Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 series has proven to be reliable, but over time, even the most powerful device is beginning to experience a lack of free space. Users often face the frightening situation when a “other” partition that occupies gigabytes of valuable memory suddenly appears in storage, a phenomenon especially relevant for models with 32 or 64 gigabytes of internal storage, where every megabyte is in the account.
The Others section is a system category that accumulates data that is not included in standard groups like Photos, Videos, or Applications, which can include temporary update files, messenger cache, remnants of remote programs, and system logs. Ignoring overflows of this section can lead to a significant slowdown of the MIUI operating system and the inability to install new applications.
In this article, we will take a closer look at secure cleaning methods that won’t harm your personal data, and we’ll look at both the built-in system tools and more advanced ways through file managers. It is important to understand that blindly deleting files can lead to crashes, so the “Other” category on Xiaomi often contains data from the user’s website. OTA-Updates that can only be removed after a new firmware version has been successfully installed.
Analysis of the contents of the “Other” folder
Before you start taking drastic measures, you need to understand what exactly occupies space on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Android system does not always correctly classify files created by different applications, especially if they have custom extensions.
For deep analysis, we recommend using the built-in storage analyzer. Go to Settings → Memory and wait for the scan to finish. The system will show an approximate distribution, but for detail, you better use the file manager.
- 📁 Application cache – temporary data that speeds up the work of programs, but grows to giant sizes.
- 📦 Remains of remote APK-Files – installation packages that often remain after software updates.
- 📝 System Logs – Error and Process Reports Useful Only to Developers.
- 🎵 Media files of messengers – photos and videos from WhatsApp or Telegram, which the system did not recognize as a gallery.
Special attention should be paid to the MIUI folder at the root of internal memory, which is where heavy files of the themes and screenshots of the lock screen are often hidden, which the system attributes to other things.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The safest and easiest way to clean up for the average user is to use the regular Security app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi devices and optimized for working with the MIUI file system. Launch the application and select Clean up.
After scanning, the system will suggest removing the obvious debris, but to work with the "Other" section, you need to click on the "Clean" button at the bottom of the screen or select "Deep Clean", and here the algorithm will suggest removing large files and duplicates.
☑️ Checklist of safe cleaning through the Security app
Don’t rely on automatic mode alone. Large Files often show important documents or archives you created before, and carefully review the list before confirming deletion.
⚠️ Attention: The “Acceleration” function in the Security application can force the background processes to close, which sometimes leads to resetting authorization in banking applications or loss of unsaved data in open docums Regular use of this tool helps to keep the system in good shape. However, really deep cleaning of hidden "Other" folders often requires more advanced methods, which we will discuss later: Manual cleaning through the file manager For more point-based work, you will need access to the file system. Standard Conductor or Alternative File Manager+ You can go to the root of the internal memory and notice the folders with a dot at the beginning of the name, which are hidden by default. You'll need the folders.thumbnails and.Temp. This is where gigabytes of garbage can accumulate, which the system attributes to "Other." /MIUI/debug_log System debugging logs Safe /Android/data Cash and application data Careful (cache only) /Tencent/MicroMsg WeChat messenger files selectively /SystemUpdate Firmware update files Safe after update When deleting files from folder Android/data Only delete the contents of the cache subfolders, but do not touch the database files, otherwise the application may lose all settings or progress. If the system writes “File is busy” or “No access rights”, then the process that created this file is active. Restart your phone to Safe Mode or use it ADB-Often, the huge volume of the “Other” section is formed by the sprawling cache of specific “heavy” applications. The leaders here are traditionally browsers, social networks and navigators. Cleaning through the settings of each application gives a more predictable result than a total clean. → Annexes → All apps. Find the app you use most often (like Chrome, Instagram or YouTube) and click on it and select Memory». 🚀 Click the “Clear Cache” button – this will delete temporary files without losing logins. 🗑️ The “Clean All” or “Delete Data” button will reset the application to the state immediately after installation. 📉 Check the size of the messenger cache — Telegram and Viber cache can be cleaned right inside the application in the section "Data and memory." After cleaning the cache of heavy applications, restart the device. This will allow the Android system to recalculate the occupied volume and correctly update the statistics of the storage. 💡In Telegram, use the built-in Memory Use feature in your settings to set up automatic cache cleanup every 3 days, which will prevent the Other partition from growing in the future. When you delete an application in the standard way, its “tails” often remain in memory – empty folders, configuration files and error logs. On Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 with its not the fastest eMMC memory, these residues can significantly affect the speed of writing new data. To find such files, it is convenient to use specialized analyzer utilities, such as DiskUsage or SD Maid. They visualize the storage as a map, where you can see which folders are taking up space, even if they're hidden. Find folders with names of games or services that have been deleted. Often they lie at the root of internal memory or in a folder. Android/obb. Removing these directories is completely secure if you are sure the app is no longer needed. ⚠️ Note: Before deleting folders with game or service names, make sure you do not delete your Google Play Game account details if you want to save your achievements. Regularly checking for such “orphan” files should become a habit, especially if you like to test new apps from Google Play. Use of the ADB For users who are not afraid of the command line, there is the most effective method - the use of debugging by USB tool ADB (Android Debug Bridge. This is a way to remove system debris that is not available even by root rights in normal mode. First, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → The telephone and 7 Once you quickly click on the assembly number MIUI. Then in the menu "For developers" include "Debugging by" USB». Connect your phone to your computer and execute a command to clear the system cache: adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999 This command forcibly trims the cache of all applications to a minimum, freeing up space in the "Other" section. You can also use the command adb shell rm. -rf /data/local/tmp/* clean up temporary debugging files. 💡Use of the ADB-Trim-caches commands are the safest way to free up space in the system partition without the risk of deleting personal photos or contacts. Once you complete the commands, be sure to restart the device. The system will recalculate the file indexes, and you will notice a significant increase in free space. Memory overflow prevention To prevent the problem from returning to your Redmi Note 5, It's important to maintain digital hygiene, keep your memory from filling up, keep it at a minimum. 10-15% Set up automatic cleaning in garbage applications, but use them with caution. It is better to set up automatic upload of photos and videos to cloud storage, such as Google Photos or Yandex.Disk, followed by deleting local copies. 📅 Once a month, audit installed applications and remove unnecessary. 🔄 Regularly update the firmware – new versions MIUI Often include optimization of memory. 📵 Turn off auto-save statuses and media in instant messengers if you don't need them all the time. Adherence to these simple rules will prolong your smartphone's life and ensure a stable interface speed. Can you completely delete the "Other" section? You can't completely delete the category, because it's the system part of the Android file system, but you can minimize it to a few megabytes by clearing the cache and temporary files. Android/data? You can only delete the contents of the cache folders inside this directory. Deleting other files can cause you to reset your app settings or lose progress in games. Why the volume of Others doesn't decrease immediately after cleaning? It takes time to recalculate file indices. Some processes can create new temporary files instantly. Try restarting the device after cleaning. Do you need deep-cleaning Root rights? Most of the methods described do not require root rights. Accessing system partitions through ADB or a standard file manager solves 95% of memory problems.