How to Clean Up the “Other” Category on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a mysterious situation: the internal memory is full, although the gallery does not have unnecessary photos, and the applications are installed only the most necessary. The culprit usually becomes the “Other” section, which can take up tens of gigabytes, slowly but surely turning the device into a braking machine. This storage accumulates temporary files, remnants of remote programs, messenger cache and system logs, which the standard analyzer does not always correctly interpret.

The problem grows over time, especially if you’re actively using social media or watching high-resolution videos through streaming services. MIUI, and now HyperOS, tends to conservatively refer to “other” files any data whose type could not be accurately identified during scanning. Redmi Note, Xiaomi Mi and flagship Xiaomi series 13 or 14 are equally affected, since the logic of the file system is the same for all shells.

In this article, we'll look at not only safe cleaning methods through the standard menu, but also advanced computer-based methods, learn how to distinguish system debris from important data, and understand why a simple reboot can sometimes work wonders. Get ready to free up valuable space for your personal files.

The Anatomy of the Other: What’s Hiding There

Before you mindlessly delete files, you need to understand the nature of their origin. The Other section (sometimes labeled System or just a gray area in storage) is not one particular file, but a collection of heterogeneous data. This includes archives, APK installation packages that were launched but not deleted, and the cache of browsers and streaming platforms. Often users do not even suspect that Spotify or YouTube can store gigabytes of listened music and video for offline mode in this category.

Telegram and WhatsApp have a habit of saving all the received media files in their own directories, which Xiaomi may not recognize as “Photo” or “Video”, referring to them as other things. App cache data is another huge layer. These are temporary files that speed up the program, but inflated to unthinkable sizes with prolonged use without cleaning.

It also includes error logs, crash reports, and residues from a failed system update. If you've ever installed modified versions of apps or cache games, their tails can lie dead weight for years. Understanding the structure helps you choose the right cleaning method without damaging your smartphone's performance.

• 📂 Remains of remote applications and installation files APK.
• 🎵 Cache of music and video services (offline content).
• 💬 Media files and databases of messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp).
• 📝 System logs, error reports and temporary update files.

⚠️ Warning: Don't attempt to manually delete files from Android system folders through a file manager without understanding their purpose.Deleting critical libraries can lead to a cyclical device reboot.

Basic cleaning with MIUI and HyperOS

The safest and first step to take is to use a built-in cleaning tool. In Xiaomi shells, it is integrated deep enough to safely remove obvious debris. To run, open the Security app and select Cleanup. The system will scan and suggest removing temporary files, advertising debris and app residues.

However, standard cleaning often doesn't affect the deep deposits of the Other section. For more detailed work, go to Settings, then select About Phone and click Storage. Here the system visualizes occupied memory. By clicking on the Other category (or analyzing the heaviest applications), you can move on to managing their data. Clearing the cache of individual applications, such as a browser or TikTok, can instantly free up a few gigabytes.

Remember the Deep Clean feature, which sometimes appears on the storage menu, which analyzes larger files and suggests removing duplicates or rarely used documents, which is ideal for those who do not want to mess with complex technical manipulations and prefer to operate through a graphical interface.

💡

Use the built-in Deep Cleanup once a week to prevent large amounts of temporary files from accumulating in the Other section.

It is important to check Downloads regularly. Often users download files that they forget and they are automatically classified by the system as Other unless their type is clearly defined. A simple manual sorting in the File Manager Explorer can give an unexpectedly good result.

Radical method: Reset to factory settings

If the software methods don't help and the Other continues to grow to absurd values, taking up half the memory, the nuclear option remains: Full reset is guaranteed to clean all memory partitions, returning the file system to its original state, and this is the only way to remove system debris that is embedded in secure directories that are not available even with developer rights.

Before starting the procedure, it is critical to create a full backup, use Google cloud services, Mi Cloud, or make a local backup to your computer. Once reset, the phone will be like new, and the Other category will occupy the minimum possible amount for the system to work, often solving problems with file system errors that may have accumulated over the years of use.

