Xiaomi’s “Storage Place is Different”: What’s Behind This Folder and How to Clean It Without Risk

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi smartphone’s memory settings and seen the mysterious “Other” section that takes up gigabytes of space? This item often becomes a headache for users: it doesn’t get deleted in standard ways, it doesn’t open through the file manager, and its volume only grows over time. In this article, we’ll look at what exactly is hidden under the “Other” label in Xiaomi’s storage, why the system doesn’t show its contents and, most importantly, how to safely clean this place without risking damage to the phone.

Let me warn you right away: the Other section is not a virus or a bug. It's a system container where MIUI (Xiaomi firmware) folds files that don't fit into the standard categories (Photos, Videos, Apps, etc.) It can store cache of system processes, temporary update files, data from deleted applications, log files, and even firmware fragments. The problem is that MIUI doesn't always clean this partition automatically, and over time it inflates to 5-10 GB or more.

Unlike Android/data or Download, where users can manually delete unnecessary files, Other is not meant to interfere directly. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about it. Next, we’ll tell you which files are included in this section on different versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), and give you proven ways to clean it up, from simple (via embedded tools) to advanced (using ADB).

What is Xiaomi’s “Storage Place Different” and Why Does It Take So Much Space?

The Other section of Xiaomi's storage is the garbage bin of the operating system, where files that don't have a clear category go. Unlike DCIM (photo) or Android/obb (game data), the content of The Other is not designed to be manually controlled.

• 📁 Cache of system applications - temporary files from MIUI Launcher, Security, Gallery and other embedded services that are not automatically cleaned.
• 🔄 Remnants of remote applications are fragments of data from programs that you have long uninstalled, but their settings or cache remained in the system.
• 📥 Update files – Update packs that are downloaded but not installed MIUI or HyperOS, as well as backups of firmware.
• 📜 Log files and dumps – error reports, logs of the system that are created for diagnosis (especially actively after failures).
• 🔍 Hidden firmware files are service data that MIUI It is used for work, but does not show the user.

For example, if you were updating your phone over the air (OTA), the system could save the old firmware version in case of a rollback, or if the application crashed, a memory dump could be recorded in Other, all of which takes up space but doesn't show up in the standard file manager.

Why doesn't Xiaomi clean this partition automatically? The fact is that some files here may be needed later, like the MIUI Launcher cache speeds up the interface, and the log files help engineers diagnose problems, but over time, digital debris accumulates that is no longer needed, but the system doesn't consider it safe to delete.

How to Check How Much Space Does “Other” Take Up on Your Xiaomi

Before you clean the Other, you need to understand how inflated it is.

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Storage (or Settings → Memory in new versions of MIUI).
2. Wait for the system to analyze the occupied space.
3. Find the "Other" item in the list (may be called "Other" or "System Data" on some firmware).
4. Click on it – the system will show an approximate volume (usually from 1 to 15 GB).

If the Other is more than 3 to 5 GB, that's a good reason to clean it up, but if it's less than 1 GB, you don't have to interfere, because it's normal, working garbage, and it doesn't affect performance.

Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5), the “Other” section may appear as “System Data” or “Cache” and its content may vary depending on the version of MIUI:

⚠️ Note: If the Other is more than 20GB, it may indicate a malfunction MIUI In this case, do not try to clean it manually – first perform a virus check (for example, through Malwarebytes) or contact the service center.

How to Clean “Other” on Xiaomi: from simple to advanced

There are a number of ways to clean the Other, from standard MIUI tools to manual methods using ADB. Start with the simplest and move on to the complex only if the previous ones didn’t help.

1. Cleaning through built-in MIUI tools

The safest way is to use the standard system functions:

• 🧹 Cleaning up garbage: Go to Settings → Memory. → Cleaning (or Security) → Clean up) and click "Clean up." This will remove some temporary files from "Other».
• 🔄 Clean App Cache: In the same menu, select App Cache and delete it. This won't hurt the data, but will free up 0.5-2 GB.
• 📦 Delete downloaded updates: If files are in the “Other” OTA, Go to Settings. → The phone. → Update the system and click on three dots in the upper right corner → «Remove the downloaded package».

