How to completely clear the “Other” section on Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide

The Other section of Xiaomi’s smartphone memory is a real black hole for free space, which can take up 5 to 30 GB, but users rarely understand what is stored there. The MIUI system includes app cache, temporary update files, log files, remnants of deleted programs and even hidden messenger data. Unlike the obvious categories (Photo, Video, Audio), the content of the Other is not visible in the standard file manager, which makes it difficult to clean.

The problem is compounded by the fact that Xiaomi actively uses caching to speed up the system, and also saves backups of settings and updates “just in case.” For example, after a major update to MIUI, the old files can remain in memory for up to 30 days, taking up to 1-2 GB. Even a factory reset does not always solve the problem – some of the data is restored from the Mi Cloud automatically. In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to clean the “Other”, including hidden MIUI tools and third-party utilities.

What is the “Other” section and why is it growing?

In MIUI, the Other category is a collection of files that the system cannot classify as standard types (photos, videos, documents).

• 🗑️ Application cache – temporary data that programs save for quick operation (for example, thumbnails in a gallery, map data in Google Maps).
• 🔄 Update remnants – firmware files (.zip) that have been downloaded but not installed, or backups of previous versions MIUI.
• 📝 Log files – logs of system and application errors (can weigh hundreds of megabytes when used actively).
• 👻 Hidden data messengers – Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store media files here that are not displayed in the gallery.
• 🧹 Garbage after uninstallation – many programs leave folders with settings even after deleting (for example, TikTok or games).

The main reason for the growth of the Other is aggressive caching in MIUI. The system stores the data “on reserve” to speed up the launch of applications, but rarely cleans them automatically. For example, after watching a YouTube video, up to 500 MB of temporary files can remain in the cache, and Google Play Services accumulates up to 1 GB of logs per month. Another trap is updates via OTA (over the air). Each MIUI update downloads to the /cache folder, but after installation, files often remain there forever.

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

The safest method is to use standard MIUI utilities, which do not require root rights or risk damaging system files, starting with the built-in cleaner:

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Slip on the "Other" section.
3. Select “Clean” (the system will prompt you to delete the cache and temporary files).
4. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

This method removes up to 1-3 GB of garbage, but often leaves deep system files.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort programs by size (slip on “Size” in the top panel).
3. Select apps with large cache (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Google Play Services).
4. Click on Clear Cache and Clear Data (Warning: This will reset the program settings!).

Pay special attention to system applications:

• 📱 com.miui.system - Cache of the interface MIUI.
• 🔄 com.android.updater – updates.
• 📊 com.miui.analytics – Analytics Logic (can weigh up to 500MB).

Method 2: Remove the update cache and backups

One of the main “eaters” of memory – update files MIUI. Even after installing the update, they can remain in the folder. /cache or /data/ota_package. To remove them:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and activate File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. Open the Internal Storage folder → MIUI → Cache.
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension or names like update.zip, miui_HM*.zip.
4. Go to Internal Storage → Download →.thumbnails and clear the folder (there are thumbnails of images stored here).

To delete backups of settings (they are created before updates):

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Tap "Local backups."
3. Delete all files with dates older than 1 month.

If you have MIUI 13/14, check the /MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder – there may be copies of data weighing up to 5 GB. Note that deleting these files is irreversible, and it will be impossible to restore the settings after resetting.

Method 3: Using a root-access file manager

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to dig deeper, and you'll need a root-access file manager like Root Explorer or Solid Explorer, and you'll have to warn us that doing something wrong can damage the system.

Instructions for experienced users:

1. Install Root Explorer from Google Play.
2. Give the root-rights to the application (if you have unlocked the bootloader and installed Magisk).
3. Go to the root directory (/) and open the folders: /data/log — System logs (you can delete everything except current files). /data/dalvik-cache — Android Virtual Machine cache (cleared only after restarting). /data/system/package_cache — cache of installed applications.

7 days

Reboot your smartphone.

Large files are often hidden here:

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Before deleting files in /data, back up via TWRP or OrangeFox Recovery to help restore the system if something goes wrong.

Method 4: Cleaning through ADB (without root)

If root access is not available, but you need to remove system debris, ADB (Android Debug Bridge) will help. This method works on all Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi Note 10/11, POCO X3/X4 and the flagship Mi 11/12.

Step-by-step:

1. Download ADB Tools for Windows/Mac.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap the version number → return to Settings → Additional → For developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line in the adb.exe folder.
4. Follow the commands: adb shell pm clear com.miui.analytics pm clear com.xiaomi.midrop pm clear com.android.providers.media These commands will clear the analytics logs, file transfer cache and media storage.
5. To remove the cache of all applications: adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job

To remove the update cache, use:

adb shell rm -rf /data/ota_package/*


adb shell rm -rf /cache/*

These commands are safe, but don’t manually delete files through the adb shell without understanding their purpose – this can cause crashes!

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ADB-Cleaning removes up to 2-4 GB of garbage, but does not affect user data (photos, videos, documents).

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If the Other takes up more than 10GB and previous methods have not worked, it is a hard reset, which deletes all data, including accounts, settings and installed apps, but returns the smartphone to a “clean” state.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Create a backup copy: 📱 Contact and SMS: Export through Settings → Google → Backup. 📷 Photo/video: copy to PC or Google Photos. 🔑 Passwords: Check the saved data in Google Smart Lock.

Mi Account

Settings → Xiaomi Account → Sign out

Settings → About the phone → Resetting settings

Delete all data

After discharge:

• ⚠️ Do not restore data from backup MIUI — She can bring back the trash!
• 🔄 Install only the necessary applications (avoid junk programs).
• 📵 Turn off automatic download of media in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).

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After reset, disable MIUI Auto Update in Settings → About Phone → System Update. This will prevent the accumulation of update files.

How to Prevent the Spread of the Other in the Future

To prevent the “Other” section from clogging memory again, follow these rules:

• 🔄 Clean the app cache once a week (via Settings) → Memory).
• 🚫 Turn off automatic download of media in messengers: Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Select "Never." On WhatsApp: Settings → Warehouse → Autoboot media → Turn off for mobile data and Wi-Fi.
• 📥 Set a limit on the background activity of applications: Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime → Limit background activity
• 🗑️ Use lightweight alternatives to "heavy" programs: Facebook Hermit Lite or Frost Memory Savings App Up to 300MB of Google Chrome Bromite or Kiwi Browser Up to 200MB of Instagram Barinstagram (web wrapper) Up to 500MB

It’s also helpful to disable automatic MIUI optimization, which often creates unnecessary cache files:

Settings → Special features → Remove automatic optimization

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Regular cache cleaning and autoload control reduce the volume of the “Other” by 40-60% in a month.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's "Other" section