Xiaomi’s “Other” folder: What it is, why it occupies space and how to remove it completely

You opened your Xiaomi memory settings and found that the mysterious Other folder is the lion's share? This is a typical problem for MIUI devices, where the system hides under this name app cache, temporary files, remnants of deleted programs and even data from system processes. Unlike the explicit categories (Photos, Videos, Apps), the content of Another can not always be viewed through a standard file manager, which raises questions: can it be deleted without harming the phone and how to do it correctly.

In this article, we will understand what exactly is hidden under the folder “Other” on Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones, why it grows to giant sizes (sometimes taking 10-30 GB!), and provide 5 working ways to clean it – from simple (through built-in tools) to advanced (using ADB and manually deleting hidden files).

What is the “Other” folder on Xiaomi and why does it take up so much space?

The Other folder is a container for all files that the system cannot categorize as standard (photos, videos, music, documents).

• 📁 Application cache – temporary files that programs create to speed up work (for example, thumbnails of images in a gallery or messenger data).
• 🔄 Remnant applications – not all programs are deleted completely, leaving behind configuration files.
• 🖥️ System Logs and Dumps – Debugging files that Android creates when crashes or updates.
• 📱 User profile data – for example, files from a work profile or guest mode.
• 🔐 Hidden file systems applications – for example, data Mi Cloud, Mi Video or Security.

The main reason for the growth of the Other is the malfunction of the cache cleaner in MIUI. The system must automatically delete unnecessary files, but often this does not happen because:

• ⚠️ Firmware bugs – especially relevant for older versions MIUI 12-13.
• 🛑 Forced app termination – if you frequently “kill” programs through Task Manager, their cache may not be cleared.
• 🔄 Frequent updates – after updates, old versions of libraries and temporary files remain.

For example, after the upgrade of MIUI 14 to HyperOS, many users noticed that the folder “Other” suddenly grew by 5-10 GB – this is due to the migration of data between versions of the OS.

Method 1: Cleaning through the built-in Optimization tool

The safest and easiest method is to use the built-in optimization utility in MIUI, which removes unnecessary cache and temporary files without risk to the system.

Instructions:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to Optimization (or Cleanup, depending on the MIUI version).
3. Click on “Deep Clean” and wait for the scan to be completed.
4. Select “Junk Files” or “Other” (if it is on the list) and click “Clean”.

This method removes up to 1-3 GB of unnecessary data, but does not affect deep system files. If the Other folder still takes up a lot of space after cleaning, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Manually cleansing the application cache

Many programs (especially social networks, instant messengers and games) accumulate gigabytes of cache that goes into the Other. Manual cleaning helps free up 2-5 GB of space.

How to clear the cache of individual applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Facebook, Telegram or Mi Video).
3. Press "Storage» → «Clear the cache».
4. For complete cleaning, click "Delete data» (⚠️ This will reset the program settings!).

Top.-5 The apps that most often score "Other»:

⚠️ Note: Do not clear the cache of system applications (e.g. com.android.systemui or com.miui.home) – this may cause interface failures.

Method 3: Delete hidden files through the file manager

Some of the files in Other are hidden from the user, but they can be found manually, and this will require a file manager with root access (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer) or a built-in Mi File Manager with hidden file display mode enabled.

Where to look for garbage:

• 📂 folder /data/data/ — It stores all the app data, and you can only delete the remote folders (for example, if you uninstall Instagram, but the com.instagram.android folder is still there).
• 📂 folder /sdcard/Android/obb/ — Here are the game caches (e.g. com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile).
• 📂 folder /sdcard/MIUI/ — temporal files of theme and wallpaper.
• 📂 folder /sdcard/.thumbnails/ — picture miniatures and video.

How to enable hidden files in Mi File Manager:

1. Open the app and click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
2. Select "Settings» → «Additionally».
3. Activate the option “Show hidden files”.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with extensions.odex,.apk or folders with names com.android.* - these are system components, without which the phone can stop working.

Method 4: Using ADB for deep cleaning

If previous methods have failed, you can use the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tool to remove system debris, which requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Download Platform Tools from the official Android website.
2. Turn on the phone “Debugging by USB” (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additional → For developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line in the folder with ADB.
4. Run the command to clear the cache of all applications: adb shell pm trim-caches -f 1000000000 (where 1000000000 is the size in bytes, about 1 GB).
5. To remove dumps and logs, use: adb shell rm -rf /data/tombstones/* adb shell rm -rf /data/anr/*

These commands delete:

• 🗑️ Cache all installed applications.
• 📜 Failure logs (tombstones) and freeze logs (anr).
• 🔄 Temporary update files.

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Before using ADB, back up via adb backup or Mi Cloud. If the phone starts to brake after cleaning, restart it in Safe Mode (Press the Power button → Reboot in Safe Mode).

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If the Other folder is 10+GB and is not cleaned by any means, it leaves the phone completely reset, which will delete all data, including system debris, but will also be erased:

• 📱 All installed applications and their data.
• 📸 Photos, videos and music (if not saved) SD-map).
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sounds, accounts).

How to reset:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Delete all data” (or “Reset to factory settings”).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note) 10 pro POCO X3 Pro) a folder may remain after the reset MIUI volume 1-2 GB is normal, it can be manually removed through the file manager.

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Factory reset is the only way to completely remove system debris from "Other," but it should only be used if other methods have not worked. Once reset, the phone will be like new, but all data will be lost!

What can I delete from the “Other” folder?

Not all files in "Other" are safe to delete. Here's a list of things you can't touch:

• 🚫 Folders called com.android.* (e.g., com.android.providers.media) are system components.
• 🚫 Files with extensions.odex,.vdex,.art – they are necessary for the operation of applications.
• 🚫 folder /data/dalvik-cache/ — Deleting it will lead to a cyclical reboot of the phone.
• 🚫 Files in /system/ — This is a firmware, changing this data requires root rights.

If you accidentally delete something from this list, your phone may:

• 🔄 Getting stuck on the load (logo) MI burns endlessly).
• 📵 Stop turning on.
• 🚨 Error when running applications (e.g., “App has stopped»).

In such cases, only flashing through Fastboot or contacting the service center will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the folder “Other” on Xiaomi