How to Clean the “Other” Partition on Xiaomi Redmi 8A without Harming the System

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 8A sooner or later face a mysterious “Other” partition in the memory settings, which takes up gigabytes of space, but does not respond to standard cleaning. This “garbage” can reach 5-10 GB or more, even if you regularly delete the cache of applications and unnecessary files. What’s the catch? The fact is that under the category “Other” smartphone hides system logs, temporary MIUI files, update remnants, and data from remote applications that were not correctly erased.

The problem is particularly relevant for the Redmi 8A because of its modest internal storage capacity (16/32GB in the basic versions). When the Other grows, the phone starts to slow down, applications fly out, and the system issues warnings about space shortages. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to clean this partition — from secure embedded tools to advanced methods using ADB. Importantly, some actions require root rights or a connection to a PC, but we will show you where you can do without them.

Before you start, remember, the other is not just garbage. It can store critical files. On Xiaomi Redmi 8A with MIUI 11 and below, some of this data is related to the operation of Google and Xiaomi Cloud services, so deleting them without preparation can lead to sync failures or notifications. We will show how to clean only secure files.

What is the “Other” section and why does it take up so much space?

The Other section of MIUI is a kind of black box where the system drops everything that doesn't fall under the categories of Apps, Images or Video.

• 📁 Cache of system applications (for example, com.android.systemui or com.miui.home) that is not cleaned by standard means.
• 🔄 Remains of updates MIUI — Firmware packages that have been downloaded but not installed (especially relevant for the use of OTA-update).
• 🗑️ Error logs and memory dumps (files with.log or.dmp extension) that are created when crashes.
• 👻 «Zombies from remote applications – data that remains in the system after uninstallation (for example, settings or databases).
• 🌐 Web browsing cache and thumbnails from the gallery that are not visible to the user, but take up space.

On Redmi 8A, the eMMC architecture is made worse by the fact that it wears out over time and starts to reserve more space for the service needs. For example, if you install and delete applications often, the system can “forget” to release clusters, giving them to “Other”, and the background MIUI processes that actively cache data to speed up work (for example, preloading applications or optimizing the battery) are also to blame.

⚠️ Note: If the volume of the “Other” exceeds 15 GB on the 32-gigabyte model Redmi 8A, This may indicate that the file system has been damaged, and then the cleanup won't help, so you'll need a complete reset or flashing.

To see how critical the situation is, check the memory distribution:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on the memory usage chart and see the detail by category.
3. If the “Other” occupies more than 30% of the total volume, it is time to act.

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

To start with, the safest method that doesn't require root rights or a PC connection. MIUI has hidden tools for cleaning up system debris, but they're hidden deep in the settings.

The first step is to use “Memory Optimization”:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Memory Optimization.
2. Click Clear – this will remove the cache of system applications (but will not affect user data).
3. Then open Settings → Memory → Cleanup and select Deep Cleanup. Here MIUI will prompt you to delete unnecessary files, including a part of Other.

The second stage is the manual cleaning of the cache of individual system applications:

1. In Settings → Apps, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select “Show all apps.”
2. Sort the list by size (click on the filter icon).
3. Find apps called com.android..., com.miui... or com.google... and clear their cache (Clear Cache button).

Pay special attention to the following applications (they often accumulate garbage):

• 📱 com.miui.home - launcher MIUI (cache of thumbnails and animations).
• 🔍 com.android.providers.media – media scanner (photo/video metadata cache).
• 🌐 com.android.chrome or com.miui.browser – browser (cache of web pages).
• ☁️ com.xiaomi.cloud – Xiaomi Cloud (Sync logs).

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear the data (no cache!) of system applications - this can cause malfunctions in the phone. for example, resetting com.android.phone will delete network settings, and cleaning com.miui.securitycenter will turn off antivirus.

