Owners of the Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro smartphone often face an unpleasant situation when the internal memory of the device runs out, although the user did not install new applications or download heavy files.
The mysterious “Other” category appears in the vault, which can take up tens of gigabytes, slowing down the system and blocking the ability to install updates.
You can deal with this on your own, if you understand the nature of the occurrence of such files and know the correct sequence of actions for their safe removal.
In this article, we will look in detail at the causes of the proliferation of system debris and offer proven methods for vacating space.
The Nature of the Other Section in the MIUI Shell
The “Other” section of MIUI File Manager is not a separate physical memory sector, but a logical category for files that the system cannot uniquely classify.
Most often, here are hidden the remnants of remote applications, messenger cache, temporary update files and logs of system processes that accumulate over a long time.
This problem is especially pronounced on devices with a small amount of internal memory, where every gigabyte counts.
Ignoring this partition overflow can lead to critical operating system errors, including interface freezes and camera inability to start.
System cleaning algorithms don’t always correctly determine the importance of the data in that folder, so manual intervention is often the only effective solution.
Understanding the structure of the Android file system helps the user safely delete excess files without fear of damaging important system files.
⚠️ Warning: Before any manipulation of system files is initiated, it is strongly recommended to create a complete backup of important data to an external medium or to the cloud storage.
It is worth noting that the volume of the Other section can grow dramatically after a major firmware update or installing a heavy gaming application with a lot of resources.
In some cases, files that have been corrupted during recording or downloading from the Internet are included here.
Xiaomi’s Standard Cleaning Tools
The first step in the fight for free space should be the use of built-in optimization tools, which are preinstalled in Redmi 9 Pro.
The MIUI shell is equipped with a powerful Security tool that is able to analyze the contents of memory and suggest deleting temporary files.
To start the procedure, you need to open the Security application and select the Cleanup item.
The system will scan and show the amount of debris that can be removed without risking the stability of the device.
However, a standard scanner often fails to see the deep caches of some applications, so its efficiency is approximately 60-70% of the possible result.
☑️ Standard cleaning algorithm
A deeper analysis can be done through the storage settings, where the detailed space consumption of each application is described.
Here, you should pay attention to the Cash section of the applications, which is often inflated due to saved images and videos from social networks.
Clearing the cache through the settings of a particular application allows you to free up a significant amount of space without removing usernames and passwords.
It is important to distinguish between Clear Cache and Clear All Data, as the second option will return the application to state immediately after installation.
Manual cleaning through the file manager
If automatic tools do not help, you need to move to manually delete files using the built-in Explorer Explorer.
This method requires more care, as the user decides to delete each file or folder.
First of all, you should pay attention to the folders MIUI, Android and DCIM, where most often forgotten downloads and thumbnails are hidden.
Download often contains APK installation files, documents, and archives that have already performed their function and are no longer needed.
Special attention should be paid to folders of messengers such as Telegram or WhatsApp, where thousands of unwanted images can be stored in Media subdirectories.
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Use file size sorting in the file manager to instantly find the heaviest objects taking up space in the Other section.
When deleting files from system folders, you should be extremely careful not to touch files with.xml,.ini or.db extensions unless you are sure of their purpose.
Deleting such files can lead to resetting of application settings or incorrect operation of the system as a whole.
It is best practice to move suspicious files to a temporary folder on your computer before final deletion.
Use of Developer Mode and ADB
For advanced users who want to achieve the maximum result, the cleaning method through USB debugging and ADB utilities is available.
This method allows you to access hidden system partitions and delete files that are not available through the standard interface.
To activate, go to Settings → About phone and press the MIUI build number seven times.
After the message about the activation of the developer mode appears, you need to include the Debugging by USB item in the menu of additional settings.
| ADB Team Team | Description of action | Risk to data |
|---|---|---|
| adb shell pm clear com.android.cache | Cleaning the system cache | Low. |
| adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* | Deletion of temporary files | Medium. |
| adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999 | Forced trimming of all applications cache | Low. |
| adb reboot | Rebooting the device | Absent. |
Using the command line requires accuracy of input, as one error can result in the wrong files being deleted.
It is recommended to use graphical shells for ADB if you do not have experience with the command line.
This method is particularly effective for deleting residual files after deleting applications that are not normally visible to the user.
What to do if your computer can’t see your phone?
Analysis by third-party applications
Specialized disk space analysis tools can visualize the structure of memory and show what exactly is taking up space.
Applications like DiskUsage or Files by Google build a memory card where the square size corresponds to the file size.
This approach allows you to instantly detect “heavyweights” that hide in the depths of nested directories.
However, it is worth remembering that installing another cleaning application can temporarily increase the amount of memory you take up.
Use only proven high-ranking programs on Google Play to avoid installing malware.
Many users note that after using space analyzers, they find forgotten backups or videos that can be transferred to a cloud server.
Regular use of such analyzers helps maintain order in the file system and prevents uncontrolled growth of the Other partition.
Prevention and drastic measures
If none of the methods helped to significantly reduce the partition size, it is possible that errors have accumulated in the file system.
In this case, it may be necessary to format the internal drive, which is equivalent to a complete reset to factory settings.
This is a radical step, but it is guaranteed to return the device to the “out of the box” state by removing all software debris.
For prevention in the future, it is recommended to regularly restart the smartphone, since in the process of the system, temporary files are created that are deleted only when restarting.
It is also worth disabling the auto-save media files in messengers so that they do not duplicate in the gallery and do not take up space.
⚠️ Warning: A full Wipe Data reset will delete all personal data, contacts and apps. Be sure to back up before starting the procedure.
Compliance with digital hygiene, regular check of downloaded files and refusal to install questionable applications will help keep the memory of Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro clean.
System updates also often contain file system bug fixes, so don’t ignore notifications about a new version of MIUI.
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Regularly restarting the device and cleaning the messenger cache prevent 80% of overflow problems in the Other section.