The situation of a smartphone’s internal storage suddenly overflowing with a mysterious “Other” section is familiar to many Xiaomi and Redmi owners. The user may find that only a few gigabytes of 128 GB are free, even though photos, videos and installed apps take up very little space.
The phenomenon of accumulation of unclassified files is associated with the peculiarities of the MIUI shell and the Android file system. The system does not always correctly identify the types of data created by messengers, browsers and system processes, throwing them into a common pile. To return the gadget to speed and the ability to install new programs, you need to conduct a deep cleaning.
In this article, we will discuss safe and effective ways to free up space, learn how to find hidden files, clear the cache of system services, and use third-party tools to analyze disk space. It is important to act consistently so that important data is not damaged by the operating system.
Analysis of the contents of the “Other” section
Before we take any drastic measures, we need to understand what exactly takes up space. In Android terminology, the Other section (sometimes labeled System Data) is a hoard of cache apps, residual files after deleted programs, temporary update files and logs. MIUI often cannot detail this data in the standard memory management menu.
The most voluminous are the messenger cache (Telegram, WhatsApp), which stores the media files viewed, and the remnants of deleted games, and the memory dump files can get into this messaging system, and understanding the nature of these files helps you choose the right cleaning method.
⚠️ Note: Do not try to delete files from system folders Android/data or Android/obb manually through the file manager without prior analysis.This can lead to application failure or loss of progress in games.
You can use built-in tools to make an initial assessment of the situation, but they often give a superficial picture, and more accurate data can be obtained by connecting a smartphone to a computer or using specialized analyzer utilities that visualize the structure of folders.
Cleaning through the built-in “Safety” application
The easiest and safest way to start fighting overflowing memory is to use Xiaomi’s regular tool.Security has a built-in cleaning module that can find obvious garbage. Launch the app and select Cleanup.
Once scanned, the system will prompt you to delete temporary files and cache. However, the standard analyzer often misses the deep messenger cache. For more detail, click on the garbage cleaner again, but this time select the Deep Clean option, where you can find large files, duplicates and rarely used applications.
In the deep cleaning section, look at the Big Files category, which often includes forgotten videos or archives that are formally related to the Other, and check the Apps tab, where you can upload the cache of specific programs that take up the most space.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Don't just rely on automatic mode. Manually go through the application list in the storage settings. Find programs you rarely use, and select Clear all data if you don't need to save data inside the application. This action will release a significant amount of what the system previously considered "Other."
Working with the cache of messengers and social networks
The majority of the “Other” section on modern smartphones is in messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber have a habit of storing all the images, videos and documents viewed in local memory, even if you have already deleted them from the chat.
To clean Telegram effectively, you need to go to the settings of the app itself: Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the cache volume. Press Clear Cache. Don't worry, your chats and media won't disappear - they're stored in the cloud and will be rebooted if necessary.
WhatsApp is more complicated because it doesn't have the same cloud cache. Media files are in the folders of the device. To remove WhatsApp-related "Other" it's better to use the built-in storage management function inside the app: Settings → Data and storage → Storage management. Sort files by size and delete unnecessary videos and GIF-animation.
| Annex | The path to cleanup in settings | Security of removal |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Settings → Data and memory → Memory use | Secure (data in the cloud) |
| Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management | Requires verification (file deletion) | |
| Viber | More. → Settings → Memory. → Clear the cache | Safe for chat media |
| Phone settings → Apps → Instagram → Storage | Safe (cache only) |
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Turn on the “Auto-Delete Media” function in Telegram. Set a timer of “3 days” or “1 week” so that the cache will stop growing indefinitely in the future.
Once the cache is cleared, the apps recommend restarting the smartphone, allowing MIUI to recalculate the file index and correctly display the space that has been vacant, and if the volume of the Other has decreased slightly, then the problem lies deeper in the system residues.
Delete residual files through the Explorer
Many applications leave behind folders with settings and temporary data when they are deleted, and these tails can take gigabytes, and you'll need a File Manager application built in to remove them, or any other file manager with access to the root directory.
Go to internal memory and look at folders with the names of remote games or programs, often in the root or in the Android/data folder. If you are sure that the application is removed, its folder can be safely eliminated. However, be extremely careful with the folders of system services Google or Xiaomi.
Pay special attention to MIUI and Android folders. Android/data stores app data. If you delete the active app folder, it will reset to factory settings. Look for folders with names that don't tell you anything, or that clearly refer to long-deleted software.
⚠️ Attention: Folder Android/obb It contains heavy game cache files (graphics resources), and deleting the contents of this folder will cause the games to stop running and require a re-jump of the data.
It's also worth checking the Download folder. Often users forget there. APK-installer, PDF-Sorting files by size in the conductor will help you quickly find heavyweights».
Using DiskUsage for deep analysis
When standard methods fail to identify the source of the problem, third-party software comes to the rescue. One of the most effective and easy tools for Android is DiskUsage. It visualizes the file system as a block map, where the square size corresponds to the size of the file or folder.
Download an app from the Google Play Store (or an analog, like Google's Storage if DiskUsage is not available). Once it's running, it scans the memory. You'll see a rectangular map where the largest areas are highlighted in color. By clicking on the larger blocks, you can go down into the folder structure and find the culprit.
Often, DiskUsage shows that a huge amount of debugging logs or dump files created by the system when crashes, these files can be deleted without fear, and the utility can show hidden folders that the standard conductor does not see.
Why can’t DiskUsage show all the files?
Using these analyzers is the most professional approach to the problem, avoiding blind deletion and accurately destroying files that inflate the “Other” partition, which can be deleted directly from the program interface (usually after a long press or menu).
Radical measures: Resetting to factory settings
If neither method helped reduce the volume of the Other and the system continues to show critically little space, there may have been an indexing error or a corruption of the system tables, in which case the most effective solution is a complete reset.
Before you do this, make sure to back up all your important data: contacts, photos, documents. Reset will remove all information from the device, returning it to the “shop-like” state. Go to Settings → About phone → Reset → Erase everything.
Once rebooted and initially set up, the Other section will be minimal (usually 2-4 GB of system files) and this is guaranteed to solve the problem if it is not caused by a physical flash memory malfunction. It is recommended that you do not restore the applications backup immediately after a reset, but install them again so as not to return the old junk.
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Full reset is the only 100% solution if the Other partition has grown due to logical errors in the file system that cannot be fixed software.
Once reset, the system will create a new, clean file structure, and during the first hours of use, the volume of the Other may fluctuate until the system re-indexes the files and creates the necessary caches, but it does not take on anomalous values.