These methods usually reduce the Other by 1-3 GB, but do not clean it completely.

2.Cache reset in Recovery mode

If standard cleaning didn’t help, try resetting the cache through Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select “Wipe Cache Partition”.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

This will delete all temporary system files, including some of the content of "Other," but will not affect user data.The method works on all Xiaomi models, including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t confuse “Wipe Cache Partition” with “Wipe Data” – the second option will completely reset the phone to factory settings!

3. Manual deletion through file manager (for experienced)

Some files from Other can be manually deleted, but this requires root access or a file manager with super-user rights (such as Mixplorer or FX File Explorer).

If you have root, check the following directories (caution – deleting the wrong files could disrupt your system!):

• /data/log/ – log files (you can delete everything except the current logs).
• /data/system/package_cache/ — cache of installed packages.
• /data/dalvik-cache/ – Dalvik cache (remove only if you know what you’re doing!)
• /cache/ – Temporary update files and backups.

Without root, you can only clean the /cache/ folder through Recovery (see previous method).

4. Cleaning through ADB (for advanced users)

If you're familiar with ADB (Android debugging tool), you can remove a part of the Other using commands.

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the version, then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers).
2. Open the command line on the PC and type:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*




rm -rf /cache/*

This will delete log files and update cache. Be careful - the wrong commands can damage the system!

💡

Before cleaning through ADB, back up your important data. If the phone becomes unstable after commands, reset the cache to Recovery.

What to do if the “Other” is not cleaned

If neither method worked and the Other still takes up a lot of space, the following reasons are possible:

• 🛠️ Failure of the file system – sometimes MIUI Incorrectly calculates occupied space, and it will help to restart or check the disk through Recovery.
• 🦠 Virus or malware – some viruses masquerading as system files. Check your phone with an antivirus (like Dr.Web or Kaspersky).
• 📱 Firmware error - if "Other" swelled after the update, it's possible the firmware is installed with errors. Try flashing the phone over Fastboot.
• 🔧 Sectional problems /data — In rare cases, only a complete reset (Wipe Data in Recovery) helps).

If the Other takes more than 10GB and is not cleaned, the most reliable solution is to reset to factory settings. Before doing this, be sure to back up your data via Settings → Additional → Backup or Mi Cloud.

How to prevent the “Other” from blowing up again

To prevent the Other from taking up gigabytes of space in the future, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly – once every 1-2 weeks run the built-in cleaning in Settings → Memory.
• 🚫 Do not accumulate updates – unless you plan to install OTA, delete downloaded files through Settings → Updating the system.
• 📱 Use light firmware if you have a weak phone (e.g. Redmi) 9A), Consider switching to custom firmware like Pixel Experience, where there is no extra cache MIUI.
• 🛡️ Turn off unnecessary diagnosis – go to Settings → The phone. → Reviews and diagnostics and disable sending logs.

You should also keep an eye out for automatic backups that MIUI sometimes creates without the user’s knowledge. To disable them, go to Settings → Google → Backup and deactivate the option.

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If the Other is less than 2GB, don’t touch it – it’s normal working volume for MIUI. Attempts to clean it to zero can cause system failures.

Myths and misconceptions about the “Other” section on Xiaomi

There are many tips on the Internet to clean up The Other, but many of them are not only useless, but also dangerous.

• 🚫 «We need to delete the folder. Android/obb» — This is wrong. The obb folder is for games and apps, not for the Other.
• 🚫 «Formatting SD-The other is stored in internal memory, not on the card. MicroSD formatting is useless here.
• 🚫 «You need to disable all system applications – this can disrupt the work MIUI. Some System Apps are Necessary for Stability.
• 🚫 «Cleaning through CCleaner will remove everything that is unnecessary. — CCleaner and similar utilities often delete the desired files, which leads to failures.

Another common misconception is that the Other can be completely deleted, in fact, even after resetting to factory settings, this partition will take up 500 MB-1 GB, since it stores critical system files.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's "Other" section