Xiaomi's 'other' in memory eats gigabytes? sorts out and cleans correctly

You open up your memory settings on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, and suddenly you see, the Other partition takes 10, 20, maybe 30 GB! What are these mysterious files? Why are they not deleted by standard means? And most importantly, how do you make space without breaking your phone?

In this article, we will look at what’s hidden under the Other in Xiaomi’s memory, why this partition is growing by leaps and bounds, and what files can be deleted without risk. You’ll get step-by-step instructions for different versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), and what apps will help automate cleaning. Without the magic buttons and dangerous tips, only proven methods.

Spoiler: 80 percent of the time, app cache, update residues, and Google Play Services trash are to blame, but there are less obvious reasons, and we'll talk about them.

What is the Other in Xiaomi’s Memory and Why Does It Take So Much Space?

The “Other” section of MIUI is a container for files that the system cannot categorize as standard (photos, videos, apps, etc.) and includes:

• 🗑️ Application cache – temporary files that programs create to speed up work, but often do not delete.
• 📦 Update residues – firmware packages, application updates and data OTA, which have not been cleaned after installation.
• 🔄 Logs and dumps are debugging files that the system creates when crashes (especially relevant for beta versions). MIUI).
• 📱 Virtual machine data - artifacts from ART/Dalvik (Android application execution system).
• 🌐 Garbage from Google Play Services – cache of maps, service updates and other background processes.

Why is this partition growing? The fact is that MIUI (especially versions 12-14) doesn't always clean temporary files correctly. For example, after a firmware update, a packet with a new version can stay in memory, taking up 1-3 GB, even though the system no longer uses it. The same thing happens with a YouTube cache, Telegram or Google Maps, they accumulate gigabytes of data, but they don't show it in the standard file manager.

Another reason is memory fragmentation, and over time, files break down into smaller pieces, and the system loses control of them, dumping everything into the Other, which is especially noticeable on eMMC-drive phones (like Redmi 9A or POCO M3), where fragmentation happens faster than on UFS.

How to check what exactly ranks in the “Other” section

Before you clean, you need to understand which files are eating up memory. The standard MIUI file manager only shows the total volume, so you'll have to use third-party tools.

The best applications for analysis:

• 🔍 Files by Google -- shows hidden files and sorts them by size. Free, no ads.
• 📊 Storage Analyzer – Details by file type (cache, APK, logs, etc.).
• 🛠️ SD Maid (paid) – finds garbage, duplicates and remnants of deleted applications.

Analysis instructions:

1. Install Files by Google from the Play Market.
2. Open the application and go to the “Clean up” section → “Memory Analysis”.
3. Wait for the scan (may take 5-10 minutes).
4. Look at the categories “Cash”, “Residues”, “Big Files” – these are usually the “Other”.

If you see files with extensions like.log,.tmp,.bak, or folders like /data/log, /cache, you can delete them, but you have to be careful with files in /system or /vendor.

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If the Other is more than 10GB, but the analyzer apps only show 1-2GB of garbage, the problem may be hidden partitions of the firmware, in which case only resetting to factory settings (more on this below) will help.

Method 1: Cleaning the cache of applications (the safest method)

Let's start with the most innocuous thing, which is cache removal, which doesn't affect user data, and it doesn't require root rights.

How to clean the cache of all applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Sort by size."
3. Open each major app (e.g. Facebook, Telegram, Google Play Services) and click Clear Cache.
4. For mass cleaning, use Settings → Memory → Clean (in some versions of MIUI this option is hidden).

Pay particular attention to:

• 📱 Google Play Services – can take up to 500 MB-1 GB of cache.
• 🎵 Musical apps (Spotify, Yandex Music) – caching songs.
• 🗺️ Maps (Google Maps, 2GIS) – store offline data.

If after cleaning the cache, the "Other" section has not decreased, proceed to the next method.

Method 2: Remove update and temporary files

Xiaomi (like other manufacturers) often leaves junk files after updates that are not automatically deleted.

