How to Clean Other Files on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro: The Complete Guide

Owners of the popular Redmi Note 9 Pro often face a situation where the built-in storage suddenly becomes crowded, and the standard analyzer can not determine exactly what exactly takes up space. In the memory section, a mysterious category “Other” appears, which can grow to tens of gigabytes, preventing the installation of updates or new applications. These are the system cache, remnants of remote programs and temporary messenger files that are not deleted automatically.

Ignoring this problem leads to slowdown of the MIUI interface, frequent freezes and even failure of the system to take pictures due to lack of buffer. Cleaning this section requires a comprehensive approach, since the standard “Clean” button in the settings menu often does not affect the deeply hidden system logs and media cache. In this guide, we will discuss safe and advanced methods of freeing up space.

Don’t immediately resort to a full reset, as there are many intermediate steps that will return your smartphone to performance.We’ll look at working with standard cleaning tools, manually removing garbage through the file manager and using special commands for deep cleaning. Careful follow-up will help avoid accidental deletion of important personal data.

Analysis of the occupied space through built-in tools

The first step is always diagnostics. The standard MIUI shell provides a fairly informative tool for initial analysis, but many users are limited to surface viewing, you need to go to the settings and select "About Phone" and then go to the "Storage" menu, where the system visualizes the distribution of data, but often hides details under a common denominator.

A more detailed picture is provided by the built-in Security app, and when you run it, you'll see the Cleanup section, which scans the device for temporary files, but for a deeper analysis, you'll need to click on the bin icon and select the Storage Analyzer feature, which will show files sorted by size, which will reveal hidden memory users, such as forgotten videos or archives.

It's important to understand that the Other category is dynamically generated, and this includes data that the system cannot uniquely classify as photos, music or documents, often messenger databases, card cache and offline navigation, and application error logs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, with its screen resolution and powerful camera, generates many temporary files when processing images.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.obb or.data extension manually from system folders unless you are sure of their belonging, this can lead to the inoperability of games and applications.

Using the “Conductor” application for manual cleaning

The standard MIUI file manager hides many of the default system folders, but they are available to view when you turn on the appropriate option: Open Explorer, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings, then activate Show Hidden Files, which will open access to the root directories where most of the garbage is often hidden.

Special attention should be paid to the Android/data and Android/obb folder. It stores cached data from games and heavy apps. For example, messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp can store copies of sent media files here, even if you delete them from the chat. Deleting the contents of folders of specific applications is safe if you are ready to re-authorize them.

It's also worth checking the DCIM/.thumbnails folder. This hidden directory stores thumbnails of your photos and gallery videos. Over time, this file can grow to several gigabytes. It can be safely deleted — the system will automatically create a new, smaller one the next time you start a gallery. This is one of the most efficient ways to make room quickly.

Another often forgotten area is the folder. MIUI/debug_log. It stores system error reports that are only useful to developers when debugging, that the average user doesn't need, and that content can be painlessly erased, and that regular checks of those directories will help keep the volume of The Other within reasonable limits.

Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks

Social media and instant messengers are the main source of the Other category’s growth, and apps like Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp store every photo and video you see in a local cache, and even if you don’t save files to the gallery, they take up space in the system’s storage, classified as unidentified data.

In Telegram, it is better to clean up through the internal settings of the application, not through the file manager. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use and click Clear Cache. Here you can set up auto-delete media files, for example, store them only for 3 days or a week, this will prevent re-overflow.

For WhatsApp, the procedure is slightly different. In the app settings, select Data and Storage and click Storage Management. The system will show you the most space-consuming chats and allow you to selectively remove heavy attachments. Selective cleaning is more effective than complete deletion, as it allows you to save important documents.

⚠️ Note: Before clearing messenger data, make sure you have a backup of important correspondence, as deleting the data folder can reset authorization.

Deep Cleaning through Developer Mode and ADB

For advanced users who want to get the most out of it, there is a USB debugging method that allows you to remove the system cache that is not available through the normal interface. First, activate the developer mode: go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI version.

When activated, the "Additional" menu will have a "Developer" option, find and enable the "Debug USB" option, connect your smartphone to your computer and use the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility, and use the adb shell pm trim-caches command 99999999999, you can force the system to trim all applications to a minimum.

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999

This command is secure for personal data, it only affects temporary application files. However, if you plan to remove system applications (bloatware), which may also occupy space in the Other section, you will need the command pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet. Be extremely careful: removing critical system components can lead to a cyclical reboot.

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Use the “adb shell dumpsys package” command to view the exact cache size of each installed application to find hidden memory eaters.

Specialized cleaning applications

If manual methods seem too complicated, you can use third-party software, but be selective: many "cliners" consume resources and display ads themselves, among the most reliable are Files by Google and SD Maid, which have deep access to the file system and are able to find residual files after deleting programs.

Files by Google offers a Cleanup feature that analyzes similar photos, forgotten downloads and unused apps. It runs in the background and regularly suggests removing the unnecessary. The app’s intelligent algorithm rarely fails to touch important system files.

SD Maid, in the paid version, provides a tool called the Corporation, which conducts deep searches for the bodies of remote applications. On Redmi Note 9 Pro, this tool works effectively by finding folders left over from uninstalling games or utilities, which helps to restore the purity of the file system and reduce the size of the category "Other".

Prevention and maintenance of the system

To keep the memory overflow problem from returning, it is important to develop a habit of regular maintenance: do not allow the storage to be filled "on the back"; Android system and MIUI shell begin to work unstable if less than 10-15% of the total memory is free, which is necessary for the normal operation of virtual memory and swap files.

Set up automatic sync of photos and videos with cloud services like Google Photos or Xiaomi Cloud. Enable the “Free Space” feature, which automatically removes copies of images already uploaded to the cloud from your device. This is the most efficient way to keep the gallery light.

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Regularly restarting your smartphone (at least once a week) helps the system to reset accumulated temporary files and logs on its own, preventing the proliferation of the “Other” partition.

Also keep an eye out for system updates. In newer versions of MIUI, developers often optimize the file system and fix errors that lead to memory leaks. Periodic restarting of the device to safe mode can help identify an application that is not working properly and generating garbage.