Where in Xiaomi to see the “other” in the memory of the phone: hidden files, cache and system data

Why Xiaomi has a “different” place in its memory and how to see it

Have you ever gone to Settings → Memory on your Xiaomi and seen the mysterious “Other” category take the lion’s share? This is not a system error — this term hides dozens of gigabytes of files that MIUI does not classify as standard categories (photos, videos, applications), this group includes app cache, temporary update files, system log files, messenger data and even remnants of deleted programs.

The problem is that MIUI (Xiaomi shell) doesn’t show the user these files in Explorer by default. You only see surface statistics, but you can’t delete or analyze “the other” directly. Meanwhile, this is often the reason for memory shortages: for example, Telegram cache can weigh 5-10 GB, and /data/log folder – several hundred megabytes after system failures.

In this article, we’ll look at 4 ways to see the contents of the “other” in Xiaomi’s memory, from standard MIUI tools to hidden features and third-party apps. Importantly, some methods require root rights, but most work without them.

Method 1: Standard Memory Analysis in MIUI (without root)

To start with, the basic MIUI tool that is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones (including the 2020-2026 models) won’t show all the hidden files, but it will help to identify the main memory eaters.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Slap the “Other” chart (usually gray or blue).
3. The system will prompt you to clear the cache – click “Clean” (this is safe, but will delete the temporary application data).
4. Below will appear the Files button – click it to see the breakdown by category: 📁 Downloads – files from the browser and messengers; 🗑️ Recycle Bin - deleted files (stored for 30 days); 🔄 Updates - firmware packages MIUI; 📊 The other is where the system data is hidden.

Method limitations: You won’t see the /data folder or /system, but you can clear up to 1-3 GB of garbage.

Method 2: Viewing hidden folders through the file manager

To see the real content of the other, you’ll need a file manager with access to system folders, and Xiaomi’s standard Explorer (if you include hidden file displays) or third-party applications like Solid Explorer, FX File Manager will do.

Step-by-step instructions for Solid Explorer:

1. Install the app from Google Play (the free version is quite functional).
2. Open the menu (☰) → «Settings» → «Display hidden files" (enable slider).
3. Go back to the root directory (/) and go to the folders: 📂 /storage/emulated/0 — User data is stored here (including hidden folders of messengers such as.Telegram or.WhatsApp); 🔧 /data — Application system data (requires root); 🗃️ /MIUI — Log files and dumps of the system (can weigh up to a maximum of 500 MB).

Warning: Do not delete files from /system or /vendor folders, this will lead to system failure.

• 🧹.thumbdata folders (image miniatures);
• 🗑️ Download/.trash (load-basket);
• 📥 /MIUI/debug_log (mistake).

Method 3: Using ADB to analyze memory (without root)

If you don't want to install file managers, you can analyze memory through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works without root rights and shows the exact size of folders, including system folders, which are usually hidden.

Instructions:

1. Download ADB Tools for Windows/macOS/Linux.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute commands in the terminal: adb shell df -h This command will show you the occupied space on all partitions (including /data).
4. To see the size of specific folders (e.g. Telegram cache): du -sh /data/data/org.telegram.messenger/cache

Example of output for the cache folder:

1.2G    /data/data/org.telegram.messenger/cache


450M    /data/data/com.android.chrome/cache

🔹 It's important: ADB It won't show you the contents of the folders without root, but it will help you identify the "heavy" directories.

Method 4: Root access for full memory control

If you're willing to take drastic measures, root access will give Xiaomi full control of memory.

• 🔍 View all system folders (including: /data and /system);
• 🧹 Delete unnecessary files (for example, pre-installed applications) MIUI);
• 📊 Use applications like DiskUsage to visualize occupied space.

🚨 Warning:

⚠️ Attention: Getting root rights voids Xiaomi’s warranty and can lead to the blocking of banking applications (due to the SafetyNet trigger).On models with Mi Pay (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro), this will also disable contactless payments.

Instructions for obtaining root (briefly):

1. Unblock Bootloader through the official Xiaomi website (requires an account binding Mi).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP).
3. Use Magisk to manage root rights.

Once root is available, use Root Explorer or Mixplorer to navigate through folders. For example, to find garbage in these applications, go to:

/data/data/[name packet]/cache


/data/data/[name packet]/files

adb backup -f backup.ab -apk -shared

This will save application data and settings.-->

Table: What occupies space in the "other" and how to clean

Below is a breakdown of typical memory eaters in Xiaomi and how to clean them:

What to do if the other takes up too much space

If after all the manipulations, the Other section still occupies 10+ GB, check:

1. Hidden backups: MIUI automatically creates backups in /MIUI/backup. Delete old versions.
2. Games like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile are downloading resources to the game. /Android/obb. Move them to the SD-map or delete.
3. Viruses/malware: Some Trojans create hidden folders with ad modules. Check Malwarebytes' phone.
4. File system errors: Run verification through Settings → Memory. → Three points (⋮) → Memory check.

🔹 Critical case: if the "other" takes up more than 20 GB for no apparent reason, it may indicate that the "other" is a "sic:

• 🐛 Failure of the file system (reset to factory settings is required);
• 📦 Failed update MIUI (Check your phone through Fastboot);
• 🔄 Cyclical Logging (check the folder) /data/anr Repeated files are available).

💡

If the other one grows back in a week after cleaning, it's a problem with the system process. MIUI Or go to the service center.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi memory