The reset process is triggered via the Settings menu → Phone → Settings reset → Erase all data. Be prepared for the process to take 10 to 30 minutes. Once turned on, the smartphone will require initial setup. Often users notice that after this procedure, the phone starts to work much faster, as not only the memory is cleared, but also the cache of system processes.

⚠️ Warning: Once reset, data cannot be recovered without a pre-created copy. Make sure all important photos, documents and correspondence are stored in an external source.

Using Developer Mode and Debugging over USB

For more advanced users who want to avoid a full reset, there is a USB debugging method that allows access to hidden memory and cache management functions that are not visible on the regular menu. First, activate the developer mode: go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI Version (or OS Version) 7 times.

Once activated, the menu will have an option called "Additional" or "Extended Settings" where you can find "Developers" and then you can find and enable "Debug over USB" inside this section, which will allow your computer to interact with the phone's file system at a deeper level, and by connecting your smartphone to your PC, you can use dedicated tools to analyze disk space.

One effective technique is to use a command to reset the Dalvik cache (relevant to older versions of Android) or simply clear the cache through ADB. This requires installing the Android Debug Bridge platform on your computer. In the command line, after connecting the phone, you can enter commands to force clearing temporary system files that are usually hidden from the user.

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999

This command will try to cut the cache of all applications to a minimum, but it should be used with caution, because immediately after cleaning the applications can load a little longer until a new cache is formed, this method is especially effective when the Other is inflated precisely due to cached data that the system "forgot" to delete.

Storage analysis through third-party utilities and ADB

When embedded tools are powerless, specialized analytics applications come to the rescue. Software like DiskUsage or Storage Analyzer visualizes the contents of memory as a map. They show which folders occupy the most space. Often, in the Other section, a forgotten folder with a navigator cache or offline maps that weigh several gigabytes is hidden.

Using these gates, you can pinpoint the culprit of the celebration, and you can see a specific path to the file, like /Android/data/com.telegram.messenger/cache, and you can decide whether to delete the cache or leave it, which is much safer and more effective than blindly cleaning everything. Visualization helps you understand the structure of memory filling better than any number.

For the most experienced users, it is possible to connect via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from a computer and use commands to delete specific files. For example, the adb shell rm -rf /path/to/cache command allows you to delete a folder that the in-house manager does not delete.

Let’s compare cleaning methods for different situations:

The choice of method depends on your willingness to risk data and level of technical training. In most cases, the combination of analysis through DiskUsage and manual cleaning of the messenger cache is enough to return 10-20 GB of free space.

Prevention: How to prevent the growth of the “Other”

To prevent the problem from returning with enviable regularity, you need to change your smartphone usage habits. First of all, set up automatic cache cleaning in popular applications. For example, Telegram has a feature called Media Autodelete, which allows you to limit the amount of memory you can take with cache. Set a limit of, for example, 1 GB or 500 MB, and the application will delete old files itself.

Check your Bluetooth and ShareMe (or Mi Drop) folder regularly. Airborne files are often saved to shared folders and take up a lot of space over time, falling into the “Other” category if it’s not a photo or video. It’s also worth disabling WhatsApp auto-save statuses if you’re not actively using this feature.

Another important aspect is system updates. After a major MIUI or HyperOS update, the "Other" section may temporarily increase due to the backup files of the old system. Usually these files are deleted automatically after a few days, but if they are stuck, they can be found in the root directory and manually deleted if you are sure that you do not need a system rollback.

⚠️ Note: Files with the.apk extension that are downloaded from the browser but not installed also end up in Other. Periodically check the download folder and delete the installers.

Using cloud storage for photos and videos (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk) with the function “Free space” helps to keep local memory clean, which prevents overflow of the main partition, which often provokes the system to work with files incorrectly and create unnecessary logs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

💡

Regular memory hygiene and auto-delete cache settings in messengers are the best ways to prevent the Other section from sprawling on Xiaomi.