How to Safely Clean Other Files on Xiaomi Redmi: The Complete Guide

You opened up storage on your Xiaomi Redmi and found that the lion's share is occupied by mysterious "Other Files"? This category can "eat" from 5 to 20 GB of memory, but rarely anyone knows what exactly is hidden under this name. Unlike photos or applications, "Other Files" is a mixture of caches, logs, temporary data and remnants of deleted programs that the system does not automatically classify.

The problem is that standard cleaning methods (e.g., Settings → Storage) often fail to handle these files. Moreover, their accumulation can lead to smartphone slowdown, application errors and even overheating. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to clean Other Files on Redmi — from secure embedded tools to advanced methods for power users. Importantly, not all files in this category can be deleted without risk, so we will point out that you can not touch.

Before you start, check how much space the Other Files occupy on your device. Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage (or Settings → Storage depending on the version of MIUI). If the volume is greater than 3-5 GB, it’s time to act.

📊 How often do you clean your memory on Xiaomi Redmi?

Once a week.

Once a month

Only when the place ends.

Never cleaned.

What are Xiaomi Redmi’s “Other Files” and Why You Can’t Just Delete Them

The category "Other files" in MIUI is the "junk box" of the operating system, which includes:

🗑️ Application cache (including data from Google Play Services, Mi Account and system services).
📄 Logs and dumps (error reports files that the system creates when crashes).
🔄 Temporary files from browsers, instant messengers and downloaders.
📂 Remnant applications (folders with settings that are not cleared when uninstallation).
🔐 Encrypted data (such as files from Mi Cloud or Google Drive).

The main danger is that these files may be hiding critical data for MIUI. For example, deleting the /data/system folder or files with the.odex extension will lead to a device brique (completely inoperable).

⚠️ Note: If Mi Account, Google Play or system notifications are no longer working after cleaning the Other Files, then critical data has been deleted.

Fun fact: On some Redmi models (like the Redmi Note 12 Pro+), “Other Files” can take up to 30% of memory due to aggressive MIUI 14 caching.

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI storage (the safest method)

Starting with MIUI 12, Xiaomi added a tool to partially clean “Other Files” without risk to the system, a method that is suitable for beginners and does not require root rights.

Instructions:

Open the Settings → Storage.
Click on the category “Other Files” (or “Other”, depending on the translation).
The system will offer to clear the cache of applications and temporary files - confirm the action.
Reboot your smartphone (this is a must, as some files are blocked while the system is running).

This method removes up to 40-60% of junk files from the Other category, but does not affect system data. If the volume of Other files has not decreased after cleaning, move to the next method.

Delete the app cache

Clear temporary browser files

Remove the thumbnails (thumbnails)

Reset data of unused applications-->

Method 2: Manual cleansing through file manager (for power users)

If the built-in tool doesn’t help, you can manually delete some of the unnecessary files, such as a standard Files from Xiaomi or a third-party manager (for example, Solid Explorer).

Which folders can be cleaned safely:

📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data — It stores caches of games and applications. Only delete folders of programs that you haven't used in a long time.
🗃️ /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails — Photos and videos (can be deleted completely).
📂 /storage/emulated/0/Download — Check for old downloads.
🗑️ /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb — Cache files for games (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile).

What can't be touched:

🚫 Folders with names com.android, com.xiaomi, com.google.
🚫 Files with extensions.apk,.odex,.vdex.
🚫 folder /data (It is only visible with root rights, but even then deleting files from there is dangerous).

⚠️ Note: If you are using Mi Cloud for backup, do not delete the folder /MIUI/Backup — This will lead to the loss of all backups.

After manual cleaning, it is recommended to restart the device and check the operation of key applications (calls, SMS, Google Play).

How to return deleted files by mistake?

If you accidentally delete important data, try to restore it through applications like DiskDigger or Recuva (you will need a PC connection). However, the chances of recovery depend on whether the files were overwritten with new data. System files (for example, from the /data folder) are almost impossible to recover, in which case only firmware will help.

Method 3: Using ADB for deep cleaning (for advanced)

If the first two methods didn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to delete system cache and unnecessary data without root rights.

