Owners of the legendary Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X often face a situation where the smartphone’s built-in memory is overflowing and the system begins to signal a shortage of space.The biggest problem is the “Others” category, which can take up gigabytes of valuable space, preventing you from installing new apps or taking photos.This mysterious folder often contains messenger cache, remnants of remote programs, system logs and temporary files that have accumulated over the years of the device’s operation.
Understanding what is hidden under this label is the first step to successfully cleaning your gadget. Unlike photos or music, this data is not always visible to the user when you browse the file system, which creates the illusion of “losing” free space. In this article, we will discuss in detail safe and effective methods for getting rid of digital garbage without affecting important system files.
Before we start taking radical action, it's important to realize that deleting other files is a mindful process. Wrong actions can cause MIUI to malfunction, so we'll use proven algorithms to help you distinguish between useful cache that speeds up applications and malicious debris that just slows down the device.
Analysis of the occupied space in the conductor
The first step in cleaning up should always be diagnostics. The standard MIUI shell Explorer tool provides basic information, but for deep analysis, you'd better use the built-in Security app. That's where you can see the detailed breakdown by category and see what kind of data takes up the lion's share of your Redmi Note 4X's memory.
Run the Security app and select Cleanup. The system will scan and show the amount of junk files. However, to see the Others category, go to Settings → Memory. Here you will see a color diagram where gray is usually the hidden data, and clicking on this sector will give you access to a more detailed list.
It often turns out that the bulk of the data is taken up by messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, which save media files to hidden folders, and a significant part can be debugging logs and error reports that are created automatically by the system, and it is important not to delete blindly (at random), but to pre-analyze the contents of large folders.
⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.apk extension unless you are sure you don’t need them, as these are application install packages that may be required to restore programs without re-downloading from the Internet.
- 📱 Check the folder. DCIM/.thumbnails, where miniatures of the gallery are stored, often growing to giant sizes.
- 💬 Clear the cache inside the settings of specific apps, especially social networks and browsers.
- 🗑️ Delete the contents of the folder MIUI/debug_log, If you are not a developer and do not debug the system.
Use of the built-in MIUI cleaner
The MIUI shell comes with a powerful built-in tool to maintain the system that is often ignored by users. To start a deep cleanup, open the Security app and click on the Cleanup icon. After the initial scan, the system will suggest removing obvious debris, but to work with the Others category, you need to click the Clean All button and then go to manual selection mode.
In Extended Mode, the cleaner allows you to select specific file types to delete, where you can safely dispose of temporary files, ad cache and residual files from remote applications. The algorithm of a standard cleaner is smart enough not to touch critical system files, but user control will never hurt.
Regular use of this tool helps prevent the accumulation of garbage, and it is recommended to do this procedure at least once a week, especially if you are actively using the Internet and installing new programs. 4X optimally.
☑️ Weekly Memory Prevention
Manual cleaning through the file manager
For more advanced users who want to have full control of the process, manual cleaning through the file manager is available. You will need to go to the root directory of the internal drive and carefully examine the folders. Android/data and Android/obb, where game and application data are stored.
The Android/data folder contains the cache and settings of the installed programs. If you delete the application but the folder with its name remains, you can safely delete it. However, if the program is still installed, deleting files from this folder can lead to a reset of its settings or loss of progress in games, so proceed with caution.
It’s also worth checking the Download folder, which often accumulates installation files, documents and images that you’ve long forgotten about.Sorting files by size will help you quickly find the heavyweights that occupy the space. Using the file manager’s Sorting by Size feature speeds up this process.
| folder | Description of the contents | Can I remove it? |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI/debug_log | System logs for debugging | Yeah, unless it's debugging. |
| Android/data | Cash and application data | Only for remote applications |
| DCIM/.thumbnails | Photo miniatures | Yes, the system will create new ones. |
| Download | Files from the browser | Yeah, after the check. |
What to do if the folder is not deleted?
Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks
The main “eaters” of memory in the category “Other” on Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X are messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber and Instagram store all viewed photos, videos and documents in cache, which over time can reach tens of gigabytes. Standard deletion of the application often does not affect this data unless the appropriate option is selected.
The most effective way to clear the cache is through the settings of the app itself. For example, in Telegram, go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use and click Clear Cache. This is safe: your correspondence and media files will remain in the cloud and download again if necessary, but the space occupied on the disk will be free.
On WhatsApp, the situation is similar, but it is also important to check the backup folder in the file manager, as old backups can be stored locally. Regularly cleaning media files inside chats also helps keep the size of the Other category under control. Remember that clearing the cache does not delete your personal correspondence unless you choose this option specifically.
⚠️ Before clearing your messenger data, make sure you have an up-to-date backup of important correspondence in the cloud service (Google Drive or iCloud) so you don’t lose your message history forever.
- 🎥 In Telegram, set up autodelete the cache: select a period (for example, 3 days) after which media files will be deleted automatically.
- 📸 On Instagram and Facebook, use the “Clear Cache” feature in the Memory Use section inside the app’s settings.
- 💾 On WhatsApp, check the Storage tab regularly in your settings to see which chats take up the most space.
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Use the “Silent Updates” feature in Telegram so that media files are not saved automatically to the phone gallery, but only downloaded by click, which will save space in the “Others” category.
Delete residual files after uninstall
When you delete an app in the standard way on Android, there are often tails left behind — folders with settings, cache and temporary files — that add up to create a significant amount of leftovers in the Other category, and you can use specialized analytics tools available on Google Play to find and remove them.
Apps like Clean Master (with caution), Files by Google or SD Maid can find orphaned files. When you run a scan, you get a list of folders that belong to already remote programs, and when you securely delete that data, you free up space without risking the system.
However, be careful: some applications leave important files, such as game saves or downloaded maps for the navigator. Before mass deletion, make sure that there is no data among the residual files that you plan to use in the future.
If you prefer the manual method, then after removing the program go to Settings. → Apps and see if there's any empty records left. Then, through the file manager, check the folder. Android/data if you have folders with names of remote applications (usually this is the name of the package, for example, com.example.game).
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Regular use of the disk analyzer helps to identify and delete “orphaned” files that remain after uninstallation of programs and quietly eat up memory.
Resetting settings as a radical method
If none of the above methods helped significantly reduce the size of the category “Others” and the memory is critically filled, the last option remains – a complete reset to factory settings.This method is guaranteed to remove all accumulated debris, system errors and hidden files, returning the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X to the “store-like” state.
Before performing this procedure, be sure to back up all important data to an external medium or to the cloud, as in the process all photos, contacts, messages and installed applications will be deleted.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset → Reset. Select the option to Clean Everything. The device will restart and begin the cleaning process, which can take 10 to 30 minutes. Once turned on, you will get a clean system without excess luggage.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure the battery is at least 50-60% before starting the reset so that the device does not turn off in the process, which can damage the software.
- 🔋 Charge your smartphone to at least 60% before starting the reset procedure.
- ☁️ Sync your contacts and photos with your Google or Mi Cloud account.
- 📝 Write down important passwords and Wi-Fi network settings as they will be deleted.
Alternative to total dumping
Prevention of memory overflow
To prevent the problem from returning too often, it is important to introduce the habit of regular maintenance of the smartphone: do not allow the memory to be filled "on the back" as this slows down the file system and can lead to malfunctioning applications. Try to keep at least 10-15% of the total storage capacity free.
Use cloud storage for photos and documents. Services like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk allow you to free up space on your device at the touch of a button, leaving copies of files in the cloud. This is especially true for the Redmi Note 4X, which does not support large-volume memory cards in newer versions of firmware without dancing with diamonds.
Also keep an eye out for system and application updates. Xiaomi developers periodically release patches that optimize memory and fix errors that lead to proliferation of logs. The current version of MIUI is the key to stable operation and effective management of device resources.
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The best strategy to combat overcrowding is prevention: cleaning the cache regularly, using cloud storage, and installing apps only from trusted sources.