How to Clean the Other Files folder on Xiaomi Redmi 4X: The Complete Guide 2026

Why is the folder “Other files” on Xiaomi Redmi 4X grows to incredible size?

Have you ever gone to the Storage of your Redmi 4X and found that the Other Files folder* is 10, 20, or even 30 GB? This is not a system bug — this is how MIUI classifies data that doesn’t fall into the standard categories (Photos, Videos, Audio), and everything from the app cache to deleted files, temporary game data, and even the remnants of old firmware gets into this folder.

The problem is compounded by the fact that the Redmi 4X (the santoni model) was released with only 16/32 GB of memory, of which the user can actually access about 10-25 GB. When the Other Files eat half of this volume, the smartphone starts to slow down, the applications fly out, and the system issues warnings about the lack of memory, but you can not just delete this folder — important data can be hidden inside.

In this article, we’ll look at 7 proven ways to clean up Other Files on Redmi 4X, including hidden methods that aren’t even mentioned on Xiaomi’s official forums, how to tell garbage from the right files, what tools to use, and what to do if memory is refilled after cleaning.

What exactly is stored in the “Other Files” folder on Redmi 4X?

Before we start cleaning, we need to understand what exactly is accumulating in this mysterious folder. On Redmi 4X with MIUI 8-12 firmware, it is usually:

• 🗑️ App and game caches are temporary files that must be deleted automatically, but often remain “hang” in memory, especially Facebook, Instagram and games like this are sinners. PUBG Mobile or Free Fire.
• 📁 Remains of deleted files -- when you delete a photo or video, they don't always disappear completely.
• 🔄 Logs and dumps are error reporting files (.dmp,.log) that are created when crashes occur. 4X They can weigh up to 1-2 GB.
• 📱 Updates data MIUI — After installing a new firmware, old update files often remain in memory.
• 🎮 Game saves and cache – some games (like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) store gigabytes of data in hidden folders.
• 🔒 Encrypted files – if you have used memory encryption or applications like AppLock, their data may appear as “Other files».

Fun fact: On Redmi 4X with MIUI 9 and below, the Other Files folder is often swelled by a bug in com.miui.analytics, which uncontrollably collects smartphone usage data. In newer versions of MIUI, this bug has been fixed, but it still occurs on older devices.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Redmi 4X As a work phone and storage for important documents, do not delete the Other Files folder completely through the file manager - this can lead to data loss or system failure.

Method 1: Cleaning the application cache through settings

The safest and fastest method is to remove the app cache, and on Redmi 4X, you can do this without root rights and without the risk of losing important data.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show all apps.
3. Sort the list by size by clicking on the filter icon (three lines).
4. Choose apps with large cache (usually Facebook, Chrome, YouTube, games) and click Clear cache.

Redmi 4X has a lot of garbage on it:

• 📱 MIUI System Launcher (home screen cache)
• 🎵 Mi Music and Mi Video (miniatures and metadata)
• 📱 Security (antivirus and optimizer)
• 🎮 Game Center (if installed)

Clear the Google Play Services cache|Delete the data from Download Manager|Check the cache MIUI System|Clean Gallery (miniature photos)-->

After cleaning, restart your smartphone to help the system recalculate the space occupied correctly, usually freeing up 500 MB to 2-3 GB of memory.

Method 2: Using a built-in MIUI cleaner

MIUI has a built-in garbage cleaner tool called Cleaner (or Security depending on the firmware version) and works more efficiently than third-party applications on Redmi 4X because it has access to system folders.

How to use:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Cleaner (or Cleaner) tab.
3. Press Deep Clean and wait for the scan.
4. Check all the points, especially: 🗑️ Unnecessary files APK (remnants of installed applications) 📁 Temporary files (cache and logs) 🔄 Remnants of Remote Applications

Clean up

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear the boot item in this menu - this may disable important system processes, and Redmi 4X It's going to start running slower, and don't touch battery optimization unless you want to run into spontaneous reboots.

After cleaning, check the Storage section in the settings - the volume of Other Files should decrease. If the changes are minor, proceed to the next method.

💡

The built-in MIUI cleaner is safer than third-party applications, as it does not require root rights and does not delete critical system files.

Method 3: Delete unnecessary files through the file manager

If previous methods didn’t work, you’ll have to look into your system folders manually, and Redmi 4X will use a standard Explorer or a third-party manager (like FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).

Where to look for garbage:

Warning: Do not delete folders with names com.android., com.miui. or system – this can cause MIUI to crash. Also do not touch files in /sdcard/Android/obb/ if you do not want to lose game data.

💡

Before deleting files manually back up important data to your computer or cloud. Redmi 4X makes it easy to use the Mi Mover app (built into MIUI).

Method 4: Cleaning through Safe Mode

If Other Files take up too much space but you can’t determine which app is to blame, try booting into Safe Mode, which only runs system applications, which helps identify the culprit.

How to run Safe Mode on Redmi 4X:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button and hold it until the MI logo appears.
3. Once the logo appears, release the power button and immediately press Volume Down.
4. Hold it until the system is fully loaded, and at the bottom of the screen, you'll see the word Safe Mode.

To exit Safe Mode, simply reboot the Redmi 4X in the usual way.

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If none of the methods worked, and Other Files still takes tens of gigabytes, the last option is a hard reset, a radical solution, but it is guaranteed to clear up all the unnecessary data.

How to Reset Redmi 4X Without Losing Your Important Files

1. Make a backup copy: 📱 Contacts – sync with Google Account. 📷 Photos and videos – copy to your computer or Google Photos. 💬 Messages - use SMS Backup & Restore.

Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset

Resetting settings

After the reboot, set up your smartphone as new.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 4X s MIUI 8–9 There is a bug: after reset, it can disappear IMEI. To avoid this, check before reset whether the folder is saved /data/nvram/ (If not, use this manual to restore IMEI.

After reset, “Other files” should take up no more than 1-2 GB. If the problem returned after a while, one of the installed applications (most often games or social networks) is to blame.

Method 6: Using ADB for deep cleaning (for advanced)

If you're willing to go further, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to delete hidden system files, a technique that requires a computer and basic command-line knowledge, but allows you to clear out what's not available through a conventional interface.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB and Fastboot on your computer.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on Redmi 4X (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
3. Connect your smartphone to your computer and execute the commands: adb shell su rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* rm -rf /cache/* rm -rf /sdcard/Android/obb/* (It will delete game data!) rm -rf /sdcard/Android/data//cache/

Delete only specific files (cache, logs, temporary data) as described in the article.