How to Clean Xiaomi Memory: The Other and Hidden Files

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the built-in storage is overflowing and the system points to a huge amount of data in the mysterious “Other” section, which stores app cache, temporary files, messenger data and remnants of remote programs, which significantly slows down the device. Understanding what exactly takes up space is the first step to freeing up gigabytes of useful space without losing important photos or contacts.

MIUI and its new HyperOS have their own file structure display features that can confuse users. Standard cleaning tools don’t always work well with deep layers of garbage, requiring a more manual approach to file management. In this article, we’ll detail the safe methods for cleaning the Other partition that will help return performance to your gadget.

Freeing up space should not turn into chaotic deletion of system files, which can lead to unstable work. We will look at proven algorithms of actions, the use of built-in utilities and third-party tools that allow you to safely remove excess. Proper memory hygiene prolongs the life of the drive and ensures smooth operation of the interface.

Storage analysis: what is hidden by the “Other” section

The Other section in a smartphone’s memory is a collection of files that the system cannot uniquely classify as photos, videos or music, including browser cache, temporary update files, streaming services like Spotify or Netflix, and messenger archives, often as large as 10-20 GB, which is a significant portion of the available memory of budget models.

The main problem is that Android doesn’t always correctly tag files to delete after apps are done, such as listening to music offline or watching stories on social networks remain dead weight. Without deep cleaning, this data continues to grow, taking up space for new installations.

⚠️ Before starting a mass cleanup, make sure you don’t delete important documents or work files that may have accidentally entered shared download folders.

To understand the situation accurately, you need to use a built-in analyzer that allows you to visually assess the distribution of space and identify the most “heavy” applications. Often it turns out that the bulk of the data generated is social networks and messengers, which store copies of all the media files viewed.

Use of built-in storage analyzer

The first and most secure cleaning tool is Xiaomi’s regular Security or Explorer app, which can scan the device for duplicates, large files, and rarely used applications, and runs deep scans to reveal hidden folders that are not visible when you’re viewing a gallery.

The storage menu often includes a Cleanup feature that automatically prompts you to delete cache and temporary files. However, for the Other section, this may not be enough, you need to go to a detailed view of files and sort them by size, which will help you find forgotten downloads, APK installation files and archives left over after software updates.

• 📱 Open the Explorer app and select the Storage Analysis tab».
• 🗑️ Click on the “Big Files” category to search for videos and archives over 100MB.
• 📦 Check the Download folder for unnecessary installers.
• 🔄 Use the Cleanup function in the Security app to remove the system cache.

It is important to perform this procedure regularly to prevent critical memory filling. MIUI can run slower if less than 10-15% of the total storage capacity is free. Regular checks allow you to maintain optimal performance without having to reset to factory settings.

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Use the Cleanup widget on your desktop for quick access to garbage removal features without logging into the deep settings menus.

Clearing the cache and data messengers

The most active users of memory are traditionally Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber, which store every image, video and voice message sent and received into local memory, and over time, the database grows to a gigantic size, and a significant portion of this data falls into the “Other” section.

For effective cleaning, you don't have to delete correspondence. Each messenger has a Data and Memory or Storage section where you can select a period to clean the cache, for example, Telegram can set autodelete the cache after 3 days or a week, which completely solves the overflow problem.

WhatsApp is more complicated because media files are often duplicated in the gallery, you have to go into the storage management of the app and delete large files or Forwarded messages, which is safe for texting, but will free up a significant amount of space.

⚠️ Warning: Clearing the Application Data (not just the cache) will result in a complete reset of the program, including logging out of your account and deleting your local correspondence history if there is no backup.

Once the messenger cache is cleared, the “Other” section should be significantly reduced in volume. If this does not happen, it is possible that the files are encrypted or blocked by the process, in which case the device restarts, which completes the background processes and allows the system to correctly recalculate the occupied space.

Working with Android folder and system garbage

Inside internal memory, there's a hidden Android/data system folder where apps store their work files, and it's where gigabytes of game cache, offline navigator maps, and streaming video are often hidden. Access to this folder in newer versions of Android is limited, but file managers like MIUI File Manager or ZArchiver let you look inside.

When deleting files from this directory, you need to be extremely careful: Deleting the folder of a particular application (for example, com.spotify.music) will reset its settings and delete the downloaded music. However, deleting the contents of the cache folders inside these directories usually safely and effectively frees up space.

And you also have to look at the thumbnails folder, which stores thumbnails of every image you've ever viewed, and this file can weigh a few gigabytes. It's safe to delete it, and the system will recreate it, but you'll be freeing up a lot of space right now.

Using advanced file managers allows you to see hidden files (those that start with a dot), regularly reviewing such folders helps keep the system clean, but you should not delete files whose purpose you do not know, especially if they are in the root directories.

Third-party utilities for deep cleaning

When built-in tools are scarce, specialized applications come to the rescue, with Clean Master, Files by Google, or SD Maid being the leader, and these programs have deeper scanning algorithms and can find tails from applications that are long-distant that a standard explorer cannot see.

Files by Google is particularly useful for its Safe Deletion feature, which archives old photos and videos, prompting them to be deleted locally, and it can find similar images and screenshots that are often forgotten by users and take up space in the Other section.

So it's better to use time-tested tools with good reputations, and installing too many cleaning utilities can paradoxically slow down the phone.

• 🚀 SD Maid: The Best Tool to Find “Bodies” of Remote Apps and System Garbage.
• 🔍 Files by Google: a smart duplicate and large file analyzer with a simple interface.
• 🛡️ Clean Master: Comprehensive cache cleaning and speeding up (requires caution with permissions).

Use of third-party software must be conscious. Before installing, check the permissions the app requests. If a simple cleaner requires access to contacts and a microphone, it is a wake-up call. Trust only official app stores.

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Third-party utilities are more effective than built-in ones in finding remnants of remote programs, but require careful attention to the permissions requested.

Radical methods: Resetting and flashing

If none of the soft methods helped reduce the Other partition and it continues to grow, there may have been errors in the file system or a critical amount of system debris accumulated, in which case the most effective, albeit time-consuming, method is a full reset to factory settings (Wipe Data).

Before you do this, it's critical to back up all your data, reset everything: contacts, photos, apps, and settings, and get your phone back out of the box, and the Other partition takes up as little as possible.

An alternative to a full reset is to clean the cache section through the Recovery menu, turn off the phone, pinch the button combination (usually Volume Up + Power), and select Wipe Cache, which will not delete personal data, but will clear the system temporary files.

⚠️ Note: When you select Wipe Data or Format Data in Recovery mode, all your personal data will be irretrievably destroyed.

After a reset, it is recommended that you do not restore all applications from the backup at once, but install them again. Often, it is when you restore from the backup that old file system errors return, and a clean installation ensures that there is no hidden debris left in memory.

Prevention of memory overflow

To keep the problem from returning, you need to develop a habit of regular maintenance of the device: do not allow the memory to be filled up "on the back"; optimally keep at least 5-10 GB or 15-20% of the total free, which is necessary for the correct operation of the data writing algorithms.

Use cloud storage for photos and videos. Services like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk allow you to automatically upload media files and then delete them from your phone's memory, which frees up space for applications and systems to work.

Check your installed app list regularly. Deleting programs you haven't used for more than a month is a great habit. Many apps continue to run in the background and accumulate cache even if you're not using them.

Compliance with these simple rules will allow your Xiaomi to run fast and stable throughout its lifespan.Memory is a resource that requires management, and now you know how to effectively control the Other section.