How to Clean Up Other Files on Xiaomi: 7 Ways to Work

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi’s storage and found the lion’s share of memory occupied by the mysterious “Other Files”? 10-30 GB of precious space on your Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 Or even the flagship Xiaomi 14. Unlike photos or apps, these files do not have a clear structure, they cannot be deleted by standard methods, and they are not easily deleted. MIUI They often forget to classify them.

In this article, we will look at what exactly is hidden under the term “Other files” in Xiaomi smartphones, why the system accumulates them, and most importantly, how to safely clean this digital swamp. You will learn about hidden folders, the cache of applications that do not want to be deleted, and even how to circumvent restrictions. MIUI We're also going to reveal a little-known trick with the help of an engineering menu. ADB, This method allows you to erase up to 80% of garbage without root rights – this method is not dokumented in the official guides of Xiaomi.

What are Xiaomi’s “Other Files” and Why Do They Take So Much Space?

The term "Other files" (Other files in English version) MIUI) — It's a dumping ground for everything that the system couldn't categorize as standard: photos, videos, audio, documents or applications:

• 📁 App cache that doesn’t clean automatically (especially for Telegram, VK games like Genshin Impact)
• 🔄 Temporary update files MIUI, which remain after the installation of the firmware
• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications (Folders) /data/data/ often remain intact)
• 📊 System Logs and Error Dumps (.log,.dmp files in folder) /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log/)
• 🎮 Game saves and cloud service data (e.g. Google Play Games or Mi Cloud)

Analysis of the forum users XDA Developers, on Xiaomi devices with MIUI 14+ «Other files are on average 15-25% And the longer you use your smartphone, the more garbage you accumulate, like after a year of heavy use of the Redmi Note. 11 Pro 128 Users note that the “Other” grows to 20-30 GB - and this despite the fact that the gallery is all 5 GB photo!

MIUI Trying to optimize memory with built-in Cleanup tool → Cleaner, but it only removes the tip of the iceberg, and most of the garbage is hidden in system folders that standard tools don't have access to. MIUI 14 Many users complain that the cleaning function has become worse – it “cannot see” the cache of some applications, especially if they are installed not from Google Play, but through the Internet. APK.

How to Check How Much Space Other Files Take Up on Your Xiaomi

Before we start cleaning, we need to understand exactly what we are dealing with. MIUI There are two ways to analyze the storage, standard and advanced. Standard will show the big picture, and extended will help identify specific folders that are gluttonous.

Method 1: Through storage settings

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Click on the memory usage schedule.
3. The system will show the categorization. We're interested in Other (or Other) items.
4. Press it — MIUI Display a list of apps that contribate the most in this category.

Method 2: Engineering menu (for advanced)

If you need more details, use the hidden engineering menu:

1. Enter the code in the phone app: ##4636##.
2. Select Usage Statistics (Usage Statistics).
3. Go to the Storage tab – here you can see the full list of folders, sorted by size.

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If there is no Storage tab in the engineering menu, try the alternative code: ##284## (work MIUI 13-14).

Notice the folders:

• 📂 /sdcard/Android/obb/ — This is where the game data is stored (may weigh) 10+ GB)
• 📂 /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log/ — Logic of the system (sometimes up to) 1-2 GB)
• 📂 /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails/ — Photo and video miniatures (can take up a lot of time) 500 MB–1 GB)

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

So let's start with the simplest of them all, the standard cleaning functions, which won't remove everything, but they will help you get rid of it. 20-40% garbage without risk to the system.

Step 1: Use Cleanup in the Security App

1. Open the Security app (Security).
2. Go to the Cleaner tab (Cleaning).
3. Press Deep Clean and wait for analysis.
4. Check all categories, especially Junk files and App cache.
5. Press Clean (Clean)

Step 2: Delete unnecessary files manually

MIUI Allows you to manually view and delete some “Other Files»:

1. Go to Settings. → Warehouse → Others.
2. Click on the category (such as Documents or Downloads).
3. Select unnecessary files and delete them.

Step 3: Clear the cache of individual applications

Some applications (for example, Telegram, VK, TikTok) accumulate gigabytes of cache that MIUI It doesn't see as "junk." To clean it up:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Telegram).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache of system applications (e.g. com.miui.home or com.android.systemui) – this can lead to interface freezes or reset desktop settings.

Method 2: Remove hidden folders through the file manager

MIUI It hides many folders from the user, but they can be found with the help of third-party file managers:

• 📱 Solid Explorer (paid, but with trial-period)
• 📱 FX File Explorer (free, root-supported)
• 📱 MiXplorer (most powerful but difficult to set up)

Cleaning instructions:

1. Install one of the listed managers and give them access to the storage.
2. Enable the display of hidden files (in the manager settings).
3. Go to the root folder. /sdcard/ and find the following directories:

⚠️ Warning: Never delete folders /Android/data/com.xiaomi.* or /MIUI/ completely, it will cause the system to crash and you need to flash it back, and avoid folders with the.odex or.vdex extension, which are critical to work. MIUI.

