How to Free the “Other” folder on Xiaomi smartphones: the complete guide

The Other folder in Xiaomi’s smartphone storage is a real black hole for free space, which can take anywhere from 5GB to 30GB, but users rarely understand what is stored there. Unlike photos or music, the contents of this folder are not displayed in the gallery or file manager, which makes it difficult to clean it. In this article, we will understand why the Other grows, what files are hidden there, and how to safely delete them without risk to the system.

The problem is relevant for all Xiaomi models, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 14. Even after resetting to the factory settings, the folder can again fill up - this is due to the peculiarities of MIUI and Android. We tested all methods on devices with MIUI 12-14 and identified those that give maximum effect without using root rights.

What is the “Other” folder and why does it take up so much space?

In the Android operating system (and its MIUI shell), the Other folder** is a collection container for files that do not fall into the standard categories: photos, videos, audio or documents.

• 🗑️ Application cache – temporary files that are created to speed up the operation of programs (for example, thumbnails in the gallery or data from messengers).
• 📦 Residual files after deleting applications (incorrectly erased data, settings, log files).
• 🔧 System logs and dumps are error reports that MIUI collect.
• 🎮 Game data – saves, texture packs, Unity cache or Unreal Engine.
• 📱 Update files – undeleted firmware or application update packages.

Xiaomi is a big part of the feature, which is that it uses caching to optimize performance, for example, when watching videos on YouTube or TikTok, temporary files can take up to 1-2 GB per day, and MIUI does not always properly clean them after the application is closed.

Another reason for the folder to grow is file duplication, such as photos from messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) can be stored in the download folder, in the app cache, and in the system storage /data/media/0.

Method 1: Clearing the application cache through settings

The safest and fastest method is to remove cache for individual applications, which does not affect personal data (messages, accounts, settings), but can free up from 1 GB to 10 GB.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select “Sort by size”**.
3. View the list: usually most of the space is occupied by YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, games (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile).
4. Select the application → Storage → Clear the cache.

To speed up the process, you can use a cache-sized filter, for example, sort applications by cache and delete data for those that are larger than 100 MB.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache for Google Play Services, MIUI System or Android System – this can cause malfunctions in the smartphone.

Method 2: Delete residual files with a file manager

Many files in the Other folder** are stored in hidden directories that don’t appear in a standard Explorer, and you’ll need a file manager with access to root folders like Mi File Manager (embedded) or Solid Explorer to see them.

Where to look for garbage:

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ — here are stored application data (cache, settings, downloads).
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/ — Game files (can be deleted if the game is deleted).
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Download/ — Old downloads, duplicate photos.
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — photo and video miniatures.

Cleaning algorithm:

1. Open Mi File Manager → tap three lines in the top left corner → select Internal Memory.
2. Enable the display of hidden files (in the manager settings).
3. Go to the folders from the list above and delete unnecessary files (e.g. old APKs, duplicate images).

💡

Before deleting files from your Android/data folder, check if the app is being used, and if so, the cache will be recreated.

Method 3: Using the built-in MIUI cleaner

MIUI has a built-in garbage cleanup tool called Optimization.** It analyzes the system and suggests removing unnecessary files, including cache, residual data and duplicates.

How to start:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on “Clean” (or “Optimize” in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Wait for the analysis (may take 1-3 minutes).
4. Select the categories for cleaning: “Cash”, “Residual files”, “Duplicates”**.

The advantage of this method is security: the system will not offer to delete critical files, but the efficiency is lower than in manual cleaning: usually freed up to 1-3 GB.

Method 4: Remove system logs and dumps (for power users)

MIUI maintains detailed logs that take up gigabytes over time, and these files are only for debugging and diagnostics, so they can be deleted without consequences, but this will require access to hidden system folders.

Instructions:

1. Install a root file manager (like Root Explorer) or use ADB.
2. Go to /data/log/ or /data/tombstones/ (there are error dumps).
3. Delete all files with the extensions.log,.tombstone,.trace.

If you don’t have root rights, you can try to delete logs via ADB (Android Debug Bridge):

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*




rm -rf /data/tombstones/*




exit

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /data/ If you don't have root rights, you can crash your system.

💡

System logs take up to 5GB, but cleaning them requires root rights or ADB. Without experience, it is better to use other methods.

Method 5: Reset the partition cache (wipe cache partition)

If the folder “Other”** is filled due to system failures, reset the cache of the cache section will help.This will not delete personal data, but will clear temporary files that may interfere with the operation of the smartphone.

How to do this:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

This method is especially useful if the smartphone is slowing down or overheating frequently, and after resetting the partition cache, MIUI will reassemble temporary files, which can reduce the size of the Other folder by 2 to 5 GB.

Method 6: Transfer data to a memory card or cloud

If the Other folder is filled because of a large number of application cache (for example, Google Maps, Spotify), you can transfer some of the data to a microSD or cloud storage (Google Drive, Mi Cloud).

How to transfer the cache to the memory card:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Select an app (e.g. Spotify) → Storage → Change.
3. Specify microSD as the cache storage location.

For cloud storage:

• 📁 Set up automatic upload of photos in Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 🎵 Transfer your music and documents to Google Drive or Yandex Drive.

Important: Some apps (like WhatsApp) don’t support transferring cache to a memory card, in which case only manual cleaning will help.

Method 7: Complete resetting of settings (last resort)

If none of the methods worked, and the Other folder still takes tens of gigabytes, the last resort is a factory reset, which will delete all the data, including apps, photos and settings, so back up first.

Instructions:

1. Save important files to your PC or the cloud.
2. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.

Once reset, the Other folder will be empty, but it will eventually start filling again. To avoid this, clean the cache regularly and monitor the downloads.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro) may require re-assignment of the Mi Account to unlock after resetting.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the folder “Other” on Xiaomi