How to Clean the Other section in Xiaomi memory: The Complete 2026 Guide

Xiaomi’s Other is a real black hole for free space, which can take up 10 to 30 GB for no apparent reason, even if you regularly delete photos, videos and unwanted apps. Unlike obvious files (music, documents), the contents of this section are hidden from the user, but it is often the cause of slowing down your smartphone, errors when installing updates or the inability to download new applications.

In this article, we will discuss what is stored in the Other, why this section grows and how to safely clean it without risking damage to the system. The methods are suitable for all modern models Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO based on MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS. Particular attention will be paid to hidden system files, application cache and residues after uninstallation of programs – they most often “eat” precious gigabytes.

Before we start cleaning, it's important to understand that not everything in the Other section can be deleted, some files are critical to the system, and deleting them can cause malfunctions, and we'll show you how to separate garbage from important data, and what tools to use to do that -- how to build it into the system. MIUI, so-and-so.

What is the “Other” section in Xiaomi memory and why is it filled?

The Other (or “Other”) section is a collection category for files that the system cannot classify as standard types: photos, videos, audio, or documents.

• 🗑️ Application cache and systems are temporary files that are created to speed up programs, but often are not automatically deleted.
• 📦 Remnants of Remote Applications – Configuration Files, Databases, and Settings that Remain After Uninstallation.
• 🔄 Logs and dumps of the system are error report files that MIUI Creates for diagnosis (can weigh up to 500 MB per month of active use).
• 📱 Update files – Uploaded but not installed firmware or security patches.
• 🔍 Hidden user files – downloads from instant messengers, temporary browser data, archives.

The main problem is that MIUI does not provide tools for detailed analysis of this section, the user sees only the total volume, but can not understand which files occupy him, and even some of the data is duplicated: for example, the cache of one application can be simultaneously counted in his personal data and in the section “Other”.

Why does the section grow with time?

Method 1: Clearing the cache of applications and systems through settings

The safest and fastest way to free up space is to remove the cache, which doesn't affect personal data, but can return 1 to 5 GB of free space.

Instructions:

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Clear Cache and Clear Data. The second action deletes all settings and files in the app, including accounts and saves. For example, after clearing WhatsApp data, you will have to log in again and restore chats from backup.

Clear the cache of messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)

Delete the social media cache (Facebook, Instagram)

Clearing Google Play Services Data

Check the browser cache (Chrome, Mi Browser)-->

For deep cleaning, you can use the built-in tool “Optimization”:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Optimization.
2. Click Deep Clean – the system scans the device for unnecessary files (including application residues and duplicates).
3. Select files to delete and confirm the action.

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If the app gets slower after cleaning the cache, that's okay, and the cache is recreated the next time it runs, but without any junk data.

Method 2: Remove the residues of applications using Files by Google

The built-in MIUI tools don’t always handle the remnants of remote programs, and it’s better to use a third-party Files by Google app (formerly Files Go), which can find and delete unnecessary files, including:

• 📁 Folders com.name applications in /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/.
• 🗑️ Temporary files (.tmp,.log,.bak).
• 🔍 Duplicate photos and documents.

Step-by-step:

1. Install Files by Google from Google Play.
2. Open the app and go to the “Cleanup” tab.
3. Select “Unnecessary Files” – the program will scan the device for residues of applications, cache and duplicates.
4. Check the list and delete the unnecessary ones. Pay special attention to the folders with the names of the programs you deleted.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete folders of current applications (for example, com.whatsapp, if WhatsApp is still installed.

Method 3: Manually clean through file manager (for experienced)

If you're willing to dive into the file system, you can manually find and delete unnecessary data, a method that requires caution, but allows you to free up to 5-10 GB.

What folders can be cleaned:

• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ — This is where the application data is stored. Only delete the remote program folders.
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/ — game cache files (e.g, PUBG, Genshin Impact: If the game is deleted, the folder can be deleted.
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/Download/ — Check for old downloads, especially files with.apk,.zip,.tmp extensions.
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/ — Here may lie outdated themes, wallpaper and backups.

How to securely delete files:

1. Use embedded Files or Solid Explorer (with root permissions, if any).
2. Before deleting, check the date of change of the folder, if it is older than 3-6 months and belongs to a remote application, it can be deleted.
3. Do not touch folders with the names com.android., com.xiaomi., com.google.* – these are system data.

⚠️ Note: If you use root access, be extremely careful with folders in the /data/ and /system/. Incorrect change can cause the device to fail.

Method 4: Cleaning Logs and Dumps of the System (for Advanced)

MIUI actively collects logs and dumps to diagnose errors, which can take up to 1-2 GB and are rarely deleted automatically, and can be safely cleaned, but this will require debugging over USB or using ADB.

Method 1: Engineering Mode (for some models)

1. Enter the dialer code ##4636##.
2. Go to the “Usage statistics” menu → “Storage” → “Dump logs”.
3. Click on Clear logs (if available).

Method 2: Through ADB (Universal)

1. Connect your phone to your PC, enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the version, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Open the command line on PC and type in: adb shell su rm -rf /data/log/* rm -rf /data/tombstones/* rm -rf /data/anr/* exit

⚠️ Attention: The commands above require superuser rights (root) without them, log cleaning will be incomplete. If you do not have root, use the method with Engineering Mode or wait for automatic cleaning (the system removes old logs if there is a shortage of space).

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System logs are automatically deleted when critical memory shortages occur, but manually cleaning them helps to make room in advance and avoid lags.

Method 5: Reset the partition cache (wipe cache partition)

If previous methods didn’t help and the Other partition still takes up more than 5GB, try resetting the recovery partition cache.This won’t delete your data, but will clear temporary system files that may have accumulated after the updates.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the power button + volume button before the Mi logo appears (Recovery mode).
3. Use volume buttons to navigate and select "Wipe & Reset" → "Wipe Cache".
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse "Wipe Cache" with "Wipe Data"! The second option deletes all your data, including photos, contacts and apps.

After rebooting, check the “Other” section in Settings → Memory. Usually this method frees up 1-3 GB, especially if you haven’t cleaned it in a long time.

How to prevent the “Other” section from being refilled?

To prevent the “Other” section from growing again, follow these recommendations:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (once every 1-2 weeks) through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.
• 📱 Remove apps correctly: Use the built-in uninstaller or Files by Google, rather than just moving the icon to the cart.
• 🗑️ Limit the background activity of applications: in Settings → Battery → Power saving mode disable background work for unnecessary programs.
• 📥 Control Downloads: Delete.apk files after installation and clean the Download folder.
• 🔄 Update the firmware: in new versions MIUI HyperOS optimized work with cache.

It’s also worth turning off automatic backups in Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud if you don’t use this feature. Backups can weigh several gigabytes and be stored in the Other section.

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The most common reason for the growth of the Other is the undeleted remnants of applications and accumulated browser cache, and regular cleaning of this data prevents the problem.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the "Other" section