users make the same mistakes when trying to make room.

1. Delete everything from the /data folder will result in bootloop (infinite download).
2. Use root rights without experience – improper editing of system files can “brick” the phone.
3. Wash files with the.odex or.vdex extension are optimized components of applications, without them, programs will not run.
4. Cleaning the DCIM/.thumbnails folder is a thumbnail for the gallery, deleting them will slow down the loading of the photo.

⚠️ If your phone starts to brake or overheat after cleaning, you've probably deleted critical files. → «Restart in Safe Mode and check the system.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions