Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus often face the unfortunate situation of a sudden overflow of built-in storage, and the culprit is a mysterious section called “Others,” which can take up tens of gigabytes, significantly slowing down the MIUI operating system and causing app malfunctions. Understanding the nature of this data is the first step to successfully optimize the device.
The Others system partition is a hoard of temporary files, remnants of deleted programs, messenger cache and error logs. Cleaning this section requires careful care, as deleting critical system files can lead to unstable work of the gadget. In this article, we will discuss proven methods of safe freeing up space.
Before we start taking drastic measures, we need to diagnose and understand what exactly occupies space on your Redmi 5 Plus. Standard Android tools do not always correctly display folder structure, so we will take a comprehensive approach, which will allow you to return the device to its previous speed without losing personal photos or contacts.
Analysis of the contents of the section Others
The first step is to analyze in detail what is hidden under the label “Others”, often users mistakenly believe that this is system debris that can be removed with a single click, but the reality is more complicated, and this section includes messenger databases, offline maps of navigators and cache of streaming services.
To accurately determine the volume of each file type, it is recommended to use an integrated analyzer or third-party utilities. Data visualization helps to understand which software consumes the most resources. For example, Telegram or Viber can accumulate media files that the system classifies as “Other”.
It is important to note that some files in the Others section are temporary and are created when applications are active. Android does not always have time to delete them correctly after the session is over, which leads to a proliferation of the partition.
Use of the built-in MIUI cleaner
The MIUI shell installed on the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus has a powerful built-in tool to maintain the system. The standard Security app is able to find and delete a significant portion of junk files that the user often does not notice.
When using a standard cleaner, the system analyzes browser cache, temporary installer files and update remnants. Automatic cleanup does not affect the user's personal data, which minimizes risks. However, additional actions may be required to access deeper layers of the system.
☑️ Cleaning Algorithm Through Security
Keep in mind that the built-in tool is sometimes too conservative and leaves some files that can be technically deleted. If the Others section is still large after the standard procedure, you need to move to manual file management, which will take a little longer, but will give you a better result.
Manual cleaning through the file manager
To clean up more deeply, you need to use an advanced file manager like MI File Manager or Total Commander. Going to the root directory or Android/data folder, you can find heavy folders of specific applications, and this is where gigabytes of forgotten cache are often hidden.
When manually cleaning, it is important to pay attention to file extensions and their location. Files with the.tmp or.log extension are generally safe to delete. However, deleting folders with the names of system services can cause crashes, so act carefully.
Hidden folders in Android
Special attention should be paid to the Download folder and social media cache, which are often not displayed in the standard memory analyzer. Manual deletion allows you to selectively get rid of old video files in chat rooms, leaving important correspondence intact.
Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks
Messengers are the main memory eaters on modern smartphones, and apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber store every photo and video they see in a local storage that the system classifies as “Others,” and clean up through the settings of the apps themselves.
Each messenger has a data and memory section or similar in its settings where you can see the detail space, and cleaning the cache inside the app is safe for your correspondence, but it will remove the downloaded media files from the phone's memory, and it frees up a huge amount of space.
⚠️ Before clearing the messenger cache, make sure that important photos and documents are stored in the cloud or on your computer, as it will be impossible to restore them after cleaning.
It's also recommended that you disable the automatic storage of media files in the gallery, and this function duplicates the files, and they're both in the application database and in the shared gallery, taking up double space. MIUI This allows you to manage this process flexibly for each chat separately.
Removal of residual files after uninstallation
When you delete a game or application in the standard way, the disk often has its tails — configuration files, cache and account data — that can take up hundreds of megabytes and be classified by the system as “Other Files,” and that will require a close look at the folders to find them.
The most common residues are found in folders with remote program names or in the obb directory. Deleting remote game folders is usually safe unless you plan to restore progress without cloud saving.
| Type of data | Location. | Security of removal |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Google Play | Application settings | Tall. |
| Remote game folders | Android/obb | Medium (check availability) |
| Logs of error | System folders | Tall. |
| Temporary files | Temp folder | Tall. |
Use the file manager search feature to enter the names of long-deleted applications. Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus has a sufficiently powerful processor for fast file indexing, so the search will take only a few seconds.
Radical methods: Resetting and flashing
If none of the soft methods helped to free up space, and the Others section continues to grow, there may be a build-up of errors in the file system, in which case a complete factory reset becomes an effective solution, which will delete all data, but is guaranteed to clear the system partition.
Before you run Hard Reset, it's critical to back up all your important data, and MIUI allows you to back up your Mi Cloud or locally to your memory card, and when you reset, it's like new, without any software debris.
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Use the Extended Cleanup feature in the Recovery menu (if available for your MIUI version) before a full reset to try to fix file system errors without losing data.
In extreme cases, when even resetting does not help (which is rare and indicates hardware memory problems), you may need to flash the device through the computer. Using the Mi Flash Tool utility allows you to completely reinstall the operating system, eliminating any software errors of garbage accumulation.
Prevention of memory filling
To prevent the problem from returning, you need to introduce a habit of regular maintenance of the smartphone. Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is a reliable device, but it requires maintenance.
It's recommended that you audit your installed apps once a month and remove those you don't use, and that you set up automatic cache cleaning in your optimizer apps, and that regular maintenance is more important than one-time radical measures.
⚠️ Warning: Don’t install questionable accelerator apps from unverified sources. Often they generate ad litter that inflates the Others section even more.
Control your automatic application update and downloading of media files. Restricting the background activity of heavy applications also has a positive effect on the amount of time cache created.
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Systematic cleaning of messenger cache and removal of residues of remote programs prevent 90% of problems with overflow of the Others partition.