How to completely clean the “Other” section on Xiaomi Redmi 6: from cache to hidden files

The Xiaomi Redmi 6, released in 2018, is still a popular budget smartphone, but its main problem is fast-filling memory. Users often find that in the Storage section, the system shows dozens of gigabytes occupied by the foggy category “Other.” What are these files? Can they be deleted without risk to the phone? And why does the memory clog up again after a week?

In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods for cleaning Others on Redmi 6, from standard MIUI tools to manually deleting hidden files via PCs. You will learn which data is safe to erase and which you should not touch, and how to prevent re-filling. Particular attention will be paid to the unique feature of Redmi 6: due to the limited amount of internal memory (16/32 GB), the system aggressively caches data, which leads to inflating the Others section to 10+ GB.

What is the “Other” in Xiaomi Redmi 6 memory and why it takes up so much space

The Others** section of MIUI is the garbage bin of the operating system, which includes:

• 🗑️ App cache (including Google Play Services data, which can weigh up to 5GB).
• 📁 Temporary files from messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and social networks.
• 🔄 Remnants of Remote Applications (Folders) /data/app-lib and /data/dalvik-cache).
• 📱 System Logs (.log and.tmp files in the system) /data/log).
• 🎮 Preserve games (especially heavy ones) - Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile).

On Redmi 6, two factors exacerbate the problem:

1. Small memory: even in the version of 32 GB, the system is allocated ~10 GB, and the rest is quickly clogged.
2. Obsolete MIUI: Based on Android 8.1 Oreo, the system manages cache worse than new versions.

🔍 How to check what exactly takes place?

Go to Settings → Storage → Other. If it's over 5GB, it's time to clean. But be careful: some files are critical to your phone!

Method 1: Clearing the cache through MIUI settings (the safest method)

The first step is to use built-in tools, which do not require root rights and are suitable even for beginners.

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Slip on "Others»** → «Clean up».

⚠️ Note: If the memory is not free after cleaning, then the Other does not consist of cache, but of system files or application residues.

Make a backup copy of important data|Charge your phone at least 50%|Connect to Wi-Fi (required for downloading tools)|Disable two-factor authentication in MI-account (during cleaning)-->

Method 2: Remove application residues through “Application Settings”

When you uninstall programs through Settings or Play Market, you often have tails — folders with data that the system doesn’t automatically erase. On Redmi 6, they can take up to 3-4 GB.

How to find and delete:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. In the upper corner, tap on three points → “Show system”.
3. Find applications marked “Disabled”** (these are the remnants of remote programs).
4. Open each → “Storage” → “Clean data” + “Clean cache”.

💡 Tip: Pay attention to apps like com.android.vending (Google Play), com.google.android.gms (Google Play Services) and com.miui.gallery – their cache often inflates to gigabytes.

Method 3: Manual cleaning through File Manager (for power users)

MIUI has hidden folders that are not visible through standard Explorer, and to see them, you will need a side file manager (for example, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer) with access to root directories.

What folders can be manually cleaned:

• 📂 /data/log — system logs (delete all files with the.log and.tmp extensions).
• 📂 /data/local/tmp — time-file.
• 📂 /data/dalvik-cache — Dalvik cache (remove only if you know what you're doing!).
• 📂 /sdcard/Android/obb — Cache of games (you can delete, but the games will have to be downloaded again).

⚠️ Attention: Don't touch the folders /data/app (applications), /data/system (settings /data/misc (Deleting them will result in data loss or phone freeze!

Method 4: Using ADB for deep cleaning (without root)

If previous methods didn’t work, try ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a debugging tool that lets you delete system files without superuser rights.

Step-by-step:

1. Download ADB Tools on PC.
2. Turn on the phone “Developer Mode”** (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shoot 7 times) and activate “Debugging by USB”.

📌 Result: These commands will delete up to 2-3 GB of unnecessary data. If you need more, use the following command to view large files:

adb shell du -h /data | sort -rh | head -n 20

💡

Before use ADB Check if it is included in MIUI option «USB-Debugging (security options) without it, commands won't work, and the phone can give an error "unauthorized».

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If the Other takes up more than 10GB and no methods help, it’s just a complete reset that will delete everything, including photos, contacts and apps, so make sure to back up!

How to reset Redmi 6:

1. Select “Reset” → “Delete all data”.

⚠️ Note: Redmi 6 can hang on logo after reset MI. If it happened:

💡

Resetting to factory settings is the only way to remove system updates that sometimes “hang” in the “Other” section as undeleted files.

Method 6: Disable unnecessary system applications (for advanced ones)

MIUI on Redmi 6 contains dozens of preinstalled apps that can't be removed, but can be disabled. It won't free up much space, but it will stop Others from growing through their cache.

What applications can be disabled:

• 🎵 Music (MIUI Music - if you use it Spotify/YouTube Music.
• 📺 Mi Video - Standard Video Player.
• 📰 Mi Browser – if you use Chrome.
• 📡 Mi Remote – if you do not use the remote for equipment.
• 🎮 Games – the center of Xiaomi games (you can turn off without consequences).

How to disable: Settings → Applications → All applications → [name] → Disable.

🔧 Important: Don't turn it off:

• Google Play Services (will result in errors in your Google account).
• MIUI System (Calls Interface Failures)
• Security (responsible for protecting the phone)

Method 7: Preventing the refilling of “Other”

Cleaning up the memory is a temporary solution, so that the Others don't grow back, follow these rules:

1. Limit the cache for apps: In Settings → Apps, open any application → Storage → Restrict Cache** (if you have an option). For Telegram and WhatsApp, turn off auto-download media in the messenger settings.
2. Use cloud services: Move photos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud. Delete local copies after uploading.

Clean the cache regularly

• Install SD Maid or CCleaner (but don’t trust them with a full automatic cleanup!).
• Repeat Method 1 and Method 2 from this article once a month.

📊 According to Redmi 6 users, regular cache cleaning (1 time in 2 weeks) reduces the volume of “Other” by 30-50% in the long term.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning “Other” on Xiaomi Redmi 6