Xiaomi Redmi 9T's 'Other' Eats Memory? learns to delete it correctly

Why The Other Takes So Much Space on the Redmi 9T – and What to Do About It

You open your storage settings on your Xiaomi Redmi 9T, and there you have dozens of gigabytes of the mysterious "Other" item, the app cache is cleared, the unnecessary files are deleted, and there's still not enough space. What's the matter? The thing is, MIUI and Android work in a way that includes system files, temporary data, remnants of remote applications, and even hidden folders that don't show up in the standard file manager.

On the Redmi 9T (M2010J19SG model with Snapdragon 662), this problem is especially relevant due to the limited amount of internal memory (64 or 128 GB). The system reserves some of the storage for its needs, but often forgets to release it after updates or crashes, as a result, the user sees that the Other takes 20-30 GB, although there is much less useful data there.

In this article, we will discuss:

• 🔍 What exactly is hidden under the “Other” – and what files can be deleted without risk.
• 🛠️ Step-by-step cleaning methods: from standard tools MIUI down-to-the-cloak.
• ⚠️ What can’t be done to keep the system from breaking down (spoiler: not all cleaners are safe!).
• 📱 Alternative solutions if memory is running out.

We warn you right away: some methods require root rights or work with ADB. If you are a beginner, start with safe methods (sections 2–3) and only then move on to advanced ones.

What is in the category “Other” on Xiaomi Redmi 9T

MIUI groupes under "Other" anything that doesn't fall into the standard categories ("Apps," "Images," "Video," etc.)

• 📁 System files and log files (/data/log, /data/tombstones) — Error reports, memory dumps after failures.
• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications – Lib, Cache and Settings that are not cleared when uninstalled.
• 🔄 Temporary update files — MIUI slip-in /cache, But they don’t always remove them after installation.
• 📊 Application databases (e.g. com.android.providers.media) – can inflate to gigabytes.
• 🔒 Hidden folders MIUI — for example, MIUI/Extra or MIUI/Backup, which cannot be seen without root.
• 🎮 Cash games (especially if you played Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile or the game was played in the game). PUBG) — It can take up to 10 GB.

Redmi 9T also has a bug where the Other is inflated by a damaged media scanner cache, a service that indexes photos and videos, which causes the system to duplicate thumbnails many times over, taking up gigabytes.

To understand what's taking up space, you can use applications like DiskUsage or Files by Google, which visualize the storage and show the heaviest folders, but without root rights, some of the data will remain hidden.

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If the “Other” suddenly grew after the update MIUI — check the folder /data/ota_package. There may be old firmware files that have not been deleted automatically.

Safe Ways to Clean the Other Without Root Rights

Start with these methods – they do not require special knowledge and do not risk the stability of the system.

1. Cleaning through the built-in MIUI Optimizer

MIUI has its own memory release tool:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click on “Clean” (or “Free the Place”).
3. Select “Deep Clean” and confirm the action.

This method removes temporary files, cache and debris from standard folders, but it does not affect system data and hidden files.

2. Manual cleaning of the app cache

Some applications (especially messengers and social networks) accumulate gigabytes of cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort by size (click on the three dots in the upper right corner).
3. Select an app (e.g. Telegram, Facebook, Google Play Services) and click Clear Cache.

⚠️ Do not clear the data (button “Delete data”) – this will lead to logging out of the account and loss of settings.

3. Removal of downloads and duplicates

The Download folder and gallery often contain unnecessary files:

• 📎 Open Files (Standard Application) MIUI) and go to Categories → Downloads.
• 🔍 Use size search: sort files by descent and delete all unnecessary.
• 🖼️ In the gallery, check the folder “Screenshots” and “Downloaded” – duplicates often accumulate there.

You can use Files by Google to automate it (see Play Market). The app finds duplicates, large files, and suggests that you delete them.

