How to Clean Up the “Other” on Xiaomi Redmi 7A: The Complete Guide

Owners of the popular budget smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 7A The problem is often the same: the device’s internal memory is running out of power, even though the user has not installed heavy games or applications. In the storage analyzer, a mysterious category called "Other" appears, which can take up from 5 to 15 gigabytes of space, making it almost impossible for the gadget to work. MIUI tends to accumulate temporary files, remnants of deleted programs and messenger cache in this section, ignoring standard cleaning methods.

To make matters worse, the standard Cleanup button in the Security app often fails to see this hidden data or deletes only a small fraction of it. User panic occurs when the phone starts to slow down and WhatsApp messages stop coming due to space shortages. In this article, we will take a closer look at what lies behind this category and provide step-by-step instructions for safely deleting it without losing personal photos and contacts.

Before we start taking drastic measures, it is important to understand the nature of the origin of these files, most often fragmented data, system error logs, cache of streaming services and tails from long-deleted ones. APK-files. Xiaomi Redmi. 7A, With a modest internal storage capacity of 16 or 32 gigabytes, it is particularly sensitive to filling the system partition, so regular prevention is vital for it.

Analysis of space and search for hidden files

The first step to freeing up space is to make a good diagnosis. The standard MIUI analyzer often shows the big picture, hiding the details. To get deeper into the file structure, it's recommended to use specialized snails or built-in but hidden debugging functions. You need to visually assess which folders have swelled to giant sizes.

One effective technique is to use a file manager with a hidden system folder function, and if you go to the root directory, you can find folders with names like.thumbnails or cache of specific applications that are formally classified as "Other," manual analysis can identify the culprit faster than blindly using cleaners.

Pay attention to the folders of multimedia messengers. Telegram and WhatsApp save the videos and images viewed in hidden directories, which the system does not always correctly classify as “Photos” or “Video”, referring to other data, and if you actively use these services, they can be the source of the problem.

• 📱 Use the built-in Explorer app and enable the display of hidden files in the settings.
• 📊 Sort folders by size to find the largest directories.
• 🔍 Pay attention to the folders with Tencent names, Android/data and MIUI.
• 🗑️ Check the shopping cart in the gallery and file manager, files there also take up space.

Cleaning the application cache and removing residual files

The most secure and first recommended method is to work with the cache of installed applications. Many programs, especially social networks and browsers, accumulate gigabytes of temporary data. Unlike user data, the cache can be deleted without fear of losing correspondence or settings, although logging into some accounts may require re-authorization.

To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Go through the list of the most “heavy” programs (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Browser). Inside the menu of each application, find the Memory item and click the “Clear Cache” button. Don’t confuse it with the “Clear Everything” button, as the last action will delete your logins and game progress.

⚠️ Before clearing the data of messengers (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram), be sure to back up your correspondence in the cloud, otherwise you risk losing the entire message history irretrievably.

Also worth checking is the download folder. Often users download APK installation files, which become useless garbage after installation. MIUI file manager has a built-in search function for such files. Find the Application Installers section or simply sort files by date and type to remove old versions of programs.

• 🚀 Cleaning the browser cache frees up space from temporary web pages.
• 📥 Remove the old ones. APK-Download files are no longer needed.
• 🧹 Use the Cleanup feature in the Security app to remove system debris.
• 📼 Check the recorder and screen recordings, they often hide in "The Other».

Using Developer Mode and Debugging over USB

If standard methods have not reduced the scope of the Other category, you can use more advanced tools available through the developer menu, which allows you to access system logs and temporary files that are usually hidden from the eyes of the average user.

To activate the developer mode, you need to go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. Once you notice that you have become a developer, a new option will appear in the settings menu “Additional” → “Developers” There, you should find and activate “Debugging by USB”.

adb shell pm clear com.android.browser

By connecting the phone to a computer with an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) installed, you can clear the cache of system services that do not have a manual cleaning interface with the command above, for example, completely clear the cache of the system browser. Be careful when entering commands, as an error in the name of the package can lead to a reset of an important system application.

Compulsory cleaning through Recovery Mode

When software methods are exhausted and memory is still occupied with garbage, Recovery comes to the rescue. In Xiaomi Redmi 7A smartphones, it is a powerful tool that allows you to clear the data partition cache without deleting personal files (in some versions of firmware) or perform a complete reset.

To enter Recovery mode, you need to turn off your smartphone completely. Then press the volume button and the power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power, but keep the volume until the menu appears. Navigation is done with the volume buttons, and selection is done with the power button.

In the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data. In newer versions of MIUI, there may be a separate Wipe Cache that is data-safe. If there is no such item, and there is only Wipe All Data, then using this method will result in the phone being completely reset to factory settings. Use a full reset only if you have a backup of all important data.

Full reset to factory settings (Hard Reset)

The most radical, but also the most effective way to get rid of the bloated category of “Other” is to completely reset the device.This procedure returns the Xiaomi Redmi 7A to the state in which it left the factory. All applications, settings, photos, contacts and files will be deleted, so backup preparation is critical.

Before starting the procedure, make sure that the phone is at least 60-70% charged, the process of re-allocating memory and reinstalling the system is energy intensive. Go to Settings → About phone → Reset. Select the option “Clean it all up.” The phone will restart and start the cleaning process, which can take from 5 to 15 minutes.

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Before a full reset, remove the microSD card, if installed, which will protect your files on the card from random formatting and speed up the reset process.

⚠️ Warning: After resetting and initial setup, don’t rush to restore the app backup right away. If the “Other” category started to grow again instantly after the backup was restored, then the problem is in a particular file or application inside the backup.

Once reset, it is recommended that you don't install all the applications at once, but do it selectively, observing memory behavior. Often users will drive the phone into a memory-scarce state by installing hundreds of applications and filling the cache in the first hours of use. A clean installation is the best start for a stable system.

• 🔄 Full reset deletes all user data and system settings.
• 💾 Make sure to take a backup of contacts and photos before the procedure.
• 🔋 Charge the device before reset so it doesn't turn off in the process.
• ☁️ Use Mi Cloud or Google Drive to save data.

Memory overflow prevention on Redmi 7A

To prevent the problem from returning in a month, you need to develop a habit of regular maintenance of the smartphone. Xiaomi Redmi 7A is a device with limited memory resources, and it does not like when the free space runs out completely. Android system needs space for temporary operations and swap files.

It is recommended to run the built-in cleanup once a week through the Security app. It is also useful to set up automatic cleaning of the shopping cart in the Gallery and File Manager for 7 or 14 days.

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Regularly restarting your smartphone (every 3-4 days) helps the system automatically clean temporary files and reset the frozen processes, preventing the accumulation of garbage.

Another important aspect is monitoring application updates: sometimes older versions of software conflict with the new version of MIUI, creating errors in the logs. Keep track of the relevance of software through the Google Play Store, but avoid installing modified versions of applications from unknown sources, as they often contain errors in the code of work with memory.