How to effectively clean the folder “Other” on Xiaomi Redmi 9T

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a cryptic memory shortage notification when the system reveals that the Other partition takes up gigabytes of precious space. On the Redmi 9T model, which features a UFS 2.1 type drive, this problem can be especially acute after months of active use of the device. Users see that the free space disappears, but standard cleaning methods do not give visible results, since the system hides the contents of this partition.

The Other or Other section is a system category in which MIUI places files that are not in standard groups like Photos, Videos, or Apps, which includes temporary files, messenger cache, remote program remnants, error logs, and even some system updates, and understanding the structure of this storage is key to freeing up tens of gigabytes without losing personal data.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the safe methods of analyzing and cleaning system debris on your Redmi 9T. We will not use third-party “cleaners”, which often only advertise themselves, but use Xiaomi’s built-in tools and proven methods of manual file management.

Anatomy of the "Other" section in MIUI

Before you start taking any radical action, you need to understand what exactly is taking up space on your drive. In the Android operating system, on top of which the MIUI shell runs, the Other partition is dynamically generated, not a static folder that you can just open and delete, but a virtual representation of all files that do not have clear categorization.

The bulk of the data here is cached streaming and instant messenger files, for example, Telegram or WhatsApp can save gigabytes of videos and images viewed in this section, unless automatic deletion is configured, and it also stores offline maps downloaded for navigation, and temporary browser files.

• 📦 Application cache: Temporary data that speeds up program launches but grows over time.
• 📂 System Logs: Reports of errors and processes that are created around the clock.
• 📥 Uploaded files: Documents, APK-Installation files and archives downloaded from the Internet.
• 🎵 Multimedia messengers: Audio messages and stickers not recognized as music or pictures.

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to manually delete files from system folders through hidden developer menus unless you know exactly what they're intended for.This can lead to a cyclical Redmi reboot. 9T data loss.

Importantly, after a major system update, the volume of the Other partition may temporarily increase, which is normal for backup configurations and optimization files, but if the volume exceeds 10-15 GB and does not decrease within a week, manual intervention is required.

Use of the built-in cleaning tool

The safest and first step for a Xiaomi Redmi 9T owner is to use the regular Security app. MIUI has implemented smart algorithms that can find and remove safe debris. Launch the Safety app on the home screen and select Cleanup.

Once scanned, the system will suggest removing the obvious debris, but for deep cleaning, you click on the Clean up garbage button and then go to the Deep Cleanup or Storage Analyzer section, and that's where the large files that occupy space in the Other section hide, and the system sorts files by size, allowing you to find forgotten videos or archives.

Pay special attention to the Apps section, where you can see how much space the cache of specific programs takes up. Often it is social networks and messengers that are the main culprits of memory overflow, cleaning the cache through this interface is completely safe for your personal correspondence and accounts.

Remember that standard cleaning doesn’t always remove files from the.thumbnails folder where the thumbnails are stored. It may require a more advanced approach through the file manager, which will be discussed below. Regular use of the built-in tool at least once a week will prevent critical memory filling.

Working with file manager and hidden folders

To work more closely with the Redmi 9T file system, you’ll need a built-in Explorer or a third-party file manager, such as Total Commander or Files by Google. The main task is to find hidden folders that don’t appear in the gallery or standard menus. Enable the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings, usually through the three-dot menu.

One of the main sources of growth in the Other is the.thumbnails folder, which stores thumbnails of all the images and videos you've seen, and over time, this file can grow to a few gigabytes, and it can be safely deleted, but the system will recreate it when you open the gallery again, so it only makes sense to delete it when there's a shortage of space.

It's also worth checking the Android/data and Android/obb folder. It stores game and app data. If you delete a game but it's still there, it'll be listed under "Other." In newer versions of Android, access to these folders is limited, but through Xiaomi's regular Explorer, access is usually provided.

⚠️ Note: When removing files from the folder Android/data Make sure that the application that owns the data is completely removed or you do not need its saved progression and offline content.

Use the file manager's size sorting function to quickly identify heavyweights. Often users find forgotten.apk files or.zip archives that were downloaded months ago and are no longer needed. Deleting them will make room instantly.

Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks

Messengers are the absolute leaders in memory consumption in the Other category. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store every photo and video you view in cache, even if you didn't save them to the gallery. On Redmi 9T with its FullHD+ screen, these media files take up a significant amount of volume.