Backup important data | Check battery power (minimum 50%) | Close all background applications | Turn off automatic synchronization (Settings → Accounts)

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Method 2: Remove the remnants of MIUI updates

One of the main memory eaters in the Other section is undeleted service packs. Xiaomi downloads them in the background, but even after installation, files often remain in the system. On the Redmi 8A, they can take up to 2-3 GB.

To find and remove them:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. Open your internal memory and go to the folder. /data/ota_package/ (If there is no folder, skip the step).
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension – these are archives with firmware.
4. Also check the folders: /cache/ – temporary update files may be located here. /data/app-lib/ – the remnants of libraries from old versions of applications.

If you don’t have access to a PC, use a root-enabled file manager (like FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer) that needs to:

1. Enable the display of hidden files (in the manager settings).
2. Cross the path /data/ota_package/ remove the contents.
3. Clear /cache/ (but don’t delete it yourself!)

Cleaning instructions:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Remove logs and dumps: adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.settings adb shell rm -rf /data/log/* adb shell rm -rf /data/tombstones/* adb shell rm -rf /data/anr/*
5. Clear the Dalvik cache (will speed up the system): adb shell su -c "rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*" Note: This command requires root rights. If none are available, skip the step.

Once you have completed the commands, restart your phone, which allows you to free up up to 1-2 GB of space, but be careful: removing some logs can make it difficult to diagnose problems in the future.

⚠️ Attention: Command rm -rf It deletes files irrevocably. Don't run it in the root directory (/) or folders like this. /system/ — It'll lead to a phone blink!

Method 4: Resetting cache via Recovery Mode

If previous methods didn’t work and “Other” still takes up a lot of space, try cleaning through Recovery mode, which requires no root rights and resets only the cache without affecting user data.

Instructions:

1. Turn off Redmi 8A.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up at the same time and hold them for 10-15 seconds until the MI logo and Recovery menu appear.
3. Use volume buttons for navigation and power button to select the item.
4. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.
6. Reboot your phone (Reboot → System)

This method cleanses:

• 🗃️ Dalvik cache (accelerates application launches).
• 🧹 Temporary System Updates Files.
• 📝 Error logs that have not been deleted by standard methods.

After the cache is reset, the first launch of the phone may take longer, which is normal, since the system rearranges the cache of applications. If the Other still takes up a lot of space after this procedure, the cause may be a corrupted file system (see next method).

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Recovery cache reset is the safest way to clean the Other without losing data, but it doesn’t delete user files or app settings.

Method 5: Complete reset (last chance)

If all previous methods failed and The Other still eats away at gigabytes of memory, the last resort is a hard reset, which will bring the phone back to factory status by removing all data, including:

• 📱 Installed applications and their settings.
• 📷 Photos, videos and music (if not saved) SD-map).
• 🔑 Google and Xiaomi accounts (re-authorization required).
• 📊 System settings (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, wallpaper, etc.).

How to reset:

1. Create a backup copy of important data (contacts, photos, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.
4. Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

Once reset, the phone will turn on as new.

1. Connect to Wi-Fi and log in to your Google/Xiaomi account.
2. Restore the data from the backup (if it was created).
3. Install only the necessary applications – avoid downloading unnecessary software.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 8A firmware MIUI 12+ After reset, you may need to re-assign your Xiaomi account to unlock the bootloader. If you forget your password, use the recovery service.

Even if the Other takes more than 1-2 GB after reset, it could indicate a hardware problem (eMMC memory wear), in which case only replacing the memory chip in the service center will help.

How to Prevent the Re-Accumulation of the Other

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

Additional advice:

• 🚫 Avoid using Google Play memory cleaners (such as Clean Master) that often delete useful files and become a source of garbage.
• 🔄 Regularly reboot your phone (every 2-3 days) – this clears temporary files from RAM.
• 📥 Do not store heavy files (video, games) in internal memory. SD-Card (if supported) or cloud services.
• 🔧 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version – in the new firmware optimized work with memory.

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If you install and uninstall applications frequently, use the app cloning feature in MIUI instead of completely uninstalling, which will save settings and data when re-installed.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up 'Other' on Redmi 8A