Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the device’s internal memory is running out, and the standard analyzer shows that the lion’s share of space is occupied by the mysterious “Others” section. This is especially true for the Redmi 5 model, which, despite its popularity in the past, today has a limited storage capacity by modern standards. The accumulation of temporary files, remnants of remote applications and system debris leads to a slowdown of the MIUI interface and the inability to install new programs.
Understanding the structure of the Android file system is essential for managing disk space properly. The Others section is not a single directory, but a collection of data that the system cannot uniquely classify as photos, music or documents. This category includes messenger cache, update files, error logs and time data of running games. Ignoring the overflow of this section can lead to critical errors in the operating system.
In this article, we will discuss in detail how to clean your system safely and efficiently, and you will learn to distinguish between important system files and digital debris that can be painlessly removed. We will look at both Xiaomi’s built-in tools and third-party utilities, as well as a manual method through a computer that gives you maximum control over the contents of your Redmi 5 memory.
Anatomy of the Others section in MIUI
Before we take any drastic action to delete files, it's important to understand what's behind the Others label in the MIUI shell. The system classifies files by their extensions and metadata. If a file doesn't have a standard extension or is in a non-standard directory, it automatically goes into that category, often with application database files that take up gigabytes but don't show up in a gallery or music player.
Special attention should be paid to the cache files of streaming services and messengers. For example, Telegram or WhatsApp can store thousands of images and videos viewed in hidden cache folders. This data is formally temporary, but the system considers it part of the application. Clearing such data through standard settings can lead to loss of correspondence history if you do not make a backup.
Technical details of the file system
System logs and error reports also take up a significant amount of space. If an application is unstable, it can generate crash reports continuously, filling up memory in hours. On Redmi 5, with its modest storage capacity, this becomes noticeable very quickly. Understanding the nature of these files helps avoid deleting important information such as offline navigator maps or downloaded playlists.
Using Xiaomi's built-in cleaner
The safest and first step for a Redmi 5 owner is to use the regular Security app. Xiaomi engineers have built a powerful enough algorithm to find junk files that rarely deletes the extra files. Running a scan can reveal temporary files, remnants of deleted applications and advertising debris. The process is fully automated and does not require deep knowledge of the file system.
For deep cleaning, you need to go to advanced cleaner settings. Standard mode often skips large files in download folders or browser cache. From the Cleanup menu, select Deep Cleanup, where the system will prompt you to analyze large files, duplicate photos and unused APK installer packages. This allows you to find hidden backups that you may have created before and forget about them.
☑️ Quick cleaning algorithm
But remember, the built-in tool is sometimes too conservative, it can avoid cacheing some social networks for fear of disrupting their work. So after automatic cleaning, it is recommended to manually check the Download and Bluetooth folder, where the received files often accumulate. Regular use of a regular cleaner helps keep the system on track, but does not solve the problem radically if the memory is filled with media messengers.
Manual cleaning through the conductor
For more advanced users, Xiaomi offers a standard file manager that allows you to manually delete the contents of folders. This method requires caution, since the user takes responsibility for deleting files. Android/data, It's where the cache of games and heavy applications are stored, and it's where gigabytes of "other" files are often hidden.
When manually cleaning, it is important not to delete files with unknown extensions in system directories. Focus on folders with application names that you haven't used in a long time or that have been deleted but left traces. For example, folders called com.facebook.katana or en.ok.android may contain old media files. Before deleting, it is better to copy dubious files to your computer or to the cloud.
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Use size sorting in Explorer to instantly find the heaviest folders taking up space in the Others section.
The file deserves special attention. MIUI It can store themes, voice recorders and screenshots that the system doesn't always display correctly in the gallery. debug_log The main rule is that if you are not sure about the purpose of the file, it is better to leave it or pre-examine the information about it on the Internet.
Analysis of large files and duplicates
Often, forgotten video files, archives, or game installation files are placed in the Others section. The standard storage analyzer in MIUI allows you to sort files by size. Find files larger than 100 MB and check their relevance. Often users store multiple copies of the same movie or document downloaded from different sources.
