How to Clean “Other Files” on Xiaomi Redmi 7A: 7 Proven Ways

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 7A sooner or later face a problem: the phone’s memory is filled with mysterious “other files” that take up gigabytes, but are not deleted by standard methods. These files are a mixture of app cache, temporary data, remnants of deleted programs and system debris. Unlike photos or videos, they can not be simply selected and erased: they are hidden in the depths of the MIUI file system.

The main difficulty is that the system does not show what exactly belongs to “other files.” In the storage menu, you see only the total volume (sometimes up to 10-15 GB!), but not the composition. While clearing the cache through the settings only helps in part: many files remain intact. In this article, 7 working methods for finding and removing this garbage on the Redmi 7A without root rights and resetting to factory settings.

What are “Other Files” and Why Do They Take So Much Space?

The term “other files” is a MIUI-specific designation for data that the system cannot categorize as standard (photo, video, audio, documents).

🗑️ Application cache – temporary files that programs create to speed up work (for example, thumbnails of images in a gallery or downloaded pages in a browser).
📦 Remnants of remote applications – folders and files that remain after uninstallation of programs (especially often this happens with games and social networks).
🔄 Logs and dumps are error report files that Android creates for diagnostics (can weigh hundreds of megabytes).
📁 Hidden folders – for example,.thumbnails (miniatures),.data (application settings) or Android/obb (play-off).

On Redmi 7A, with its modest 16-32GB of storage, these files become a critical problem, for example, after a year of use, “other files” can take up to 30-40% of the total storage, although the user did not save anything consciously, due to aggressive caching of MIUI and the peculiarities of Android 9 Pie, which released Redmi 7A.

⚠️ Note: Do not confuse "other files" with system data (section) /system). The latter can't be deleted without root rights, which will lead to system failure. /data and /sdcard.

Method 1: Clearing the cache of all applications through settings

The safest and fastest method is to remove cache for all programs at once, and this will not affect personal data (photos, messages), but will free up from 500 MB to 2-3 GB of space.

Instructions:

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Tap the three-point menu (⋮) in the upper right corner and select “Clear the cache».
Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If this method doesn’t work (the cache is cleared, but the “other files” are left), move on to the next method. Often the problem lies in the remnants of remote applications that are not deleted through the standard settings.

Make a backup copy of important data|Check the battery charge (minimum 50%)|Close all background applications|Turn off automatic application updates-->

Method 2: Remove application residues through File Manager

After uninstallation, the software leaves folders with data that can weigh hundreds of megabytes. For example, a PUBG Mobile game leaves a folder com.tencent.ig with files up to 1.5 GB when deleted.

How to find and remove them:

Open the standard File Manager (or install Solid Explorer from Google Play).
Go to the root folder of the storage (/sdcard or /storage/emulated/0).
Open the Android folder, then the data (if the folder is not visible, turn on the display of hidden files in the file manager settings).
Delete folders with names of remote applications (for example, com.facebook.katana for Facebook).

folder	What it keeps.	Can I remove it?
Android/obb	Additional game data (graphics, levels)	Yes, if the game is deleted.
Android/data	Settings and app cache	Yes, for remote programs.
.thumbnails	Image and video miniatures	Yes, the system will restore them automatically.
DCIM/.thumbnails	Cash galleries	Yes.

⚠️ Warning: Do not delete folders of current applications (the ones that are installed now)! This will cause malfunctions in their work. Before deleting, check the folder name through Google - for example, com.whatsapp belongs to WhatsApp.

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when the place ends.|Never cleaned.-->

Method 3: Using the built-in Cleanup Tool

MIUI has a hidden tool for deep garbage cleaning that is not visible in the basic settings, called Clearer, and is available through the security menu.

How to use it:

Open Settings → Memory → Clean (or Security → Clean depending on the version of MIUI).
Click on “Deep Clean” (Deep Clean).
Select the categories for scanning: “Junk files”, “Large files”, “Dublicates”.
Delete the files found by checking the list (sometimes the necessary data gets there).

This method is more effective than standard cache cleaning, as it scans temporary system files, for example:

📄 Log files (.log)
🗃️ Empty folders
🔍 Search index files

💡

If you see files with the.apk extension in the cleanup list, these are the remnants of the app installers. You can delete them safely, but don't touch files with the names of current programs (for example, com.android.vending-123456.apk is an update to Google Play).

Method 4: Manual removal of system logs and dumps

Android constantly creates error reporting files (.log,.dmp) that can take up to 1-2 GB. On Redmi 7A, they are stored in hidden folders and are not deleted automatically.

How to find them:

In the file manager, enable the display of hidden files (in File Manager from Xiaomi: Settings → Show hidden files).
Go to the folders: /sdcard/Android/data/com.miui.analytic.log/ /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log/ /sdcard/log/ /sdcard/bugreports/
Delete all files with.log,.dmp,.txt extensions (except those created today – they may be needed to diagnose current problems).

These files are safe to delete, as they are only needed by developers to debug, but don't touch the /data/anr folder, because the contents are critical to system stability.

What happens if you delete all the logs?

The system will continue to function normally, but in the event of a failure, it will be harder to diagnose the cause. Logs are automatically restored when new errors are made, so removing them will not harm the device, but will not speed up its operation.

Method 5: Clean Download folder and instant messenger downloads

Many users forget that files downloaded through a browser or messengers remain in the memory of the phone even after watching, for example, videos from WhatsApp or Telegram are automatically saved to the Download folder.

Where to look:

🌐 browser: /sdcard/Download/ — pile up APK, PDF, picture.
💬 Messengers: WhatsApp: /sdcard/WhatsApp/Media/ Telegram: /sdcard/Telegram/ Viber: /sdcard/Viber/Media/
📥 Email: attachments from emails are often saved to /sdcard/Download/ or folders of specific email clients.

To prevent automatic saving of media from messengers:

On WhatsApp: Settings → Data and Storage → Media Autoboot → Turn off download for mobile data and Wi-Fi.
In Telegram: Settings → Data and Memory → Autoboot Media → Select “Never”.

💡

Regularly cleaning the Download folder can free up up to 1-3 GB of space, especially if you frequently download files through messengers or a browser.

Method 6: Reset partition cache (without data loss)

If previous methods didn’t work, try resetting the /cache partition cache.This won’t delete your data, but will clear up system debris that isn’t visible to the user.

Instructions:

Turn off the phone.
Press the Power + Volume buttons up at the same time and hold for 10 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
In the Recovery menu (volume key control, power button option) select "Wipe Cache Partition".
Confirm the action and restart the phone ("Reboot System").

This method helps when:

🛠️ The phone stopped after the update.
🗑️ «Other files take up an unnecessarily large amount of space (over 5 GB).
🔄 Applications often fly out or don't open.

⚠️ Note: Do not confuse "Wipe Cache Partition" with "Wipe" Data/Factory Reset!: The second option will completely reset the phone to factory settings, deleting all your data.

Method 7: Deep cleaning applications (if nothing worked)

If manual methods don't work, use third-party utilities that scan memory deeper than built-in MIUI tools and find debris that is not available through standard settings.

Top.-3 Proven applications for Redmi 7A:

Annex	What cleanses	Pluses	Cons
SD Maid	Application residues, empty folders, duplicates	Deep scan, manual control	Paid version for full functionality
Files by Google	Garbage files, large and unused data	Free, simple interface.	Less customization for experienced users
CCleaner	Cash, browser history, temporary files	Automatic cleaning on schedule	Sometimes it deletes the necessary data.

How to use SD Maid (the most powerful tool)

Install the app from Google Play.
Run the "Basket"** (CorpseFinder) - this module finds the remains of remote programs.

Warning: Avoid "optimizers" that promise to "speed up your phone by 300%" - they often contain ads or malicious code.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning "other files" on Redmi 7A

Can I delete all the other files to free up all the memory?

No, you can't delete them completely -- some of them are used to run the system (like the cache of current applications), but you can reduce them from 10 to 15 GB to 1 to 3 GB using the methods in the article. If files reappear after cleaning, that's okay: Android is constantly creating temporary data.

Why do you keep “other files” back every other day?

This is because apps and systems are constantly generating new temporary files, such as the browser caches pages, messengers save media, and games save graphical resources, and to reduce this effect, turn off autoload media in instant messengers and regularly clean the cache (every 1-2 weeks).

Is it safe to use root rights for cleaning?

Technically, yes, but on Redmi 7A, it's risky: doing the wrong thing with root can lead to a device being "bricked"; if you're not a power user, you'd better do without root. Most "other files" can be deleted without root, as described in the article.

What if after all the methods the place is not vacated?

In this case, the problem may be in: 🔍 Hidden system files, such as updates MIUI, who have not been able to do so, but have not. 📱 A damaged file system – a factory reset will help (but delete all data!). 🛠️ Hardware malfunction – if the memory “falsely” shows occupied space, it may be a drive controller error (requires repair). Before reset, try transferring files to your computer and formatting your phone via the Mi Flash Tool (instructions are available on the forum). XDA Developers).

How to prevent the accumulation of “other files” in the future?

Preventive measures: 📵 Remove unused applications through Settings → Apps, not just dragging the icon to Delete». 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once a month). 🚫 Turn off autoload media in messengers. 📁 Use Google Drive (Mi Cloud) for backups instead of local storage.