Xiaomi’s ‘Other’ Storage: What It Is and How to Clean Your Phone’s Memory Without Risk

You opened your storage settings on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, and you saw that the lion's share of memory is occupied by the mysterious category "Other" - 10, 20, or even 30 GB of gray without explanation - and no obvious way to release them. The system insists that these are "other files", but what exactly are they and can they be deleted without harming the phone?

This problem is familiar to every second owner of a smartphone on MIUI. Xiaomi’s official documentation is silent about the nature of the “Other”, and standard cleaning methods (cache, junk files) hardly reduce its volume. In this article, we will not only reveal what is hidden under the “Other” in the storage, but also show unique ways to reduce it, including hidden MIUI functions and manual methods for advanced users. You will learn which files can be safely deleted and which cannot be touched categorically – and why even after a complete reset, the “Other” can return.

What is the Other in Xiaomi’s Storage and Why Does It Take So Much Space?

Category “Other” in the Settings menu → The storage is the garbage box of the operating system MIUI, And unlike Android, which is pure, where it's distributed more transparently, Xiaomi groups it into a gray area:

• 📁 Cache of system applications (including MIUI Launcher, Security, Gallery, which is not cleaned by standard means.
• 🔄 Residual files from remote applications (settings, databases, temporary data).
• 📄 Logs and dumps of the system (.log,.dump files) that are created when crashes or debugging.
• 🎮 Game data (save, cache) Unity/Unreal Engines that are not recognized as media files.
• 🔗 Symbolic links and corrupted files that the system cannot classify.

The main reason for the growth of The Other is the MIUI architecture, which actively caches data to speed up work, but does not clean it well. For example, the Gallery app can store thumbnails of photos in a hidden folder.thumbnails for years, even if the originals are long removed.

Another culprit is the updates MIUI. When you install a new firmware version, old system files are not always deleted completely, but remain in the folder. /cache or /data/ota_package. Over time, such “remains” accumulate on several gigabytes.

How to See What’s in The Other: MIUI’s Hidden Tools

Before you clean the Other, you need to understand its composition. Xiaomi's standard storage analyzer doesn't show details, but there are ways to get around this limitation:

Method 1: Built-in "File Analyzer" (hidden function)

MIUI has a hidden tool for detailed memory analysis, which is available through the code of the engineering menu:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
2. Select Usage Statistics (Usage Statistics).
3. Go to the Storage tab - here you will see all folders, including system ones, with exact weight.

⚠️ Note: Do not manually delete folders with names com.android., miui. or system – this can lead to a crash. MIUI and the need for reflashing.

Method 2: Applications for storage analysis

If the engineering menu does not help, use third-party utilities:

• 🔍 Files by Google – Shows Hidden Files and Offers Cache Cleanup.
• 📊 Storage Analyzer (from F-Droid) – builds memory occupancy graphs by folder.
• 🛠️ SD Maid (requires root) – finds junk files, including remnants from remote apps.

💡

Before using third-party analyzers, turn off battery optimization for them in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Autorun – otherwise they won’t be able to scan system folders.

Safe Ways to Clean the Other Without Root Rights

If you're not ready to root or search your phone, start with these methods. They don't require technical skills and they won't disrupt the system.

1. Cleaning the cache of system applications

Many MIUI applications (e.g. Gallery, Music, Security) accumulate gigabytes of cache that is not visible in the standard cleaning menu to remove it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by size (click on the three dots in the upper right corner).
3. Select a system application (such as Gallery) and click Storage → Clear cache.

⚠️ Note: Do not clear data (Clear data from applications) MIUI (For example, Security or Launcher – this will reset their settings and can cause shell failures.

2. Delete temporary update files

After each update MIUI Firmware files remain in the folder /data/ota_package. They can be removed manually:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Open the internal memory folder → data → ota_package (It can be hidden – turn on the display of hidden files).
3. Delete all files with the.zip extension or names like miui_*.zip.

Clear the cache of system applications|Delete files from /data/ota_package|Check the folder.thumbnails|Clear the Google Play Services cache|Reboot the phone-->

3. Reset the settings "Gallery" and "Music"

Gallery and Music apps create hidden databases (.nomedia,.data) that grow over time to reset them:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Gallery or Music, click Warehouse → Clear the data.
3. Confirm the action – the application will restart and restore the bases again.

This method will free up 1 to 5GB, but you will have to reconfigure albums and playlists.

Advanced methods: cleaning with root access

If the Other takes more than 20 GB and standard methods don’t work, you’ll have to use root access, which is risky (you can damage the system), but allows you to delete files that are not available in the usual way.

1. Deletion of the dalvik cache

The /data/dalvik-cache folder stores optimized versions of apps to speed up their launch, which can be cleaned, but then the phone will run slower until the cache recovers, and this is done via TWRP or ADB:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*




reboot

2. Cleaning up the folder /data/log

Logs of the system (last_kmsg, dmesg, recovery.log) can weigh several gigabytes. They can be removed by the command:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/log/*

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in /data/system — This will cause you to lose all settings and may block your phone.

3. Use of Magisk modules

To automatically clean the “Other” you can install modules for Magisk:

• 🧹 Universal GMS Doze – Optimizes Google Services’ background work by reducing their cache.
• 🗑️ SD Maid Pro (Module for Magisk) – clears residual files of remote applications.
• 🔧 MIUI Optimizations – fixes bugs MIUI, including incorrect display of the storage.

Why the Other Returns After Cleaning and How to Prevent It

Even after a successful cleanup, after a few days or weeks, the Other grows again.

1. Automatic app caching (especially Google Play Services and MIUI System)
2. Background activity of system processes that create temporary files.
3. Mistakes in MIUI when files are not deleted after uninstalling applications.

To slow the growth of the Other:

• 🛡️ Turn off auto-update apps on Google Play.
• ⚙️ Limit background activity for unnecessary apps in Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery.
• 🔄 Regularly (once a month) clear the cache through Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup.
• 📵 Set a limit on background data for system applications (e.g, MIUI Daemon).

💡

The other thing in MIUI is not a bug, it's a feature of the shell architecture, and you can't get rid of it completely, but you can cut it down to 3 to 5 GB and keep it clean.

What to do if nothing helps: extreme measures

If the “Other” takes more than 30 GB, and all methods have been tried, radical solutions remain:

1. reset to factory settings (Hard Reset)

This will delete all the data, including "Other," but return the phone to "out of the box" state.

• 📲 Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• 🔐 Make sure you know the username/password from your Mi Account (required to unlock after resetting).
• 📡 Connect to Wi-Fi – After reset, the phone will download updates that can create another “Other».

The reset itself is performed in Settings → About Phone → Resetting settings.

2. Flashing through Fastboot

If the reset didn't help, the problem could be the corrupted system files, in which case a clean installation of MIUI via Fastboot will help:

1. Download the official firmware for your model from the Xiaomi website.
2. Install the Mi Flash Tool on your PC.
3. Transfer the phone to Fastboot mode (clip Power + Volume down).
4. Connect to your PC and run through Mi Flash (select the clean all option).

⚠️ Warning: Fastboot Flashing removes all internal memory, including files in the folder DCIM And Downloads. Pre-copy them on your PC.

3. Replacement of internal memory (for advanced)

If the Other is growing due to physical wear and tear on flash memory (typical for phones older than 3-4 years), it may be necessary to replace the eMMC or UFS chip.

• 🔧 Sawdry station and micro-sweetening experience.
• 💰 Parts (memory chip for a particular model).
• 📱 Programming for new memory.

The cost of repair in the service center is from 3000 to 8000 rubles, depending on the model.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the “Other” in Xiaomi’s storage