Xiaomi’s ‘Storage Place is Different’: What It Is and How to Clean Up Completely

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi memory settings and seen the mysterious “Other” section that takes up gigabytes of precious space? This item often becomes a headache for users – the system shows that the memory is full, but does not explain what is stored in the Other or whether it can be safely deleted. Unlike obvious categories like Photos or Applications, the Other section collects all the junk that didn’t make it to standard folders: system process cache, temporary update files, remnants of deleted programs, and even hidden microservices data. MIUI.

Compounding the problem, standard cleaning tools (like the built-in Optimizer) often ignore these files, leaving users with nothing left on their phone. 1-2 GB of free space, even though all photos are moved to the cloud and applications have been deleted long ago, this article will help you understand what exactly is hidden under the item “Other”, how to analyze it without root rights and, most importantly, how to make room without risking damage to the system. We will consider how the official methods are MIUI, and advanced techniques with the use of ADB and third-party utilities.

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

The “Other” section of the Xiaomi storage menu is a kind of “junk box” of the operating system. MIUI I couldn't classify it as photos, videos, music or app data. /data/app (where the installed programs are stored) or /DCIM (Photos), the content of "Other" is scattered over dozens of system folders and is often not available for viewing through the standard file manager.

The main sources of garbage in this section:

• 🗑️ Cache of system applications – temporary files from Google Play Services, MIUI Launcher or Security App that doesn’t automatically clear.
• 🔄 Update remnants – firmware packages (.zip) that have been downloaded but not installed, or older versions MIUI, post-upgrade.
• 🧹 Logs and dumps are debugging files (.log,.dmp) that are created when crashes or for diagnostic purposes (e.g., for example, for crashes, /data/anr or /data/tombstones).
• 📦 Remote Application Data – Some programs leave folders in their wake /data/data even after the installation.
• 🔒 Hidden microservice files – for example, Xiaomi Cloud cache or Quick Apps temporary data).

Especially strong section "Other" grows on devices with MIUI 12-14, where the system actively uses preloading content to speed up work, for example, on some Redmi Note models. 10 Pro and POCO X3 The "Other" may be up to 10-15 GB after a year of use, even if the user regularly cleans the cache manually. MIUI Remove only surface debris without affecting deep system folders.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete files from the Other at random via Root Explorer or ADB without understanding their purpose, like deleting a folder. /data/dalvik-cache will cause the system to crash at the next start, and the cleanup will /data/system Can reset all settings to factory.

How to check what exactly ranks in the “Other” section

Before you clean the Other, you need to understand what files are stored there. MIUI It doesn't give you detailed information -- it just shows the total volume without breaking it down.

The most effective ways to:

1. Use Files by Google: 📱 Install an app from the Play Market. 🔍 Go to the section "Cleaning up» → «Memory analysis». 📊 Click on “More” below the memory usage schedule – here will be a breakdown by category, including “System Data” (some of which refers to “Other»).

ADB

adb shell du -h -d 1 /data | sort -h

This team will show the size of all folders in the /data, Look for suspiciously large directories like /data/log or /data/miui.

DiskUsage

• 📈 Shows occupied space in the form of an interactive map.
• 🔎 Allows you to “dig” deeper into system folders (requires root rights for full access).

What to look for in the analysis:

• 📁 Folders named com.android. or com.xiaomi. are system application data that can be cleared through the application settings (see next section).
• 🗃️ Cache folders are inside /data/data/ — Cache of user and system programs. They can be deleted without risk.
• 📄 Files with extensions.log,.tmp,.bak – usually garbage that can be removed.

Official ways to clean the “Other” without root rights

If you don't have root access or don't want to risk system stability, start with official methods. They're less effective than manual cleaning, but they're safe and don't require technical skills.

1. Cleaning the cache of system applications

Many system programs MIUI (For example, Security, Theme Manager, or Mi Video, accumulate gigabytes of cache that doesn't clear automatically to delete it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select “Show System Processes”.
3. Sort the list by size (click on "Size").
4. Select an app (such as Download Provider or MiuiDaemon) → «Warehouse» → «Clear the cache».

2. Delete temporary update files

MIUI It often downloads service packs (.zip files) in the background, but doesn't always delete them after installation:

1. Open a file manager (e.g. Files by Google or Built-in Explorer).
2. Go to the file. /data/ota_package or /cache/ota (You may need to display hidden files).
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension (e.g, miui_block_ota_update_*.zip).

3. Resetting data of unnecessary system applications

Some pre-installed programs (such as Mi Browser, Mi Music, or Mi Pay) can take up hundreds of megabytes of data even if you're not using them.

1. In the application management menu, find unnecessary system software.
2. Select "Storage» → «Clear the data" (this will remove all settings and cache).
3. If the application cannot be removed, turn it off ("Disable") so that it does not work in the background.

Clear the cache of system applications (Security, Theme Manager, Mi Video)

Remove old update packages from /data/ota_package

Reset data from unnecessary pre-installed programs (Mi Browser, Mi Pay)

Check the folder. /Download presence of unnecessary files

Start built-in memory optimization (Settings) → The phone. → Optimization)-->

4.Using the built-in "Optimizer"

Although a standard optimizer MIUI It does not clean the Other completely, it can remove some of the garbage:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Optimization.
2. Click on “Clean” and wait for the scan to be completed.
3. Delete all the files offered, especially in the Unused Files and Residual Files categories.

⚠️ Note: If the Other section fills up quickly after cleaning, the problem may be in the background activity of system processes. For example, MiuiAnalytics or Xiaomi Service Framework constantly create logs. → Additionally. → Confidentiality → Diagnostics.

