Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners are facing one of the most annoying problems of all, the overflow of the Others section, notifying them that they are 90 percent or even 99 percent full of memory, but when you check them in detail, they find that photos, videos and apps take up very little space. Where do they go?
This mysterious partition often becomes a black hole that consumes free space, hiding messenger cache, remnants of deleted games, system logs and temporary update files. Cleaning up the Other folder is not just a way to make room, but a necessary procedure for the stable operation of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.
In this article, we will discuss safe and effective methods of freeing up memory, how to find hidden files, what data can be deleted safely and which cannot be touched categorically, and we will also look at the built-in tools and third-party gates that will help return the device to performance.
What is hidden in the “other” section in fact
The Others section (sometimes referred to as Other) is a system category where Android categorizes all files that are not identified as media, documents or applications, and often the volume of this partition is inflated to an incredible size due to file system malfunctions or indexing errors.
The main culprits of overflows are usually messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber store a huge number of temporary files, thumbnails and voice messages that are not formally part of the application itself, but take up space, and there may be error logs, cache of streaming services like YouTube or Netflix, and remnants of long-deleted games.
It is important to understand that the file system of a smartphone does not always have time to update information about the occupied place. Sometimes cleaning the "Other" section requires a complete reset of the media indexer or restarting in safe mode. Without understanding the structure of the folders, the user risks removing the system configs, which will lead to failures.
- 📂 Application cache: Temporary data that speeds up programs but grows over time.
- 📱 System logs: Work records MIUI, which developers need to debug, but are useless to the owner.
- 🗑️ Remains of Remote Games: Cash Files (OBB, Data that is not automatically deleted when you uninstall the game.
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Before you start a deep cleaning, be sure to back up your important data in the cloud or on your computer to avoid accidental loss of information.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The easiest and safest way to start the fight for space is to use the standard Security app, preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones.It has deep access rights and can correctly determine the types of files that take up space.
Launch the app and select Clean up. The system will scan and prompt to remove the garbage. However, standard cleaning often only affects the surface cache. For a deeper analysis, click on the garbage icon or go to the memory management section where you can view the memory in detail with each application.
Deep Cleaning allows you to find large files, duplicate photos and rarely used applications, and be careful when using this feature: the algorithm can flag files you still need as garbage, such as old APK installers or saved documents.
☑️ Verification by standard means
Don't rely on automated recommendations. Manually check the list of large files, often with forgotten video files or archives that can be safely moved to a computer or to the cloud.
Manual cleaning through the Explorer and folder analysis
For advanced users, the best way to deal with debris is by manually analyzing through the built-in Explorer. Go to the storage settings and click on Device Memory. Here you will see memory visualization. Click on Others or Other Files to see a folder list sorted by size.
Pay special attention to the Android/data and Android/obb folders. This is where the game and app data are stored. If you delete the game but the folder with its name is still there, delete the contents of the folder. Also check the messenger folders: WhatsApp/Media, Telegram/Telegram Images. Inside are often thousands of viewed but no longer necessary pictures and videos.
⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.apk extension unless you are sure they are installers. Some system services may use them to update components.
When manually sorting, it's useful to use date sorting to help you find old files you downloaded six months ago and forgot. Often, Others inflate firmware update files that remain at the root of internal memory after installing a new version of MIUI.
- 🔍 Size search: In Explorer sort files by decreasing size to immediately find "heavyweights».
- 📂 Download folder: Check the downloads, there are often accumulated PDF-file-installer.
- 🎵 Streaming cache: Clear the cache in the Spotify, Yandex.Music or YouTube app settings.
Clearing the cache and data messengers
Messengers are the main enemies of free memory, they store every picture sent, every voice signal and video, and in Telegram, for example, cache can take up tens of gigabytes if you don't set up automatic cleaning.
Go to the settings of a particular messenger, look for the section "Data and memory" or "Storage", where you will see the button "Clear cache" This action is safe: your correspondence and media files will remain in the cloud or in the chat, but temporary files that occupy space in the "Other" section will be deleted. For WhatsApp, the procedure is similar, but it’s also worth checking the folder. WhatsApp/Databases, backup.
MIUI has a Cache Clearing feature for each application separately. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select "heavy" app and click Clear → Clear cache. Don't confuse this with the "Clean All" button, which will reset the app to factory settings and delete your logins.
Why is the cache growing so fast?
Regularly cleaning the messenger cache is the best way to prevent overflowing memory. Set the cache autodeletion in Telegram settings, for example, every 3 days or week, this will save you from having to do it manually.
Use of third-party snails and ADB-team
If standard methods don't work, you can use specialized software. Files by Google is great at finding duplicates and junk files. A more advanced option is SD Maid, which can find orphaned files left over after deleting applications.
For power users, a cleaning method is available via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), and by connecting the phone to a computer, you can remove the system cache that is not available through the interface, which requires you to turn on the USB debugging mode in the Developer menu.
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999999This command compulsorily cuts the cache of all applications to a minimum, and be careful that once it is executed, applications can load a little longer on the first run, since they will have to recreate temporary files.
| Cleaning method | Efficiency | Security | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security Annex | Medium | Tall. | Low. |
| Hand-held through the Conductor | Tall. | Medium | Medium |
| Clearing messenger cache | Very high. | Tall. | Low. |
| ADB team | Maximum | Low (for beginners) | Tall. |
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The combination of manually cleaning Android/data folders and automatic clearing of messenger cache gives the best result without risk to the system.
Prevention and setting up of automatic cleaning
To keep the Other problem from coming back, you need to set up your smartphone to automatically service. The Security app has an Acceleration feature that you can set up to automatically start. It's also useful to turn off auto-save media in the instant messenger gallery.
In the Camera settings, select HEVC (H.265) instead of H.264. This will save high-quality video, taking up half the space. Regularly check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder, which is a hidden thumbnail folder that sometimes grows to gigabytes. It can be safely deleted, the system will create a new one the next time you open the gallery.
⚠️ Warning: Don’t use the accelerators of unknown developers from Play Market. Many of them are virus software that mines cryptocurrency in the background, even more loading the processor and memory.
Keep an eye out for MIUI or HyperOS updates. In newer firmware versions, Xiaomi engineers often fix memory leakage errors and optimize the file system. Regularly restarting your smartphone (at least once a week) also helps reset temporary system processes.
- 🔄 Regular reboot: Clears RAM and resets suspended processes.
- 📸 Format HEVC: Save space when shooting video without loss of quality.
- ☁️ Cloud galleries: Use Google Photos or Yandex.Disk with the function of freeing up space.