Where other Xiaomi Redmi files are stored: hidden folders and partitions

Xiaomi Redmi smartphone owners often face the cryptic message of a space shortage when standard cleanup fails. In the Cleanup or file manager section, the Other category occupies a significant amount of space, which hides app cache, remnants of remote programs and system logs. Understanding the structure of the MIUI file system is the key to freeing up gigabytes of space without losing personal data.

In this article, we will look at where this data is physically located and how to access it. Android system partitions on Xiaomi devices have a strict hierarchy, breaking which can lead to unstable work, so it is important to distinguish between user content and service information.

Navigating internal storage requires careful attention, as many folders are hidden from the user’s eyes by default.We’ll look at both the standard paths through the file manager and the deeper access levels required for advanced users.

Internal Memory Structure and the Other Section

When you see the Other category in memory settings, it's not one particular file, but a collection of data that the system can't uniquely classify, including instant messenger databases, temporary MIUI update files, and streaming service cache, and often the volume of this section is inflated by apps that don't delete their temporary files after use.

The main storage in modern Xiaomi smartphones is organized on the principle of a single space, where system files and user data are formally separated logically, but physically located on the same media. the ext4 or f2fs file system (depending on the model) manages the distribution of blocks, and the “junk” often remains in the form of orphaned links.

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Use the built-in Security app for initial analysis: it can find large files that don’t show up in the standard gallery.

To effectively combat memory overflow, it is important to understand that deleting files through a standard interface does not always clear the real space at once. The system can mark blocks as free, but does not physically erase them until they are overwritten with new data, which creates the illusion of occupied space.

Main directories of user data

Most of the user files that take up space are at the root of the internal storage, which are standard folders that are available when you connect your smartphone to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP), and it stores downloads, documents and media files created by various applications.

Particular attention should be paid to the Download folder, where everything from the browser is downloaded by default, and the Documents folder. Many users forget about them, allowing app installers to accumulate (APK-file PDF-Documents that are no longer needed.

• 📂 DCIM — It stores all photos and videos taken on camera, as well as screenshots (in the Screenshots subfolder).
• 📂 MIUI — a critical folder for Xiaomi owners, containing system data, themes, voice recorder and backups.
• 📂 Android is a system folder inside which data and obb store the cache of games and application settings.
• 📂 Tencent/com.whatsapp – folders of messengers, where gigabytes of media files from chats accumulate.

Inside the MIUI folder, there is often a gallery subfolder with cloud albums or cloud, where local copies of synchronized data can lie, and cleaning these directories requires care not to lose important personalization settings.

Hidden system folders and application cache

The most interesting areas of interest are hidden directories that are not visible when you simply connect to a PC without a special mode. In the Xiaomi file manager, you need to click on three menu bars and select “Show hidden files” to see folders that start from a dot.

It often hides the remnants of remote games, error logs and temporary system update files. The.cache folder or hidden folders inside Android/data can take up a significant amount of space. However, interfering with the system cache requires understanding what you are deleting.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files inside the folder Android/obb This is the heavy game cache data, and deleting it will require re-loading gigabyte packets when you start the game.

It's also worth checking the folder. MIUI/debug_log, If it exists, some applications or the system itself can record error reports that the user does not need in normal operation and only take up space. 100 MB up to several gigabytes.

Android folder analysis: data and obb

Starting with Android 11 and up, access to the Android/data folder is restricted to standard file manager tools for security reasons. However, this is where the bulk of “other files” are stored. To access it, you may need to use third-party file managers with special rights or connect to a PC.

Inside the data are folders with application packet names (e.g. com.telegram.messenger), databases, downloaded stickers, avatars, and temporary files, and cleaning the cache through application settings is often more efficient and safer than manually deleting files from here.

The obb folder contains additional data files for games and heavy applications. If you delete a game but the folder with its name remains in obb, it is a dead load that can be safely deleted.

When working with these directories, it is not recommended to remove them at random, it is better to use disk space analyzers.

Use of disk space analyzers

Manually looking for large files is long and inconvenient. For owners of Xiaomi Redmi, there are specialized utilities that visualize the structure of memory. Applications like DiskUsage or built-in storage analyzer show a memory card where the square size corresponds to the file size.

This approach allows you to instantly identify the “culprits” of space shortages, often it turns out that “other files” are a forgotten movie in the download folder or YouTube cache that has grown to several gigabytes. Visualization helps you quickly make a decision about deletion.

It is recommended to perform this diagnosis once a month, which will help to maintain the smartphone in optimal condition and avoid a situation where the device begins to brake due to overflow of the system partition.

Cleaning through debugging and ADB mode

For advanced users who need full control, there is an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) cleaning method, which allows you to delete files that are not accessible to ordinary applications and clean the system cache more deeply.

To do this, you need to turn on Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and press 7 times on the MIUI version. Then activate “Debugging USB” in advanced settings. By connecting the phone to your PC, you can execute commands to clean the temporary partitions.

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999

This command forcibly trims the cache of all applications to the lowest possible value, and it's a powerful tool, but you should use it with caution, because once cleaned, applications can load a little longer on the first run.

⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB To remove system files can lead to a “bricking” device or cyclical reboot. Use only cache clearing commands unless you have a deep knowledge of the Android structure.

Memory overflow prevention on Xiaomi

To keep the Other category from growing uncontrollably, it's important to set up automatic cleanup. There's an Acceleration feature in the Security app that you can set up to automatically start, and you should also disable auto-save media files in messengers.

Regularly migrating photos and videos to Google Photos cloud service or to a computer frees up local space, and using SD cards (if the model supports) to store media files is also an effective solution.

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Regularly cleaning the messenger cache and transferring media files to the cloud prevent 90% of memory problems on Xiaomi smartphones.

Compliance with these simple rules will allow your Redmi to work quickly and steadily throughout its life_swap_ file.