How to Clean Up Xiaomi’s “Other” on MIUI 12: The Complete Guide

Why the Other partition takes up gigabytes of memory on Xiaomi, and what to do about it

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi storage settings and found in horror that the mysterious Other section is eating 10, 20, or even 30GB of precious memory?Neither photos, apps, or cache take up that much space. This is a typical problem for MIUI 12 devices (and earlier versions), where the system hides the real file allocation from the user. Unlike Android 13+, where Google has forcibly standardized memory display, Xiaomi still masks service data as the mysterious Other.

In this article, we will not just list the standard tips like “clean the cache”, but we will deal with the cause-and-effect relationships: why MIUI 12 so aggressively reserves memory, which files are hiding under “Other”, and how to safely delete them without the risk of turning a smartphone into a “brick.” Spoiler: in 80% of cases, it is not user data that is to blame, but system log files, backups of updates and MIUI artifacts that can be cleaned without root rights.

Before you get into the instructions, remember, the other is not garbage, it's the work files of the system. They can't be deleted at random, like the temporary data from the Download folder. You need a surgical approach: identify what inflated the partition, and apply the targeted cleaning method. Let's start with the diagnosis.

What’s Behind the Other in MIUI 12: Decrypting Hidden Files

In MIUI 12, the Other section is a container for anything the system does not want to show the user explicitly.

• 📁 Log files of system and applications (/data/log, /data/anr): They're recorded when they crash, they're overheated, they're update errors. 5–7 GB on devices with active use.
• 🔄 Backup copies of firmware and OTA-packet (/cache, /data/ota_package): remain after updates "over the air" and never deleted automatically.
• 🧹 Artifacts MIUI: temporal file of theme design (/data/system/theme), cache of Mi Account (/data/data/com.xiaomi.account), Mi Cloud data.
• 🔒 Encrypted data: encryption keys, security tags of Knox-like systems (if the device is corporate).
• 📱 Remote Application Data: Remnants of programs you uninstalled long ago, but their settings and cache remain in the system /data/data.

Especially insidious log files: MIUI 12 runs them in great detail, recording every action of the kernel, drivers and services. For example, if your Redmi Note 9 overheated once, the system could record hundreds of megabytes of debugging information, which now lies dead weight. OTA-Packages: After each update MIUI Leaves copies of them “just in case” and after a year of use, these files can take up to 15 GB.

How do you check what exactly inflated your Other? There are two ways:

1. Use a built-in memory analyzer (Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis), but it will only show the tip of the iceberg.
2. Connect to your PC and scan folders manually (more on this in the next section).

⚠️ Note: Do not try to delete files from folders /system or /vendor — This will cause permanent damage to the firmware. /data and /cache.

How to scan “Other” without root: step-by-step instructions

To know exactly which files are taking up space, you'll need a PC with ADB drivers installed and 10 minutes of time.

Install ADB drivers for Xiaomi (download from the official website)

Enable USB debugging in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (7 times press) → Developers → Debugging over USB)

Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer

Download Android Studio or Minimal ADB and Fastboot

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Next, run commands in the terminal (Windows or Terminal command line on macOS/Linux):

1. Check the device connection: Adb devices should show your Xiaomi serial number.
2. Get Super User Rights (not root!): Adb shell
3. Go to the root directory and scan the largest folders: cd /data du -sh * | sort -rh | head -n 10 This command will show the TOP-10 folders by size in /data.

A typical conclusion for the “cluttered” Xiaomi:

If the folder is log or ota_package more 3 GB, you can clean it up safely (in the next section), but if the largest folder is the app, it's the application data that's to blame, and you need to do something different.

💡

If the du command is not working, try the alternative: ls. -lS — It sorts files by size.

Safe Cleaning of the Other: 5 Proven Methods

Now that you know what's taking up space, use one of these methods, start with the first and move on to the next only if the problem is not solved.

1. Cleaning log files (the most effective way)

Log files are the main memory eater in The Other, and you can delete them without root, but you need ADB:

adb shell


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




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




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

These commands will delete all debugging files, including crash data, and after the reboot, the system will create new logs, but their size will be minimal (no more than 100-200 MB).

2. Removal of old OTA-packet

folder /cache and /data/ota_package It stores archives of firmware that you don't need anymore:

adb shell


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




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

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in /cache/recovery — This can disrupt the Recovery mode.

