How to Clean Others on Xiaomi Redmi 3: Full Instructions

Owners of the popular budget smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 3 often face an unpleasant situation when the available memory of the device is running out, especially annoying the appearance of the “Other” partition, which can take up gigabytes of space, while remaining a mystery to the average user. This partition is a collection of system logs, temporary application files, residual data after deleted programs and a cache of updates that the system cannot automatically classify.

Understanding the nature of this data is critical, as blindly deleting system files can lead to unstable operation of the MIUI operating system. Unlike photos or music, the contents of the Other folder are often hidden from the user's eyes in a standard file manager, which requires the use of specific cleaning methods.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the secure algorithms for freeing up space on your Redmi 3. You will learn how to use built-in system tools, third-party utilities and manual methods through the computer. The main thing is to act consistently and understand which files can be deleted without risking the functionality of the gadget.

The Nature of the Others Section in MIUI

The MIUI's Others is not just a storage of forgotten files, but a complex system mechanism, including firmware update archives that didn't automatically delete after installation, and messenger databases that the system doesn't recognize as media files, often bloated by bugs in applications that create temporary copies of files and forget to delete them.

It is important to distinguish between system cache and user data. If you are actively using a navigator or streaming service, offline maps and buffered video can occupy a significant part of the Other.

⚠️ Warning: Before you start deep cleaning, be sure to back up important contacts and messages. Some cleaning methods may affect application authorization data.

Content analysis shows that the lion’s share of garbage is generated in folders MIUI/debug_log and Android/data. This is where error reports and temporary program files accumulate. Understanding the structure of the Android file system helps you effectively fight for every megabyte of free memory.

Built-in cleaning tools for the system

The first and safest step is to use the regular “Security” app preinstalled on Xiaomi Redmi 3, a tool designed by the company’s engineers specifically to optimize the operation of the MIUI shell and can safely remove obvious debris. Launch the application, select “Clean up” and wait for the scan to be completed.

The system will prompt you to delete temporary files, deleted app residues, and advertising debris. However, the standard mode often skips large files in the Others section. For more in-depth analysis, click on the Recycle Bin icon or go to the enhanced cleaner settings, where you can find the categories Big Files or Recent, which often hide heavy but unnecessary data.

Don't ignore Deep Clean, which analyzes the contents of social media folders. WhatsApp or Telegram cache can take several gigabytes, and a standard cleaner can work with it. Regular use of these tools prevents critical memory and interface brakes from filling up.

Manual cleaning through the file manager

For advanced users, you can manually clean through a standard conductor. Open the Explorer app and go to the root of internal memory. You need to find the folder. MIUI, And inside — debug_log. This is where debugging logs are stored, which are written permanently by default and take up a lot of space.

Inside this directory, you can safely delete all files. If the system requests permission confirmation or warns about system files, agree, since the logs are the contents of this folder. After cleaning, the volume of the "Other" partition should decrease significantly.

⚠️ Warning: Never delete.apk files from system folders unless you are sure of their origin.

Also worth checking is the Download folder, which often leaves users forgetting about downloaded app installers, archives, and documents, which the system also lists as "other," and sorting files by size will help them quickly find the heavyweights occupying the space.

Use of third-party snails for analysis

If built-in tools are not enough, Google Play will come to the rescue, with DiskUsage or Storage Analyzer being the leader, visualizing the file system as a diagram, allowing you to instantly see which file or folder takes up the most space.

These tools require caution, and visualizations will show you the exact path to a gigabyte file, which can be a forgotten movie, an application-specific error log, or a card cache, and the deletion is done directly from the program interface.

However, it is worth remembering that third-party cleaners may request excessive permissions, use only proven high-rated applications, and do not install “antivirus” and “accelerators” from unknown developers, as they can become a source of garbage themselves.

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Tip: After installing DiskUsage, take a screenshot of the chart to remember the location of large files before deleting them.

Cleaning up the cache of leading apps

Often, the bulk of Others is formed by the 2-3 apps you use most. In the case of Redmi 3, these are usually social networks and instant messengers. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Sort the list by memory size.

Select a leader app (like Viber or Instagram) and click Clear Cache. It is important not to confuse it with Clear Everything or Erase Data, as this will delete your correspondence and logins. Cache is temporary files, their deletion is safe.

For some applications, such as Telegram, the built-in cleanup works better than the system one. Go to the settings of the messenger itself, the Data and Memory section, and use the Memory Use feature, where you can set up auto-delete media files so that the problem does not return.

⚠️ Warning: Clearing the application data (not the cache) will result in your account being logged out.Make sure to remember the password before performing this procedure.

Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing

If the Other partition continues to grow even after all the cleanups, there may be critical errors or damage to memory sectors in the file system, in which case the only effective solution is a complete reset to the factory settings (Wipe & Reset).

Before you do that, you need to save all your important photos, contacts, and documents to your computer or to the cloud, and the reset process will remove all the contents of your internal memory, returning your phone to a store-like state, and that's guaranteed to clear the "Other" section to zero.

Settings → About the phone → Reset settings → Erase everything

After reset, don't restore the app backup immediately. Install only what you need and observe the system behavior. If the Other starts to grow rapidly again, the problem could be a particular application or a malfunction of the eMMC drive itself on the smartphone board.

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A complete reset is a last resort, but often the only one that can completely eliminate the software errors of the MIUI system.

Prevention of memory overflow

To keep the problem from returning, change your smartphone usage habits, check your download folder regularly, delete any unnecessary files, and turn off automatic media saving from messengers to the gallery if you don’t need it.

Use cloud services to store photos and videos. Xiaomi Cloud, Google Photos or Yandex.Disk allow you to store media files remotely, freeing up space on your device. Set up automatic synchization and subsequent deletion from your device is the best way to keep Redmi 3 clean.

It is also recommended to reboot the smartphone once a month, which helps the system to correctly complete background processes and clear temporary buffers that can remain in RAM and permanent memory.