Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones sooner or later face a mysterious item in the storage called “Other” – a category that can take up tens of gigabytes, causing a shortage of space for photos and new applications. MIUI or HyperOS system does not always correctly classify files, referring to the “other” cache of messengers, remnants of deleted programs and temporary update files.
Understanding what is behind this partition is critical to the normal operation of the device. Memory cleaning not only frees up space, but often speeds up the interface. In this article, we will explore proven ways to get rid of digital debris without risking damage to system files.
There are several levels of access to this data, from standard cleaning tools to advanced computer methods, and the most effective way to do this depends on the version of your MIUI and the type of files you occupy, so don't rush to delete everything, you have to diagnose it first.
Analysis: What is hidden in the "Other" section
Before we start taking any drastic measures, we need to understand the nature of the space we occupy, and the Other section is a collective hodgepodge where the system dumps everything it can't categorize as a standard category like Photos, Videos or Apps, and most often the lion's share of the volume is taken up by social media cache files like Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber.
In addition to media files, you can store error logs, temporary browser files, and remnants from long-deleted games. Android doesn't always have time to delete these tails, and they accumulate for months. Sometimes this section gets downloaded files from messengers that are not identified as documents.
- 📁 Cash multimedia from instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)
- 📁 Residual files after deleting applications
- 📁 Temporary System Updates Files
- 📁 Application Logs and Error Reports
⚠️ Warning: Before deleting any files manually, be sure to back up important data. Mistakeful deletion of system libraries can lead to unstable smartphone operation.
For detailed analysis, you can use the built-in storage analyzer. Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage and wait for the system to calculate the volume. Click on the Other section to see a detailed breakdown if your version of MIUI supports this feature.
Basic cleaning with MIUI and HyperOS
The safest and easiest method is to use the built-in Security app, a standard tool preinstalled on all Xiaomi devices that can find obvious garbage: Launch the app, select Cleanup, and wait for the scan to be completed.
The system will prompt you to delete temporary files and app cache. However, be careful: sometimes Security flags as trash files you might need. Automated cleaning is good for regular maintenance, but rarely solves the problem with the huge Others section completely.
For a deeper cleaning, go to the storage settings. In the Settings → Memory menu, there is often a “Clean” recommendation for specific applications that take up a lot of space. The system will tell you which programs generate the most garbage.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
Don't ignore the Download folder. Users often forget about downloaded installers. APK, PDF-And then you can see the documents and pictures that are automatically in this catalog, and you can remove them safely and instantly.
Manual cleaning through the file manager
If automation fails, you have to do it manually, and the built-in MIUI file manager or third-party solutions like Total Commander allow you to look into the hidden corners of the file system, and you need access to the device's internal memory.
First of all, look at the folders of popular messengers. The path to Telegram data is usually Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/files. Inside there may be gigabytes of cache of pictures and videos that have already been viewed but not deleted, similar to WhatsApp and Viber.
When manually cleaning, it is important not to delete files with the.obb or.data extension in the Android/obb and Android/data folder unless you are sure they belong to remote games.
- 🔍 folder DCIM/.thumbnails — miniature-gallery cash
- 🔍 folder Tencent/MicroMsg — WeChat cache (if used)
- 🔍 Download folder – all downloaded files from the Internet
- 🔍 Bluetooth folder – files obtained via Bluetooth
⚠️ Note: In new versions of Android (11 and above) access to the folder Android/data Content may be restricted. Special permissions or PC use may be required to view content.
It's also worth checking the folder. MIUI/debug_log. And you can store debugging logs that take up space, and if you're not a developer and you're not debugging apps, you can delete the contents of that folder.
How to access hidden folders?
Using a computer for deep diagnostics
Connecting a smartphone to a computer through USB-This cable gives you access to the file system as a normal drive, and it allows you to use powerful disk analysis tools like WinDirStat or WizTree on Windows, and these programs visualize by showing the heaviest files.
Connect your phone to MTP. Run the disk analyzer on your PC and select your smartphone's drive, and you'll see which files or folders have inflated the "Other" section, often forgotten video files or logs.
Delete through the computer is faster and more reliable, because it eliminates accidental crashes of the phone interface. Just highlight unnecessary files and press Delete. However, remember that system files can not be touched.
| Tool. | Platform | Advantage | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Explorer | Windows | Available to all. | Low. |
| WinDirStat | Windows | Visualization | Medium |
| Android File Transfer | macOS | For Mac users | Medium |
| ADB (Android Debug Bridge) | All LAs. | Full control. | Tall. |
For advanced users, the method is available through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to delete files that are not visible through the normal MTP interface. The adb shell rm -rf /path / to / file requires caution, but is extremely effective.
Reset application settings and clear the cache
Sometimes the problem is not the files, but the malfunction of a particular application that grows uncontrollably, in which case cleaning the application data helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, select the problem program (for example, Instagram or Chrome).
In the app menu, find Memory or Storage, and there will be two buttons: Clear Cache and Clear Everything (or Reset), Clearing the cache is safe and will delete temporary files, Clear Everything will return the app to state immediately after installation by deleting logins and settings.
This method is particularly effective for browsers and social networks, if the volume of Others did not decrease immediately after cleaning the cache, restart the device.
💡
After clearing the messenger data (WhatsApp, Telegram), you will have to re-enter your account. Make sure you remember the password or the phone number is tied.
Cleaning your cache regularly through app settings is a good habit. Do this once a month for the most active programs to prevent garbage accumulation.
Radical method: Full reset to factory settings
If nothing helps and the Others section continues to grow, occupying a critical volume, the final argument is a full reset, which will remove all data from the phone, returning it to the “out of the box” state.
Before the procedure, make sure to make a full backup to the Mi Cloud cloud service or to your computer. Photos, contacts and important documents should be stored externally.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The system will request confirmation and password from the account. The process will take 5 to 15 minutes.
⚠️ Warning: Full reset is irreversible. All photos, contacts, messages and installed applications will be destroyed.
Once you reboot, the phone will be clean. Don't rush to restore everything from the backup right away. You'd better set the phone up as new and install the apps selectively so you don't bring the old garbage back.
💡
Full reset is the only solution that guarantees 100% cleaning of the Other partition, but takes time to reconfigure the device.
Prevention: How to prevent the appearance of garbage
To keep the problem from returning, change your smartphone usage habits. First, set up automatic cache cleaning in messengers. For example, on Telegram you can set a cache limit: Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use → Cache Limitation.
Set a rule: check the Downloads folder once a week and delete the unnecessary, and it is also recommended to disable auto-save media from chats to the gallery, unless urgently necessary, this will prevent duplicate files.
- 🛡️ Set a cache limit in Telegram and WhatsApp settings
- 🛡️ Turn off auto-save statuses and stories
- 🛡️ Regularly delete the.thumbnails folder
- 🛡️ Use cloud storage for photos and videos
Following these simple rules will help keep the Others section within reasonable limits, and Xiaomi’s system will run faster, so you won’t run into a sudden memory shortage at a crucial moment.