Make a backup copy of important data|Check the free space before and after|Do not delete files with unknown extensions (.db,.log)|Restart the phone after cleaning-->

Advanced Methods: Cleaning through ADB and Hidden Settings

If the standard methods didn’t work, it’s time to move on to more radical measures, which require connecting your phone to your computer and working with Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

1. Cleaning up the media scanner's cache

As mentioned earlier, a corrupted media cache can inflate "The Other" to reset it:

1. Connect Redmi 9T to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version – Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For Developers).
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type in: adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.media
3. Reboot the phone.

This command will reset the database of media files, and after the reboot, the phone will scan the photos and videos again, which can take a few minutes.

2. Delete old update files

MIUI often leaves firmware files in /cache to delete:

1. Enter in. ADB: adb shell su rm -rf /cache/* rm -rf /data/ota_package/*
2. If the su command doesn’t work, you don’t have root rights (see next section).

3. Cleaning up the Dalvik cache

Dalvik cache is optimized files to speed up applications, sometimes they get corrupted and take up space, to clear them:

1. In ADB, do: adb shell su rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*
2. Reboot the phone. The system will recover the cache automatically.

⚠️ Warning: This operation can temporarily slow down the phone before cache reassembly.

Radical Methods: Root Rights and Custom Recovery

If the Other is more than 30GB and doesn't shrink after all the manipulations, there are two options: root rights or factory resets. Both methods have risks, so only proceed if the other methods have failed.

1. Obtaining root rights

Root gives full access to system folders, but it is not warranty and can lead to unstable work. For Redmi 9T, the method with unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk is suitable:

1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7 days).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP) for the M2010J19SG.
3. Squeeze Magisk through recovery.

Once root is obtained, you can use Root Explorer or SD Maid to clean system folders:

• 🗃️ /data/log — logistic.
• 🧹 /data/tombstones — dumping.
• 📦 /data/app-lib — remnants of remote applications.

2. Reset to factory settings

If root is not an option, do a hard reset, which will delete all the data, but return the phone to its original state.

1. Make a backup (via Settings → Additional → Backup).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Delete all data” and confirm.

⚠️ Warning: After reset, the Other will decrease, but will return over time if you do not follow the cache and updates.

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If the Other takes less than 10 GB, it’s normal for MIUI. Don’t try to clean it to zero: the system needs spare space for stable operation.

How to prevent the “Other” from blowing up again

To prevent the problem from returning, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 weeks) through Settings → Memory.
• 🚫 Don’t install the Play Market cleaners – many of them only make the problem worse by creating background processes.
• 📱 Turn off automatic app updates in the Play Market (or limit it to Wi-Fi only).
• 🔄 Reboot your phone every 3-4 days – this clears temporary RAM files and cache.
• 📁 Use cloud storage (Google Photos, Mi Cloud) to automatically upload photos and videos.

You should also disable auto-creating backups in MIUI if you don’t use them:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup.
2. Turn off Automatic Backup.

If you install/remove games frequently, use them. SD-card (if supported) or transfer application data to an external drive via Settings → Annexes → [Select an application] → Warehouse → Change.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many Redmi 9T users make the same mistakes when trying to clear "Other."

⚠️ Note: Never manually delete folders /data/data or /system It's not root-righted. It's going to break the system and have to flash it.

• 🗑️ Delete files with the.db or.log extension without understanding their purpose. Some of them are critical for Android.
• 🔧 Using "magic" scripts from the Internet (for example, for "full cleaning"). Many of them contain malicious code.
• 📱 Reset to factory settings without backup, and then it will be impossible to recover data (especially messages and contacts.
• 🔄 Interrupting the cleaning process through ADB. This can cause damage to the file system.

If the phone is running slower after cleaning, it's normal. It takes up to a day to recover the cache and optimize the applications. If the lags don't go through, try retracing the previous version of MIUI via Fastboot.

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Before any manipulation of system files, check the battery charge - it must be at least 50%. Unexpected power outage during cleaning can lead to data loss.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions