Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the mysterious situation when the device’s memory is full, but the standard analyzer does not show which files occupy gigabytes. Android displays this volume as the “Other” category, hiding real data from the user. This can be the cache of messengers, the remnants of remote games or system logs that have grown to obscene size.
Understanding the structure of the MIUI and HyperOS file system is key to freeing up valuable space. Unlike simple cleaners, the manual method allows you to see exactly what's behind the encryption of the system. You don't need a superuser's rights to do a deep diagnostic of the storage and remove the excess.
In this article, we will discuss effective ways to access hidden directories, learn to distinguish systemically important files from digital garbage, and clean up properly will speed up your smartphone and prevent sudden errors when installing updates or shooting videos.
The nature of the category “Other” in the storage
Xiaomi’s “Other” category is not a single folder, but a collection of disparate data that a standard analyzer cannot classify as photos, videos or apps, including browser cached data, temporary streaming service files and instant messenger databases, which the system considers important for the operation of programs, so it does not delete automatically.
Often, the volume of this category is inflated by social interaction applications. Telegram and WhatsApp store the media files viewed in hidden caches, which over time can take up tens of gigabytes. The user sees free space in the gallery, but physically the memory is occupied by these “invisibles”.
⚠️ Warning: Blindly removing all files from system folders can result in app settings reset or loss of progress in games.Always check content before cleaning.
Another source of debris is debugging logs and error reports. If you've ever sent a report to developers or used USB debugging mode, these text files may have stayed on the system. They don't benefit the average user, but they continue to occupy space in the "Other" section.
Why does a standard cleaner not see these files?
Use of built-in conductor for analysis
The first step to cleaning up is to use the native Explorer tool that is already installed on your Xiaomi, which has access to the main directories where digital junk is most often hidden. To get started, open the app and go to the file display settings.
In the Explorer settings menu, activate the "Show hidden files" option, which will make folders that start at a point where configurations and temporary data are often stored visible, and once you turn on this option, the directory structure will become more transparent for analysis.
Note the Android/data folder. This is where the bulk of third-party app debris resides. Inside, you'll find directories with packet names, like com.telegram.messenger, and analyzing the contents of these folders allows you to safely delete downloaded files that you don't need anymore.
- 📂 Open the “Conductor” and click on three dots in the corner.
- 👁️ Select “Settings” and activate the “Show hidden files” switch».
- 🔍 Go to the root of internal memory to estimate the total amount of memory.
- 🗑️ Find folders with names of remote applications and clean them up.
Don’t forget to check the Download folder and MIUI/debug_log. Often users forget about downloaded app installers (APK), They're already installed, but their installation files are dead weight, and their removal is completely safe for the system.
Advanced access through third-party file managers
Staff funds are sometimes restricted by access rights, especially on newer versions of Android 11, 12, 13 and 14. Google has stepped up security by closing direct access to system folders even to conductors. To get around these restrictions, it is recommended to use specialized tools such as Total Commander or Files by Google.
When you first run a manager like this, the system will ask for special permission to access all the files, you have to agree and go to the settings to confirm the rights, and then you can see the full size of the folder "Other" and manage its contents.
| Annex | Access to Android/data | Search for takes | Interface. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi Conductor | Limited. | No. | Simple. |
| Total Commander | Full (with plugins) | No. | Difficult. |
| Files by Google | Basic | There is. | Minimalism |
| Solid Explorer | Complete. | There is. | Modern. |
Using Solid Explorer or X-plore offers the advantage of dual-panel mode, which allows you to conveniently move files from system directories to external storage or to your computer. The dual-panel interface makes it much easier to navigate the intricate structure of the Linux-based Android file system.
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Use the Disk Analysis feature in third-party conductors, and it visualizes memory as a pie diagram, where you can immediately see which file takes up the most space.
Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks
The lion’s share of the volume of “Other” is in messengers. Telegram, for example, stores all the photos and videos viewed in the cache by default, so that they can be downloaded faster when reopened. Over time, this cache can grow to 5-10 gigabytes, remaining invisible in the gallery.
To clean up, go to the app’s settings, Data and Memory → Memory Use, and see the breakdown by chat and channel, and you can clear the cache completely or autodelete files that were uploaded more than a week ago.
⚠️ Warning: Clearing the cache in the application settings is safe – your correspondence and contacts will not be lost. However, deleting files through the Explorer can disrupt the messenger database.
Similar to YouTube and streaming services, videos uploaded for offline viewing also fall into the "Other" category. If you've watched a movie but haven't deleted it from in-app downloads, it takes up space. Regularly checking your download list helps keep your memory clean.
It is important to distinguish between Clear Cache and Clear Data in the Android settings: the first deletes temporary files, the second resets the application to the state immediately after installation, removing logins and settings. Be careful when choosing actions in the App menu → Application Management.
Working with the obb folder and the remnants of remote games
Heavy games and graphics apps often upload additional resources to the Android/obb folder. If you delete a game but its data remains in OBB, the system will continue to consider this volume busy.
Checking this directory requires care, and folders are named for packet IDs (e.g. com.rockstargames.gtasa). If you're not sure which application belongs to the folder, you'd better search the Internet for the name before deleting it.
- 🎮 Come in. Android/obb ram-wire.
- 🔎 Compare folder names with the games you have installed.
- 🗑️ Only remove folders for which applications have already been removed.
- 📉 The vacancy of the place can be from 1 to 5 GB.
Sometimes file remnants are found at the root of internal memory, folders with names like King (for Candy Crush) or Gameloft can stay for years, and if you no longer play games from these developers, feel free to delete the corresponding directories.
☑️ Check before deleting folders
System Files and Logs: Should I Touch?
There are folders deep inside the system that you don't want to touch unless you're absolutely required to, like MIUI/.cache or data/log, that contain technical information about how the processor and the communication modules work, and when you clean them up, you can temporarily add space, but the system will create them again.
However, if you are actively using debugging features or your phone is often bug-catching, logs can grow. In such cases, it is safer to use the engineering menu to reset logs than manually clean files. Enter the code ##64663## to log into the engineering menu (does not work on all firmware).
There's a myth that cleaning system logs speeds up the phone. On modern Snapdragon and MediaTek, it's not. File memory is fast, and text logs don't affect the speed of opening applications. The main goal here is to free up space, not optimize speed.
⚠️ Note: Delete files from the folder Android/media It can cause the display settings to be lost in some applications and the album covers to disappear in music players.
If you decide to clean the system manually, you should do it without touching it. It is better to leave 100 MB of system debris than to delete a critical configuration file that will require resetting to factory settings.
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System folders should not be touched manually. Use the built-in Cleanup feature in the Security app to safely remove system debris.
Prevention of overflow of the “Other” section
To keep the problem from coming back, you need to change your smartphone usage habits, first set up automatic cache clearing in your storage settings, and HyperOS and the new MIUI have an Advanced Cleanup feature that you can configure to run weekly.
Check the Downloads folder regularly. Files downloaded from your browser or received in instant messengers often stay there forever. The habit of running through this directory once a month and deleting old PDFs, APKs and pictures will save you gigabytes.
Use cloud storage for photos and videos. Syncing with Google Photos or Yandex.Disk with free up space will automatically delete local copies of files, leaving them only in the cloud, the most effective way to combat memory shortage.
- ☁️ Set up auto-removal in cloud services.
- 📅 Check the Download folder once a month.
- ⚙️ Enable smart cleaning in the Security app.
- 🚫 Turn off auto-save in chat rooms where it is not needed.
It's also worth revising the installed app list, and many programs are rarely used, but they continue to collect data in the background, and removing zombie apps that you haven't used in the last six months is the best garbage prevention in the Other category.