How to Clean Up the “Other” in Xiaomi Redmi 10 Memory: The Complete Guide

You open up your memory settings on your Xiaomi Redmi 10 and you see that the lion's share is taken by the mysterious "Other" section of 10, 20, or even 30 GB of unknown files. The system insists that space is not enough, but what exactly eats up memory and how to fix it? This problem is familiar to most owners of Xiaomi smartphones, especially after a year of active use.

The Other section is not a bug or a virus. This is how the system summarizes files that do not fall into the standard categories (Photos, Videos, Applications). This includes system process cache, temporary update files, error logs, remnants of remote applications, and even messenger data that do not want to be cleaned using standard means. On Redmi 10 with its 64/128 GB of memory, this problem is especially acute due to the features of the F2FS file system, which Xiaomi uses to optimize work.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to clean the Other, from simple (via built-in tools) to advanced (using ADB and manual file deletion).We will also discuss why the standard Cleanup function in MIUI often doesn’t work for this section and how to avoid refilling it. All instructions are tailored specifically for Redmi 10 (models 21061119AG/21061119BG) and tested on MIUI versions 12-14.

What is the “Other” in Xiaomi Redmi 10 memory and why it takes up so much space

On the MIUI data storage screen, the Other is your smartphone's trash can, and everything that the system can't uniquely attribute to media files, apps, or documents gets into it. On Redmi 10, the Other is usually:

• 📁 Cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui or com.miui.home) that is not automatically cleared.
• 🔄 Remains of updates MIUI — zip packages that remain after installing new firmware versions.
• 🗑️ Temporary files from instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and social networks that do not get into the gallery.
• 🖥️ Error logs and dumps (.log and.dmp files) that are created when applications crash.
• 🧹 Dalvik-cache files – optimized data to speed up the application (located in the file). /data/dalvik-cache).

On Redmi 10, the problem is compounded by the fact that MIUI does not default to the actual cache size in the Cleanup section. For example, the Gallery app may take up 500 MB of cache, but the system will only display 50 MB and write the rest off to "Other" due to the way the file system works and how MIUI considers "useful" and "junk" data.

Another reason is memory fragmentation, because over time, files are scattered across different sectors of the drive, and the system spends more space on indexing them, and on Redmi 10 with its 5.1 eMMC, this is more pronounced than on flagships with UFS 2.2.

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools (no root)

Before you resort to radical measures, try standard methods. Redmi 10 has three built-in tools that can reduce the size of "Other":

1. Clean the app cache: Go to Settings → Apps → App management. Sort the list by size and manually clear the cache from the most voracious applications (usually YouTube, Chrome, Telegram and MIUI Gallery).
2. Deep Clean: In Settings → Memory → Cleanup, tap the Deep Clean button. This tool removes temporary files that aren’t visible in standard mode. On Redmi 10, it often finds 1–3GB of junk that isn’t displayed in the basic statistics.
3. Download Removal: The Download folder may contain outdated downloads APK-files, archives and other data that MIUI It is referred to as "Other." Check it through any file manager (e.g. Files by Google).

Important: After cleaning the cache, some apps (like Instagram or TikTok) may run slower on the first run – this is normal, as they cache data again.

Method 2: Remove the remnants of MIUI updates (hidden files)

Every update MIUI leaves behind bags of weight 1.5–2.5 GB that the system doesn't automatically remove. 10 These files are in the folder. /data/ota_package and can borrow up to 5–7 GB after a few updates to remove them:

1. Open any file manager with access to root folders (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Cross the path. /data/ota_package (If the folder is not visible, turn on the display of hidden files in the manager settings).
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension (e.g, miui_HMNote10_22.1.1.zip).
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from the folder /data, If you're not sure what they're doing, you can crash the system, and you can't touch the files. /data/app — This is the data of installed applications.

If you do not have root rights but need to delete these files, you can use ADB:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/ota_package/*




exit




exit

After this operation, the size of the "Other" should be reduced by 2–5 GB. If the folder ota_package no, so the updates were installed through Recovery, and their residues are stored elsewhere (about this in the following method).

Method 3: Clean Dalvik-cache and Temporary Files with Recovery

The Dalvik-cache section is optimized data to speed up applications. On Redmi 10, it can take up to 1-3 GB, but MIUI doesn't show it in standard memory statistics.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up to enter Recovery Mode.
3. Select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe Data, this will result in a reset!).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
5. Reset the device.

This operation also cleanses:

• 🗃️ Application cache (/cache).
• 📦 Temporary update files (/data/ota_package, If they have not been removed before).
• 🔧 Logs of the system (/data/log).

⚠️ Attention: After cleaning the Dalvik-cache, the first start of the phone can take 5-10 minutes - this is normal, since the system recovers optimized data!

Method 4: Manually delete unnecessary files (for advanced users)

If previous methods didn't work, you'll have to manually search and remove the garbage. On Redmi 10, the main memory eaters are hidden in the following folders:

To access these folders, you need a root-rights file manager (such as Root Explorer) or ADB. Example of a command to delete logs:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*




rm -rf /data/tombstones/*




exit




exit

If you don’t have root, you can try clearing the Google Play cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Google Play Store (com.android.vending).
3. Tap “Clear Cache” and “Delete Data” (Warning: This will reset the Market!).

💡

If it fills up again after cleaning the /data/log folder, turn off the debugging logs in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times, then Settings → Additional → For developers → Disable Error Journal).

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If the Other takes more than 15 to 20 GB and no methods are working, it's just a complete reset. On Redmi 10, it's done like this:

1. Back up your data through Settings → About Phone → Backup or Mi Cloud.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.
4. After the reboot, restore the data from the backup (but don’t restore system settings – this can bring back the problem!).

⚠️ Attention: Redmi 10 may have up to 1-2 GB of "Other" left after reset, which is normal, since the system creates new service files.+ GB, the problem lies in a specific application (most often the fault of messengers or games).

The alternative is Fastboot, a more radical method that completely overwrites the system partition and deletes all hidden files.

How to prevent the “Other” from being refilled

To prevent the “Other” section from growing again, follow these recommendations:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Memory. → Cleaning (just 1 time per month).
• 🚫 Turn off automatic app updates in Google Play – this will reduce the number of temporary files.
• 📱 Use lightweight versions of apps (such as Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite) that create less cache.
• 🔍 Check the Download folder for unnecessary files (especially if you have any). APK and archives).
• 🔧 Update. MIUI — in new versions optimized work with cache (for example, in the MIUI 14 added automatic cleaning function Dalvik-cache).

It is also worth limiting the background activity of applications:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Background Process Management.
2. Select “Limit background activity” for unnecessary apps (such as games or social media).

💡

On Redmi 10, the main reason for the growth of the Other is the incorrect operation of MIUI with the cache of system applications. Regular cleaning through Recovery or ADB helps keep the partition under control.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up the "Other" on Xiaomi Redmi 10