Xiaomi’s Redmi line of smartphones is well-deservedly popular for its price-performance balance, but Redmi 5A owners often face a lack of built-in storage. MIUI has the peculiarity of categorizing unidentified data into the “Other” category, which grows to giant sizes over time, causing slowdowns in the interface, problems installing updates and the inability to take new pictures.
Users are often puzzled to see that when cleaned with standard tools, the amount of “other” files is barely reduced, because a standard analyzer does not always have the right to access some applications’ system cache or hidden logs. Deep cleaning requires understanding the structure of the Android file system and the ability to safely delete excess files without affecting important system components.
In this guide, we will discuss proven methods of freeing up space on the Redmi 5A. We will look at both built-in tools and manual methods through the conductor, and also touch on the topic of using third-party software to analyze disk space.
Memory analysis and the nature of the Others section
Before you start deleting, you need to understand what exactly is hidden under the mysterious tag. In the Android operating system that runs MIUI, the "Other" section is a collection of different types of data. This includes cached browser data, temporary messenger files, remnants of remote applications and logs of system processes. Often, junk files take up the lion's share of space.
Redmi 5A has a limited amount of internal memory, so even a small growth of this partition is critical. The system can mark as "other" archives, APK installation packages and even some databases. Without detailed analysis, the user risks removing important, so it is important to act consistently. It is critical not to delete files with the.xml extension from the system folders, as this can lead to a cyclical reboot of the device.
So, first, you can use the built-in analyzer to get a big picture, and it'll show you the distribution of space between apps, between photos and then between the other, and it will help you determine the scale of the problem, whether it's a one-off cache cache or a system accounting error.
⚠️ Note: Before any manipulation of the file system is initiated, it is strongly recommended to back up important contacts and photos. Using cloud services or copying to a PC will protect your data from accidental loss.
Use of the built-in “Cleanup” application
The easiest and safest way to start the fight for gigabytes is to use Xiaomi’s regular tool, the Cleaner app is deeply integrated into the MIUI shell and has access to most standard caches, and can be launched through the security menu or by finding an icon with a broom on your desktop.
Once it's up and running, it'll do an automatic scan, but standard cleaning is often superficial. For a deeper analysis, you'll need to go to Deep Clean, where the algorithm will suggest you delete large files, duplicate photos, and unused applications, and it's an effective way to quickly free up a few hundred megabytes.
Special attention should be paid to cleaning the app cache, the list will display the programs that occupy the most space, clicking on a particular application, such as YouTube or Chrome, you can safely delete its temporary files, this will not affect your logins or settings, but will remove accumulated digital debris.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
You should not ignore the recently deleted section of the gallery, and users often delete photos but forget that they continue to occupy space in the cart for 30 days, and releasing this section will instantly return space to the system.
Manual cleaning through the conductor
If the automatic tools fail, manual mode comes to the rescue. Standard File Manager allows you to look at the root of the file system. To access hidden folders, you need to enable the display of hidden files in the settings of the conductor itself, which will open access to folders that begin with the point where configures often hide.
First, look at the Android/data folder. This is where the app data is stored. Inside, you can find the messenger folders like Telegram or Viber where you store the images and videos you've viewed. Deleting the contents of the cache folders inside the application directories is safe, but deleting the files folders can reset the program settings.
It's also worth checking the root folders created by different programs. The folders are usually named for the applications or their developers. If you see a folder with the name of a game that was deleted a year ago, you can erase it. The Redmi 5A file system won't clean those tails on its own.
Which folders can be removed safely?
The file deserves special attention. MIUI It's in the root of the memory. It's in the folder. debug_log, If you're not a developer, you don't need that data, and deleting it can free up a lot of data.
Working with messengers and social networks
The leaders in creating “other” files are always messengers. WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram store every media file viewed in the memory of the device, over time, this collection can reach several gigabytes, masquerading as system debris or simply taking up space in the application section.
Telegram is doing the most elegant thing with cloud storage. In the app settings, in the Data and Memory section, there's a Memory Use option. You can clear the cache, and it won't delete your emails because they're stored on the server. WhatsApp and Viber take a different approach: deleting the cache through the phone's settings may not be enough, it's better to use the built-in cleanups inside the apps themselves.
Disable the auto-save media in the gallery, which will prevent duplicate files: they will be available in the messenger, but will not take up space in the system gallery and will be considered “other” files for the analyzer, this is especially true for the Redmi 5A with its modest storage capacity.
| Annex | Where to clean | Risk of data loss | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Settings → Data and memory | No (cloud storage) | Tall. |
| Settings → Data and Storage | Media off-chat | Medium | |
| Viber | More. → Settings → Memory. | Media off-chat | Medium |
| Phone settings → Applications | No (only cache) | Low. |
💡
Turn on the “Auto-Delete Media” feature in Telegram. Set a timer for 3 days or a week so that the app itself deletes old cached photos and videos, freeing up space automatically.
Use of third-party disk analyzers
When embedded MIUI tools stop seeing where the memory is growing, specialized tools come to the rescue, like DiskUsage or Storage Analyzer, visualize the file system as diagrams, allowing you to instantly see which file or folder is taking up the most space.
These applications often find files that the system flags as system but which are actually residual, such as showing a huge database left behind by a remote game, but using third-party software, you need to be extremely careful and clearly understand what you are deleting.
Installation of such analyzers on Redmi 5A should be done only from a trusted Google Play store, which minimizes the risk of malware getting into the system, which instead of cleaning the memory, can load the system with advertising debris.
⚠️ Be very careful with files that have the.obb or.data extension in the Android folder, and deleting them will result in loss of game progress or the need to re-download application resources.
Resetting settings as a radical method
If none of the methods helped to reduce the Other partition and it continues to grow for no apparent reason, there may have been a logical error in the file system. In such cases, the only effective solution is a complete reset to factory settings, which will return the Redmi 5A to the state it was in when it was purchased.
The Wipe Data reset completely deletes all user data, applications and settings. So the backup step is not just a recommendation, it's a necessity. Once reset, the system recreates the file table, and the problem with the "other" files caused by indexing errors disappears.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset. Select Settings Reset. The device will restart and begin the cleaning process. This will take a few minutes, after which the phone will turn on as new.
💡
A complete reset is the only guaranteed solution to the problem if the “other” files are a result of a system failure of the file table, rather than a real accumulation of user debris.
Once turned on, take your time to restore all applications from the backup at once. Watch the system's behavior in a "clean" form. If memory is being used normally, install programs gradually to identify the possible culprit.
Prevention of memory overflow
To keep the problem from returning in a month, it's important to adopt a regular digital space hygiene habit: the Redmi 5A is a resource-limited device, and it doesn't like having memory full. It's optimal to keep at least 15-20% of the total volume free.
Use cloud storage for photos and videos. Services like Google Photos allow you to store media in original quality or in space saving mode, automatically deleting local copies after downloading, which frees up gigabytes for the system and applications to work.
Also, check the installed list regularly, and many of the programs you've stopped using are still in memory and updated, and removing unused software is the easiest way to prevent "other" files from accumulating in the future.