Owners of the popular Redmi Note 10s often face a situation where the system storage suddenly becomes crowded. In the Memory section, you can notice a mysterious category called “Other”, which can take up tens of gigabytes of usable space, this section accumulates temporary files, application cache, remnants of remote programs and system logs that are not classified by standard Android tools.
Cleaning this section requires a cautious approach, as mindlessly deleting system files can lead to unstable MIUI. Unlike conventional photos or videos, data in the Other category is often hidden from direct access without root rights, but there are proven methods for safely eliminating them. Understanding the structure of this data is the first step to speeding up your smartphone.
In this article, we will discuss in detail the mechanisms of digital debris generation on Xiaomi and offer a step-by-step algorithm of actions. You will learn to distinguish important system files from a secure cache that can be deleted without consequences. Proper memory management will extend the life of the drive and improve the overall performance of the device.
⚠️ Note: Before starting any manipulation of system files, it is strongly recommended to create a complete backup of important data, as some cleaning methods may affect user settings.
What's Hiding in the "Other" Section on Redmi Note 10s
The Other section of the MIUI shell is not just a folder with unknown files, but a complex system for storing temporary data, which includes snippets of operating system updates that were not deleted automatically after installation, and also stores cached data from streaming services, such as offline navigation maps or downloaded series of TV shows in applications.
Logs and application usage reports are a special feature, and they are created all the time by the system and can grow to huge sizes if not cleaned in time. Messenger users often wonder why The Other grows even after cleaning the chat rooms, because of the residual media and database files.
It's important to understand that some of this volume is occupied by files that are necessary for the quick operation of frequently used programs. Blindly removing all content through root-access file managers can lead to applications that will load longer or lose some of the settings. So the safest way to use regular cleaning tools or specialized utilities that know what files can be touched.
Why can the “Other” section change dramatically?
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The easiest and safest way to start cleaning is to use Xiaomi’s standard tool, which is deeply integrated into the system and has permission to delete most types of temporary files, analyzes the storage structure and suggests removing cache, advertising files and uninstall residues.
To start the process, you need to open the application and select Cleanup, the system will automatically scan the device and give you a list of files that can be deleted, but be careful: sometimes important files that the system mistakenly considers garbage fall into this category, so always check the contents before confirming.
In the advanced cleaner settings, you can select file types to scan, and it is recommended to run deep cleaning regularly to prevent the Other partition from sprawling, which is especially true for the Redmi Note 10s, which quickly fills the internal buffer when in active use.
☑️ The algorithm of regular cleaning
Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks
The main culprits of the “Other” bloat are messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Viber, which store massive amounts of media files, stickers, and temporary data in hidden directories that the system classifies as “Other,” and simply deleting emails doesn’t always free up space because the files remain in the cache.
To clean up effectively, you need to go to the settings of each application separately. Telegram, for example, has a built-in memory management tool that allows you to clear the cache with a storage period, which is more secure than deleting data through Android settings, since it does not affect your personal chats.
On WhatsApp, the situation is similar: go to Settings → Data & Storage → Storage Management. Here you can see which chats take up the most space and delete media selectively. Regularly cleaning these apps can free up 2 to 10 GB of space, significantly reducing the size of the Other partition.
⚠️ Note: Cleaning up the data via the Apps menu in the Android settings (Erase Data button) will completely remove the account from the app. Only use the Clear Cache function or the built-in tools of the messengers themselves.
Analysis of storage through third-party utilities
MIUI tools don’t always give a complete picture of what exactly takes up space. For more in-depth analysis, it’s recommended to use specialized analytics applications like Files by Google or DiskUsage, which visualize the file system by showing the real size of each folder, including hidden system partitions.
These slits can help you find files that are heavy and lost deep in the system directories, such as forgotten video files in the browser download folder or remnants of deleted games, and visualization can quickly identify memory consumption sources that are not visible in the standard file manager.
When using third-party analyzers, it is important to be careful not to delete files from system folders with names like Android/data or Android/obb if you are not sure about their purpose.
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Use the Memory Map mode in the DiskUsage app to take a look at which folders take up the most space on your Redmi Note 10s.
Radical methods: resetting and flashing
If the Other partition continues to grow despite all cleanup attempts, there may be critical errors in the file system or system logs corrupted, in which case the most effective, albeit radical, method is a factory reset, which completely clears the internal memory, returning the smartphone to its original state.
Before performing a reset, you must save all important contacts, photos and documents to an external medium or to the cloud. The reset process can be started through the Settings menu → About Phone → Resetting. Select the option “Erase all data” and wait for the process to be completed.
An alternative to a complete reset is to flash the device through the computer using the Mi Flash Tool, a method that allows you to reinstall the operating system cleanly, removing all traces of digital debris, but it requires certain technical skills and a stable Internet connection to download the firmware.
| Cleaning method | Efficiency | Risk of data loss | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security annex | Low. | No. | Low. |
| Cleaning up the app cache | Medium | Minimum | Low. |
| Third-party analyzers | Tall. | Medium. | Medium |
| Reset to factory settings | Maximum | Total loss. | Tall. |