How to Clean “Other Files” on Xiaomi Phone: 7 Ways to Work

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners are eventually confronted with the mysterious “Other Files” category in the Storage section, which can take up 5 to 30 GB of storage, but what exactly is stored there is unclear. The system does not give direct access to this data, and standard cleaning methods often do not work. Why is this happening?

The fact is that under the "other files," MIUI hides the app cache, the temporary data, the remnants of deleted programs, the system log files, and even the update fragments, some of which are really necessary for the phone to work, but most of them are garbage that can be safely removed, the main thing is to do it correctly so that the system is not disturbed.

In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to clean “other files” on Xiaomi, including hidden methods through ADB and third-party utilities, as well as learn which files can not be touched so as not to break the smartphone, and how to prevent their re-accumulation.

1.What are “Other Files” on Xiaomi and Why Do They Take So Much Space

The Others category in the Storage menu is a collection of data that the system cannot categorize as standard (photos, videos, apps).

• 📁 Application and game cache – temporary files that programs create to speed up work, but often do not delete.
• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications – Folders and Files that Remain After Uninstallation.
• 📜 System log files – error logs, crash reports, and diagnostic information (most of them accumulate after updates) MIUI).
• 🔄 Update fragments are undeleted firmware packages that the system downloaded but did not install.
• 🎮 Game data – saves, downloaded textures, and other files that games store outside of standard folders.

For example, after upgrading MIUI 14 to HyperOS, up to 2-3 GB of unnecessary data can remain in “other files”, and if you often play Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile, the texture cache can “eat” up to 10 GB.

Why doesn't the system clean this up automatically? The thing is, MIUI (and the new HyperOS) thinks some of these files are "potentially useful" -- in case they're needed later -- but in practice, 90 percent of them are never used, they just take up space.

2. Method 1: Standard cleaning through the "Storage" (the safest method)

Start with built-in tools – they don’t require superuser rights and don’t risk the stability of the system.

Steps:

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Tap on the Others category (or Other Files in newer versions of MIUI/HyperOS).
3. The system will scan the memory and show you what data can be deleted: 🧹 Application cache (securely removed). 🗑️ Uploaded files (check if there are any important files!). 📄 Log files (you can safely clean).

"Clean it up."

⚠️ Warning: If you have folders on the list with names like com.xiaomi... or android.secure, don't manually delete them.

How much space will be available? Normally 500MB to 2GB, depending on how long you've been cleaning your phone.

Check the vacant space in the vault|Backup of important files|Close all applications|Connect your phone to charge (if the memory is almost full)-->

Method 2: Cleaning through “Security” (for MIUI and HyperOS)

The Security app (or “Security” on global firmware) has advanced cleaning tools that are not visible in the standard storage menu.

Instructions:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to the “Cleaning” or “Deep Clean” section.
3. Select “Deep Cleanup” (may be called “Advanced Cleanup”).
4. Wait for the scan. The system will show you: 🗃️ Unnecessary APK (remnants of app installers). 📂 Empty folders. 🔍 Residual files (from remote programs).

"Clean it up."

🔹 The advantage of this method is that it finds hidden files that are not visible in the standard storage menu, for example, after deleting Facebook or TikTok, there may be cache folders left behind - Security will detect them.

⚠️ Note: If you see files with the.db or.xml extension from folders in the list /data/data/ — Don't delete them manually. These are application databases, and if they're damaged, they can crash programs.

💡

After cleaning through “Security”, restart the phone – this will help the system to correctly update the data about the free space.

4. Method 3: Removing the application cache manually

Many apps (especially social media and instant messengers) don’t clean the cache automatically, and it can take up gigabytes, such as Telegram or WhatsApp, which store media files in the cache even if you’ve already viewed them.

How to clean the cache of individual applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Instagram or YouTube).
3. Put the "Storage" (or "Storage") on.
4. Click Clear Cache (not to be confused with Clear Data – this will remove all app settings!).

How to use SD Maid (the most powerful tool)

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Start and grant permissions (if there is root, activate them).
3. Go to the “CorpseFinder” section – here are the remnants of remote applications.
4. In SystemCleaner, you can delete unnecessary logs and temporary files.
5. In "AppCleaner" clears the cache of all programs.

⚠️ Attention: Apps like SD Maid with root rights can delete critical system files if not configured correctly.Do not use the Aggressive Cleanup option on Xiaomi - this can break down MIUI.

💡

Before using third-party cleaners, check reviews on Google Play – some apps (like “Clean Master”) may show false virus warnings to sell a premium version.

7. Method 6: Cleaning through ADB (for advanced users)

If you're ready to work with the command line, ADB (Android Debug Bridge) lets you delete files that are not available through standard methods. This method does not require root, but you need to debug over USB.

Steps:

1. Enable “USB Debugging” in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times, then go back to “More → For Developers”).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and install it. ADB-driver.
3. Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type: adb shell pm clear --user 0 com.android.providers.downloads pm clear --user 0 com.android.providers.media This will clear the download cache and media provider.
4. To delete log files, use: adb shell su rm -rf /data/log/* rm -rf /cache/* (su command requires root!)

What commands are safe to run without root:

• 🗃️ adb shell pm clear --user 0 [Application Packet: Clears the data of a particular application (e.g., com.facebook.katana for Facebook).
• 🧹 adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job – optimizes Dalvik cache (can release up to 1 GB).

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf without root, it won't work, but if you have superuser rights, be very careful. -rf /data/ instead /data/log/) Delete all user data.

8. Method 7: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If nothing works, and the "other files" take up tens of gigabytes, maybe there's too much garbage in the system, and it's easier to do a complete reset, and that will delete all the data, but it will put the phone back in its "clean" state.

How to reset Xiaomi without losing important data

🔹 What does the reset give:

• ✅ Deletes all unnecessary files, including hidden debris.
• ✅ Corrects system errors that may have led to the accumulation of logs.
• ✅ Returns the clean» MIUI/HyperOS without any remnants of old updates.

⚠️ Warning: After a reset, do not restore data from backups made through Titanum Backup or similar programs - they can write garbage again.

FAQ: Frequent questions about “other files” on Xiaomi