Xiaomi Redmi’s “Other Files”: What They Are, Why They Take Place, and How to Clean Them

Why Other Files Are Eating Memory on Xiaomi Redmi and What to Do About It

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi Redmi storage and found that the Other Files partition is taking up gigabytes of precious space? It's not just a system glitch, but it hides app cache, temporary data, remnants of deleted programs, and even fragments of MIUI updates that the smartphone "forgot" to delete. Unlike photos or music, these files are not visible in the gallery or file manager, but they actually slow down the device and reduce free space.

The problem is especially relevant for the Redmi Note 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10 and POCO flagships, where MIUI aggressively caches data to speed up work. For example, after upgrading to MIUI 14 or HyperOS, many users notice that Other Files suddenly inflate to 5-15 GB. In this article, we will discuss what is stored in this section, how to clean it safely without risk to the system, and what tools will help automate the process.

Spoiler: Not all files in this category can be deleted by standard means. Some require manual cleaning through ADB or third-party utilities like SD Maid. But don't worry, we'll go through every method, from the simplest to the most advanced, with Xiaomi firmware in mind.

What are “Other Files” and Why Do They Appear?

In MIUI, the Other Files section is the garbage bin of the operating system, and it includes anything that doesn't fall into the explicit categories of Photos, Videos, or Apps.

• 🗑️ Application and system services cache – temporary files that should be deleted automatically, but often remain due to failures.
• 📦 Remnants of Remote Programs – folders and application settings that didn’t clear after uninstallation.
• 🔄 Fragments of updates MIUI — downloaded firmware packets that the system did not remove after installation.
• 📱 Logs and error dumps are debugging files that are created when an application or system crashes.
• 🌐 Offline cache of browsers and instant messengers – for example, downloaded pages in Chrome or media files in Telegram.

Fun fact: on Redmi with MIUI 13+, some of these files are deliberately hidden from the user. Xiaomi uses them to speed up the interface and preload frequently used data. However, over time, this cache grows into uncontrollable sizes. For example, after a year of using the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, “Other files” can take up to 20% of the total memory.

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to delete all files from this partition manually through Root Explorer or Total Commander. MIUI — Deleting system logs or cache of com.android.* services can lead to a loopy restart of the interface.

Method 1: Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

To start with the safest method, the standard cleaning features, Xiaomi has built into MIUI several tools that can remove some of the debris without risking the system.

Step 1. Open Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here you will see a diagram of occupied space. Tap under Other Files. The system will prompt you to automatically clear out unnecessary data.

Step 2. Go to Cleanup (the broom icon in the upper right corner). MIUI will scan the device and show you a list of files that can be safely deleted: app cache, temporary files, empty folders. Mark everything and click Clear.

Step 3. For deep cleaning, go back to the Storage and select "Free space." Here MIUI will prompt you to delete:

• 📁 Unused files (e.g., unused files, APK installer).
• 🗃️ Duplicate photos (if sync with Mi Cloud is enabled).
• 🎵 Unsolicited media files (e.g. screenshots over 30 days).

Delete the cache of system applications (Settings → Applications → All applications → Select system → Storage → Clear cache)

Check the Download folder (often unnecessary APKs and archives are accumulated there)

Remove old MIUI updates in /MIUI/backup/all (via file manager)

Clear the cache of Google Play Services (Settings) → Annexes → Google Play Services → Warehouse)-->

This method will remove up to 30-40% of the garbage, but will not affect deep system files.

Method 2: Manually cleansing through file manager

If the built-in tools didn’t help, it’s time to look into the hidden MIUI folders. This will require any file manager with access to system partitions, such as Mi File Manager (built-in) or Solid Explorer.

Here are the key folders that can be cleaned without root rights:

How to clean:

1. Open the file manager and enable the display of hidden files (in Mi File Manager: three dots → Settings → Show hidden files).
2. Follow one of the paths from the table above.
3. Delete unnecessary files. For example, in /MIUI/backup/all you can safely delete all files with the.zip extension - these are old firmware.

⚠️ Note: Do not touch folders with the names com.android., com.xiaomi. or com.miui.* in the /Android/data. Deleting them will cause the associated system services to fail (for example, the notification panel will disappear or the camera will stop working).

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If after cleaning the /DCIM/.thumbnails folder, the gallery has been opening longer - don't be afraid. Miniatures regenerate on the first run, that's fine.

Method 3: Using ADB for deep cleaning (no root)

For advanced users who are ready to work with the command line, ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a powerful tool for cleaning system debris. It allows you to remove cache that is not available through standard settings.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB Xiaomi Redmi (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap → Return to “Additional settings» → «For developers» → «Debugging by USB»).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the adb folder.
3. Run a command to clear the cache of all user applications: adb shell pm trim-caches -f 1000000000 This command will remove the cache larger than 1 GB (value in bytes).
4. To clean the cache of system applications (caution!): adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job

The result: After these commands are executed, the volume of Other Files may decrease by 1-3 GB. However, some folders (for example, /data/log) remain inaccessible without root rights.

Method 4: Third-party cleaning utilities

If manual methods seem complicated, specialized applications will come to the rescue, and it is important to choose those that are compatible with MIUI and do not require root access.

Top.-3 tested:

• 🧹 SD Maid removes the remnants of deleted applications, empty folders and cache, and there is a "CorpseFinder" feature to find "dead" files.
• 🗑️ Files by Google is a simple tool from Google with a cleanup function. It's good to find duplicates and large unnecessary files.
• 🔍 CCleaner is a classic of the genre, but on MIUI It is unstable (may not see part of the system cache) Tip: use only to clean user data.

How to use SD Maid:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Start the scan ("Analysis").
3. Go to the “CorpseFinder” section – here you will see the remnants of remote applications.
4. In the SystemCleaner section, tick unnecessary files and click Run.

⚠️ Warning: Some utilities (such as Clean Master) aggressively remove cache, which can lead to slowdowns MIUI After cleaning, the system will take time to recover the necessary data.

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On Xiaomi Redmi with MIUI 14+, the built-in cleanup often skips the cache of system applications. Third-party utilities like SD Maid find 20–30% more garbage.

Method 5: Recovery Cache Reset (Radical Method)

If the Other Files take up more than 10GB and no methods help, the last chance is to reset the cache through Recovery.This will not delete your data, but will clear all temporary system files.

Instructions:

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

This method will remove:

• 📂 Cache all applications and systems.
• 🔄 Temporary update files.
• 📝 Logs and error dumps.

Important: After the cache is reset, the first MIUI run can take up to 5-10 minutes – this is normal, the system regenerates the necessary data.

How to Prevent the Accumulation of Other Files in the Future

To avoid having to clean your memory regularly, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Turn off automatic update downloads in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Settings: Install firmware manually to avoid the accumulation of unnecessary packages.
• 📱 Limit cache for individual applications, for example, on Telegram you can limit the size of the cache in the settings (“Data and memory»).
• 🗑️ Clean Download regularly, and use the rule: If you don't need a file for more than a week, delete it.
• 🔍 Install a light launcher like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair. MIUI Actively caches data, which increases the volume of "Other files».

For Redmi models with a small amount of memory (32-64 GB), it is also recommended:

• Use Mi Cloud to automatically sync photos and delete them from your device.
• Transfer applications to SD-card (if supported).
• Disable animations in the developer settings (“Animation Scale” → “No Animation”) to reduce the cache load.

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On Xiaomi Redmi with HyperOS, the cache is cleared more efficiently if you turn on Do Not Disturb mode for 8 hours before bedtime.

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