How to Clean Up “Other” on Xiaomi Redmi 4: A Complete Guide to Hidden Techniques

The mysterious “Other” section in Xiaomi Redmi 4 memory is a headache for many users. It takes up gigabytes of space, but it is unclear what exactly is stored there and how to remove it without harming the system. If your smartphone shows that only 2-3 GB of memory is free of 16 GB, and the rest is occupied by “Other”, this article will help to understand the reasons and return precious megabytes.

Redmi 4

4X

4A

MIUI

Redmi 4

We tested 7 ways to clean the Other, from standard MIUI tools to hidden features and third-party utilities, no root rights or risky manipulations: only safe and proven methods.

Why is the Other taking up so much space on Redmi 4?

The MIUI “Others” section is a landfill for files that the system cannot categorize (photos, videos, applications) and includes:

• 🗑️ Application cache and systems – temporary data that should be automatically deleted, but often stays hanging for years.
• 📄 Log files and dumps are error reports that MIUI It creates when crashes (especially if the smartphone has ever “hanged»).
• 🔄 Residual files from remote applications – folders, settings, and databases that have not been completely erased.
• 📱 System Updates – downloaded but not installed packages MIUI, which take up to 1-2 GB.
• 🔍 Dalvik-cache files – optimized data to speed up applications (removed only via Recovery).

On Redmi 4, two factors exacerbate the problem:

1. Small storage: 16GB is fast to clog, especially when using a smartphone as a camera or music storage.
2. Obsolete version of MIUI: Redmi 4’s latest official firmware is MIUI 11 (Android 7.1), where automatic cleaning mechanisms are worse than newer versions.

⚠️ Note: If the Others partition is more than 5GB, this may indicate a system failure or virus infection, in which case it is recommended to make a full reset after backing up the data.

Method 1: Clearing the cache through MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It does not require installing third-party applications and is suitable for beginners.

How to clear the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Sort by size.
3. Open each application from the top of the list (where a large cache volume is indicated) and click Clear cache.
4. For system applications (like Google Play Services or MIUI Daemon), use the Clear Data button – but beware: this will reset the app’s settings.

Pay particular attention to:

• 📱 Google Chrome / MIUI Browser – Web page cache can take up to 500MB.
• 📷 Gallery – miniatures and temporary files.
• 🎵 Music / Video - streaming cache.
• 📱 Facebook/Instagram – Social Media is Actively Cacheting Content.

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear the cache for Settings, Phone, or Messages applications – this can cause basic functions to malfunction.

Method 2: Delete unnecessary files through Storage

MIUI has a built-in memory analyzer that helps you find and remove garbage, but it doesn't always show all the files in the Others section.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Wait for the analysis to be completed (it may take 1-2 minutes).
3. Slip on the "Other" section (or "Other", depending on the version of MIUI).
4. The system will show file categories: select Unnecessary Files, Large Files or Downloads.
5. Tick the unnecessary files and click Delete.

What can be safely removed:

If you see files on the list with the.apk or.obb extension, these are the remnants of deleted applications or their data, and you can delete them, but check first if they are related to the games you plan to reinstall.

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After cleaning, restart the smartphone - this will allow the system to recalculate the occupied space and free the cache completely.

Method 3: Hidden cleaning through an engineering menu

Few people know, but Redmi 4 has a hidden engineering menu that allows you to remove system debris that is not available through standard settings, a method that requires caution, but is effective at freeing up 1-3 GB of memory.

How to open the engineering menu:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code ##4636##.
2. In the menu, select Storage.
3. Slip on Cache and confirm the cleanup.
4. Go back to the main menu and select Usage statistics → Clear app data.

What this method does:

• 🧹 Remove system cache that is not cleared through standard settings.
• 🗑️ Resets data about the use of applications (this does not delete the applications themselves, but only their statistics).
• 🔄 Restarts the memory management service, which helps to “recalculate” the “Other” section».

⚠️ Note: Do not change other options in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose. Incorrect settings can lead to network failures or network failures. GPS.

