Xiaomi Mi Note 3's 'Other' Takes Gigabytes? learns to clean properly

Why the “Other” section of the Mi Note 3 is growing like a leap of faith — and what to do about it

Owners of Xiaomi Mi Note 3 sooner or later face a mysterious “Other” section in the memory settings, which takes from 5 to 20 GB — and does not tell you what it stores.

The problem is that MIUI hides several types of data under the term “Other”: update cache, remnants of deleted applications, system log files, temporary messenger files and even firmware archives that the system downloaded but did not delete after installation. On the Mi Note 3 with its modest 64 GB of memory by modern standards, this turns into a real headache.

In this article, we will discuss how to safely clean the Other without losing important data, what tools are in MIUI itself, and when to resort to third-party utilities. Spoiler: not all methods are equally useful — some can even harm if applied carelessly.

What exactly is hidden under the “Other” on Xiaomi Mi Note 3

Before you clean it, you have to figure out what we're dealing with. In MIUI, the Other section is a basket for everything that the system has failed to classify as Apps, Media or Documents.

• 📁 Cash updates. MIUI: Every time you update your firmware, the system saves an archive in case of rollbacks, and over time, they accumulate up to 3-5 GB.
• 🎭 Temporary messaging files: Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber like to download media in the background and forget to delete them.

On the Mi Note 3, the memory architecture of eMMC 5.1 is made worse by the fact that over time, the more garbage accumulates, the slower the phone runs, so cleaning up the Other is not just a matter of space, but also a matter of performance.

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

So, to start with the safest method, the standard MIUI features, which don't require root rights, and they don't risk removing something important.

1. App cache cleanup: Go to Settings → Apps → App management, select the All tab and sort by size. Click on any app and select Clear Cache. Pay particular attention to Google Play Services, YouTube and social media.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache of system applications (for example, com.android.systemui) - this can cause interface failures. /MIUI manually: they are needed for the work of the shell.

Method 2: Remove the MIUI update cache manually

One of the biggest space eaters is the firmware archives that the system downloads for updates but doesn't delete. On the Mi Note 3, they can take up to 2-3 GB.

To find and remove them:

1. Open a file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to the folder. /sdcard/MIUI/backup/all_backups — Here are stored backup copies before updates.
3. Delete all files with the.zip or.update extension.
4. Check the folder. /sdcard/Downloaded_rom — There are some downloaded firmware here, and you can remove them, too, unless you're planning to roll back.

🔹 Important: If you have ever made a backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup, do not delete files from the folder /MIUI/backup/ — They may be needed to restore data.

Method 3: Using ADB for deep cleaning (no root)

If standard methods do not help, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) – a debugging tool that allows you to remove system debris without superuser rights.

Instructions:

1. Install. ADB-computer-driver.
2. Turn on the phone “Debug by USB” (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the version, then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers).
3. Connect the Mi Note 3 to your PC and execute at the command line: adb shell pm trim-caches 1000G This command clears the cache of all applications, including system ones.
4. To delete temporary Google Play Services files, use: adb shell pm clear com.google.android.gms ⚠️ Note: After this command, you may need to re-enter your Google account.

🔹 Advantage of the method: ADB Clears areas that are not available through standard settings, such as Google Play Services cache or temporary files MIUI.

💡

Back up important data before using ADB. While the trim-caches command is secure, randomly executing other commands (e.g., adb shell rm -rf/) can result in all data being lost.

Method 4: Cleaning through Recovery (for power users)

If the phone is heavily littered, you can use Recovery mode, which is a more radical method, but it's effective.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the Mi Note 3.
2. Press Volume Up + Power to enter Recovery.
3. Select “Wipe & Reset” → “Wipe Cache” to clear the partition cache without affecting user data.
4. For a deeper cleaning, select Advanced Wipe and mark Dalvik Cache and Cache.

⚠️ Warning: Don't choose "Wipe Data" unless you want to reset your phone to factory settings! Also, don't touch the System partition, which will lead to the need to flash it back.

Method 5: Third-party utilities – which really work

There are hundreds of cleaners on Google Play, but most of them are either useless or harmful. We tested a few and picked the ones that really help with The Other on the Mi Note 3:

• 🧹 SD Maid (requires root for full functionality): Finds remnants of deleted applications, empty folders and duplicate files. The free version works without root, but with restrictions.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use "cleaners" that promise to "speed up your phone 300%" or "free up 10GB in 1 click." Often they just delete the cache the system will recover in an hour, or show false scan results.

💡

On Xiaomi Mi Note 3, the most effective are SD Maid (for deep cleaning) and Files by Google (for safe garbage removal).

What if the other one comes back?

So they cleared the memory, and then a week later, the Other takes up a few gigabytes again, and that's OK, because the system is constantly creating new temporary files, so that you can minimize the accumulation of these files.

• 📵 Turn off automatic app updates on Google Play (or limit it to Wi-Fi only).
• 🚫 Don’t use “optimizers” like Clean Master – they often create more trash than they remove.

If the problem comes back too quickly, check your phone for viruses (for example, through Malwarebytes) – some malware creates hidden files that fall into the “Other” section.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up 'Other' on Mi Note 3