How to Clean the “Other” Section in Xiaomi Phone Memory: The Complete Guide

Have you ever gone into Xiaomi's memory settings and seen the Other take up gigabytes of space -- sometimes more than photos or apps -- and this is one of the most common problems for Redmi, POCO and Mi owners, especially after a year of smartphone use, and it shows that memory is sorely scarce, yet you haven't installed new games or downloaded movies, and where has the space gone and how to get it back?

In this article, we’ll look at what’s underneath the Other in Xiaomi’s storage manager, why it’s snowballing and how to clean it without resetting to factory settings. We’ve tested all of the techniques on current MIUI 14/15 firmware (including HyperOS) and selected only working solutions, from standard tools to hidden features for power users. If you’re tired of seeing the Memory Full notification, read on.

What is the “Other” section in Xiaomi’s memory and why is it growing?

The Other section (or Other in English) is the trash bin of MIUI, which includes files that are not explicitly categorized as Apps, Photos or Videos, but that occupy space on the internal drive.

• 🗑️ Application cache and systems are temporary files that must be automatically deleted but often remain dead weight».
• 📄 Logs and error dumps are crash reports that MIUI creates for diagnosis (can weigh 50-200 MB each).
• 🔄 Remnants of remote applications are not completely erased data from programs you have long since uninstalled.
• 📁 Hidden folders of system services - for example, /data/log or /data/system, where do you write service files.
• 🖼️ Miniatures and previews – reduced copies of images and videos that the gallery creates.

The main problem is that MIUI doesn’t always clean this partition correctly, for example, after updating the firmware, old files can remain in memory, and some applications (especially Chinese ones) actively write logs without restrictions, and as a result, after a year of use, “Other” can take from 3 to 10 GB – and this is despite the fact that there is less than 10% of really useful information there.

⚠️ Note: If the Other partition is more than 15GB, it may indicate file system damage or viral activity, in which case cleaning will not help - you need to reset or flash it.

Method 1: Clearing the cache of applications and systems through settings

The easiest and safest method is to delete temporary files through standard MIUI tools, which will not require root rights or damage user data.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sort by size.
3. View the list and select applications with a large cache (usually messengers, social networks, browsers).
4. Put it on the app → Storage → Clear the cache.

For deep cleaning of the system cache:

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Click on Clean (or Optimize in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Choose Deep Cleanup and confirm the action.

This method removes up to 1-3 GB of garbage, but does not affect hidden system files. If the Other section has not decreased after cleaning, move to the next method.

Close all background applications

Connect your phone to charge (the process can take 5-10 minutes)

Make a backup copy of important data

Check the vacant space before and after cleaning-->

Method 2: Delete unnecessary files through Explorer (including hidden folders)

Many files in the Other section are stored in hidden folders that are not displayed by default. To see them, you will need a file manager with access to the root directories. We recommend using standard Explorer from Xiaomi or a third-party Solid Explorer application.

Instructions:

1. Open the Explorer and go to the Inner Memory.
2. Enable the display of hidden files: In Xiaomi Explorer: click on three dots → Settings → Show hidden files. In Solid Explorer: swipe to the right → Settings → Hidden files.

/data/log


/data/system/dropbox




/data/tombstones




/Android/data/*/cache




/DCIM/.thumbnails

The /data/log folder can weigh up to 5GB - it stores system logs that MIUI doesn't automatically clean. Delete these files is secure, but they'll reappear in a few days.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in folders /system or /vendor — This can cause the phone to lose its performance.

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If you use Google Photos for backup, check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder – gigabytes of thumbnails that are not needed for a long time can be stored here.

Method 3: Using ADB for deep cleaning (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to remove system debris bypassing the limitations of MIUI. This method requires connecting the phone to a computer, but gives you access to files that can not be deleted through the Explorer.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. On your phone, turn on Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (tap 7 times) Then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and in the command line (terminal) run: adb shell su rm -rf /data/log/* rm -rf /data/tombstones/* rm -rf /data/system/dropbox/* (If the command su does not work, then you do not have root rights.)

This method removes deep system logs that take up space but are not visible to the user. After cleaning, restart the phone.

Method 4: Cleaning through Safe Mode (if the phone is slowing)

If the Other section not only takes up space but causes lags, it may be the fault of a third-party app that writes garbage in the background. To check this, download the phone to Safe Mode, where only system programs run.

How to turn on Safe Mode:

1. Press the power button before the turn off menu appears.
2. Hold your finger on the switch off before a request to switch to Safe Mode appears.
3. Confirm and wait for the reboot (the screen will be labeled Safe Mode).

⚠️ Warning: Safe Mode disabled all third-party apps, including Google Services. Do not try to update your firmware or change your system settings in this mode.

Method 5: Resetting cache via Recovery (without data loss)

If previous methods didn't work, you can try cleaning the cache through Recovery -- it won't delete your files, but it will reset temporary system data -- and it's useful if MIUI has started to slow down or give out errors.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. Select a language (if required) and go to Wipe & Reset.
4. Choose Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe Data – it’s a complete reset!).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.

This method cleans the dalvik cache and temporary files of the system, which can free up to 1-2 GB of space.

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Cleaning the cache through Recovery does not delete photos, messages or apps, but resets some settings (such as background processes).

Method 6: Complete resetting of settings (last resort)

If the Other partition takes up more than 10GB and none of the methods worked, it leaves a complete factory reset, a radical solution, but it is guaranteed to clear all memory, including hidden system files.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Create a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Transfer important files to your PC or cloud (photos, videos, documents).
3. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
4. Choose to erase all data and confirm.

After discharge:

• 📱 Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It may contain garbage. You'd better move the files manually.
• 🚫 Don’t install memory optimizers or “cleaners” – they often create more trash than they remove.
• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once a month) through Settings → Memory.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro) may require re-assignment of your Mi Account after a reset!

How to prevent the “Other” section from being filled in in the future?

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

• 📵 Disable Xiaomi Analytics: Settings → Confidentiality → Analytics → Disable Send Usage Data and Diagnostics MIUI
• 🗑️ Set up automatic cleaning: Settings → Memory. → Autocleaning → Install cache cleaning once a week.
• 🚫 Avoid memory cleaners: Apps like Clean Master or DU Speed Boosters often create more trash than they remove.
• 📁 Check the folders regularly: /DCIM/.thumbnails, /Android/data and /data/log (conductor).
• 🔄 Update the firmware: In new versions MIUI HyperOS improved memory management system.

If you actively use instant messengers (such as Telegram or WhatsApp), set up automatic deletion of media files after viewing. Telegram does this as follows: Settings → Data and memory → Autodelete media → 3 days.

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Regularly cleaning the cache and disabling unnecessary analytics can reduce the growth of the Other section by 70-80%.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's "Other" section