Xiaomi Redmi 9 smartphone owners often face the unpleasant situation when available space on the device disappears rapidly. Especially annoying is the appearance of the category “Other” in the memory settings, which can take up tens of gigabytes, but does not display specific files. This is the system partition, where the cache of applications, remnants of deleted programs, error logs and temporary update files accumulate. If you ignore the problem, the phone will start to work slower and new applications will stop installing.
Fortunately, the MIUI operating system that runs Redmi 9 offers flexible storage management tools. However, standard methods are not always effective against deep-seated debris. You will need a comprehensive approach, from manually cleaning messenger cache to using special commands to clean system logs. In this article, we will discuss safe ways to free up space that will help return your smartphone to performance.
Before we start taking radical measures, it's important to understand the nature of these files. Often they're not viruses, but rather the result of a device being used actively. Data caching is necessary for applications to run quickly, but over time, the volume of these files becomes unnecessarily large. Below we'll look at a step-by-step algorithm that will help you clean this partition safely.
Memory analysis through built-in tools
The first step should always be diagnostics. The built-in MIUI storage analyzer allows you to visually assess what exactly occupies space. Go to the Settings menu → About Phone → Storage. Here you will see a color diagram where the category "Other" is usually highlighted in gray or yellow. Clicking on this sector often (but not always) opens a list of files that can be deleted.
The system analyzer scans the device for duplicates, large files and long-overdue applications.This is a safe method that won't damage system files.However, it may not see the hidden cache of some social networks or the remnants of remote games. For deeper cleaning, you will need to use specialized gates such as Clean Master or the built-in Security app.
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Use the built-in Safety app once a week for prevention, but don’t rely on it entirely when cleaning up the Other category.
Notice the amount of space that apps use to communicate. Telegram and WhatsApp have a habit of saving all the media they receive into hidden folders, which the system often refers to as otherwise, and these apps have their own cache cleaning tools that work better than the system ones.
Cleaning the cache and data of leading applications
The main memory consumers in the Other category on Xiaomi Redmi 9 are social networks and instant messengers, which store thousands of thumbnails of images, voice messages and temporary files. To get to them, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the most “heavy” programs (usually YouTube, TikTok, Instagram).
Inside each app's menu, find the "Clean" button, and it's important not to confuse the two types of cleaning: "Cache Cleanup" and "Data Cleanup." The first option is safe, it will only delete temporary files. The second option will reset the app to a "post-installation" state, which will require re-authorization. Be careful when choosing an action.
- 🗑️ Cash: Temporary files that speed up downloads that can be deleted without fear.
- 📂 Data: logins, passwords, settings and saved dialogs within the application.
- 🔄 Remove updates: returns the application to the factory version installed in the firmware.
- ⚙️ Permissions: Here you can restrict the application’s access to the file system.
Pay special attention to browsers. If you’re actively using Chrome or the built-in Mi Browser, they can store gigabytes of page cache. Clearing history and cache in your browser settings often frees up 500MB to 2GB of space instantly. This is one of the easiest ways to clean up everything else on Xiaomi Redmi 9 without installing third-party software.
Using Hidden MIUI Functions to Clean Up
There are hidden tools in the MIUI shell that many users are unaware of. One is cleaning through an engineering menu or special commands, but on Redmi 9, a safer and more effective method is to use a built-in, expanded-enabled cleaner. Open the Security app, select Cleanup and click on the broom icon.
After a standard scan, click on the Deep Clean button, and the system will analyze installer packages (.apk), large files, and unused applications, often hiding the remnants of remote programs that are formally listed under the Other section, and removing these files is completely safe for system stability.
⚠️ Note: In deep cleaning, look carefully at the file list. Do not delete files with the.obb extension unless you are sure that they belong to a remote game, otherwise progress in the remaining games may be lost.