Instructions:

Install ADB Tools on your PC.
Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then go back to Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB.
Connect Redmi to your PC and execute in the command line:

adb shell pm trim-caches 256M


adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job

These commands will force the cache of all applications and optimize the Dalvik cache (Android virtual machine).

For deeper cleaning, you can use the command:

adb shell su -c "find /data -name '.log' -o -name '.tmp' -delete"

But it requires root rights and can delete important logs if you don’t specify the right filters.

💡

Before using ADB, back up your data through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. This will protect you from losing information when you make errors.

Method 4: Resetting cache in Recovery Mode (radical method)

If the “Other Files” take up more than 10 GB and are not cleared in other ways, you can reset the cache through Recovery mode. This method does not affect user data, but resets all temporary files of the system.

How to do this:

Turn off your smartphone.
Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache (use volume buttons for navigation, power button for confirmation).
After cleaning, restart the device (Reboot → System).

This method removes:

🧹 Dalvik cache (accelerates the system).
🗃️ Temporary update files.
📝 Logs of system and applications.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Wipe Cache with Wipe Data! The second option will completely reset the smartphone to factory settings, deleting all your data.

After resetting the cache, the first 5-10 minutes of Redmi work can slow down – this is normal, since the system restores the necessary files.

Method 5: Remove duplicates and unnecessary APKs (additional optimization)

Often, “Other Files” are inflated due to duplicate photos, old ones. APK-files and unused updates, and you can use specialized applications to find them:

Annex	What's he looking for?	Security
Files by Google	Duplicates, large files, unused APKs	✅ Safe.
SD Maid	Application residues, empty folders, cache	⚠️ It requires caution.
CCleaner	Cash, temporary files, history.	✅ Secure (but not delete deep system files)
Storage Analyzer	Analysis of the occupied place by category	✅ Only analysis, does not automatically delete

Recommendation: Start with Files by Google, the official Google app that securely finds duplicates and suggests removing them. For in-depth analysis, use Storage Analyzer to understand which files take up the most space.

If you find the old ones APK-files (for example, in a folder) /Download), They can be safely removed - they do not affect the operation of the system, but take up space (sometimes up to the end of the day). 100 MB per file).

💡

Regular cleaning of “Other Files” (every 1-2 months) prevents slowing down of the smartphone and application errors, optimally combine built-in MIUI tools and manual verification through the file manager.

What to do if the “Other Files” are returned again

If the volume of “Other Files” grows rapidly after cleaning, the problem may lie in:

🤖 Aggressive caching MIUI (especially on the Redmi with MIUI 13/14).
📱 Background applications (e.g. Facebook, TikTok, Mi Video) actively create temporary files).
🔄 Frequent updates (updates may remain in the folder) /cache).

Decisions:

Limit the background activity of applications in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Auto Run.
Turn off automatic app updates in Google Play.
Install Greenify (requires root) to freeze unnecessary services.

If the problem persists, check your smartphone for viruses with Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light – some malware masquerades as system files and inflates the category of “Others”.

FAQ: Frequent questions about “Other Files” on Xiaomi Redmi

Can I delete the “Other Files” completely?

No, it's impossible and dangerous. This category stores critical data for MIUI and Android, and the best you can do is clear up to 70 to 80 percent of the volume by deleting the cache and temporary files.

Why does the “Other Files” take up a lot of space again?

This is normal MIUI behavior, where the system actively caches data to speed up work. If the volume is greater than 5 GB, check for applications that actively create temporary files (such as instant messengers or games).

Can I clean the “Other Files” without restarting?

Technically, yes, but not recommended. Some files are locked by the system while they're running, and deleting them can cause crashes. Always restart your smartphone after cleaning.

What happens if you delete the Android/obb folder?

This folder stores additional game data (like graphics resources), and deleting it will cause the games to start downloading those files again the next time they run, and the games themselves will not stop working.

How to Clean Other Files on Redmi with Root Rights?

With root access, you can use Root Explorer or ADB commands to remove system cache (/cache) and logs (/data/log).However, this is risky - an error can lead to data loss or device blink.