The problem of overcrowded memory on Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones is familiar to many users. Often, a mysterious category “Other” appears in storage, which can take up tens of gigabytes, blocking the installation of applications and saving new photos.
It’s not easy to figure out what’s hidden inside this section, as it combines application cache, remnants of remote programs, temporary messenger files, and system logs. In this article, we’ll detail how to reduce this amount safely without having to reset your device completely.
You will learn about the nuances of the MIUI and HyperOS file systems, and you will receive step-by-step instructions for manual and automatic cleaning. It is important to understand that blindly deleting files can lead to malfunctions in the software, so act carefully.
What is hidden in the category "Other"
The Other category is not a virus or a system bug, but a standard Android operating system mechanism, which includes data that the system cannot uniquely classify as photos, videos, music or documents, most often an application cache that grows over time.
Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp save the images and videos you viewed into hidden folders, which the standard conductor does not always correctly display in the gallery, but they gain significant weight.
Also included in this section are residual files after deleting games or programs. Software developers often leave configuration files that the system flags as unknown, and error logs and temporary update files can be stored here.
⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to delete files from system folders manually through third-party root file managers unless you are sure of their purpose.This can lead to a cyclical smartphone reboot.
Using the built-in Xiaomi cleaner
The safest and first step is to use a regular optimization tool, and the MIUI and HyperOS shells have a Security app that can find and remove a significant amount of garbage.
Launch the app and select Cleanup. The system will analyze the storage and suggest that temporary files be deleted. However, standard cleaning is often superficial. For a deeper analysis, click on Cleanup inside the app menu or select Deep Cleanup.
Pay attention to the "Big Files" section, which is often where forgotten downloads are hidden, which the system classifies as "Other" and carefully review the list before deleting so that important documents do not lose.
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Periodically start a deep cleanup immediately after installing major system updates, as many temporary installation files accumulate at this point.
Remember that the built-in tool doesn't always see the cache of social media, as they can mask their storage.
Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks
The main memory eaters are messengers. Unlike iOS, where cache is easier to clean, on Android Telegram and WhatsApp can take up to 10-20 GB of space. To remove this volume, you need to go to the settings of the application itself.
On Telegram, go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the Cache slider. By clicking Clear Cache, you won’t lose any correspondence or media files — they will simply be rebooted from the cloud if needed. This is the most efficient way to free up space.
On WhatsApp, things are more complicated. Go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. It will show you which chats take up the most space. You can selectively delete media files from specific dialogs without deleting the correspondence itself.
- 📱 Telegram: cache is cleaned safely and automatically adjusts by setting the limit.
- 💬 WhatsApp: Requires manual file sorting by chat to clean up effectively.
- 📸 Instagram/Viber: often store storis and statuses in the cache, which must be cleaned through the application settings.
⚠️ Attention: Clearing the data (not cache) in the application settings will result in complete deletion of correspondence and logging out of the account».
Analysis of storage through PCs and conductors
If the built-in tools do not help, connect the smartphone to the computer through USB-Using a PC allows you to see the real folder structure and find the heavy files that are hidden in the back of the system. On your computer, use a disk analysis program, such as WinDirStat or TreeSize Free.
Connect your phone to file transfer (MTP) mode. Open up the internal storage and look at the Android/data and Android/obb folders. This is where the game and app data that the system refers to as the Other often hides.
Also check the MIUI/Gallery/cloud folder, which may contain deleted photos that haven’t yet synced to the cloud, or hidden thumbnails. Download often accumulates APK installation files that aren’t needed anymore.
When working with files via PC, always back up important data. Accidental deletion of the system configuration file can disrupt individual smartphone functions.
Resetting settings and radical methods
When software methods fail and the Other category continues to grow, the radical but effective method is a complete reset, which will return the smartphone to its factory state and ensure that all software debris is removed.
Before starting the procedure, be sure to back up all important data to the Mi Cloud or your computer, as all files will be destroyed. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase all data.
After reset, take your time to restore all applications from the backup. Set only the minimum you need and observe the behavior of memory. Often the problem lies in one particular application, which, when restored, will again fill the memory with garbage.
☑️ Checklist before reset
If even after a system is reset and cleanly installed, the Other category takes up an abnormally large amount of space (e.g., a few gigabytes on an empty phone), it could indicate a hardware memory malfunction or a serious firmware bug.
Prevention of the appearance of excess garbage
To keep the problem from coming back, change your smartphone usage habits. Check your autoloading media settings in instant messengers regularly. Turn off auto-save photos and videos from chat rooms to the gallery if you don't need to.
Use cloud storage for photos and videos by enabling the “Free Space” feature in the Google Photos app, which will delete local copies of files, leaving them available in the cloud, which will significantly reduce internal memory.
Once a month, you audit your installed apps, remove the programs you don't use, and many of them continue to collect data and grow in the background, even if you don't use them.
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Regular cleaning of messenger cache and disabling auto-save media is the best prevention of the growth of the category “Other”.
Keep an eye out for system updates. Xiaomi engineers are constantly releasing patches that optimize the file system and fix errors that leak memory.
Comparison of cleaning methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right method, we have prepared a comparative table of methods, each of which has its pros and cons depending on the situation.
| Method | Efficiency | Security | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in cleaner | Low. | Tall. | Minimum |
| Cleaning up the app cache | Medium | Tall. | Low. |
| Analysis through PC | Tall. | Medium | Medium |
| Full reset (Factory Reset) | Maximum | Demands backup. | Tall. |
Choose a method based on how much time you are willing to spend and how critical the data on the device is, and there are enough built-in tools and messaging tools for daily use.
If you are faced with a situation where the memory fills up on its own immediately after cleaning, it is possible that the system is running malware or a malfunctioning process, in which case it is worth checking the phone with an antivirus or contacting a service center.