• 📦 folder /cache temporally.
• 📂 folder /data/ota_package — Here are the downloaded firmwares.
• 🗃️ Files with.zip or.tmp extension at the root of memory.

How to remove them:

1. Open a Explorer (e.g., Mi File Manager or Files by Google).
2. Enable the display of hidden files (in Mi File Manager: triple dot → “Show hidden files”).
3. Go to the folders: /cache /data/ota_package /download/rom Remove all of their contents (if the folders are empty – good, then there is no garbage).
4. Reboot the phone.

Note: Do not delete files in /system, /vendor or /boot folders! this may cause the phone to fail.

If you updated your phone through MIUI Updater, check the /sdcard/MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder, which may contain several gigabytes of firmware backups.

Method 3: Reset the partition cache (wipe cache partition)

If standard cleaning didn’t work, try resetting the recovery partition cache, which doesn’t affect user data, but requires a reboot to Recovery Mode.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select the language (if you have a choice), then: Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache → Confirm
4. After cleaning, restart the phone (Reboot → System).

This method is particularly effective if:

• 📱 The phone stopped after the update.
• 🔄 In the “Other” appeared a lot of space suddenly (for example, after installing a major update).
• 🚨 Apps are crashed with the error “Not enough memory».

If the “Other” section has decreased after the cache is reset, but has not completely disappeared, move on to more radical methods.

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Wipe cache partition is not a factory reset; it only deletes temporary system files without affecting your photos, contacts or apps.

Method 4: Remove Unnecessary Language Packs and System Applications

MIUI defaults to install language packs for all regions, even if you use only Russian, which can take up to 500MB-1GB in the Other section, and includes pre-installed applications that cannot be removed by standard means.

How to clean:

1. Install ADB on your computer (instruction below).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute commands: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analogclock pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.bugreport pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.compass (replace packet names with apps you don't need).
3. To remove language packs, use: adb shell cmd overlay list Find unnecessary localizations (e.g. ar for Arabic) and delete them: adb shell cmd overlay disable com.android.i18n.ar

List of safe to remove MIUI system applications:

Note: Do not delete packages with the names com.android, com.google or com.qualcomm – this can cause your phone to fail!

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Before removing system applications via ADB, back up the packet list with the adb shell pm list packages > packages.txt command. This will help restore the deleted ones if something goes wrong.

Method 5: Complete factory reset (last chance)

If none of these methods worked, and the Other still takes tens of gigabytes, all that remains is factory reset, which is a radical method, but it's guaranteed to clean up all the hidden files.

How to Reset Your Phone Right:

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data”.
4. If your phone is slowing down, use Recovery Mode: Wipe & Reset → Wipe All Data → Confirm

After discharge:

• 🔄 Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It may contain the same garbage.
• 📱 Transfer files selectively (photos, videos), not the entire backup.
• 🚫 Don’t install all apps at once – check how your memory behaves after you install each.

Critical information: If the Other section is quickly refilled after a reset, the problem may be hardware wear and tear (especially on phones older than 3 years), in which case only replacing the drive will help.

How to prevent the “Other” section from being refilled

To prevent the problem from returning, follow these rules:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 weeks).
• 📱 Turn off auto-update apps in the Play Market (or limit it to Wi-Fi only).
• 🗑️ Use the "Lite" versions of applications (Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite).
• 📂 Don’t store files at the root of memory – use folders DCIM, Download etc.
• 🔄 Update the firmware - in new versions MIUI HyperOS improved garbage cleaning.

We also recommend installing a memory monitoring app, for example:

• 📊 Storage Analyzer – shows the dynamics of the occupied place.
• 🛠️ SD Maid – automatically cleans the garbage on schedule.
• 🔍 Files by Google – Notifies you of large, unnecessary files.

If you notice that Other grows after you install a particular app (like TikTok or PUBG Mobile), limit its background activity in your battery settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi’s “Other” section