How to completely remove the “Other” on your Xiaomi phone: step-by-step instructions

Why the Other Partition Takes Gigabytes of Memory on Xiaomi and How to Fix It

Have you ever looked into the storage of your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO and found with horror that the mysterious “Other” section takes 10, 20, or even 30 GB? It is not a system glitch or a virus – this is how the MIUI proprietary shell is arranged. Unlike the “garbage” in the Download folder or messenger cache, files from the “Other” category are not visible to the user directly, but they eat the lion’s share of memory.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to clean up the Other on Xiaomi without root rights, including hidden system data, update remnants, and cache of preinstalled apps. And why, after cleaning through standard settings, the Other’s volume returns in a few days – and how to avoid it.

Spoiler: If you have MIUI 14 or later, some of the methods will be different from the older versions.

What is the “Other” category in MIUI

Xiaomi’s official documentation describes the “Other” section vaguely: “system files, temporary data, and other elements necessary for the OS to work.”

• 📁 Cache of system applications (com.android.systemui, com.miui.home, etc.) that is not cleared through the standard menu.
• 🔄 Remains of updates MIUI — zip packets that the system does not delete after installation.
• 🗑️ Logs and dumps of memory (.log,.dmp files) created when crashes or debugging.
• 📱 Virtual machine data ART (art,.oat files that optimize application performance.
• 🔒 Encrypted files from applications with administrator rights (for example, Mi Cloud or Find Device).

Interesting fact: Xiaomi with Qualcomm chipsets (like the Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro) typically has a larger volume of “Other” than MediaTek devices, due to the cache processing features of the Adreno GPU.

Method 1: Cleaning through the hidden “Storage” menu (no root)

The safest method, which works on all versions of MIUI 10 to 14, is unlike the standard Cleanup section, you can see the actual cache volume of system applications.

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Slip the chart “Other” (on MIUI 14 it can be called “System Data”).
3. In the upper right corner, press three dots. ⋮ and select “Show hidden files” (if you have an option).
4. Sort files by size and delete anything marked as “Cash” or “Temporary Files.”

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with.odex,.vdex or folder extensions /data/dalvik-cache — This will cause applications to crash!

Method 2: Remove residues of MIUI updates via ADB

If the "Other" section has grown dramatically since the MIUI update, the undeleted firmware packages can be erased via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) without root rights.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap the version, then go back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Next, execute commands in the terminal (in turn):

adb shell


su -c "rm -rf /data/.ota_temp/*"




su -c "rm -rf /cache/ota/*"




su -c "rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*"

🔹 Note: On MIUI 13/14 The update folder may be called /data/ota_package instead.ota_temp.

Method 3: Cleaning the cache of system applications through Safe Mode

Some MIUI applications (such as Mi Video, Mi Music or Themes) accumulate gigabytes of cache that is not visible in the standard cleaning menu to remove it:

1. Press the off button and hold the “off” option until the prompt to go to Safe Mode appears.
2. In Safe Mode, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Sort apps by size and select those that are >500MB (e.g. com.miui.video, com.miui.miservice).
4. Click on Storage → Clear Cache and Clear Data (if possible).

⚠️ Note: Do not clean data in com.android.phone applications (telephony) or com.miui.securitycenter (security) – this may disrupt network or fingerprint performance!

Method 4: Reset application settings (without data loss)

If previous methods didn't work, try resetting all the apps.

• 🔧 Default settings (for example, an application to open files).
• 📱 Application permissions (access to camera, microphone, etc.).
• 🗃️ Temporary files that applications create to speed up work.

How to do this:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Tap it on three points. ⋮ in the upper right corner and select Reset application settings».
3. Confirm the action.

💡 Useful tip: After resetting, restart your phone and check the Other section in 10-15 minutes – sometimes the system takes time to recalculate the occupied space.

💡

If applications start asking for permissions again after reset (e.g. geolocation access), don’t rush to provide them. Many features work without additional permissions, and each new access increases the volume of the Other.

Method 5: Manually delete files through file manager (for advanced ones)

This method requires caution, but allows you to remove up to 70% of the garbage from the Other, and you will need a file manager with access to system folders, such as MiXplorer or Solid Explorer (with root mode enabled if you have superuser rights).

Where to look for garbage:

/data/data/*/cache/ → Cache of all applications


/data/local/tmp/ → Temporary system files




/data/log/ → Error Logs




/data/ota_package/ → Update residues




/data/dalvik-cache/ → Virtual Machine Cache (Dangerous!)

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /data/dalvik-cache This folder is automatically restored, but the process can take up to a point. 10 minute.

💡

Before manually cleaning system folders, make sure to back up important data. Even removing the “harmless” cache can cause some MIUI functions to fail.

Why the Other Returns After Cleaning and How to Prevent It

Many users complain, "I cleared the Other, and it took 10GB again a day later!" The reason is that the system applications automatically restore the cache. Here's how to minimize this effect:

• 🛑 Turn off automatic updates MIUI In Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⋮ → Settings → Auto-update (off).
• 📵 Limit background activity of unnecessary apps: Settings → Battery → Choice of applications → Limit background activity.
• 🗑️ Set up automatic cleaning in Security App: Security → Cleanup → ⚙️ → Auto-cleaning (include).
• 🔄 Regularly reboot your phone (every 2-3 days) – this resets temporary files in memory.

🔍 Hidden reason: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 9 Pro or X-rays) POCO F3) The other file gets.thumbdata, which is a gallery thumbnail, and it's retrieved every time you open the photo folder. Solution: use an alternative gallery, like Google Photos.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's "Other" section