Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 5A often face critical shortages of internal memory, which is compounded when standard cleaning tools fail to tackle the mysterious “Other” category, which can grow to a few gigabytes, taking up precious space that cannot be freed up through a standard interface. Understanding the nature of this data is the first step to successfully optimizing a device.
In fact, the Other Files section is a hoard of app cache, residual files from remote programs, browser time data, and system logs. Autocleaning often ignores this data as important to the system, even though many of it is digital garbage. Redmi 5A owners with its modest 16 or 32 gigabytes of internal memory cannot ignore this problem, since a crowded drive leads to serious freezes.
In this article, we will look at proven methods for safely removing excess debris, how to find hidden sources of consumption of space and what tools to use for deep cleaning. Manual file management requires caution, but gives the best result in the fight for free megabytes.
Storage occupancy analysis on Redmi 5A
Before we start radical action, we need to know exactly what's taking up space. The standard storage analyzer in MIUI gives only a general idea, often hiding the real amount of data in the "Other" category. For deep analysis, we'd better use specialized utilities that visualize folder structure. One effective solution is the DiskUsage application, or the built-in but hidden analyzer.
When you run a scan, you'll see a memory card where each sector corresponds to a specific file or folder. Large clusters of blue or green usually point to media files, but gray or colorful small dots are the "other" garbage, and this is where you often hide forgotten downloads from messengers or cache cards.
It is important to distinguish between system files, which will lead to unstable work, and user garbage. Log files (error logs) can be deleted safely, they are created again when new failures occur. However, it is strongly recommended not to touch files with the.apk extension in system folders or.so libraries without understanding their purpose.
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Before deleting any files from system folders, copy them to your computer or cloud storage, which will restore the smartphone to work in case of an error.
Cleaning cache and temporary application files
The safest and most effective way to reduce the size of the Other category is to work with the app cache. Social networks, browsers and news aggregators save huge amounts of temporary data to speed up content loading. On the Redmi 5A, which is not characterized by excess RAM, such cache is often not optimized and simply inflates storage.
To clean up, go to Settings, then select App and then All Apps. Find the most heavy programs, such as YouTube, Chrome or VKontakte. Inside each app's menu, find the Clean button and select Clear Cache. Please note: don't confuse it with the Delete Data button, as this will delete your logins and settings.
- 🎵 Streaming services: Spotify or Yandex.Music can save tracks for offline listening in hidden folders.
Once you clear the heavy application cache, restart the device, and the system recalculates the storage index, and you notice that the category "Other" has decreased, and if the space is released slightly, then the problem lies deeper, in residual files or system errors of space accounting.
☑️ Daily Memory Hygiene
Use of built-in cleaner and third-party utilities
The MIUI shell on the Xiaomi Redmi 5A has a built-in Security app that includes a Cleanup module that can find some types of junk files. However, its algorithms are often superficial. For deeper work, it is recommended to use proven third-party solutions such as Files by Google or SD Maid.
Files by Google is a great tool for finding duplicates and forgotten downloads, and it offers you the ability to delete old screenshots, blurred photos and files you’ve already sent in chats, run a scan and look carefully at the system’s offerings, and often the “Unnecessary Files” section hides the remnants of system updates or installation packages.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party cleaners with aggressive advertising (called "Cleaner Master" and their clones) can themselves become a source of debris. 5A, You can slow down the device, and you can only use proven tools.
If you use a third-party file manager, turn on the display of hidden files (usually through the app settings menu, the “Show hidden files” checkbox). Often, after deleting the program, its folder with settings and data remains dead weight in the root of internal memory or in the folder. Android/data.
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The combination of the built-in MIUI cleaner and Files by Google app allows you to remove up to 80% of visible debris without obtaining superuser rights.
Manual removal of system debris through file manager
For advanced users who are not afraid to work with the file system, you can manually clean up. On Redmi 5A, you can do this through the standard Explorer (yellow icon), you need to go to the root directory of internal memory, and it is important to act in cold blood and delete only the one in which you are sure of the purpose.
First, pay attention to the folder. MIUI/debug_log. It stores debugging logs that are created by the system all the time, and if you're not a developer and you're not debugging the firmware, the contents of this folder can be painlessly deleted, and it's also worth checking the Thunderbird folder (if you used a bootloader) or folders from old, already deleted games.
Consider the main file types that often inflate the “Other” section:
| File/Folder type | Location. | Can I remove it? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| .tombstones | Root of memory | Yes. | Reports of application crashes are useless to the average user. |
| log / logs | Different application folders | Yes. | Event logs created by diagnostic programs. |
| backup | MIUI/backup | Carefully. | Backups of text messages and calls, if you don't need backup. |
| cache | Inside the app folders | Yes. | Temporary data is often left after the application is deleted. |
When manually deleting, use file groups by type, for example, you can sort files by size and delete the largest ones if they are not system files with the.tmp or.temp extension at the root of memory are also candidates for deletion, as these are temporary files that programs forgot to delete.
Working with Android folder and remnants of remote games
Special attention should be paid to the Android directory, which contains two key folders: data and obb. Obb stores the cache files of heavy games (textures, music, levels). If you delete the game, but the folder with its name (for example, com.gameloft.android...) is left, it can be safely erased. This often frees up 1 to 3 GB of space.
The Android/data folder contains the application data, and you have to be careful, and removing the active application folder will reset it to the initial settings or require you to re-upload it, but folders from long-distant programs should not be found here, but sometimes the system forgets to remove them, check the folder list and check them against the apps you have installed.