Duplicate search is an effective way to make room without losing functionality. On Redmi 5, with its limited memory, even a few hundred megabytes can be crucial. Look at the thumbnails folder, where you store thumbnails of images. Sometimes this cache grows to enormous sizes if there were a lot of photos in the gallery that were then deleted and the cache remained.
| File type | Location. | Security of removal | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| APK installers | Download folder | Tall. | Remove after installation |
| Logs of error | System folders | Tall. | You can clean it regularly. |
| Cash Telegram. | Android/data/org.telegram | Medium | Clean through the application settings |
| Thematic files | MIUI/theme | Low. | Only if the subject is not used |
Remember to check the shopping cart in the gallery and file manager. On Xiaomi, deleted files are often stored there for 30 days, continuing to take up space in the Others section until they are permanently deleted. This is a common mistake of users who think they have already vacated space, but in fact only moved files to temporary storage.
Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks
The leaders in filling the Other space are always messengers. WhatsApp, ViberTelegram store every photo and video you see in your device memory. Redmi 5 is critical. With the built-in tools of these applications, you can clear the cache of media files, leaving text messages intact. This is the most efficient way to return a few gigabytes.
In each application settings, look for the Data and Storage section or similar. There is a "Storage Use" feature available, which will show a detailed analysis of the occupied space. You can choose to clear the cache for a certain period or delete all media files. Important: before this procedure, make sure that important photos are saved in the cloud or on your computer, since it will be impossible to restore them from the application cache.
⚠️ Attention: When cleaning the messenger cache through Android settings (Applications -> All applications -> WhatsApp -> Warehouse -> Clear cache) you only delete temporary files. However, if you click "Clear data", you lose all correspondence and the account will be reset!
It’s also worth turning off auto-save media files to the group chat gallery, where a lot of junk content is often sent, which will prevent future overflows of the Others section. Telegram can set up automatic cache cleanup, for example, once a week or when it reaches a certain size, making manual cleaning unnecessary in the future.
Using a computer for deep cleaning
Connecting Redmi 5 to your computer USB-The cable gives you the most complete access to the file system» (MTP) You can see hidden folders that aren't on your smartphone screen. This is the perfect way to do an "Others" revision. Use the built-in Windows Disk Analyzer or a program like WinDirStat to visualize the space you're occupied.
It's convenient to delete large amounts of data through your computer, because copy and delete faster, and file management is easier with your mouse and keyboard. You can find folders with the names of deleted games, leftover graphics shells or forgotten downloads. Just highlight the unnecessary and press Delete. Remember to reboot your smartphone after that, so that the system can recalculate the free space.
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999For advanced users who have enabled USB debugging, the command is available through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) above, which forcibly trims the cache of all applications to a minimum. It's a powerful tool that can instantly free up gigabytes, but requires pre-configuring your smartphone and installing drivers on your PC. Use this method if other methods have not worked.
Radical measures: Resetting and formatting
If the Others partition takes up an absurdly large amount of space and is not cleared by any method, there may be some errors or fragmentation in the file system, in which case a full Factory Reset helps, which is guaranteed to clear the Others partition, since the memory will be completely reformatted. Before that, make sure to back up important data to the Mi Cloud cloud or to your computer.
You can reset via the Settings menu -> Advanced Settings -> Recover and Reset. Select Settings Reset and confirm the action. The process will take a few minutes, after which the Redmi 5 will be like new, and this often solves problems not only with memory, but also with the stability of the system as a whole.
⚠️ Attention: Full reset removes ALL data from your phone, including contacts, photos and apps. Make sure you have an up-to-date backup before you start this process.
After reset, take your time to install all the apps at once, install only the necessary ones and watch the memory fill, which will help identify the culprit application if the problem with the growth of the Others section recurs quickly, sometimes caused by specific photo editing applications or offline map navigators.
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A complete reset is a last resort, but it is the most effective way to deal with unavoidable file system errors and the mysterious proliferation of the Others partition.
Prevention of memory overflow
In order to avoid the problem of lack of space on Xiaomi Redmi in the future 5, You should develop good habits. Check the storage regularly, at least once a month. Don't let the memory fill up "on the back" because it slows down flash memory and shortens the life of the device. 15-20% total.
Use cloud-based photo and video storage services. Enable Google Photo or Yandex.Disk sync with free up space. This will automatically delete local copies of files that are already uploaded to the cloud, greatly reducing the Others and Images section. Also consider using a microSD card to store media files by migrating camera folders and downloads.