How to Clean “Other Files” in Xiaomi Storage: 7 Proven Ways

Why Xiaomi Stores “Other Files” and How to Delete Them

Have you ever gone to Settings → Memory on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO and seen the lion’s share of the mysterious “Other Files” category? It’s not just garbage — it’s a mix of cache, temporary data, remnants of remote applications and system logs that MIUI can’t automatically classify. In some cases, “Other” takes up to 10-20 GB, even though you haven’t installed new programs in a long time.

The problem is that standard cleaning tools like Optimization or Waste Cleanup often don't work with these files, they're either hidden from the user or protected by the system, but there are ways to remove them, from secure ones (via embedded tools) to radical ones (using ADB or dumping).

Before you start, remember that some Other Files can be critical to MIUI work — deleting them will cause camera failures, Bluetooth, or even a full reboot of the phone, so we’ll start with the safest ways and gradually move on to the riskier ones.

What are Xiaomi’s “Other Files” and can you delete them?

The Others category in Xiaomi's storage is the garbage bin of the operating system, and it includes everything that MIUI can't categorize as standard (Applications, Photos, Videos, etc.) and includes:

• 📁 Remnants of remote applications – cache, settings, databases that did not clear after uninstallation.
• 🗃️ System logs and dumps are debugging files that Android creates when crashes (for example, /data/tombstones).
• 🔄 Temporary update files – packages OTA, Those who have not been removed after the new version has been installed MIUI.
• 🎮 Cache of games and heavy apps – for example, downloaded maps in Google Maps or textures in Genshin Impact.
• 📱 Files. MIUI-Themes and widgets – design that you have not used for a long time, but the system stores “just in case».

Can they be removed? Yes, but with reservations:

• ✅ Securely delete: application cache, temporary files, uninstalled program residues.
• ⚠️ Delete with caution: system logs (may be needed for diagnosis), theme files MIUI (Their loss will lead to the resetting of the design).
• ❌ Cannot be deleted: files related to the operation of the Android kernel (for example, /data/dalvik-cache), — This will lead to a bootloop (a looped reboot).

⚠️ Warning: If after cleaning Other Files, your phone starts to brake or overheat, you have deleted critical data.

Method 1: Cleaning through the built-in MIUI storage

The easiest and safest method is to use the standard Cleanup tool in MIUI, which will not delete everything clean, but will help to get rid of some unnecessary files.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Slip on the category “Other Files” (or “Other”).
3. The system will scan the storage and show you what data you can delete.

• 🗑️ App cache - click "Clear».
• 📥 Downloads – Check the Download folder for unnecessary files.
• 📂 Empty folders — MIUI Sometimes they leave them after removing the application.

This method will remove no more than 1-3 GB, but it is absolutely safe. If Other Files take up much more, move on to the following methods.

Make a backup copy of important data|Close all applications|Connect the phone to charging|Check the vacant space (at least 10% of the total volume is required)-->

Method 2: Removing cache and application data manually

Many Other Files are the accumulated cache of apps you haven't used in a long time, like Facebook or Instagram, which can store gigabytes of unnecessary data.

How to clean:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort programs by size (tap on three dots in the upper right corner → “Sort by size”).
3. Select a large data application (e.g. Google Play Services, Mi Video, Gallery).
4. Click on Storage → Clear cache and Clear data (Warning: this will reset the app settings!).

Pay particular attention to:

• 🎵 Music apps (Spotify, Yandex Music) – they cache songs.
• 🗺️ Maps (Google Maps, Yandex Maps) - store offline maps.
• 🎮 Games (PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty – caching textures and updates.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear system application data (e.g. com.android.systemui or com.miui.home) this can lead to the collapse of the interface. MIUI.

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when memory ends|Never clean.-->

Method 3: Using Files by Google for Deep Cleaning

Files by Google (formerly Files Go) is a better tool than the standard MIUI file manager, which finds and deletes unnecessary data, and is free and works without root rights.

