How to Free Xiaomi Redmi Memory from the Other: The Complete 2026 Guide

Xiaomi Redmi smartphone owners regularly face a mysterious problem: the phone’s memory is full, but in the “Storage” section, the “Other” item takes the lion’s share. The screen can display 10-30 GB of “unknown” files that can not be deleted by standard means. Where do they come from? This is the system cache, remnants of remote applications, temporary MIUI update files, error logs and even hidden messenger data.

Many users mistakenly believe that the only way out is to reset to factory settings, but this is a radical solution. In fact, there are more gentle methods that will help to return precious gigabytes without losing personal data. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to clean the Other on Redmi Note 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10, POCO X3/X4 and other models with MIUI 12-14. Importantly, some methods require superuser rights (root), but most work without them.

Before you start cleaning, make sure that the problem is in the Other, not the app cache. Go to Settings → Storage → Storage Analysis and check the memory allocation. If the Other partition takes more than 5-7 GB, it’s time to act.

1. Cleaning the system and applications cache

The safest and fastest way is to delete temporary files that MIUI accumulates during operation: the cache of applications (for example, YouTube, TikTok, Telegram) can weigh several gigabytes, and the system cache can even more after updates.

How to clean:

1. Go to Settings → Storage → Cleaning.
2. Click “Clean” in the “Junk files” section (there are collected the remains of remote applications, thumbnails, logs).
3. Return to Storage and tap on App Cache → Clear.

Important: Do not confuse “Cash” and “App Data”; cache can be deleted without consequences, and data contains settings and saves (for example, correspondence on WhatsApp).

📂 App cache (does not delete accounts)

🗑️ Garbage files (residues) APK, logic)

🖼️ Miniatures and sketches (gallery, downloads)

📥 Update files (folder) Downloaded_rom)

-->

If the Other hasn't diminished after cleaning, the problem is deeper. MIUI, They don't automatically remove them. They can take up to 5-8 GB in a folder /MIUI/downloaded_rom.

2. manually delete MIUI update files

Xiaomi saves firmware files even after a successful update, which weigh 1.5-3 GB each and accumulate over the years. They can't be seen through standard Explorer, but they show up in the "Other" section.

How to delete:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer Mode (or use a file manager with access to root folders, such as FX File Explorer).
2. Go to the folder. /MIUI/downloaded_rom.
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension (e.g, miui_UMI_*.zip).

Warning: Do not delete files from /system or /vendor folders – this may cause system failure.

After deleting, restart your phone and check the Storage section. If the Other has decreased by 2-5 GB, the goal is achieved.

3.Cache reset in Recovery Mode (without data loss)

If standard methods didn’t work, try clearing the partition cache through the Restore mode, which doesn’t affect user data, but resets the system cache, which can inflate the Other partition.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select the language (if you have a choice), then “Wipe & Reset” → “Wipe Cache”.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.
5. Reboot your phone via Reboot» → «System»**.

💡

If you cache it, it takes a long time to load (5-10 minutes), it's okay, and the system recovers the files you need.

This method is especially effective after unsuccessful updates or if the phone has started to "lay" it deletes temporary files that are not visible in the standard interface.

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when memory ends|Never cleaned.-->

4. Removal of unnecessary APKs and application residues

When removing applications through Settings → Applications often remain their "tails": folders in the /Android/data, cash /Android/obb, even APK-file /Download. These files take up space but are not displayed in the list of installed programs.

How to find and delete:

• 🔍 Use a file manager (such as Files by Google or Solid Explorer) and manually check folders: /Android/data — here are stored application data (you can delete folders of remote programs). /Android/obb — Game files (e.g. Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile). /Download — old-fashioned APK archives.
• 🧹 Install. SD Maid (requires root) – the program will find the “dead” files and prompt them to delete.

💡

Clean your Android/obb folder carefully, as it can store game saves. Before deleting, check if the files are used by current applications.

If you're not sure which file you can delete, take it to your PC or the cloud, and then check your phone. If nothing breaks, delete it.

5. Advanced methods: ADB and root access

If the Other takes up more than 10GB and doesn't shrink after standard methods, it's time to move to heavy artillery, which requires skill or root rights, but allows you to clear even hidden system files.

Method 1: Cleaning through ADB (no root)

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Connect your phone via USB, turn on “Debugging by USB” (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version → 7 times tap on version, then go back to ** “Additional” → “Developers”).
3. Open the command line in the folder with adb.exe and execute: adb shell pm trim-caches 1000G This command forcibly clears the cache of all applications.

Method 2: Remove unnecessary system files (requires root)

• 🛠️ Install Root Explorer or FX File Explorer with superuser rights.
• 🗃️ Check the folders: /data/log — Logs of the system (you can delete everything). /data/tombstones — Error dumps (delete files older) 1 month). /data/dalvik-cache — Dalvik cache (cleaned only through Recovery or root).

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /system or /data/data If you don't understand the consequences, you can lose data or you can get a phone brik.

Extreme measures: reset to factory settings

If none of these methods worked, and the Other still takes tens of gigabytes, the last option is a complete reset, which will delete all data, including photos, messages and apps, but return the phone to its "clean" state.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Create a backup through Settings → About Phone → Backup or manually copy important files to your PC.
2. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset → Resetting.
3. Select “Erase all data” and confirm.
4. After restarting, set your phone as new.

After the reset, the “other” should be reduced to 1-3 GB (this is normal for system files) If the problem comes back after a week, it is the fault of a particular application (most often Facebook, TikTok or TikTok). MIUI-launcher that actively creates cache.

Table: Comparison of cleaning methods of the "Other"

FAQ: Frequent questions about the “Other” in the memory of Xiaomi