How to Clean the Other section on Xiaomi Redmi 9: A Complete Guide with Hidden Tricks

Have you ever looked into the storage of your Xiaomi Redmi 9 and were surprised to find that gigabytes of memory are occupied by the mysterious “Other” section? This gray segment in MIUI memory analysis does not show specific files, but can take anywhere from 5 to 20 GB — and this is despite the fact that you have long since deleted unnecessary photos, cleared the cache of applications and even transferred messengers to the memory card.

In fact, the Other is not a bug, but a feature of MIUI and Android. Under this category hide system files, application temporary data, log files, update remnants and even fragments of remote programs that were not cleaned correctly. In this article, we will not just list standard tips like “clean the cache”, but will analyze deep cleaning – from manually removing hidden folders to using ADB engineering commands. You will learn which files can be deleted without risk and which cannot be touched (even if they take 10 GB!).

Important: The methods in this article are tested specifically on Redmi 9 (M2003J15SC/M2004J19C models), but most of them are applicable to other Xiaomi smartphones based on Android 10/11 with the MIUI 12-14 shell. If your device is running on a newer version of the software, check the relevance of the commands in the section with ADB.

What is the “Other” in the memory of Xiaomi Redmi 9 and why it grows

The “Other” section of MIUI is a kind of “junk box” of the operating system, where files that do not belong to the standard categories (photos, videos, applications, documents) fall.

• 📁 Cache of system applications (e.g. com.miui.home or com.android.systemui) that is not cleared through the standard menu.
• 🗑️ Remnants of Remote Applications: Folders /data/data and /data/app-lib, Sometimes left behind after the installation.
• 📜 Log files and dumps (e.g, /data/tombstones or /data/anr), which are created when the system fails.
• 🔄 Temporary update files MIUI, which were not removed after the installation of a new firmware.
• 🎭 Hidden themes and wallpaper files MIUI, cached /data/system/theme.
• 📱 Dalvik cache data (folder) /data/dalvik-cache), Re-created with each update.

On Redmi 9, the problem is compounded by the fact that the smartphone initially comes with eMMC memory (rather than faster UFS), which over time “degrades”: the write speed drops, and the system begins to actively create temporary files to compensate for lags, as a result, “Other” can grow by 1-2 GB per month even with minimal use.

⚠️ Note: If the Other partition takes up more than 15 GB, this may indicate that the file system is damaged (for example, due to a sudden power outage during data recording.

Before you start cleaning, check the actual memory allocation with third-party utilities like Files by Google or SD Maid. They will show a more detailed structure than the standard MIUI analyzer. For example, you may find that the 5GB /data/log folder takes up due to a malfunction of the NFC module (relevant to Redmi 9 with firmware up to MIUI 12.5).

Method 1: Clearing the cache of system applications (without root)

To start with, the safest method is one that doesn't require superuser rights. Many MIUI applications (e.g. Security, Themes, or Gallery) create a cache that isn't cleared through the standard Cleanup menu to delete it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select "Show Systems."
3. Find apps with names: 🔍 com.miui.home (Luncher) MIUI) 🔍 com.android.systemui (System Interface) 🔍 com.miui.securitycenter (Security) 🔍 com.miui.gallery (Gallery) 🔍 com.miui.themes (Themes)

"Storage" → "Clean the cache"

Once cleaned, restart your smartphone. This method allows you to free up 500 MB to 2 GB, depending on how long ago you last cleaned the cache. For example, on Redmi 9 with MIUI 12.5 after six months of use, the cache of com.miui.home can take up to 1.2 GB.

Close all applications in multitasking

Connect your smartphone to charging (the process can take 5-10 minutes)

Check the vacant space (should be at least 10% of the total)

Backup important data (in case of failure)

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If the cache accumulates again quickly after cleaning, this may indicate a malfunction in the work of a particular application. For example, com.miui.securitycenter will often “hang” in the background and will generate log files, in which case only reinstall the firmware or roll back to the previous version of MIUI will help.

