Xiaomi’s “Other Memory”: Why It Takes Place and How to Reduce It

You opened your memory settings on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone and found a strange partition called "Other" that takes up gigabytes of space? Don't panic -- it's not a virus or a system bug. It's a partition that's on all devices running MIUI, but its contents are rarely disclosed to users.

In this article, we will go into detail about what is hidden behind the term “other memory”, why it grows over time, what files get there, and most importantly, how to safely clean this partition without risking damage to the system, you will also learn what actions are strictly forbidden when working with this partition, and how to prevent its excessive growth in the future.

What is Xiaomi’s “Other Memory” and Why Does It Appear?

The Other section (or Other in the English version of MIUI) is a system container that contains files that do not belong to the standard categories: photos, videos, applications or cache.

• 📁 Residual files after deleting applications (incomplete uninstallation).
• 🔄 Temporary data of system processes (logs, dumps, error reports).
• 🖼️ Miniatures and previews of media files created by the system to speed up the display.
• 📥 Update files that were not deleted after installation.
• 🔐 Encrypted data of some applications (for example, messengers).

Unlike cache, which can be manually cleaned, files in Other Memory have no obvious access paths, and MIUI hides them so that users don’t accidentally delete critical data, but over time, this partition can grow to 5-15 GB, especially on devices with 128 GB of storage or less.

Why does this happen? Because Xiaomi uses an aggressive caching policy to speed up the interface, for example, when you view a gallery, the system creates thumbnails for all photos and videos, and these thumbnails remain in "Other Memory" even after you delete the originals.

What files should NOT be deleted from “Other Memory”

Before you rush to clean a partition, it's important to understand that not all files are safe to delete, some of which are critical to the stability of the system.

Another trap is files with the.thm extension (MIUI themes) and.apk (installation service packs), which can result in:

• 🎨 Resetting the theme of the design to the standard.
• 🔄 Inability to update the system through Settings → The phone.
• 📱 Loss of widget data on the main screen.

⚠️ Note: If you see files in Other Memory called com.android. or miui., don't manually delete them. MIUI may stop loading.

How to Safely Clean Another Memory on Xiaomi

Now, let's get to the practice. There are 5 proven ways to reduce the amount of "Other memory" without risking to the system, starting with the safest and ending with radical measures.

1. Built-in cleaning in MIUI

The easiest method is to use the built-in Cleanup tool:

1. Open the Settings → Memory.
2. Click on “Other” (or “Other”).
3. Slip "Clear" (if the button is active).

This method only removes secure temporary files, but often cleans no more than 100-500 MB.

2. Removal of the cache of system applications

Many system programs (Gallery, Music, Downloads) accumulate cache in the "Other memory":

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort by size (click on the three dots at the top).
3. Select system applications (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music) and click Clear Cache.

Create a backup copy of important data

Check the vacant space (should be ≥1 GB)

Disable automatic update of applications

Close all background programs-->

3. Use of ADB (for advanced users)

If the built-in techniques didn't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) for deep cleaning, which requires a PC connection:

adb shell pm trim-caches 256


adb shell cmd package bg-dexopt-job

The first command clears the cache of all applications, the second one optimizes system files. Don't use commands like adb shell rm -rf /data/* - this will lead to a complete reset of the device!

⚠️ Attention: Before working with ADB Disable Mi Cloud and synchronize data. Otherwise, conflicts may arise when restoring backup.

4. Reset settings (last chance)

If the Other Memory takes up more than 10GB and doesn't clear, the radical method is to reset to factory settings.

• 📤 Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 🔐 Make sure you have passwords from Mi Account and Google (required after reset).
• 📶 Connect to Wi-Fi – After the reset, the device will download updates.

Reset is done in Settings → About Phone → Reset. After the procedure, “Other memory” will decrease to 1-2 GB.

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If the Other Memory grows fast again after reset, check the sync settings in Mi Cloud. Turn off automatic downloading of backups of media files - they can be duplicated in hidden folders.

Why the "Other Memory" reappears after cleaning

Many users find that a week or two after cleaning, the Other section grows again, and the reason for this is the MIUI architecture:

• 🔄 Automatic caching: The system constantly creates temporary files to speed up work.
• 📥 Background updates: MIUI Downloads update packages in the background.
• 🎮 Gaming Optimizations: If you play heavy games, the system saves shaders and textures.
• 📊 Logs and dumps: Report files are created when failures occur (e.g, /data/tombstones).

To slow down the growth of the “Other memory”, do the following:

1. Turn off auto-update apps in Google Play.
2. In Battery and Performance settings, turn off “Accelerate Games.”
3. Limit background activity for underutilized applications.
4. Regularly clean the Download folder of unnecessary files.

Myths and misconceptions about the “Other memory” in Xiaomi

There are a lot of myths on the Internet about this, and we'll look at some of the most common ones.

Myth 1: “Another memory” is a virus

No, it's not a virus, it's a standard partition of Android. Viruses can indeed masquerade as system files, but they usually fall into the "Apps" or "Cache" categories. To make sure there's no malware, scan the device through Google Play Protect or Malwarebytes.

Myth 2: Cleaning up the Other Memory will speed up the phone

This is true only if the partition is >5 GB. Otherwise, the performance gains will be minimal.

• 🚀 Disable animation in Settings → Special facilities → Remove animations.
• 🔄 Limit background processes in Settings → Annexes → Auto-start.

Myth 3: Formatting internal memory will solve the problem

Formatting (via Recovery or PC) won't help if the cause is system files.

• 🔐 Loss of access to Mi Account (if linked to a device).
• 📱 Termination of warranty service (if the device is under warranty).

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“Other memory” is not a bug, but a feature of MIUI: its size up to 3-4 GB on devices with 64-128 GB of memory is considered normal, and you should only clean the partition if it occupies > 10% of the total storage.

Alternative ways to make room on Xiaomi

If Other Memory is not cleared but the device is running out of space, use alternative methods:

1. Transfer applications to a memory card

Not all apps support portability, but for those that support:

1. Insert microSD (A1 or A2 class recommended).
2. Go to Settings. → Apps, select the program and click "Move to" SD-map».

Restriction: System applications and games with cache >1 GB cannot be moved.

2. Use of cloud storage

Services like Google Photos, Mi Cloud or Yandex Drive allow you to:

• 📸 Automatically upload photos and videos to the cloud.
• 🗑️ Delete local copies after download (Option "Free space»).

3. Cleaning up duplicate files

Applications like Files by Google or CCleaner find duplicate photos, documents and music, for example, when transferring files over Bluetooth or Telegram, copies are often created in the Download folder.

4. Disabling unnecessary system applications

Many pre-installed programs (Mi Pay, Mi Community, GetApps) take up space and run in the background.

1. Go to Settings → Applications.
2. Select the unnecessary app and click “Disable”.

⚠️ Note: Do not disable system services called com.android. or miui.. This may cause a cyclical device reboot.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi’s “Other Memory”