How to Clean the Others section on Xiaomi Redmi 3: The Complete Guide

Owners of the popular budget smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 3 often face an annoying problem: the “Other” partition in the device’s storage inexplicably grows, occupying gigabytes of precious space. This situation is especially critical for a model with 16 or 32 gigabytes of internal memory, where every free megabyte is worth its weight in gold. The MIUI system installed on the device tends to accumulate temporary files, update logs and remnants of remote applications, which are reluctantly deleted by standard means.

Understanding the nature of this data is the first step to a successful cleanup. The Others section is a system category where the Android operating system classifies all files that could not be uniquely identified as media, documents or installation packages. This includes messenger cache, remnants from failed firmware updates, application logs and temporary browser files. Ignoring this problem can lead to serious degradation of the Xiaomi Redmi 3 performance and even interface errors.

In this article, we will look at not only standard methods of cleaning through settings, but also more advanced methods using a computer and command line. It is important to understand that deep cleaning requires care to not accidentally delete important system files necessary for the correct operation of the smartphone. We will also look at which folders can be deleted without fear, and which are better left alone.

Analysis of the contents of the “Other” section

Before taking drastic action to delete files, a thorough review of what exactly lies beneath the mysterious “Other” label is required. The standard MIUI file manager often shows the big picture without going into details of the folder structure. For more in-depth analysis, it is recommended to use specialized snails or connect your smartphone to your computer in file transfer mode.

The bulk of the trash is usually folders with the names of popular applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber or Instagram, which can contain thousands of thumbnails of images, voice messages and temporary video files that have already been viewed but not deleted, and the.log and.tmp files created by the system during operation also occupy a significant amount.

⚠️ Note: Never delete folders with Google system services names or MIUI, If you are not 100% sure about their contents, removing system configs can cause a cyclical reboot of the device.

Particular attention should be paid to the folder MIUI/debug_log, It can grow to a few gigabytes if you have logging on. Android/data, It's where the cached data from games and heavy applications is stored.

Standard cleaning methods through MIUI settings

The safest and easiest way to make room on the Xiaomi Redmi 3 is to use built-in optimization tools. Xiaomi has a powerful enough basic cleaning mechanism that doesn’t require root rights or a PC connection. However, this method often removes only the surface layer of debris, leaving the deep deposits intact.

To start, open the Security app, which is the default on all Redmi devices. Select Cleanup and wait for the scan to be completed. The system will suggest removing files smaller than 100KB that are considered safe to delete. This is a good first step, but it rarely solves the problem radically.

A more effective method is to manually clean the app cache through the settings menu. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Here you need to go through the list of the most “heavy” programs (social networks, browsers, maps) and click Clear cache. Importantly, do not confuse this button with the “Clear Data” button, as it will delete your logins, passwords and saves inside the applications.

It's also worth checking the Storage section in the settings, which often displays a memory fill schedule where you can visually assess which file types take up the most space, and if you see that Others take up more than 30% of the volume, standard methods will be difficult to do, and more radical measures will be required.

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Built-in cleaning is secure, but only removes temporary files, ignoring the remnants of remote applications and the deep cache of system services.

Manual cleaning through the file manager

For a deeper cleaning, you need to use an advanced file manager like Total Commander or FX File Explorer. The standard MIUI Explorer can hide some system folders or not give full permission to delete certain files. Connecting superuser rights (Root) is a huge enhancement, but on Redmi 3 you can do this without them if you act carefully.

First, look at the root directory of internal memory, look for folders with names of applications that have been deleted for a long time, they often remain dead weight, and also check the Download folder, where.apk installation files from software updates may have accumulated, and their removal is completely safe.

Of particular interest is the Android/obb folder. It stores the caches of games and heavy apps. If you delete a game but the folder with its name is still there, you can erase it. However, if the application is installed, deleting files from obb will lead to its malfunction or the need to re-download resources.

Don't forget hidden folders that start with a dot. To see them, you need to turn on the hidden file display in the file manager settings, and often they hide ad configurations or browser cache that takes hundreds of megabytes.

Using ADB for deep cleaning

The most effective way to combat the sprawling “Other” partition on Xiaomi Redmi 3 is to use USB debugging and the ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux) and a USB cable. It allows you to delete files that are hidden from the average user and clear the system cache without losing personal data.

First, you need to activate the developer mode on your smartphone. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the build number seven times (MIUI version). After that, the menu will appear on the item Advanced Settings → For developers. There you need to turn on “Debugging by USB”.

adb shell pm clear com.android.cache

This command clears the system cache, and you can also use a command to delete specific folders if they are blocked by the interface, such as cleaning the Google Play cache folder:

adb shell rm -rf /data/data/com.android.vending/cache/*

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB A syntax error (such as an extra space or an incorrect path) can result in the deletion of critical system files and the buildup of the smartphone.

If you are not sure of your abilities, it is better to use graphic shells for the ADB, such as Minimal ADB and Fastboot with a file browser, or specialized programs like Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools: They allow you to visually select folders to delete, minimizing the risk of human error.

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Before using ADB, make sure to make a full backup of important data to your computer or the cloud. Even experienced users sometimes make mistakes.

Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks

Messengers are the main memory eaters on Redmi 3. WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber store every photo and video you see in your device’s memory, duplicating them in different folders, and over time, this creates huge amounts of data that the system classifies as “Others.”

Telegram handles the situation in the most elegant way. In the app settings, go to Data and Memory → Memory Use. You can see the volume of the local cache and clear it with a single button. Moreover, you can set a limit on automatic cache cleaning, for example, delete files that have not been opened for more than 3 days.

WhatsApp doesn't have a built-in feature to selectively clean up the media cache without deleting correspondence. However, you can use a file manager and go the Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Media route. Here, the WhatsApp Images and WhatsApp Video folder contains all the files you receive. Deleting the contents of the.Statuses (statuses) and Private folders is secure.

• 📱 Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Use of memory → Clear the cache.
• 💬 WhatsApp: File Manager → Android/media → WhatsApp → Media → Removing unnecessary folders.
• 📞 Viber: Settings → Memory. → Clear cache (or manually through file system).
• 📸 Instagram: Settings → Annex → Warehouse → Clear the cache (in Android settings).
• 🌐 Browsers: History → Clear the history and data of the sites.

Remember, once the messenger cache is cleared, when it's launched the next time, it can run a little slower until it reloads the thumbnails and avatars, which is normal behavior.

Prevention and optimization of storage

After successfully cleaning the Other section on Xiaomi Redmi 3, it is important to take steps to ensure that the problem does not return in a month. Prevention takes less time than dealing with the consequences. First of all, avoid using live wallpaper and heavy widgets on the desktop that constantly write logs and cache data.

Check the Downloads folder and messenger cache regularly, at least every two weeks, and make it a habit to clear your browser cache after active surfing sessions. It is also recommended to turn off automatic saving of media from WhatsApp and Telegram to the gallery if this feature is not critical to you, as this creates duplicate files.

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Regularly cleaning the cache every two weeks is more effective and safer than using memory accelerators, which often put a strain on the system.

If you’re a big user of navigators (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps), remember that they cache huge amounts of map data. Periodically clean these apps through the Android settings menu, especially if you rarely travel to new places and do not need offline maps.