Method 2: Delete temporary MIUI update files

Every update MIUI leaves behind "tails" - folders with backups and temporary files that should be deleted automatically but often remain. 9 These files can be used up to 3–5 GB in a folder /data/ota_package or /cache.

To remove them:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and activate File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Enable the display of hidden files in Windows Explorer (the View tab → Hidden Items).
3. Go to the root memory directory and delete the following folders (if they exist): 🗃️.OTA (firmware) 🗃️ MIUI → backup → AllBackup (backup copies) 🗃️ download → downloaded_rom (firmware)

If folders are not deleted with the message “Rejected”, use a root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer) or ADB commands:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/ota_package/*




rm -rf /cache/*

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete the folder /cache The whole thing, just the contents, and deleting the folder itself will cause the system to crash.

Once cleaned, restart the device. If MIUI updates no longer come through Settings → About Phone → System Update, download the latest firmware manually from the Xiaomi Firmware site and install it through Recovery.

Method 3: Manual deletion of log files and dumps (for experienced)

Android and MIUI actively write logs (event logs) that help diagnose crashes, but are rarely cleared automatically. On Redmi 9, log files can take up to 3-4 GB in the following folders:

* /data/log contains critical kernel logs, and you can delete everything except.log.boot files, which are used to boot the system.

To delete logs:

1. Get root access (for example, through Magisk).
2. Use Root Explorer or ADB with superuser rights.
3. Remove the contents of the folders from the table above (except /data/log/*.log.boot).

Once the Dalvik cache is cleared, it can take up to 5-10 minutes to boot the system first, which is normal as Android reassembles the cache for all applications.

⚠️ Note: If after cleaning the Dalvik cache, applications start to fly out with the error “Application has stopped”, this means that the files in the system are damaged. /data/app. In this case, only reset to factory settings will help.

On the Redmi. 9 s MIUI 12.5 And newer is also useful to clean the folder. /data/misc/apexdata — It's the place where the module artifacts are stored. ART (Android Runtime, which can take up to 1 GB. Delete its contents only through ADB root-right:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/misc/apexdata/*

Method 5: Reset MIUI settings (without data loss)

If previous methods didn’t help, and “Other” still takes 10+ GB, try a soft reset of MIUI settings. This method does not affect user data (photos, messages, applications), but resets system settings to factory, which often solves the problem with the “bloated” partition.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Reset all settings” (not to be confused with “Reset to factory”!).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

• 🔄 The system will recreate configuration files in /data/system.
• 🗑️ Temporary files of themes, wallpapers and widgets will be deleted.
• 📱 Network settings (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) will reset, but saved passwords will remain.

This method helps in the 70% When the “Other” is growing due to a malfunction MIUI. For example, on Redmi. 9 firmware V12.5.1.0.RJCMIXM Many users have encountered a bug in which the folder /data/system/device_policies.xml grow up 500 MB – Resetting settings solves this problem.

💡

Before resetting, export your Wi-Fi settings using the WiFi Password Viewer app – this will save you time to reconnect to networks.

What NOT to do when cleaning the “Other”

In the pursuit of memory freedom, many users make mistakes that can lead to data loss or smartphone failure. Here’s what you can’t do on Redmi 9:

• ❌ Delete the folder /data/data This will result in the removal of all user applications and their data (including saves in games).
• ❌ Format a section /data It's like a full reset, and you lose all your data.
• ❌ Delete files from /system It's a system partition, and any changes without superuser rights will crash.
• ❌ Use "memory cleaners" like Clean Master, which often delete important files and leave more garbage behind.
• ❌ Clear the folder. /data/misc It's where the cryptographic keys for Wi-Fi are stored, VPN other services.

It is also not recommended:

• 🚫 Disable logging through the engineering menu (#4636##) This can lead to unstable system operation.
• 🚫 Delete files with the.odex or.oat extension. These are optimized application binary, without them, programs will not run.
• 🚫 Use fastboot erase commands. On Redmi 9, this can lead to brick»).

If you are not sure if you can delete a specific file, check the name in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) database or ask a question on the XDA-Developers forum (check out the Redmi 9 model and MIUI version).

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up the “Other” on Xiaomi Redmi 9