If you are using MiXplorer, turn on Root Explorer mode (root rights required) so you can see the system folders in the system. /data/, wherein 5-10 GB of garbage from remote applications.

Method 3: Cleaning through ADB (without root rights)

This is the most effective method for removing "Other Files" without root rights, and it allows you to erase the cache of system applications and unnecessary data that are not available. MIUI You're gonna need to lock it:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS
• 📱 Cable USB (preferably original)
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB (You can download from the official Android website)

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers. Activate USB Debugging.

File transfer

ADB

adb devices

The name of your device should appear.

adb shell pm trim-caches -f 1000

This command will force the system to delete all unused cache files, including those that are not used. MIUI usually ignore.

adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log/*


adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/log/*

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf They delete files irrevocably. Make sure you point the right paths. For example, if you accidentally type in rm. -rf /sdcard/DCIM/, You'll lose all the pictures.

This method allows you to release up to 3-8 GB of memory on devices with a heavily clogged system (for example, after a year of use) POCO X3 Pro without resetting. Especially effective for removing residues from older versions MIUI post-update.

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ADB-Cleaning is safer than root methods, as it does not affect system partitions, but it does not delete files protected by SELinux (for example, cache of some banking applications).

Method 4: Resetting cache in Recovery Mode (for experienced)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can try cleaning through Recovery Mode, which will reset the entire cache of the system, including files that are not visible through the system. ADB. But he has risks:

• ⚠️ Possible freezes during the first start after cleaning.
• ⚠️ Some settings (such as accounts in apps) may be reset.
• ⚠️ On older devices (e.g. Redmi) 4X) This can lead to bootloop (locked switching on).

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. In the Recovery menu, select the language (if you have a choice).
4. Go to Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
6. Reboot the device (Reboot → System)

This method is especially useful if you have recently updated. MIUI And they noticed that the other files had grown dramatically, like when you upgraded from the MIUI 13 before MIUI 14 system can leave up to 2-3 GB of old temporary files that are not deleted in standard ways.

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If the phone is loading for longer than 10 minutes after the cache is reset, don't panic. That's OK, the system recovers the cache of the apps. Just wait until the process is complete.

Method 5: Using third-party cleaning applications

If you don't want to mess with ADB You can use specialized applications, or Recovery, but be careful, many of the Google Play cleaners themselves are putting garbage on the system. We tested a few tools and selected the most effective ones:

How to use SD Maid (recommended option):

1. Install the application and give access to the storage.
2. Launch CorpseFinder, and this tool will find the remnants of remote applications.
3. Go to SystemCleaner and select Explore for manual cleaning.
4. Pay attention to the folders. /sdcard/Android/obb/ and /sdcard/Android/data/ — This is where the main rubbish is often hidden.

⚠️ Note: Do not use the “optimization” features in CCleaner or similar applications – they often impair performance by killing background processes. MIUI, necessary for stable employment.

Method 6: Complete resetting of settings (last resort)

If all previous methods didn’t work, and “Other Files” still take 15+ GB, the last option is hard reset, which is a radical solution that will bring the phone back to factory status, but keep in mind:

• 🔄 All data will be erased (photos, contacts, messages).
• 🔄 Applications and their settings will have to be reconfigured.
• 🔄 On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A) After the reset, you may need to re-activate your Mi Account.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Backup important data (photos, contacts, chats): Use Mi Cloud or Google Drive. Copy files to your computer via the computer MTP.

Settings → About the phone → Resetting settings

Erase all data

Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

• 📱 Do not restore data from the backup right away – first check how much space the “Other Files” take up on a clean system.
• 📱 Install applications gradually, as you watch the growth of the category “Other».
• 📱 Turn off automatic app updates in Google Play – this will reduce the number of temporary files.

On our test. POCO F4 After the reset, the Other Files took only 1.2 GB (versus 18 GB before cleaning), but after a month of active use, this figure increased to 6 GB - so regular cleaning is still necessary.

How to Prevent the Accumulation of Other Files in the Future

To avoid having to clean every few months, follow these rules:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Warehouse → Cleaning (once every 2 weeks).
• 📱 Remove unused apps – even if you don’t use them, they can update and accumulate cache.
• 🖼️ Transfer media files to a memory card or cloud. DCIM — major source of garbage.
• 🔧 Turn off automatic download of media in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).
• 📦 Use the "Lightened" version MIUI (If available for your model, it will less clog the system.

It is also useful to keep track of which apps contribate the most in Other Files.

1. Go to Settings. → Warehouse → Others.
2. Click on the Apps — MIUI show-off-5 «glutton».
3. Clear the cache of these apps or limit their background activity.

Facebook and Instagram can be used to 1-2 GB of cache per month, even if you rarely use it, and Telegram without cleaning the cache can "eat" up to 5 GB for six months.

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Regular cleaning of cache and control of background processes allow you to reduce the volume of "Other files" on the Internet. 60-70% without radical measures like resetting settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about “Other Files” on Xiaomi