How to Clean the ‘Other’ folder on Xiaomi: Step-by-step instructions

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a mysterious situation: the built-in storage analyzer shows that memory is full, and the category “Other” takes up tens of gigabytes. This space becomes a “black hole” where free megabytes disappear, slowing down the system and blocking the installation of new applications. The problem is relevant for the shells of MIUI and HyperOS, where file categorization algorithms sometimes work incorrectly or too aggressively cache data.

Understanding what's hidden inside this category is the first step to solving the problem: It can contain temporary messenger files, remnants of remote applications, system logs and cache of streaming services. Cleaning this section requires caution not to delete important data, but you can not ignore the overflow, which leads to instability of the gadget.

In this article, we will discuss safe and advanced ways to free up space, learn how to use built-in system tools, third-party utilities and manual file management, and act consistently and understand what each file on the Android system is responsible for.

What is hidden in the category "Other"

The Other system partition is a collection of data that the operating system has not been able to classify unequivocally, and most often the lion's share of the volume is app cache, which grows over time, and social media, browsers and video services save previews, avatars and temporary video files to speed up their loading when reopened.

Another important part is system logs and error reports, and if an application crashes frequently or the system is unstable, these files can be as large as several gigabytes, and they can also include files left over from deleting programs and data from the Android/obb folder that has not been properly labeled as gaming resources.

⚠️ Warning: Before you start deep cleaning, be sure to back up important data. Some system files may be critical to the correct operation of installed applications, and their removal will require re-authorization or configuration.

Telegram and WhatsApp often store the received media files in hidden directories, which the system refers to as other data. Without proper analysis, a user can store gigabytes of unnecessary stickers and forwarded videos for years.

Using the built-in Xiaomi cleaner

The safest and easiest way to start the fight for free space is to use the regular Security app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi devices and has access to system partitions where third-party programs will not be allowed without root rights. Launch the application and select Clean up.

The system will analyze the storage and suggest removing the garbage, but standard checks are often superficial. For a deeper analysis, click on the Deep Clean icon (if available in your version of MIUI) or go to the application management section, where you can manually check the memory with each software installed.

• 📱 Find the most “heavy” apps in the list, such as Instagram or TikTok.
• 🗑️ Click on Memory and select Clear Cache without confusing it with Clear Everything».
• 🔄 Repeat the procedure for browsers where a lot of temporary files accumulate.
• 📂 Check the “Downloads” section inside the cleaner for old ones. APK-file.

It's important to distinguish between cache and data. Cache clearing is secure and only deletes temporary files. Data clearing will reset the app to a post-installation state by removing your logins, settings and game progress. Be careful when choosing action in the memory management menu.

Manual cleaning through the file manager

For those who prefer full control, the manual method is fine. You'll need a built-in Explorer or a more advanced analog, like Total Commander or Files by Google. Go to the root directory of internal memory to find large folders.

First of all, look at the DCIM folder, where you store photos and videos, and the MIUI folder, which can have system logs. Pay special attention to the Android/data directories, which store application data, but sometimes there are tails from long-distant games or programs that take gigabytes.

When deleting files from system folders, remember that if you are not sure about the purpose of a file with the.dat or.tmp extension, it is better not to touch it. Critical system files are usually protected from deletion without root rights, but corrupting configuration files can lead to a cyclical reboot.

Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks

Messengers are the main culprits behind the “Other” category bloat. Telegram, for example, caches all photos and videos viewed by default so that they load instantly when you reopen the chat. Over time, this cache can reach 10-20 GB or more, remaining invisible to a standard memory analyzer.

Telegram itself has a built-in memory management tool. Go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you will see a “Storage Media” slider — set the value of “3 days” or “1 week”; There is also a “Clear Cache” button that will instantly free up space without deleting your correspondence.

• 📸 On Instagram and Facebook, the cache is cleared through phone settings: Apps → Title of the annex → Memory. → Clear the cache.
• 💬 On WhatsApp, check the folder. WhatsApp/Media/Status, where contact statuses are maintained.
• 🎵 Streaming services (Spotify, YouTube Music) store music for offline listening in hidden folders, check their storage settings.

Regularly checking these settings will help keep the volume of the Other folder within reasonable limits. Automatically clearing the cache in the messenger settings is the best preventive measure you can take.

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Turn on the “Autodelete” function for cache in the Telegram settings so that the application itself frees up space from old files that you have not used in a long time.

Advanced Methods: Analyzers and ADB

If standard methods don't work, we'll have dedicated disk space analysis tools to help, applications like DiskUsage or Storage Analyzer that build a visual memory card to show you which files are taking up space, and that can help you find forgotten video files or archives that are lost in the back of directories.

For advanced users, a cleaning method is available through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), and by connecting your smartphone to your computer, you can remove system debris that is not available through the interface, such as cleaning logs:

adb shell pm trim-databases


adb shell pm clean-empty-files

You can also force the cache of a particular packet to be cleared through ADB, knowing its name, which is a powerful tool, but it requires the USB Debugging mode enabled in the Developer Menu, and command input errors can result in the deletion of the data you want.

⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Do not delete system packets (com.android...) unless you know exactly what they are intended for, which can disrupt your phone or cause a bootloop».

Another radical but effective method is to reset the settings of the culprit apps, where if a particular application has swelled to an unthinkable size and cleaning the cache doesn’t help, deleting it and re-installing it often solves the problem, as the application’s database is re-indexed.

Prevention of memory overflow

To keep the problem from returning, you need to make a habit of regularly maintaining your smartphone, take less time to prevent than to deal with the consequences, and make a rule: check the storage once a month and clean the cache of heavy applications.

Use cloud storage for photos and videos. Services like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk can automatically free up space on your device by removing originals already stored in the cloud, which significantly reduces the load on internal memory.

• 🚫 Disable autoload media in messengers for mobile data.
• 📉 Regularly remove unwanted apps that haven’t been used for more than 3 months.
• 🔄 Keep an eye on system updates MIUI/HyperOS, They often correct memory management errors.

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Regularly cleaning the messenger cache and using cloud services are the most effective ways to prevent the growth of the “Other” folder in the future.

Don't ignore the system's space-short signals. If your phone is slowing down or apps are crashing, first check the space, and you need to have at least 10 to 15 percent of the total storage space available to make file operations work properly.