Xiaomi’s “Other” Files: What It Is and How to Clean Up

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones will sooner or later face a mysterious partition in the storage, which is marked as “Other”, which can take up tens of gigabytes, causing panic and questions about where the vacancy has disappeared.

Unlike well-structured folders with photos or documents, this section is a hoard of system logs, temporary application files, residual debris from deleted programs and messenger cache. Clearing the Other requires caution, as mindless deletion can lead to malfunctions in the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.

In this article, we will take a closer look at what this category is made of, and offer proven methods for safe cleaning without losing important data, learn how to distinguish system debris from valuable files, and return your gadget to speed.

Anatomy of the “Other” section in Android storage

Xiaomi's system analyzer on smartphones classifies files by type, but many of the data doesn't fall into standard categories like Images or Video, which form the volume of the Other section, and this includes an application cache that is created to speed up programs but inflates over time to the unthinkable.

In addition, this cart automatically sends APK installation files that are left after the application update, and system error logs. Android also hides offline navigation map data and downloaded podcast episodes here if the source application does not have a clear categorization in the system.

Special attention should be paid to the garbage from remote applications. When uninstallation programs often leave behind configuration files and temporary folders that will never be used again, but continue to take up space.

⚠️ Note: Some files in the Other section are critical to the system. Attempting to delete the contents of system folders through the file manager can lead to a bootloop or unstable interface.

It's important to understand that the volume of this partition is dynamic, and it can grow dramatically after a system upgrade or heavy game installation, and then slowly decrease as MIUI self-cleaning algorithms work.

The role of messengers and social networks in filling memory

The main “eater” of free space in the “Other” category is often messengers such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber, which cache every image, video and voice message viewed so that when you reopen the chat, content loads instantly.

The problem is that a standard smartphone memory analyzer doesn’t always correctly recognize this data as “Media Files” by sending it to “Other,” especially for Telegram, which has no cache limit by default.

• 📱 Telegram: Stores all browsed channels and chats locally, taking up gigabytes.
• 💬 WhatsApp: Stores backups and contact statuses in hidden folders.
• 🎵 Spotify and YouTube: cache streaming audio and video for smooth playback.
• 📸 Instagram and TikTok: accumulate temporary files from the viewed feeds and drafts.

To clean up the data in these applications, you don't have to delete it completely. Inside the settings of each messenger, there is a custom memory management tool that allows you to safely delete the cache while saving the correspondence.

⚠️ Attention: Clearing data through Android settings (Applications section) can result in a complete logout and loss of correspondence if you do not make a backup.Use built-in cleaning tools inside the application itself.

Regularly checking the settings of autonomous data use in messengers will help prevent the accumulation of excess garbage in the future.

Temporary update files and residues of remote programs

Android and HyperOS are constantly updated. Update files are often loaded in the background and can remain in memory even after a successful installation. These files are marked as temporary, but the automatic cleaner does not always work in time.

The same thing happens with games and heavy applications, and when you delete a program, the user interface disappears, but folders with additional resources (game cache, maps, textures) can stay deep in the file system, and they fall into the category of "Other".

Another source of debris is bug reports, where if an application is unstable, the system can generate text logs that take up space but are not useful to the average user.

To combat this, it is recommended to periodically use the built-in security utility from Xiaomi, which scans the device for the presence of residual files.

How to Clean Up “Other” with Xiaomi Standard Means

The safest way to free up space is to use built-in optimization tools, and on Xiaomi smartphones, the Security app is responsible for that, and it has access to system folders and knows which files can be deleted without risking the OS.

Launch the app, select Cleanup and wait for the scan to be completed, and the system will prompt you to remove advertising debris, installer package residues and temporary files.

You should also look at the storage settings. Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here the system can suggest "Clean" certain categories of files that take up a lot of space.

Don’t forget Deep Clean, which is in the Security app, which analyzes large files, rarely used apps and duplicates, allowing you to manually select candidates for removal.

⚠️ Attention: Deep Clean can show files you forgot in downloads or instant messengers. Carefully look at the preview before deleting so you don't lose important documents.

Regular use of these tools (once every 1-2 weeks) will not allow the "Other" section to grow to critical sizes.

Radical methods: resetting and formatting

If standard methods don't work and the Other continues to grow, taking up the lion's share of memory, it's possible that there's a build-up of errors in the file system, in which case resetting to factory settings helps.

Before this procedure, be sure to back up all important data to the cloud service or computer, and the reset will delete absolutely all user data, including photos, contacts and applications.

You can reset via the menu: Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. Once rebooted, the phone will be as new and the Other category will take up the smallest possible volume.

An alternative, more complex method is to format the internal drive through Recovery mode, but for most users, a standard reset via the settings menu is enough.

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Full reset is the only way to ensure that hidden system debris and file system errors are removed if other methods fail.

Prevention of memory overflow

To keep the problem from coming back, change your smartphone usage habits, enable automatic cache clearing in the Security settings, allowing the system to self-delete temporary files in the background.

In messenger settings, limit the storage period of media files. For example, on WhatsApp you can set the autodelete media after 30 days or 1 year. On Telegram, set a cache size limit (for example, 1 GB) so that the application itself deletes old files.

• 🗑️ Regularity: Clean up once a week while your files are few.
• ☁️ Cloud: Use Google Photos or Xiaomi Cloud to store media by deleting local copies.
• 📉 Control: Watch the cache size of heavy apps in the settings.

It is also recommended not to store files on the device that you no longer need, the habit of “let it lie down, suddenly come in handy” is the main enemy of free memory on modern smartphones with a fixed storage capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)