Advanced cleaning methods using ADB

If the official methods did not help, and root rights you do not have, you can use the ADB (Android Debug Bridge for deep cleaning: This method requires connecting the phone to the computer, but allows you to delete files that are not available through the standard interface.

1. Preparation for work with ADB

To use ADB, Follow the following steps:

1. Download and install Google’s Platform Tools (includes adb.exe).
2. Turn on the phone "Developer Mode": Go to Settings → About the phone. Press 7 times on "Version." MIUI», The message is “You became a developer».

Settings → Additional → For Developers

Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.

2.Commands ADB for cleaning the Other»

Here are the most useful commands for garbage removal:

Example of a sequence of commands for deep cleaning:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*




rm -rf /data/local/tmp/*




rm -rf /data/miui/backup/*




exit




exit

💡

Before executing commands ADB Back up your sensitive data. If you start to brake after cleaning, reboot it, which is fine, because the system recovers some of the deleted caches.

3. Clean Dalvik cache (only for power users!)

folder /data/dalvik-cache It contains optimized versions of applications to speed up their launch, it can be cleaned, but after that the first load of the phone will take longer (the system will restore the cache automatically:

adb shell rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete folders /data/app or /data/data completely, which will result in the removal of all installed applications and reset settings. Also avoid commands like rm -rf /data/* — This will completely erase user data!

Cleaning the Other with Root Rights

If you have root access, the ability to clean the Other is expanded many times over, and you can delete files from any system folder, but it's important to understand what you can and can't touch.

1.The best applications for manual cleaning

With root rights, it is recommended to use:

2. Which folders can be cleaned from root

Here is a list of folders that are usually safe to clean (but always back up before you delete!):

3. Dangerous folders - what NOT to delete

Some directories are critical to the system, and cleaning them will cause the phone to crash or fail completely.

• 🚫 /data/data — It contains all the installed applications, and it will cause you to lose your settings and your program files.
• 🚫 /data/system — System settings (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, accounts) Removal will reset the phone to factory settings.
• 🚫 /data/misc — various system files, including SELinux data and VPN.
• 🚫 /data/property — System properties (e.g. time and region settings).

How to prevent the “Other” from being refilled

Cleaning up the Other is just a temporary solution, and without preventive measures, the section will be filled with garbage again in a few weeks, and here's how to minimize its growth:

1. Disable unnecessary system processes

Many background services MIUI They're actively creating logs and cache. They can be turned off:

• 🛑 MiuiAnalytics: collects data about phone usage. ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics

2. Set up automatic cleaning

Use applications like this. SD Maid or All-In-One Toolbox for Automatic Cleaning:

• 📅 Set up a schedule (such as cleaning once a week).
• 🗑️ Enable the option to delete residual files (CorpseFinder in the SD Maid).
• 🔄 Automatically clean the cache of applications older than 3 days.

3. Monitor updates MIUI

Updates often remain in memory even after installation, to avoid:

• 📥 Before updating manually remove old packages from /data/ota_package.
• 🔄 Use the option “Delete Service Pack after installation” (if available in your version) MIUI).
• 📡 Turn off automatic update downloads if you have little space: adb shell settings put global auto_download_ota_update 0

4.Transfer the cache of applications to SD-map

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards, you can transfer some of the cache to them:

1. Put it in. SD-Map and format it as internal storage (Settings) → Warehouse → SD-map → Formatting as an internal).
2. Use the app. App2SD or embedded MIUI portable.
3. Set up your camera and other programs to save files SD default.

💡

Regularly cleaning the Other should become a habit, as should deleting the browser cache. 1-2 for months to check the partition through DiskUsage or ADB, Clean the cache of system applications once a week.

Frequent Mistakes in Cleaning the Other and How to Avoid Them

Many users make mistakes in their attempts to make room, leading to system failures or data loss, and here are the most common ones and how to avoid them:

1. Delete files without backup

Even if you're sure that the folder contains garbage, always back up before you delete it. /data/media/0/MIUI It may contain important settings of the themes or wallpaper:

• 🔄 Use Titanium Backup (requires root) to take a snapshot of the system before cleaning up.
• 📁 Copy suspicious folders to your computer before deleting: adb pull /data/folder/ C:\backup\

2.Cache clearing of all applications in a row

Some applications (e.g. Google Play Services) MIUI Security) after cleaning the cache, they start to consume more resources, because they have to restore the data again:

• 🎯 Clear the cache only those programs that occupy more 100-200 MB.
• 🔄 For system applications, it is better to use pm clear instead of manually cleaning the cache.

3.Using "magic" scripts from the Internet

There are often scripts on the web like "one team to clean 5GB of garbage." Most of them are dangerous, because:

• 💣 Can delete critical files (for example, /data/system/users/0.xml, Which will cause a reset).
• 🔓 Often, root rights are required, but they don’t check for compatibility with your version. MIUI.
• 🕵️ May contain malicious code (for example, to steal data).

🔹 Approach: Use only commands you understand and check them on secure folders (e.g., use commands you understand, /data/local/tmp).

4. Ignoring system warnings

After cleaning, MIUI It shows a warning like "Low Memory" or "System Error," don't ignore it:

5. Over-optimization

Some users in pursuit of free space delete even useful files, for example:

• 📸 Gallery miniatures (/data/media/0/DCIM/.thumbnails) — Removing them will slow down the gallery.
• 🎵 Musical app cache – you will have to download the songs again.
• 📱 ARCore files (/data/data/com.google.ar.core) — It is necessary for the work of augmented reality.

🔹 Rule: If you're not sure if a file is garbage, don't touch it. 500MB release doesn't cost the stability of the system.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Xiaomi’s “Other”