Xiaomi’s ‘Other’ Storage: A Complete Guide to Cleaning Hidden Files

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO storage settings and seen the mysterious “Other” section of your device, which takes up gigabytes of memory? This gray section of the diagram defies logic: it can’t be opened as a folder, it doesn’t disappear after deleting applications, and even after resetting to factory settings, it sometimes comes back. In this article, we’ll not just explain what the “Other” is in Xiaomi’s storage, but show you 4 proven ways to clean it up — from manual methods to hidden MIUI features that aren’t covered in the official documentation.

Let’s warn you right away: it’s not cache, it’s not trash, it’s not the remnants of deleted apps. The other is a hoard of system logs, temporary Android kernel files, MIUI update artifacts, and even Xiaomi-branded services (like mipush or miui.analytics) that can grow to 15-20GB in some cases — especially on 64/128GB devices where users are less likely to follow the cleanup. But the good news is that much of this junk can be removed without root rights and data loss.

What exactly is hidden under the “Other” in Xiaomi’s memory?

Official MIUI documentation is silent about the composition of this section, but firmware analysis and experiments by enthusiasts have shown that the Other consists of 5 main components:

• 📁 System Logs and Dumps: Files /data/tombstones (crash-reporting), /data/anr (freeze-up), /data/log (They accumulate over the years, even if you don't notice the failures.
• 🔄 Remains of updates MIUI: time-folder /cache/ota and /data/ota_package, which are not always cleaned after installing new firmware versions.
• 🕵️ Hidden Application Data: Some programs (such as Facebook, TikTok, or Mi Video) store cache in secure folders that are not visible through the standard file manager.
• 📊 Xiaomi statistics and analytics: miui.analytics, mipush and msa collect data on device usage, creating databases up to the size of the device 1-2 GB.
• 🗑️ Fragmented files: When the memory is filled almost to the end, the system breaks the files into small pieces that can not be deleted correctly.

Fun fact: on devices with MIUI 12.5+ and MIUI 13/14, the Other is usually less in storage than on older versions (before MIUI 11), which is due to optimizing the log collection mechanism. However, even on new firmware, the partition can grow if you actively use features like Dual Apps or developer mode.

How do you check how much space the other takes?

Before you start cleaning, you need to determine exactly the scale of the problem, and you can do this in two ways:

1. Through system settings: Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here you will see a pie chart with memory distribution. The gray segment without a name is "Other." Click on it to see an approximate size (usually the system shows a value like "System Data" or "Other").
2. Through the file manager (advanced method): Install FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer, turn on the hidden files and go to the /data. Folders log, tombstones, system_packages and user_de It's usually the lion's share of the Other. Don't manually delete anything, it can cause crashes!

If the Other is larger than 5GB, it's time to act, but if it's within 1-2GB, that's normal for MIUI, and cleaning may not have a noticeable effect.

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On some models (for example, Xiaomi 11T or Redmi Note 10 Pro) the “Other” section may temporarily increase after major MIUI updates. Wait 2-3 days – the system will clear some files.

Method 1: Cleaning through hidden MIUI menu (no root rights)

Xiaomi has hidden a special tool in the firmware to clean up system files that is not advertised in the standard interface.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the About Phone section.
3. Click on the MIUI version 5 times in a row to activate the developer mode (if not already activated).
4. Return to the main settings menu and select Additional → Special Features → Engineer Menu (MTK) (on Qualcomm-powered devices, the path may be different: Settings → System → Advanced Settings → Developer → Storage).
5. In the engineering menu, find Storage Cleanup or Storage Cleanup and select it.
6. The system will prompt you to delete logs, temporary files and update cache.

This method allows you to free up from 500 MB to 3 GB of memory, depending on the degree of contamination of the system.

Method 2: Using ADB for deep cleaning (for power users)

If the hidden menu didn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to delete system files without rooting permissions, which requires a connection to a computer, but gives you better results.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB Tools.
• 📱 Initiated debugging mode USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 5 taps → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (preferably original).

Instructions:

adb shell


su -c "rm -rf /data/log/*"




su -c "rm -rf /data/tombstones/*"




su -c "rm -rf /data/system/dropbox/*"




su -c "rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*"




su -c "rm -rf /cache/*"

If you see a Permission denied error after you enter the commands, then you have blocked access to these folders without root rights on your device.

adb shell pm trim-caches -a

This command compulsorily clears the cache of all applications, including system ones, which can free up an additional 1-2 GB.

⚠️ Note: Do not use the rm commands -rf /data/ rm -rf /system/ — This will cause a complete system failure and require the device to be flashed through Fastboot.

Method 3: Recovery Mode (the safest method)

If you don’t want to mess with ADB or are afraid of breaking something, use the built-in Recovery Mode, which doesn’t delete user data, but clears the update cache, temporary files, and some logs.

Step-by-step:

On some models (Redmi Note 9 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10), the Wipe Cache item may be called Clear Cache or Erase Cache. After the reboot, check the storage - the "Other" section should decrease by 1-4 GB.

If this method didn’t work, try the combination: first clear the cache through Recovery, then optimize the storage in the settings (Settings → Storage → Optimize).

Method 4: Manually delete unnecessary files (for root-right users)

If you have root access (e.g., through Magisk), you can manually remove the heaviest components of The Other. Careful: the wrong actions can cause the system to crash!

List of safe folders to delete (via Root Explorer or Mixplorer):

Reboot the device after deleting. If you notice lags or errors, restore deleted files from the backup (if you backed up before cleaning).

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders /data/app, /data/user or /system — This will result in data loss or device blinking!

What if the “Other” comes back?

Even after a successful cleanup, the Other partition can grow again, which is normal, the system continues to write logs and create temporary files, but if it grows too fast (for example, by 1 GB per week), this may indicate:

• 🐞 Firmware failures: frequent applications or systems fill up /data/tombstones.
• 🔄 Incorrect updates MIUI: If the section has grown by 3-5 GB, perhaps the update was installed with errors.
• 📱 Viruses or malware: Some Trojans masquerade as system processes and generate tons of logs.
• 🔧 Actively use functions like “App Clone” or “Second Space».

Decisions:

1. Reverse to the stable version of MIUI if the problem started after the upgrade.
2. Check your device for viruses with Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light.
3. Disable unnecessary system services: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipush
4. Reset the settings to factory (the last method if nothing helps).

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If the Other takes up more than 10 GB and does not decrease after all the manipulations, this may indicate a hardware memory problem (flash drive wear), in which case only replacing the memory module in the service center will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the “Other” in Xiaomi’s storage