Also worth checking is the Recycle Bin folder in the gallery and file manager. Deleted photos often stay there for 30 days, continuing to take up space. In the file manager, go to the settings and select "Clean the Recycle Bin." This action is irreversible, so make sure that the desired pictures are saved in the cloud.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Manual cleaning through the file manager
For advanced users Xiaomi Redmi 9 You can manually clean it through a standard conductor. Open the Explorer app and go to the root folder of the device. You can look for folders with names of remote applications or system logs. Most often, garbage accumulates in directories. MIUI, Android/data and Android/obb.
The Android/data folder stores all the installed apps. If you delete the game but the folder with its name is still there, delete it. However, be careful: deleting the active application folders will cause them to reset or lose progress. Look for folders with names like com.whatsapp or com.instagram.android only if you want to clean these programs.
The thumbnails folder is also worth noting, and it's on the DCIM/.thumbnails path, and it's where you store thumbnails of your photos and videos, and over time, it can grow to a few gigabytes, and it can be safely deleted, and the system will recreate it the next time you open the gallery, but it will be freed instantly.
| Folder/Directory | What's stored | Can I remove it? | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCIM/.thumbnails | Photo and video miniatures | Yes, it's safe. | No (recreated) |
| Download | Uploaded files from the Internet | Selectively | High (documents, apk) |
| MIUI/debug_log | Logs of system debugging | Yes. | No. |
| Android/data | Cash and application data | Only remote apps | Medium (needs attention) |
Another hidden folder worth checking is MIUI/gallery/cloud. If you don't use the Xiaomi cloud, there may be erroneously saved copies here.
Cleaning through ADB (for advanced users)
If standard methods don't work, you can use USB debugging. This method requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and installing ADB drivers. It allows you to remove system debris that is not visible to the average user. First, you need to activate the developer mode: seven times click on the build number in the About Phone menu.
Once you have USB debugging enabled (Settings → Advanced Settings → Developers → USB debugging), connect your phone to your PC. You can use the command line to clear the cache of all applications at once. This is a more radical method than manual cleaning, but it's very effective against the "Other" category.
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999This command forcibly trims the cache of all applications to a minimum, and you can also use the command to delete temporary files:
adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Incorrect commands can cause system files to be deleted and your smartphone to fail. Use this method only if you are confident in your actions.
How to enable USB debugging on Redmi 9?
After completing the commands, it is recommended to restart the device, you will notice that the amount of memory occupied has decreased, and the system has become more responsive, which is especially useful when the Other takes up more than 10 GB and does not decrease after a normal cleaning.
Cardinal measures: Reset to factory settings
When nothing helps and the Other category continues to grow, occupying a critical volume, the last proven method is a full reset, which is guaranteed to remove all debris, file system errors and unnecessary logs.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The process will take a few minutes. Once turned on, you will get a clean Xiaomi Redmi 9, as if just from the store. The Other category will be minimal, taking up only a few hundred megabytes necessary for the system to work.
- 📱 Save your contacts to your Google or Mi Account.
- 📸 Copy photos and videos to your computer or cloud storage.
- 📝 Write down passwords from important apps if you don’t remember them by heart.
- 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 60% before the procedure begins.
After you reset, don't rush to install all the apps at once. Try using a clean system for a couple of days. Often it turns out that the problem was in one particular application you accidentally installed earlier. Install the programs gradually, tracking memory growth.
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A full reset is a 100% guarantee of getting rid of the bloated “Other” section, but it takes time to restore data and configure the smartphone again.
Prevention of memory overflow
To keep the problem from returning in a month, you need to adopt a regular digital space hygiene habit: don't wait for a space shortage notification. Check the Downloads folder every two weeks and delete unnecessary APK files and documents. Automate the process by setting up a cleanup in the Security app on schedule.
Use cloud technology. Enable photo sync with Google Photos or Mi Cloud with Free Space. This will remove the original images from the device, leaving them available in the cloud. For Redmi 9, with its limited internal storage, this is a critical feature.
Also keep an eye out for system updates. Newer versions of MIUI often fix bugs that cause memory misrepresentations or system logs to sprawl. Update your phone when new stable firmware versions appear.