Another folder on Xiaomi: how to clean up real

Many Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners face an annoying problem: the memory space of the device is running out, even though you did not install heavy apps or shoot thousands of videos. When you try to understand the storage system shows a mysterious category of “Other”, which can take up from 5 to 50 gigabytes. This storage becomes a “black hole”, where important gigabytes disappear without a trace, slowing down the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.

In this section, we will explore in detail what the term implies and why standard cleaning methods often fail. You will learn about the structure of the Android file system and understand why deleting regular files does not always solve the problem. System debris accumulates unnoticed, but its impact on the performance of the device is critical.

We're going to look at proven methods that can safely free up space without losing personal data, and you don't have to be a programmer to do that, but you have to follow the instructions consistently and understand what each process is doing in the background of your smartphone.

What is hidden in the category "Other"

The Other category on Xiaomi devices is not just a single file, but a hoard of data that the system cannot uniquely classify as photos, music or apps, including card cache, temporary browser files, remnants of deleted programs, error logs and messenger data, and users often do not even realize that this hidden data occupies the lion’s share of memory.

And the focus is on app cache and system logs, and when you use a navigator, it stores a map of the terrain so it can load it faster the next time it starts, and over time, that data grows to giant sizes, and the same thing happens with streaming services and social networks that store previews of images and videos locally on the device.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete files from system folders manually through the file manager unless you know exactly what they are intended for, which may cause Android operating system to malfunction or some smartphone features to fail completely.

Another source of the heavy Other section is the update files, which can be stored in memory after the firmware update, and the virtual memory data if activated in the RAM extension settings, and understanding the nature of these files is the first step to an effective cleanup.

Basic cleaning with MIUI and HyperOS

The first thing to do before drastic measures is to use the built-in shell toolkit: Xiaomi smartphones have a pre-installed Security app that can find and remove obvious debris, but its capabilities are often limited to surface cleaning, and it may not affect the (deep) layers of the Other folder.

To start the procedure, go to Settings → Memory or open the Security → Cleanup app. The system will scan and suggest removing temporary files. This is a safe method that will not damage your personal data, but its effectiveness is approximately 30-40% of the total amount of hidden debris.

• 🗑️ Open the Security app on the home screen.
• 📱 Click on the “Clean” button and wait for the analysis to be completed.
• ✅ Select “Recommended” files to delete, avoiding system.
• 🔄 Repeat the procedure through the Explorer app in the Storage Analyzer section».

It is important to regularly prevent the file system from fragmenting. In new versions of HyperOS, memory algorithms have been improved, and the system itself often suggests clearing the bloated cache. If standard tools have not helped reduce the volume of the Other, you will have to move to more advanced methods.

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Use the Deep Clean feature in the Security app, but carefully check the file list before deleting so you don’t lose important documents.

Manual cleaning through the Explorer and folder analysis

A more efficient way is to manually analyze the contents of internal memory, and you need a standard file manager or a third-party, like Total Commander or Files by Google, to find folders with a huge amount of data that are often hidden in the root of internal memory or in the Android/data directory.

Pay attention to the folders of social networks and messengers. Telegram, for example, is known for storing all the media files viewed in the cache, which the system refers to as “Other”. In the way Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/files, you can find gigabytes of video and photos that are already saved in the cloud, but take up space on the phone.

It's also worth checking the MIUI folder at the root of the storage, which may have debug logs and backups that you don't need anymore, which is safe to delete unless you plan on resetting the old settings of the particular application, and be careful: delete only the content, not the folder structure itself.

Using ADB for deep cleaning

For advanced users who want to gain full control of the file system, there is an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tool, which allows you to delete files that are not accessible to ordinary applications even with root permissions.

Before you start, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and press the build number seven times. Then, in the advanced settings, turn on “Debugging USB.” Connect your smartphone to your PC, install the drivers and the ADB platform tools.

adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999

This command forces the system to force the cache of all installed applications to the lowest possible value (in this case, almost zero), which is one of the most effective ways to combat the bloated "Other" partition.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Incorrect commands can lead to the deletion of system files and the need to flash the device.

You can also use it. ADB to view the exact size of the folders to identify the "culprit" of the celebration. -h /sdcard/Android/data | sort -rh | head -n 10 show-off-10 This will help to remove the garbage point without affecting the excess.

Reset applications and clear the messenger cache

Often, the problem is caused by specific applications that mismanage their storage. Instagram, TikTok and Telegram are the main candidates for verification, and their settings include a feature called Memory Use or Data and Memory, where you can see the real amount of space you occupy.

Cleaning the cache through the application settings (Settings → Applications → All Apps → [Select App] → Memory → Clear cache) is often safer and more efficient than deleting through shared Explorer, ensuring that it is temporary files, not important databases, that are deleted.

If the size of the application seems abnormally large, you can try the action “Reset all settings” (not to be confused with deleting data, although for messengers without a backup this is equivalent to losing correspondence). DRM-cache and license data that often inflate the “Other” section».

• 📲 Go to the settings of a specific heavy application.
• 🧹 Click “Clear Cache” and check for volume change.
• 💾 For instant messengers, use the built-in function “Cleaning the place».
• 🔄 Remove and install the app again if the cache is not cleared.

Radical method: Reset to factory settings

If none of the methods worked, and the Other folder continues to grow, the final argument is a full reset, which is guaranteed to remove all accumulated system debris, erroneous logs and remnants of remote applications, returning the file system to its original state.

Before this procedure, be sure to back up all important data to the Xiaomi Cloud, Google Drive or your computer. Once reset, the phone will be as new as possible, and the Other category will occupy the minimum possible amount allocated for the system.

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A complete reset is the only solution that fixes file system errors, but takes time to reconfigure the device.

To do the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The process will take 5 to 15 minutes. Once you turn on your smartphone, you will notice that the memory is free and the system is running much faster. This is especially true for devices that have been in use for more than 2-3 years without reinstalling the system.