Owners of the popular Redmi Note 4 often face the unpleasant situation when the system storage is rapidly filled with a mysterious section called “Other Files”, which can occur even after a standard cleaning, creating the illusion of overflowing memory, even though the user has not installed new applications or downloaded three-dimensional videos.
The MIUI system installed on the device automatically classifies data, but often puts messenger cache, remnants of remote programs, error logs and temporary update files into this category. Secure deletion of this data requires not just a mechanical click on the “Clear” button, but an understanding of what exactly occupies space. In this article, we will discuss proven methods that will help you regain free space without losing important personal data.
Ignoring the issue can lead to a significant slowdown in the smartphone and the inability to install new security updates. The “Other” section on the Redmi Note 4 is often inflated due to the accumulated cache of WhatsApp and Telegram messengers that are not deleted by standard system tools. Let’s consider how to effectively manage your device’s memory.
Memory Occupancy Analysis and Diagnosis
Before taking decisive action, you need to make a thorough diagnosis of what exactly is behind the numbers in the storage. Xiaomi standard tools provide basic information, but for deep analysis, it is better to use built-in tools or third-party solutions. Go to the Settings → Memory menu to see the overall picture of the data distribution.
The system can show that the Other takes up 10, 15, or even 20 GB, which is the lion's share of the available volume. This does not always mean that there are viruses or file system failures. Often it is just accumulated "digital debris" that the system is afraid to remove automatically for fear of damaging the application.
For more detailed study, you can use the Explorer app, where the most voluminous folders are often visualized in the Analysis section. Pay attention to folders called MIUI, Android and DCIM, since this is where the most heavy files are hidden, which the system mistakenly ranks as “Other”.
Cleaning the cache and temporary files of the system
The safest and first step that every Redmi Note 4 user needs to take is to clean up the system cache. Unlike these applications, the cache is a temporary file that is created to speed up work, but over time can take up gigabytes of space.
To perform this procedure, open the standard Security app (green shield icon) that is preinstalled in the MIUI shell. Click on Clean, wait for the scan to be completed and then click Clean. However, this will only remove surface debris. For deeper cleaning, go to Settings → Memory → Clean.
☑️ Checklist of basic cleaning
⚠️ Note: When cleaning the cache, make sure you don’t confuse it with the application data. Deleting the data (not the cache) will cause resets of program settings and loss of progress in games or correspondence if they are not stored in the cloud.
Also, check the settings of specific heavy applications. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, find the most voluminous (for example, browsers or social networks) and select Clear cache. This action is safe and will not affect your logins or passwords.
Work with garbage messengers WhatsApp and Telegram
The main culprits of inflating the “Other Files” section on Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 are most often popular messengers. WhatsApp and Telegram store all received media files, documents and voice messages in the memory of the phone, and the system often cannot correctly recognize their type, writing them in a common pile.
In the case of Telegram, the situation is most effectively solved through the settings of the application itself. Open Telegram, go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the amount of cache occupied. By clicking the “Clear Telegram cache” button, you will free up space, while all your chats and media files will remain available in the cloud and will be downloaded again when you view.
WhatsApp is more complicated because it stores history locally, and you need to open Explorer and go on the path of Internal Memory → Android → media → com.whatsapp → WhatsApp → Media. This is where the WhatsApp Images, WhatsApp Video and WhatsApp Documents folders are located. Carefully examine their content and delete the unnecessary.
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Turn on the “Auto-Delete Media” feature in WhatsApp and Telegram settings, or limit auto-save only when connected to Wi-Fi to prevent memory overflows in the future.
Remember that once files are removed from the messenger folders, they can remain in the gallery or the application itself. Be sure to check the Recycle Bin folder in the Gallery app and clean it so that the changes take effect and the space is physically freed up.
Search and delete residual files after deleting applications
When you delete a game or app on Redmi Note 4, the system often leaves behind tails — folders with settings, cache, and additional data — that are no longer needed, but continue to occupy space in the Other section. Over time, these folders can accumulate dozens, creating a significant amount of unnecessary information.
To find these residues, use the built-in storage analyzer or file manager. Look for folders with the names of remote programs. For example, if you removed a game from Gameloft or Asphalt, the folder with the corresponding name may still lie at the root of internal memory or in the Android/obb folder.
| Type of data | Location. | Can I remove it? | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Settings/Memory | Yes. | Low (Temporary Files Only) |
| Folders.thumbnails | DCIM / .thumbnails | Yes. | Low (the gallery will recreate them) |
| Logs of the system (Log) | MIUI / debug_log | Yes. | No (technical reports) |
| Game Data (OBB) | Android / obb | Only if the game is deleted | High (the progress of the game will be lost) |
Be especially careful with folders in the Android/data directory. Deleting the contents of this folder for applications that are still installed on the phone will result in them being reset to factory settings. Only those folders whose names correspond to already remote programs are deleted here.
Using Developer Mode and ADB for Advanced Users
For users who are not afraid of technical terms and want to get maximum control over the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, there is a method of cleaning through debugging over USB. This method allows you to remove system debris that is not available through the usual interface.
First, you need to activate the developer mode. → About phone and seven times quickly click on the item "Version" MIUI». After that, a new section “More” will appear in the settings menu» → «For developers. Include the item "Debugging by USB».
Cleaning commands through ADB
With dedicated PC analyzers like Android File Transfer or ADB console utilities, you can upload a full list of files and find hidden large files. The adb shell du -a /data | sort -n -r | head -n 20 command will show the 20 largest files or folders in the system partition, which will help identify the hidden "eater" of memory.
⚠️ Attention: Working with ADB And you can use a very high skill set to delete system files, and a mistake in the command name or a remote folder can lead to a build-up of the device or a bootloop!
Radical measures: Resetting to factory settings
If none of the above methods has helped reduce the volume of the Other partition and it continues to grow or occupy a critical volume, the last effective method is a complete factory reset.This action will return your Redmi Note 4 to a “out of the box” state, completely clearing the file system.
Before performing this procedure, it is critical to back up all important data: contacts, photos, documents and notes. Once reset, you will not be able to restore deleted files. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset → Reset.
The system will alert you that all data will be deleted, confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed, the phone will reboot, and you will have to reset the original setting, and then the "Other" section will occupy the minimum possible amount of space allocated by the system.
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A full reset is a guaranteed way to clear the Other section, but it takes time to reset the phone and install apps.
After reset, take your time to restore all applications from the backup at once, install them one by one and monitor the memory filling, which will help identify the specific application that is causing an abnormal proliferation of system debris.
Overflow prevention and useful recommendations
To Problem with the “Other” Section on Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
Use cloud storage, such as Google Photos or Yandex.Disk, with auto-delete from the device after boot, which will free up the gallery and reduce the load on internal memory, indirectly affecting the size of system partitions.
It is also recommended to disable automatic saving of downloaded files in the browser if you download documents often. Check the settings of the Chrome browser or MIUI Browser and set a limit on downloading only over Wi-Fi or with confirmation.