Xiaomi’s ‘Other’: What are these files, why do they take up so much space, and how to delete them

You opened up your memory settings on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone, and suddenly you found that the lion's share is occupied by the mysterious "Other" section — sometimes up to 10 or 30 GB! What are these files? Why is the system not showing them explicitly? And most importantly, can they be safely deleted without breaking the phone?

This problem is familiar to many users of devices on MIUI. Unlike the explicit categories ("Apps", "Photos", "Video"), the item "Other" combines hidden system data, cache, temporary files and remnants of deleted programs. It is often inflated due to cleaning errors, system updates or features of Android on Xiaomi smartphones.

• 🔍 What exactly is hidden under the category “Other” and why it takes up so much space.
• 📉 How to Check Which Files Are Eating Memory Using Hidden Tools MIUI.
• ⚙️ Safe cleaning methods – from built-in features to manual methods for power users.
• ⚠️ What can you do to avoid turning your phone into a brick».

Spoiler: 90 percent of the time, you can fix a problem without rooting or factory resetting, but first you have to understand what we're dealing with.

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

The other category in MIUI is the garbage box of the operating system.

• 🗑️ Remnants of remote applications (cache, settings, temporary files that have not been completely cleared).
• 📁 Hidden system folders, for example, /data/log (mistake), /data/dalvik-cache (Optimized files to speed up application performance).
• 🔄 Update files that have been downloaded but not installed (or partially installed).
• 🎮 Game data that is not in the App category (e.g. downloaded maps in Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile).
• 📱 Backups created by the system or third-party programs (such as Mi Cloud or Google Drive).

The main reason for this section is bloated is the peculiarities of the Android file system on Xiaomi, MIUI It aggressively caches data to speed up work, but it doesn't always delete it correctly. For example, when an application is uninstalled, its cache may remain in the folder. /data/data, The system will not show it in the standard file manager.

Another culprit is the updates. MIUI. When downloading a new version of the firmware, files are saved in a hidden folder /cache or /data/ota_package. If the update is interrupted or manually installed, these files may remain and take up to 5–10 GB (especially relevant for devices with MIUI 12–14).

Finally, some apps (e.g. Facebook, Telegram, TikTok) create their own hidden folders to store media files that the system classifies as “Other” (for example, Telegram defaults to save all uploaded videos and photos to /storage/emulated/0/Telegram, but they may not appear in standard memory analysis).

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

Before you delete something, you need to understand which files are taking up space. MIUI (Settings → Memory only shows the total volume, but it doesn't detail it. Here's how to get more information:

Method 1: Built-in memory analysis (hidden function)

MIUI 12-14 has a hidden tool for detailed analysis.

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Slip the memory schedule 5 times in a row (quickly, but not too much).
3. An expanded menu will appear, broken down by file types (including System Data, Application Cache, Update Remains, etc.).

If this method does not work, try an alternative method:

Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times to turn on Developer Mode)


Settings → Additional → For developers → Memory analysis

Method 2: Third-party applications for analysis

If built-in tools don’t provide enough data, use specialized utilities:

• 🔍 Files by Google – shows hidden folders and large files that are not visible in standard Explorer.

Example: In DiskUsage, you can see that the /data/log folder takes up 2 GB due to error logs, or that /Android/obb contains undeleted game files.

💡

If you are using SD Maid, turn on the “CorpseFinder” option – it finds the “dead” files that were left after uninstalling the applications.

Method 3: Manual examination through ADB

For advanced users, there is a way to get a full list of large files through ADB (Android Debug Bridge):

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI → 7 taps → For developers → USB debugging).
2. In the PC command line, type: adb shell su du -h -d 1 /data | sort -h This will show the size of folders in /data, sorted by volume.

⚠️ Note: Do not manually delete files from folders /data or /system without understanding their purpose! this can lead to data loss or system failure.

How to Safely Clean “Other” on Xiaomi: Step-by-step instructions

Now that you know what's taking up space, you can start cleaning up, and let's start with the safest methods, and gradually move on to the more radical ones.

Method 1: Built-in memory cleanup in MIUI

The easiest way is to use standard tools:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
2. Click on “Deep Cleanup” (if there is one).
3. Select “File Remains” and “App Cache”.
4. Confirm removal.

This method removes:

• 🗑️ Application cache (including system cache).
• 📁 Temporary download files.
• 🔄 Remains of updates MIUI (unless they are installed).

But he doesn't touch:

• 📂 Hidden application folders (for example, /Android/data).
• 🔧 System logs and dumps.
• 🎮 Game files from /Android/obb.

Method 2: Clearing cache and application data

Some apps (especially social media and instant messengers) accumulate gigabytes of cache to clean it up:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Facebook or Telegram).
3. Click on Storage → Clear cache and Clear data (Warning: This will remove settings and inputs!).

For mass cleaning:

Open Settings → Memory → Applications

Sort by cache size

Select applications with cache > 100 MB

Click on “Clear Cache” for each

Reboot the phone.-->

⚠️ Note: Clearing data (not cache!) for system applications (e.g. Mi Account, Security) can cause phone malfunctions.

Method 3: Delete MIUI update files

If the Other swelled after the system update, it's likely that the undeleted firmware files are to blame.

1. Open Explorer (e.g. Files by Google or standard Mi File Manager).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/Download or /storage/emulated/0/MIUI.
3. Delete files with names like: miui_*.zip update.zip fw_*.bin

/cache

If /cache is not available, use ADB:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /cache/*

Method 4: Clean /Android/obb and /Android/data folder

These folders store game and application data, and often after you delete a game, the files stay here and take up space, so you can delete them.

1. Open the explorer and go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb.
2. Delete folders with titles of games you have deleted long ago (e.g. com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile).
3. Repeat the same for /storage/emulated/0/Android/data.

⚠️ Warning: Do not delete folders of existing applications! this will lead to loss of progress in games or failure of programs.

Method 5: Reset the partition cache (without data loss)

If previous methods didn’t work, try resetting /cache and /dalvik-cache.This won’t delete your files, but it can free up a few gigabytes:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery Mode.
3. Choose Wipe & Reset → Wipe Cache.
4. Confirm and restart the phone.

This method is especially useful if the Other has swelled after a failed MIUI update.

💡

Resetting the partition cache is the safest way to free up space without losing data. It deletes temporary system files, but does not touch your photos, videos or apps.

What to do if the Other takes up too much space and doesn’t clear

If, after all the manipulation, the Other section is still 10+GB, maybe the problem goes deeper. Consider radical but effective methods.

Method 1: Remove system logs (requires root)

The /data/log folder can take up gigabytes from error logs and debugging information.

1. Get root rights (for example, through Magisk).
2. Use Root Explorer or FX File Explorer to navigate to /data/log.

⚠️ Warning: Deleting logs may make it difficult to diagnose problems in the future, but won't affect your phone's performance.

Method 2: Memory re-marking (for power users)

If the Other takes more than 20GB and doesn't clear, there may have been an error in /data partition markup.

1. Make a backup copy of all data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Install a custom recavery (TWRP).
3. In TWRP, select Wipe → Advanced Wipe → Data.
4. Enter yes and confirm the re-markup (this will delete all data!).
5. Reinstall MIUI via Install.

This method will completely reset the phone, but will fix file system errors.

Method 3: Retrace to the previous version of MIUI

If the problem occurred after the MIUI update, it may be the fault of the bug in the new version.

1. Download the old firmware version from Xiaomifirmwareupdater.com.
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Points → Select an Service Pack.
3. Select the downloaded file and confirm the rollback.