3. Resetting theme cache and MIUI

If you change themes frequently, their cache can swell to 1-2 GB.

1. Go to Settings → Design → My themes.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → “Clear the cache”.
3. Reset the device.

4. Manual cleaning of remote applications data

Even after the application is uninstalled, its settings can remain in /data/data.

adb shell


cd /data/data




ls | grep -v $(pm list packages -f | awk -F= '{print $2}' | sed 's/.*=//')

This command will show the folders of applications that have already been deleted, but their data is still there.

su -c "rm -rf /data/data/com.example.deletedapp"

5.Reset "Safe Storage" (last chance)

If nothing works, try resetting Keystore, the MIUI key store:

1. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Secure Storage.
2. Select "Reset Data."
3. Confirm the action (required) PIN-code).

This will remove all saved passwords, bank card data and encryption keys, but will free up to 500 MB-1 GB of memory.

💡

Never use a Clean Master-like app to clean the Other, which deletes files at random and can damage MIUI.

What to do if the Other returns: prevention

Cleaning up the Other is a one-off solution, so that the problem doesn't come back in a month, follow these rules:

• 🔄 Turn off automatic update download: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Settings → Auto-downloading updates (turn off).
• 📱 Limit background activity MIUI: Settings → Special facilities → Improvements → Windows animation (turn off).
• 🗑️ Set up automatic cache cleanup: Settings → Memory. → Autocleaning (enable, set a schedule).
• 🔒 Turn off the debugging. MIUI (If not used: Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging MIUI (switch off).

Also useful once in a while. 2–3 month-to-month folder size check /data/log and /data/ota_package through ADB (see section 3). If they are inflated again, repeat the cleaning.

If you notice that The Other is growing at 1 GB per month, it's a sign of a system error.

1. Check your device for viruses (use Malwarebytes or Dr.Web).
2. Update MIUI to the latest stable version (even if you’re on MIUI 12, security patches can close memory leaks).
3. If the problem persists, reset to factory settings (but back up first!).

Myths about cleaning the “Other”: what not to do

The Internet is full of tips that not only do not help, but also harm your Xiaomi.

• ❌ «Remove Android folder in internal memory": This will delete all app data, including game saves, instant messenger settings and downloaded files. Android folder is not related to "Other»!
• ❌ «Format the section /data Recovery: This is equivalent to a complete reset – you will lose all data, including photos and contacts.
• ❌ «Use Memory Cleanup Apps: CCleaner, Clean Master, and the like don’t have access to the Other’s system folders and only create the illusion of usefulness.
• ❌ «Remove files from /system»: It's guaranteed to break the firmware. /system It is in “read-only” mode for a reason.

Another dangerous tip is to disable journaling via commands:

setprop persist.logd.size 0

This will actually stop logging, but it will disrupt Google services and may result in loss of functionality (for example, push notifications will stop working).

⚠️ Note: If you see the advice to “delete *.dex files from” /data/dalvik-cache», Ignore it. These files are critical to the job. ART (Android runtime environments), and removing them will result in a cyclical reboot of the device.

Alternative methods: root, custom firmware and radical measures

If you've exhausted all the safe ways, but The Other still takes up an unnecessarily large amount of space, there are radical methods that require Root rights or firmware reflashing, so they're only suitable for power users.

1. Getting Root and Manual Cleaning

With Root, you'll have full control of the file system.

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool.
2. Install Magisk or SuperSU.
3. Use Root Explorer or FX File Explorer to delete files from: /data/log (fully) /data/local/tmp (temporary files) /data/dontpanic (memory dumps when crashes)

2. Transition to custom firmware

Firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience doesn’t have an “Other” problem, as they use stock Android without MIUI add-ons.

• 🔧 You will lose functionality. MIUI (themes, gestures, branded applications).
• 📱 Possible problems with the camera or sensors (requires adjustment).
• 🔒 The guarantee will be cancelled.

Replacement of internal memory (extreme case)

If the Other takes up more than 30GB and is not cleaned in any way, there may be a hardware problem, which is the wear and tear of the flash memory.

• Check your memory health through ADB: adb shell cat /sys/block/mmcblk0/mmcblk0p*/pre_eol_info If the value pre_eol_info near 1, worn-out.
• Contact the service center to replace the eMMC/UFS chip.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About "The Other" in MIUI 12