Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a mysterious situation: the storage is crowded, but on detailed analysis it turns out that the lion’s share is occupied by an obscure section called “Other”. In the MIUI 12 operating system, this category can grow to tens of gigabytes, causing panic among users.
The problem is how Android and Xiaomi’s shell classify files, which includes system logs, app cache, remnants of deleted programs, temporary update files, and messenger data that could not be recognized as media files, and understanding the nature of this data is the first step to successfully clean a device without the risk of losing important information.
In this article, we will discuss safe and effective ways to free up space. You will learn how to use built-in system tools, third-party utilities and manual methods for deep cleaning. Importantly, the Other section often contains data from system applications, so mindlessly deleting all files through the file manager can lead to unstable smartphone operation. We will look at each aspect in detail so that you can return gigabytes of free memory.
The Anatomy of the Other: What’s Hiding There
Before you start taking decisive action, you need to understand the structure of the storage. In MIUI 12, the “Other” category is a kind of “black box” where the system puts everything that did not fall into the standard “Photo”, “Video” or “Apps” folders. The main culprits of overflows are usually messengers such as Telegram and WhatsApp, which cache the media files viewed, but do not always correctly tag them in the system.
Another source of sprawl is system logs and error reports. If Android crashes, the system can create detailed reports for developers who occupy a significant amount of space, as well as streaming data (Spotify, YouTube), browser cache and temporary files after updating the firmware. Sometimes, "Other" includes offline navigation maps that the user may have forgotten to delete.
It's worth noting that in some cases, this can be an artifact of displaying statistics, that the system can incorrectly sum up folder sizes, creating the illusion of a huge volume. However, most often it's real files that can and should be deleted, and understanding what exactly takes up space in your particular case will help you choose the right tool for cleaning.
Basic cleaning with built-in MIUI 12
The way to start the fight for space is always with the tools in place. MIUI 12 has a Security app that includes a Cleanup function, which is the safest method for the average user, because the system determines which files are safe to delete. Launch the application, wait for the scan and press the cleanup button.
But standard cleaning is often superficial. For a deeper analysis, go to Settings → Storage. Here you will see a visualization of occupied space. Click on Apps and sort the list by size. Often it turns out that social media and messengers take up more space than the system itself. Inside each application, you can find a "Clear Cache" button that will delete temporary files without affecting your correspondence or accounts.
Also in the storage settings is the Deep Clean (or “Recommendations”) function, which analyzes the device for large files, duplicate photos and rarely used applications. Xiaomi suggests removing installations. APK-This is a great way to quickly free up a few gigabytes, since installation packages are no longer needed after installing applications.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Working with messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp
The leaders in filling the “Other” section are traditionally messengers. Telegram, for example, by default caches all photos and videos viewed so that they open instantly when re-watched. Over time, this cache can reach 10-20 GB. To clean up, go to Telegram settings, select “Data and memory” → “Memory Use.” Here you can clear the cache (with one touch) or set up an automatic cleanup, for example, once a week.
WhatsApp is similar, but there's a nuance with media files. Apps often save the images and videos they receive to a shared gallery, but copies of them remain in the app's database. To clear WhatsApp, go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. The system will show files larger than 5MB and let you select them for removal. This is especially effective for freeing up space.
It is important to understand the difference between cleaning the cache and cleaning the data. Clearing the cache is safe and only deletes temporary files. Clearing the data (or deleting the application without saving a backup) will lead to the loss of all correspondence if they were not saved to the cloud. So before radical actions, make sure to back up chats in Google Drive or iCloud.
⚠️ Warning: Do not use third-party accelerators and cleaners from the Play Market with dubious reputations, which often become a source of garbage, impose advertising and can disrupt system processes. MIUI, This will lead to even more memory problems.
Use of Disk Analyzers and Third-Party File Managers
If MIUI 12's built-in tools don't give you the full picture, specialized analytics applications will come to the rescue, with Files by Google or DiskUsage being the leader in this field, visualizing the storage as a map, where each block is the size of a file or folder, and instantly finding the "hidden memory eaters" that hide in the back of the system directories.
For example, you might find that there is a giant log file in the Android/data folder from a game you deleted a month ago, or a folder with a map cache that stores offline navigation data for several years, and you can use these managers to safely delete those specific files, but be careful: delete only the one you are sure of.
For advanced users, the MiXplorer or Solid Explorer file manager is a great solution, which allows you to connect to your device via FTP/Wi-Fi and manage files from your computer, and also has built-in functions for finding duplicates and analyzing occupied space, using such tools gives you more flexible control over the file system than a standard conductor.
Why is the folder.thumbnails so big?
Manual cleaning of system folders and cache
For those willing to go further, manual cleaning is available through the developer menu or ADB, but we'll look at a safer method through application settings. Find system services like bootloader or Packet Installer in the app list. Go to their storage and click Clear Cache. This can free up space left over from system updates.
You should pay special attention to the MIUI/Gallery/cloud folder. If you use the Xiaomi cloud, you can store local copies of synced photos. Check your sync settings: you may have the option to store originals on your device, even though you already have them in the cloud.
It's also worth checking the Download and Bluetooth folder, and users often forget about downloaded presentations, documents, or Bluetooth files that have been dead for years, and manually sorting these directories often yields unexpected results and frees up substantial space.
| Type of data | Location. | Security of removal | Recommended method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Settings → Applications | High (data to be retained) | Staff cleaning |
| APK installers | Download folder / MIUI | Absolutely safe. | File manager |
| Logs of error | System folders | Safe. | Disk analyzer |
| Cash Telegram. | Inside the app | Safe (media in the cloud) | Telegram settings |
| Gallery basket | The album "Deleteds" | Secure (files deleted) | Cleaning the basket |
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Tip: Before manually cleaning your system folders, back up your critical data to your computer or the cloud, which will take 10 minutes, but save your photos and contacts in case of an error.
Radical measures: Resetting to factory settings
If none of the methods worked and the Other continues to grow, occupying a critical volume, the last measure remains a complete device reset, which is guaranteed to remove all software debris, file system errors and accumulated over the years of “digital junk”.
A full backup copy must be made before this. MIUI 12 This can be done through the settings → The phone. → Backup recovery. Save backup on SD-Also make sure your contacts and photos are synced with your Google account.
The reset process will take about 10-15 minutes. Once turned on, the phone will run faster and the memory is 100% clear. This often solves not only the memory problem, but also eliminates small software glitches that may have accumulated in the system.
⚠️ Warning: Full reset deletes ALL data from internal memory, including photos, contacts and apps. Make sure you have an up-to-date backup. It will be impossible to retrieve data after reset without a backup.
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If the “Other” section is filled up again quickly after reset without actively installing applications, this may indicate a physical flash memory malfunction or a deep system bug requiring flashing through the PC.
Preventing memory overflow in the future
To keep the Other problem from coming back, change your smartphone usage habits, first set up automatic cache cleaning in messengers, for example, Telegram, you can set a media storage limit of 3 days or 1 week, which means that old files will be deleted from the phone's memory automatically, but will remain available in the chat cloud.
Check the storage regularly, at least once a month. It's easier to prevent garbage accumulation than to scrape dozens of gigabytes later. Remove unnecessary apps right away, don't store them "just in case." Also keep an eye out for MIUI updates: in new firmware versions, Xiaomi often optimizes the file system and fixes bugs that cause partitions to bloat.
Use cloud storage for photos and videos. Services like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk free up space on your device by leaving media files online, making your phone an easy-to-consumer device rather than a file warehouse.