How to Clean Xiaomi Memory in the Other section: The Complete 2026 Guide

Xiaomi’s Other is a black hole for free space, and even after removing photos, videos and unnecessary apps, this mysterious segment continues to take up gigabytes, preventing updates or new programs from being installed. What is it?

The fact is that under the Other, the system hides the cache of applications, remnants of deleted programs, temporary update files, error logs and even fragments of data from MIUI that are not cleaned by standard means. For example, after updating the firmware through OTA, this section may remain backups weighing up to 1-3 GB, which the system does not delete automatically. And if you are actively using messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, their cache can inflate the Other by hundreds of megabytes per month.

In this article, 5 proven ways to clean the Other section on Xiaomi, from simple (via built-in tools) to advanced (using ADB and manual file deletion). All methods have been tested on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra with MIUI 14/15, but will also work for older devices. Importantly, some operations require root rights or a PC connection - we will note these cases separately.

1.What is hidden in the “Other” section of Xiaomi?

Before you clean, you need to know what's taking up space.

• 📁 Application cache – temporary files that programs create to speed up work (for example, thumbnails in a gallery or map data in Google Maps).
• 🔄 Remnants of Remote Applications – folders with settings and data of programs that you have long uninstalled.
• 📦 Update files MIUI — backups of firmware (.zip) that the system downloads before installation OTA.
• 📜 Logs and error dumps are files with crash information (.log,.dmp) that are created when applications crash.
• 🔗 Symbolic links – virtual “shortcuts” to files that the system uses for compatibility.
• 🗑️ Garbage from messengers – cache of stickers, gifs and media files from Telegram, Viber or WeChat.

For example, after updating MIUI 14 → MIUI 15, the /cache/ota folder weighing up to 2-3 GB may remain in the Other section, which the system does not delete automatically. And if you often reinstall games (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile), their cache can get stuck in the /data/data folder even after uninstallation.

To see what exactly takes up space, use a root file manager (like FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer) and check the following folders:

⚠️ Attention: Delete files from folders /system or /vendor Do not touch files with extensions.odex,.apk or.so - these are system components.

Method 2: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

Start with standard tools, they are safe and do not require root rights. MIUI 14/15 has two tools to clean the Other:

1. Clean Memory in Settings: Go to Settings → About Phone → Memory. Slip to Other and select Clear. Confirm deletion of temporary files. This method removes app cache and temporary files, but does not touch deep system data.

These methods will release between 500MB and 1.5GB, but will not remove:

• 📦 Remnants of Remote Applications.
• 📜 Error logs older than 30 days.
• 📁 Cache of messengers (for example, folder) Telegram/Telegram Images).

Make a backup copy of important data|Battery charge > 50%|Close all applications|Connect to Wi-Fi (for downloading tools)-->

⚠️ Warning: If after cleaning through "Safety" the smartphone began to brake, restart it.

3. Method 2: Manual deletion of the cache of messengers and social networks

Messengers are the main memory eaters in the Other section, for example, Telegram caches all the media files you view by default, and WhatsApp stores backups of chats to clear them:

📌 Telegram

1. Open Telegram → Settings → Data and memory.
2. Tap Memory Use and select Clear Cache.
3. For deep cleaning, go to Settings → Telegram folder and manually delete the folders Telegram Images, Telegram Video (use the file manager).

📌 WhatsApp

1. In WhatsApp, go to the ⋮ → Settings → Memory.
2. Sort files by size and remove unnecessary ones.
3. To delete backups, go to /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases and delete the msgstore.db.crypt14* files (except the most recent one).

Also check the folders of other messengers:

• 💬 Viber: /sdcard/Viber/Media
• 📱 WeChat: /sdcard/Tencent/MicroMsg/Download
• 🎮 Discord: /sdcard/Android/data/com.discord/cache

💡

If you share files frequently in instant messengers, set up automatic cache cleanup. Telegram does this in Settings → Data and Memory → Autoclean Media (set a limit, for example, 1 GB).

After manually cleaning the messengers will be free from 1 to 5 GB, depending on the activity. the main thing is not to delete the folders Databases completely, otherwise you will lose the chat history!

Method 3: Removing Remnants of Remote Applications

When you delete an application through Settings, the system often leaves its folder with data in /data/data. These "residues" can weigh hundreds of megabytes.

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /data/data and sort the folders by date of change.
3. Folders with names of remote applications (e.g., com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile) can be deleted.

If root is not available, use ADB:

adb shell pm list packages -u

This command will show you a list of uninstalled, but not completely deleted, applications to clear their data.

adb shell pm clear <package_name>

For example, to clean up Facebook residues:

adb shell pm clear com.facebook.katana

⚠️ Note: Do not delete folders of system applications (for example, com.android.settings or com.miui.home) – this will lead to a crash. MIUI.

5. Method 4: Cleaning through ADB (without root)

If root is not available but you need to remove the deep cache, use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works for all Xiaomis with USB debugging enabled.

🛠 Preparation

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times according to version, then go back to Settings → Additional → For developers).
2. Download ADB Tools for PC.
3. Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.

📜 Cleanup commands

Open the command line in the ADB folder and do:

1. Cleaning the cache of all applications: adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999G This command forcibly clears the cache of all user applications.
2. Delete temporary update files: adb shell rm -rf /cache/ota* adb shell rm -rf /data/ota_package/*
3. Cleaning Logs: adb shell logcat -c adb shell rm -rf /data/log/*

Once you've done the commands, restart your smartphone. This method will free up 1 to 3 GB, but it doesn't touch the app data.

💡

ADB is the safest way to clean deep without root, and it doesn’t delete critical system files, but requires a connection to a PC.

6. Method 5: Resetting cache via Recovery (last chance)

If previous methods didn’t help and the Other section still takes >5GB, try resetting the cache via Recovery.This won’t delete your data, but will clear the system cache, including:

• 📦 Dalvik cache (accelerates application launches).
• 📜 Logs of system and kernel.
• 📁 Temporary update files.

⚙ Instructions

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery.
3. Select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (use volume buttons for navigation).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
5. Reboot the device (Reboot).

The first run after a cache reset can take 5-10 minutes – this is normal, as the system rearranges the Dalvik cache.

⚠️ Note: Do not confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! The second option will delete all your data (photos, apps, settings).

7. How to prevent the “Other” from being filled in in the future?

To prevent the “Other” section from growing again, follow these rules:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Memory. → Other (once 1-2 weeks).
• 📵 Limit the cache of messengers in their settings (for example, in Telegram set a limit of 500 MB).
• 🚫 Do not use Google Play’s Memory Optimizers – they often delete useful data and slow down the system.
• 📥 Remove the old ones. OTA-files after updating MIUI (folder /cache/ota).
• 🔍 Check “Other”** after removing large apps (games, video editors).

You can also set up automatic cleaning:

1. Open Security. → Cleanup → ⚙ (Settings).
2. Turn on Auto Cleanup and set a schedule (e.g. once a week).

💡

If you install/remove games frequently, use SD Maid, which automatically finds and removes the remnants of uninstalled programs.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's "Other" section