In Telegram, the cleaning is done most efficiently through the settings of the application itself. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the Cash slider and the ability to configure autodeletion. It is recommended to install automatic cache cleanup, for example, in 3 days or a week.

For WhatsApp, the procedure is a little different. Inside the app, go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. The system will show the files that take up the most space and let them be deleted selectively or all at once. This is safer than deleting through a file manager, since it will not violate the correspondence database.

Don't forget about social media like VK or Instagram.They also cache image feeds for quick scrolling.There's often a "Clear Cache" option in the settings of these apps, which doesn't affect your saved drafts or downloads, but deletes temporary files.

Removal of duplicates and large files

The Xiaomi Redmi 9T inevitably accumulates duplicate files, which can be photos taken in batch mode or files downloaded twice from different sources, and the system does not always automatically combine such files, leaving them lying dead weight.

Use the built-in Explorer app and go to Files category. Sort the content by size. Files over 100MB that you don't recognize are most likely forgotten movies, TV shows or backups. Deleting them is the fastest way to free up space.

You can use special utilities to find duplicates, but be careful about accessing personal data. A safer method is to manually check the DCIM and Pictures folders. Often, you can find.Trash or Recently Deleted folders that take up up to 30 days to complete the deletion.

• 🗑️ Gallery basket: Check out the 'Deleted' album at the gallery MIUI and clean it up.
• 📂 Download folder: Carefully examine the Download directory for older installers.
• 🎵 Offline music: Check the cache of music services (Spotify, Yandex.Music) for the presence of old playlists.

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Tip: Before you delete large unknown files, try opening them. If the file is corrupted or has a strange extension, search the name of the file online to see if it can be deleted.

Regularly auditing large files helps keep the system on track: Files larger than 1GB lying idle not only take up space, but can also slow down the indexing of media files, which affects the speed of search and gallery.

Radical measures: Resetting and formatting

If none of the above methods helped reduce the volume of the Other partition and it continues to take up an absurd 20-30GB, there may have been a file system error or indexing corruption.In this case, there are two proven solutions on Redmi 9T.

The first method is to reset the settings to factory settings. This is guaranteed to clear the Other section as it is being re-formed. Before you do that, make sure to back up your data to the Mi Cloud cloud or your computer. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase all data.

Settings → About the phone → Reset settings → Erase all data

The second method is less radical, but it takes time. It's full encryption and re-indexing. On modern Android versions, this often happens automatically when reset, but you can try to clear the Dalvik Cache partition cache through Recovery mode. To do this, turn off the phone, press Volume Up + Power, and select Wipe Cache Partition (not to be confused with Wipe Data!).

⚠️ Note: In Recovery mode, navigation is done with volume buttons and power buttons. Be careful: selecting Wipe Data will delete all your personal files without recovery.

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Full Factory Reset is the only way to remove 100% of the “Other” if there is a file system error that cannot be fixed software.

After performing a reset or cleaning of the cache through Recovery, the system will restart. 15-20 The phone can be slow in a minute, and it's a process of optimizing applications and creating a new, clean partition structure.

Prevention of memory overflow

To prevent the problem with the “Other” partition on Xiaomi Redmi 9T from returning regularly, you need to implement the digital hygiene habit: Do not allow the memory to be filled “on the back”. Android requires about 10-15% free space for the correct operation of the write and read mechanisms.

Set up automatic synchronization of photos and videos with cloud services such as Google Photos or Yandex.Disk. Use the “Free Space” function, which removes from the device the originals already uploaded to the cloud, leaving only previews, which will significantly reduce the load on the drive.

It is also recommended to audit installed applications once a month, remove those programs that you have not used in the past three months, often forgotten applications continue to work in the background, collect data and increase the volume of the "Other" section.

• 📅 Weekly Cleaning: Allocate 5 minutes a week to check downloads and screenshots.
• ☁️ Cloud Storage: Move Document Archives and Old Photos to the Cloud.
• 🚫 Disable autoload: In instant messengers, turn off auto-save media to the gallery.

Following these simple rules will allow your Redmi 9T to run fast and stable throughout its lifespan.Memory is a resource that requires management, and now you know how to control it effectively.