How to remove the “Other” from the memory of Xiaomi Redmi 9A: a complete guide with proven methods

Why Xiaomi Redmi 9A is filling in the “Other” section and how to fix it

Xiaomi Redmi 9A owners often face a problem: the phone’s memory suddenly fills up with unknown files in the “Other” section. This section can take anywhere from 5 to 20 GB, even though the user has not installed as many apps or downloaded media.

The Others section of MIUI is a collection category for system caches, temporary files, remnants of deleted applications, error logs and data from Google Services, and it is growing especially strongly on budget models like the Redmi 9A due to the limited amount of internal memory (32 GB) and the aggressive caching policy of MIUI 12/13. For example, after an OS update or prolonged use without cleaning, this partition can “eat” up to 30% of the total memory.

In this article, 7 proven ways to reduce Other without losing important data, including hidden methods through ADB and developer settings, and how to delete files safely and what you don’t want to touch.

Method 1: Cleaning the cache of system applications

The most innocuous and effective method is to remove the cache of the built-in MIUI and Google Play Services, which are apps that actively use temporary files to speed up work, but often do not clean them automatically.

How to do this:

  • 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
  • 🔍 In the search bar, type “Google” – find Google Play Services, Google Play Store and Google (main app).
  • 🧹 For each of them, select “Clear Cache” (not data!).
  • 🔄 Repeat the same for system applications: «MIUI bootloader, Theme Store, Security».

Once cleaned, reboot your phone. This method frees up 500MB to 2GB depending on the time of the last cleanup. Importantly, don't delete data (Clear all data) from Google services, it will cause account failures.

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If the memory is quickly filled up again after cleaning the cache, turn off automatic app updates in Google Play. Go to Play Store Settings → App Auto Update → Never.

Method 2: Remove Remnants of Remote Applications

When you uninstall programs through a standard MIUI manager, they often leave behind tails — folders with settings, logs, and cache — that take up space in the Others section, but don’t appear in the installed application list.

To find them:

  1. Install a file manager with access to system folders, such as FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer (root rights are required for full access).
  2. Go to /data/data/, where all applications ever installed are stored.
  3. Sort folders by date of change and delete those that are already deleted programs (the name of the folder corresponds to the application ID, for example, com.whatsapp).

Without root rights, you can use an alternative method:

  • 📲 Install the app SD Maid (available on the Play Store).
  • 🔍 Run the scan in the "CorpseFinder" section - the utility will find the remains of remote programs.
  • 🗑️ Delete unnecessary files (pre-check the list so as not to delete data from existing applications).

Make a backup copy of important data|Check the list of deleted files for system availability|Do not delete folders with com.android names.*|After cleaning, restart the phone.-->

Method 3: Cleaning the system’s logs and dumps

MIUI actively logs errors and creates crash dumps, which are stored in /data/log/ and /data/tombstones/ folders, but not displayed in the standard file manager, and can reach 1-3 GB on Redmi 9A after a year of use.

Logs can be deleted in two ways:

MethodDo you need root rights?InstructionsRisks.
Through ADB❌ No.Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging in the developer settings. Enter in the command line: adb shell pm clear com.miui.analytics adb shell rm -rf /data/log/*Low (only the analytics and logs cache will be removed)
Through Root Explorer✅ Yes.Open /data/log/ and /data/tombstones/ folders, delete all files.Medium (risk of removing important system logs)
Log Master Application❌ No.Install from Play Store, start cleaning.Low Logs (only secure logs will be deleted)

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in the folder /data/system/ — It's gonna cause a job failure. MIUI And you'll need to reset to factory settings.

Once a week.|Once a month|Only when the place ends.|Never cleaned.-->

Method 4: Disconnect unnecessary system processes

Redmi 9A by default runs background processes that constantly write data to memory: MIUI Optimization, Analytics, MSA (Mobile Security Framework).

Instructions:

  1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
  2. Go back to the main settings, open “Advanced settings → For developers”.
  3. Find and disconnect: 🛑 «Error Reporting (Send Crash Reporting) 🛑 «MIUI Optimization (in the section "Special Opportunities») 🛑 «Autosynchronization MIUI»

Reboot the phone.

These processes are responsible for collecting telemetry and optimizing the interface, but disabling them will free up to 1 GB in the Other section by stopping log recording.

What happens if you turn off MSA?
MSA (Mobile Security Framework) is Xiaomi’s security service, which is responsible for checking installed applications for viruses. Disabling it will not affect the operation of the phone, but will increase the risk of installing malware from third-party sources. If you install apps only from Google Play, disabling the MSA is safe.

Method 5: Resetting cache via Recovery Mode

If previous methods didn't work, try resetting the partition cache through Restore mode.This won't delete user data, but will clear the system cache, which can take up to 3GB.

Step-by-step:

  1. Turn off Redmi 9A.
  2. Press the buttons "Food" + "Loudness up" before the MI logo appears.
  3. From the Recovery menu (manage volume buttons, select the power button) select "Wipe Cache Partition".
  4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 1-2 minutes).
  5. Reboot your phone (Reboot System Now)

How to transfer data:

  1. Insert a memory card (formatted as internal or portable).
  2. Open the Settings. → Memory. → By default, write down SD-map.
  3. To port applications: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management. Select the application. → «Memory» → «Change» → «SD-map».

⚠️ Note: Not all apps will work consistently from a memory card. For example, WhatsApp and Telegram may or may not slow down media.

Method 7: Advanced Cleaning through ADB (for experienced)

If you are ready to work with the command line, ADB will allow you to delete hidden files that are not visible through standard tools.

Required commands:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.player #Cleaning up media cache


adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.media # Cleaning up media storage




adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* # Delete temporary files




adb shell rm -rf /data/log/* # Clearing Logs (see Method 3)

Before the commands are executed:

  1. Get Redmi on board. 9A PC-only ADB-driver.
  2. Enable USB debugging in the developer settings.
  3. Check the command list – some may delete important data (e.g. com.android.providers.settings can’t be touched!).

The last option is a full reset via Settings → About Phone → Reset settings (take backup!).

How do you check which files are occupied by the “Other”?
Install the DiskUsage app (available on the Play Store) and visualize the space occupied and show which folders are bloated, with an alternative, FX File Explorer with Root mode enabled (superuser rights required).