Have you ever looked into the Storage section of your Xiaomi and seen the mysterious Other take the lion's share? It's not just garbage, it's cache-based applications, temporary update files, remnants of deleted programs, and even duplicate media files. Unlike obvious categories like Photos or Video, the Other section doesn't have a clear structure, making it a non-trivial task to clean it up.
The problem is that standard MIUI tools often ignore these files, offering to free up only 100-200 MB instead of a few gigabytes. In this article, we will examine what is stored in the Other, which files can be deleted without risk to the system and which should not be touched. You will learn about hidden folders, commands for ADB, and even how to circumvent the limitations of MIUI with third-party utilities.
What is the “Other” item in Xiaomi?
In fact, "Other" is a dumping ground for files that the system has failed to categorize.
- 📁 System application cache (e.g. com.android.providers.media or com.miui.gallery) that is not cleared by standard means.
- 🔄 Remains of updates MIUI — zip and.apk packages that remain after installing the firmware (often weighing 1-3 GB!).
- 🗑️ Temporary files from applications (e.g..thumbs for thumbnails or.nomedia for hidden folders).
- 📱 Remote Application Data – Some programs leave folders in their wake /data/data/ even after the installation.
- 🔍 Logs and dumps of the system (e.g, /data/anr/ or /data/tombstones/), clutter-producing.
Fun fact: Xiaomi with MIUI 12-14 in the “Other” often hides folder /MIUI/Extra, where you have backups of themes, fonts and even old versions of the system APK. These files can be deleted manually, but this will require access to the root directory.
🔎 How do you check what's taking up space? Install Files by Google or Storage Analyzer, and they'll show you detailed memory analysis, including hidden folders. But remember, some system files can't be deleted, otherwise you can't delete them. MIUI glitch.
Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools
Let's start with the safest method, the standard MIUI features, which won't delete everything, but will free up 500MB-1.5GB.
- Open the Settings → Storage.
- Slip on “Other” (may be called “Other” or “System Data”).
- Click “Clean” – the system will prompt you to delete the cache and temporary files.
- Go to Settings → Applications → App Management, sort by size, and manually clear the cache for Google Play Services, Mi Video, and Gallery.
⚠️ Note: Do not click Clear All Data for system applications (e.g. com.android.providers.media) – this will result in a media base reset and thumbnails missing in the gallery.
☑️ What can be safely cleaned through MIUI
💡 Hidden trick: In MIUI 13/14 There's an undocumented deep cleaning function. 3 Seconds the item "Other" in the storage - the option "Deep cleaning" will appear, which removes the old ones APK It doesn't work on all models!
Method 2: Remove the remnants of MIUI updates
One of the biggest memory eaters is the /cache/recovery/ folder, which stores the firmware archives, and even after updating, they stay there for years.
Instructions for removal:
- Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
- Open the command line on your PC and type: adb shell su rm -rf /cache/recovery/* rm -rf /data/ota_package/*
- Reset the device.
⚠️ Note: If you delete files from /data/ota_package/ During the update download, the system may freeze on the logo. MI. Before cleaning, make sure there are no active updates!
What happens if you delete all files from /cache?
Critical folder: /data/dalvik-cache/ -- cleaning it without root rights will lead to a reboot cycle! Don't delete it manually.
Method 3: Cleaning through ADB (no root)
If you don't have root access but you have a PC, you can use ADB to delete unnecessary files, a method that's safer than manual intervention.
Cleanup commands:
adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.media # Cleaning up media cache
adb shell pm clear com.miui.gallery #Cash Gallery
adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* # Temporary files
adb shell rm -rf /data/log/* # Logs of the system📌 Important: pm clear commands will reset the application settings (for example, the gallery will lose albums.
| Team team. | What's removed | Risks. |
|---|---|---|
| adb shell pm clear [package] | Cache and data of the specified annex | Resetting the application settings |
| rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* | Temporary files of APK installer | Low (files are restored) |
| rm -rf /data/log/* | Logs of error and dumps | Data for debugging may be missing |
💡
Before you execute ADB commands, back up your important data, and if the gallery or music player is slowing down after cleaning, restart your phone, and the system will restore the media index.
Method 4: Using a root-access file manager
If you have root rights, you can manually scan the system folders, and the best managers for that are Root Explorer, FX File Explorer, or Solid Explorer (with root mode enabled).
What folders can be cleaned:
- 🗃️ /data/app-lib/ — Old Remote Application Libraries.
- 📂 /data/data/com.android.vending/cache/ — Google Play cache (can be deleted completely).
- 🔍 /data/system/package_cache/ — cache of packets (remove everything except current ones) APK).
- 📦 /MIUI/Extra/ — Backups of themes and fonts (remove everything except the current theme).
⚠️ Attention: Don't touch the folders:
- /data/dalvik-cache/ will result in a download cycle.
- /data/system/ – contains critical system settings.
- /data/adb/ is responsible for debugging.
💡
Even with root access, do not delete files with the.odex or.oat extension – these are optimized libraries without which applications will not run.
Method 5: Resetting cache via Recovery Mode
If the phone is slowing down a lot and the Other takes more than 5GB, it will help to reset the cache through recovery mode. This method will not delete your data, but will clear the system cache.
Step-by-step:
- Turn off the phone.
- Press the Power button + Volume up until the MI logo appears.
- Select the language (if there is a menu), then "Wipe & Reset" → "Wipe Cache".
- Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
- Reboot the device (Reboot).
⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro) after the cache is reset, Google Play Services may be lost, in which case restart the phone again or manually clear the Google Play data.
🔧 If after resetting the cache, the phone began to work faster, but the memory was not freed, check the folder /cache/ through ADB — Sometimes it doesn't get cleaned completely.
How to prevent the “Other” from becoming a “Other” in the future?
To avoid having to clean your memory every week, follow these tips:
- 🔄 Turn off automatic updates MIUI In Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⚙️ → Auto-update. Install firmware manually, and after updating immediately delete the folder. /cache/recovery/.
- 📱 Use lightweight versions of apps (such as Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite) that create less cache.
- 🗑️ Set up automatic cleaning in the Security App (Security) → Cleanup → Autocleaning. Enable the option to “Clean when screen locks».
- 📁 Store media files on a memory card (if supported). Move folders DCIM and downloads on SD-Map via Files by Google.
📊 Statistics: Xiaomi with MIUI 14 "Other" on average takes 3-7 GB. After complete cleaning (including: ADB and Recovery) this volume is reduced to 1-2 GB and kept at this level for 2-3 months.