Method 4: Clean Dalvik-cache and Residual Files with Recovery

The Dalvik-cache partition is one of the main memory eaters in Prochem, which contains optimized versions of applications to speed up their work, but over time grows to gigabytes, and you can only delete it through Recovery.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn off Redmi 4.
2. Press the Volume Up + Power buttons and hold for 10-15 seconds until the MIUI logo and Recovery menu appear.
3. Use volume buttons for navigation and power button for selection.
4. Select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (this will clear the app cache).
5. Then, select Advanced Wipe → Dalvik Cache and confirm the deletion.
6. Reboot your smartphone (Reboot → System)

What this method does:

• 🚀 Frees up to 1-1.5 GB of memory (depending on the number of installed applications).
• 🔄 Eliminates lags and hangings caused by overcrowded cache.
• 📱 Does not delete user data (photos, videos, messages).

⚠️ Warning: Do not choose Wipe Data, this will result in a complete reset of the smartphone! Also do not interrupt the cleaning process (may take 2-5 minutes).

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Cleaning with Recovery is the most effective way to remove Dalvik-cache, but requires a reboot and takes longer than standard methods.

Method 5: Use of third-party utilities (without root)

If the standard methods didn't work, you can use third-party applications. We tested 3 utilities that work safely on Redmi 4 without root rights:

How to use Files by Google:

1. Install and open the application.
2. Go to the "Cleaning" tab.
3. Click "Free space" and wait for analysis.
4. Select file categories to delete (e.g., “Unnecessary Files” or “Large Files”).
5. Confirm the cleanup.

SD Maid is more advanced - it finds:

• 🗑️ Empty folders left after deleting applications.
• 📁 Duplicate files (e.g., same photos in different folders).
• 🔍 Zero-sized files that take up space in the file system.

⚠️ Note: Do not use the “deep cleaning” or “optimization” features in these apps – on Redmi 4, they can cause crashes due to an outdated version of Android.

Method 6: Manually clean folders through file manager

If you're willing to dig through system folders, you can manually remove debris that isn't visible by standard tools, and any file manager with access to root directories (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer) will do.

Which folders can be cleaned:

• 📁 /data/local/tmp — temporary files of system processes.
• 📁 /cache — system cache (analogous to cleaning through Recovery, but without restarting).
• 📁 /data/log — Log files (you can delete all contents).
• 📁 /sdcard/Download — old browser downloads.
• 📁 /sdcard/MIUI/backup — backup MIUI, unless you've created them.

How to clean:

1. Open the file manager and enable the display of hidden files (in the settings).
2. Go to /data or /sdcard (internal memory) folder.
3. Remove the contents of the folders from the list above (but not the folders themselves!).
4. Reboot your smartphone.

What can't be removed:

• 🚫 Folders. /system, /vendor, /boot — It's going to crash the system.
• 🚫 Files with.odex or.apk extension /system/app.
• 🚫 folder /data/data — This is where the application data is stored (deleting will result in their resetting).

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Before manually cleaning, back up important folders (e.g. /sdcard/DCIM with a photo) to your computer or cloud.

Method 7: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all previous methods failed, and the Other still takes 4+GB, the last option is Factory Reset, a radical method, but it is guaranteed to clear all unnecessary files.

How to reset:

1. Save important data (photos, contacts, messages) to your computer or to the cloud.
2. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset.
3. Select Settings Reset.
4. Check to clear your internal memory (optional if you want to erase everything, including photos and music).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 5-10 minutes).

What happens after the dump:

• 📱 All applications and their data will be deleted.
• 📷 Photos, videos and downloads will remain if you do not note Clear internal memory.
• 🔄 The smartphone will return to the state of “out of the box”, but will be updated to the latest installed version MIUI.

⚠️ Warning: Redmi 4 can be on for up to 15 minutes after reset, which is normal!

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Resetting to factory settings is the only way to remove all system residual files, but requires a complete reinstallation of applications and settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up "Other" on Redmi 4