How to Clean Up The Other on Xiaomi Redmi 7: The Complete 2026 Guide

Why The Other Takes Gigabytes of Memory on Redmi 7 and How to Fix It

Have you ever looked into the storage of your Xiaomi Redmi 7 and wondered where the free gigabytes went? The "Other" section in the memory settings often becomes a real "black hole" - it can take from 5 to 20 GB, but the system does not show which files are stored there. Unlike photos, videos or applications, this partition has no clear structure, which makes it difficult to clean it.

On Redmi 7 with MIUI 10–14 firmware, the problem is compounded by the F2FS file system Xiaomi uses to optimize memory management, which includes the cache of system applications (including the MIUI shell), residual files after updates, error logs, temporary messenger data, and even hidden backups, and standard cleaning tools (such as the built-in Optimizer) often fail to cope with deep cleaning.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to safely clean the Other on Redmi 7, from manually cleaning the cache to using hidden MIUI features. Importantly, some methods require care not to delete critical system files. Let’s start with the simplest and move on to advanced techniques.

Method 1: Clearing the application cache through MIUI settings

The safest and most obvious method is to remove the cache of user and system applications. On Redmi 7, you can do this without third-party utilities, right in the settings menu. But here's the caveat: MIUI hides some of the system applications from the user, so you have to use a workaround.

Step instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select “Show all processes” (this will display hidden system services).
3. Sort apps by cache size by clicking on “Cache Size” in the top panel.
4. Select applications with a large cache (for example, com.miui.home – MIUI launcher, com.android.systemui – system interface) and click “Clear cache”.

⚠️ Note: Do not clean data (Clean data) from system applications – this can lead to shell failures MIUI. The cache is safe to delete, as it is automatically restored the next time the program is run.

Clear the cache com.miui.home (launcher)

Delete the cache of com.android.vending (Google Play)

Check out com.miui.gallery (Gallery)

Clear com.android.browser (browser)

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This method allows you to free up 500 MB to 2 GB of storage, depending on how long ago you last cleaned the cache, but it does not affect the deep system files that belong to the “Other” section.

Method 2: Delete residual files after MIUI updates

Each firmware update on Redmi 7 leaves behind tails, temporary files that should have been deleted automatically but for some reason have been left in memory, which can take up to 3 to 5 GB and belong to the “Other” section, which can be found and deleted manually.

How to do this:

1. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable and select the "File Transfer" mode» (MTP).
2. Open the device’s internal memory and go to the.MIUI folder (it’s hidden – turn on the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings).
3. Inside, find folders with names like update_log, backup or download – these contain residual update files.
4. Remove all contents of these folders except the current firmware (its name usually contains the version). MIUI, for example miui_HM7Global_V12.0.1.0.QFLMIXM_...).

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder.MIUI Also, do not touch files with the.zip extension if their date coincides with the date of the last update (this may be the current firmware).

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Before you delete, back up your important folders on your PC, and if your phone starts to slow down after you clean, return the files and try another method.

Method 3: Using a built-in Optimizer with hidden functions

MIUI has a hidden Deep Clean tool that doesn't show up in the standard optimizer menu, and it lets you delete files that aren't normally available for manual cleaning, and you'll need to do a few non-obvious things to activate it.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Optimizer section (or Cleanup, depending on the MIUI version).
3. In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select Settings.
4. Activate the “Show Deep Clean” option (if not, skip this step).
5. Return to the main optimizer menu and click on “Deep Clean” (appears after the option is turned on).
6. Select System Garbage and Residual Files, then click Clean.

This method removes:

• 🗑️ Temporary file systems processes
• 📁 Remnants of Remote Applications (including their settings)
• 🔄 Cash updates. MIUI, which has not been automatically deleted
• 📊 Android kernel logs (not critical to the user)

Important: After deep cleaning, the phone can restart, which is normal, and don't interrupt the process, even if the screen goes out for a long time (up to 5 minutes).

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Deep cleaning in MIUI removes up to 40% of files from the Other section, but does not affect user data (photos, videos, documents).

Method 4: Manual removal of logs and dumps through ADB

For advanced users who are ready to work with the command line, there is a way to remove hidden system logs that take up space in the “Other” section. MIUI They're designed to debug, but they're rarely needed by the average user. ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then go back to Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB.
3. Connect the phone to your PC and type in the command line: adb shell su rm -rf /data/log/* rm -rf /data/tombstones/* rm -rf /data/anr/* rm -rf /cache/*

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf They delete files irrevocably. If you're not sure what you're doing, skip this method. Also, you may need an unlocked bootloader or root access to execute commands with superuser rights (su), which cancels the warranty.

What these commands are removing:

• 📜 /data/log/ — system logs of Android and MIUI
• ⚰️ /data/tombstones/ — memory dumps when applications crash
• ⏳ /data/anr/ — Logs of app hangings (ANR — Application Not Responding)
• 🗃️ /cache/ — System recovery cache (not to be confused with application cache!)

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all previous methods failed, and the Other section still takes up an unnecessarily large amount of space (e.g. 10+GB), the last option is a complete reset, a radical solution, but it is guaranteed to clean up all hidden files, including system debris.

How to perform the reset correctly:

1. Back up important data (photos, contacts, messages) through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Delete all data” and confirm the action.
4. After reset, don't restore data from the MIUI backup, which may contain the same garbage.

⚠️ Attention: Reset will remove:

• 📱 All installed applications and their data
• 📞 Contacts, messages, call log (if not synced with Google)
• ⚙️ System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sound profiles)
• 🔐 Network and account passwords (except Google if your phone is linked to your account)

Once reset, the Other section will take up to 1-2 GB, which is the normal amount of time for a system to work, but remember, this method should only be used as a last resort when other methods have not worked.

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Resetting to factory settings is the only way to completely clear the Other section of the accumulated garbage over the years, but it takes time to reset the phone.

More tips: How to prevent filling out the “Other” in the future

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

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 months) through Settings → Warehouse → Cache data.
• 🚫 Turn off automatic backups MIUI, If you do not use it: Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backups.
• 📥 Delete. APK-files after installing applications (they remain in the Download folder or APK).
• 🔍 Use a file manager with memory analysis (such as Files by Google) to track large files.
• 🛡️ Update. MIUI Only through the official update center – third-party firmware can leave more debris.

It is also worth limiting the number of apps installed, especially those that actively use cache (social networks, instant messengers, games), for example, Facebook and Telegram can accumulate up to 1-2 GB of cache each in a few months.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up "The Other" on Redmi 7