Instructions:

1. Install Files by Google from Google Play.
2. Open the app and go to the “Cleanup” tab.
3. Tap "Free space" - the program will scan the phone on:

• 📂 Duplicate files (photos, documents).
• 🗑️ Temporary files (e.g., temporary files, APK post-installation).
• 📁 Large files that have not been opened in a long time.
• 🔄 Remnants of Remote Applications.

The advantage of this method is visualization: you will see which files take up space, and you can choose what to delete and what to leave.

💡

Before removing duplicate photos in Files by Google, check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder – thumbnails that the system mistakenly identifies as duplicates can be stored there.

Method 4: Cleaning through Safe Mode

If the Other Files are caused by a third-party app malfunction, Safe Mode will help, and only system services are loaded in it, which allows you to identify the culprit.

How to turn Safe Mode on Xiaomi:

1. Press the power button until the shutdown menu appears.
2. Press and hold the “Switch off” (or “Switch off power”) until the prompt to go to Safe Mode appears.
3. Confirm the transition - the phone will restart.

In Safe Mode:

• 🔍 Check if the “Other Files” volume has decreased in Settings → Memory.
• 📱 If yes, there is a problem in one of the installed applications. Uninstall one at a time, starting with the most suspicious ones (optimizers, cleaners, games).
• 🔄 If not, the problem is with system files (go to methods 5-7).

To exit Safe Mode, simply restart your phone.

Method 5: Delete “Other Files” via ADB (for Advanced Files)

If previous methods didn’t help, and Other Files take up more than 5GB, you can try removing them via ADB (Android Debug Bridge).This requires connecting the phone to a PC, but no root rights are needed.

Instructions:

1. Turn on USB debugging: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version to activate Developer Mode. Go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers and turn on USB Debugging.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the ADB folder.
3. Follow the commands:

adb shell


su -c "cd /data && du -sh *" | sort -rh | head -n 10

This command will show the TOP-10 folders that occupy the most space in the /data section.

To delete unnecessary files, use the command:

su -c "rm -rf /data/tombstones/*"

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB It can cause data loss or system failure. If you're not sure what you're doing, skip this.

💡

ADB allows you to delete files that are not available through the standard interface, but it requires caution. Always check what you delete with the ls command before rm.

Method 6: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If Other Files take up more than 10GB and previous methods didn’t work, then only hard reset will be left, which will remove all data from the phone, including photos, messages and apps.

How to reset:

1. Back up your important data (for example, via Mi Cloud or Google Drive).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.
4. Once rebooted, the phone will be like new — without the “Other Files.”

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Deletes all unnecessary files, including hidden files.
• ✅ Fixes system errors that may have caused the “Other Files” to accumulate».

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Requires a complete reconfiguration of the phone.
• ❌ Does not guarantee that “Other Files” will not appear again (if the reason is in a particular application).

💡

After the reset, do not restore the data from the backup immediately - first check if the Other Files appear again. If the problem returns, one of the restored applications is to blame.

Method 7: Preventing the accumulation of “Other Files” in the future

To “Other Files” do not take up gigabytes of memory, follow the simple rules:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly – once every 1-2 weeks through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.
• 📱 Remove unused apps — especially games and social media that cache a lot of data.
• 🚫 Don’t use Play Market cleaners – they often create more trash than they remove.
• 📁 Check the Download folder - unnecessary ones accumulate there. APK, PDF file.
• 🔄 Update. MIUI — In new versions, bugs that lead to garbage accumulation are often corrected.

You can also limit cache for individual applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Choose an app (such as Chrome or Instagram).
3. Click on “Storage” → “Limit cache” (if option is available).

If you’re an active user installing a lot of software, consider buying a Xiaomi with a large amount of memory (for example, Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 512 GB) – this will eliminate the need for constant cleaning.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Xiaomi's "Other Files"