The problem of overflowing the system partition “Other” on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most common and annoying for users. This category often grows to tens of gigabytes, taking up precious space that the system or user can not use effectively. The main insidiousness is that standard cleaning tools inside the shell MIUI or HyperOS often show only a small part of the real volume or refuse to delete these files at all without risking stability.
That is why connecting a device to a personal computer is the most reliable way to deep diagnostics and clean. Using a PC, you get direct access to the file system, bypassing the limitations of the mobile interface, which allows you to safely remove the cache of applications, remnants of remote programs and system logs. In this guide, we will look at proven methods that will help return free space to your gadget.
The Nature of the Other in Android
To effectively combat memory overflow, it is necessary to clearly understand what is hidden under the mysterious name “Other” (or Other).In the Android operating system, this partition is not a repository of any one type of file; on the contrary, it is an aggregate category, where the system places all data that did not fall into the standard groups like “Photos”, “Video”, “Apps” or “Documents”.
Most often, the lion’s share of the volume is cached data from messengers like Telegram or Viber, which saves the media files viewed to speed up work, temporary update files, error logs, after-deleting game residues and hidden databases, and system debris can accumulate for months if regular prevention is not carried out.
Importantly, some files in this section are critical to operating system performance. Blindly removing all the contents of folders indiscriminately can lead to malfunctioning applications or even cyclical device reboot, so the approach must be selective and conscious.
⚠️ Warning: Before you start any manipulation of system files via your computer, be sure to back up important data. Deletion of system libraries may require a complete device reset.
Preparing a smartphone and computer for work
The first step before connecting the cable is to properly configure the smartphone itself. By default, Xiaomi blocks access to the deep layers of the file system when connecting via USB, offering only a charging mode. You need to activate the developer mode and allow debugging.
To do this, go to the Settings menu. → About the phone and find the line "Version" MIUI» (or "Version" OS»). Press it quickly. 7-10 Once in a row, until you notice that you have become a developer, and then a new item will appear in the "Additional" menu "For developers».
Inside this menu, find the "Debugging by" switch USB» And activate it. When you first connect to your computer, you'll see a confirmation request on your smartphone screen. RSA-And if you don't do that, you can press "Allow." Without that, the computer won't be able to see the device as a debugging device.
☑️ Checking connection readiness
You'll need the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) drivers that are part of Google's Platform Tools, download the archive from the official website, unpack it to the root of the drive (for example, in the C:\platform-tools folder) for easy command-line work.
Cleaning method through file manager on PC
The easiest and safest way to do this without requiring complex commands is to use the standard Windows Explorer in conjunction with the advanced file manager on your phone. The standard file transfer (MTP) mode has limitations, but it allows you to remove user debris.
Connect your smartphone with a cable, select File Transfer mode in the notification curtain. On your computer, open the device, go to the Internal Drive section. Here you are interested in the folders that take up the most space. Often these are the Android/data and Android/obb folders, where the application caches are stored.
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Use TreeSize Free or WinDirStat on your computer after you connect your phone to visually see which folders take up the most space, as a standard explorer doesn’t always show the size of nested folders right away.
Inside the data folder are subfolders with the names of the application packages (for example, com.whatsapp), and by removing the contents of the cache folder inside them, you free up space. However, be careful: deleting the files folder can erase your correspondence or saves in games.
- 📂 Find the file. DCIM — It often hides deleted photos in the.thumbnails folder, which can be safely cleaned.
- 📂 Check the Download folder – users often forget about downloaded installers APK document.
- 📂 In a file. MIUI → gallery → Cloud can store thumbnails of the cloud gallery if you use Xiaomi services.
- 📂 Look for files with the.log or.tmp extension at the root of directories – these are temporary logs that can be deleted.
Using ADB for deep cleaning of the system
To access system partitions that are hidden in a normal connection, you need to use the ADB interface. This method requires working with the command line, but gives maximum control. Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with Platform Tools and enter the command to check the connection:
adb devicesIf a device has been listed, the connection is established. Removing system debris often requires access to superuser rights, but even without Root, you can clear many caches.
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999This command forcibly trims the app cache, freeing up space, and you can use ADB to remove specific "heavy" folders that are not deleted through the interface. For example, to delete the contents of the download folder, use:
adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/Download/*What if the ADB can’t see the device?
More advanced users can use ADB AppControl or similar graphical shells to remove Xiaomi system applications that are in the “Other” section. Removing unnecessary system services (such as Mi Video or Mi Music if you are not using them) can significantly reduce the amount of space you use.
Memory analysis with Total Commander
One of the most effective tools for working with the Android file system via PC is the ADB Plugin bundle for Total Commander and the file manager itself. This method combines visual simplicity and depth of access.
Once you install the plugin and set up the connection via ADB, you can see hidden system folders that are not normally available. Unlike standard Explorer, Total Commander allows you to quickly sort files by size, which is critical for finding heavyweights.
| Folder/Directory | Type of contents | Recommendation | Risk of removal |
|---|---|---|---|
| /data/local/tmp | Temporary system files | You can clean it completely. | Low. |
| /sdcard/Android/data | Cash app. | Clean selectively (cache only) | Medium. |
| /sdcard/tencent | Messenger files (WeChat/QQ) | Check it manually | High (loss of correspondence) |
| /data/log | System Logs | Safe to remove | Low. |
Using this tool, you can find files called journals inside application databases, which often grow to gigabytes and cause the Other section to inflate, and when they are deleted, they are safe, and the application will create a new log file when it launches.
Clearing the cache of Telegram and other messengers
Messengers are the main garbage generators, and in Telegram, for example, media files can be stored indefinitely in the cache without setting a limit. Through the file system on a PC, it looks like the org.telegram.messenger folder in the Android/data section.
Inside this folder is the cache subfolder, and it's the content that you can safely delete through your computer by shutting down the app on your phone, and it won't delete your correspondence, because it's stored on the server, but it will remove the stored images and videos from the temporary storage.
It's the same with WhatsApp and Viber, and in the folders of these apps, look for Media or Cache directories, and often there are videos that you've sent or received that you don't need anymore, and you can delete them faster and more stable through your PC than you can through your mobile app.
⚠️ Note: When cleaning messenger folders via PC, make sure the application is completely closed (downloaded from RAM), otherwise files may be blocked for recording or deleting.
Prevention of overflow of the “Other” section
Once a successful cleanup is done, it's important to take steps to ensure that things don't happen again anytime soon. Android tends to accumulate garbage unless you set it up with the right settings. First, set up automatic cache cleanup.
In Xiaomi’s storage settings, enable the “Memory Cleanup” function if it is available in your version of MIUI. It is also recommended to reboot your smartphone regularly (once a week) – this helps the system correctly complete processes and delete temporary files that have “hang” in RAM.
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Regularly restarting your smartphone every 3-4 days helps the Android system to manage temporary files correctly and prevents the accumulation of errors in logs.
Don't install apps from unknown sources without checking. Often left-wing programs write huge amounts of junk files to the "Other" section. Use only a trusted Google Play store or official GetApps.