“Other files” in Xiaomi storage: full parsing + cleaning methods

Have you ever looked into the Storage section of your Xiaomi smartphone and wondered why up to 30% of memory is occupied by the mysterious Other Files? This item often becomes the main headache of users: it grows by leaps and bounds, but it is unclear what goes in and whether it can be safely deleted. Unlike photos or apps, Other Files do not have a clear structure, and attempts to clean them with standard means often lead to minimal results.

In this article, we will go into detail what exactly lies beneath this category in the firmware MIUI (including the latest versions for 2026), why the system puts data there, and most importantly, how to make room without risking damage to the smartphone. You will learn about hidden folders, application cache, system logs, and even how some viruses masquerade as “system files.” And for advanced users, we have prepared manual cleaning instructions through ADB and file managers with root access.

What is “Other Files” in Xiaomi Storage: Official Explanation and Reality

According to Xiaomi’s documentation, the “Other Files” category includes:

• 📁 Application cache (including data that has not been deleted after uninstalling programs).
• 📄 System logs (.log,.tmp files) that are created for debugging.
• 🗃️ Temporary files from browsers, instant messengers, and other programs.
• 🔧 Application and system configuration files (e.g., settings MIUI).
• 🦠 Residual data after updates or resets.

However, in practice, unaccounted user data often fall under this category:

• 🎵 Music and podcasts downloaded through third-party apps (not Google Play Music or Mi Music).
• 📥 Downloads from Telegram/WhastApp that have not been moved to the respective folders.
• 🎮 Game data (e.g., Genshin Impact cache or PUBG Mobile, which is not displayed in the Apps section).
• 📂 Hidden folders like.thumbnails (image miniatures) or.data (remnants from old firmware).

Interestingly, in MIUI 14 and later, the file classification algorithm has changed, with some of the data that used to be called Other Files being moved to System Data, but this has not solved the problem of overcrowded storage, it has simply redistributed it.

Why Other Files Take So Much Space: 5 Top Reasons

If your Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 has 10 to 20 GB of “Other Files,” that’s not normal.

1. Telegram, VK and TikTok actively cache media files, but do not always delete them correctly. For example, Telegram defaults to save all photos and videos to the folder Telegram/Telegram Images, but some files can be “lost” in the system directories.
2. Mistakes when updating MIUI: When you switch from one firmware version to another (for example, from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14), duplicate system files remain that take up space but are not displayed in the standard file manager.
3. Viruses and malware: Some Trojans create hidden folders of junk data that the system classifies as “other files,” especially on devices with an unlocked bootloader.
4. Logs and memory dumps: If a smartphone is frequently rebooted or apps crash, the system creates reports (.dmp,.logcat) that can weigh several gigabytes.
5. Even after Hard Reset, fragments of old applications can remain in memory, especially if the reset was performed not through Recovery, but through settings.

For example, Xiaomi 13 Pro users often find that after upgrading to HyperOS, “Other Files” suddenly take 5-7 GB more than before the update, which is due to the fact that the new firmware duplicates some system libraries to ensure backward compatibility.

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Before clearing Other Files, check the /sdcard/MIUI/debug_log folder – there are often gigabytes of logs that can be safely deleted.

How to See What Takes Place: Hidden MIUI Tools

The standard Storage Analysis in Settings → Storage only shows the big picture, but does not detail the contents of Other Files. To see the real structure, use these methods:

1. Built-in file manager (hidden mode)

Open the Files app (folder icon), then:

1. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → “Settings”.
2. Enable the option to “Show hidden files”.
3. Go to the root directory (/storage/emulated/0/) and sort the folders by size.

Notice the folders:

• 📂 Android/data – This is where application data, including game cache, is stored.
• 📂 MIUI are system logs and temporary firmware files.
• 📂.thumbnails are thumbnails of images (can weigh up to 1-2 GB).
• 📂 Download – often forgotten files are stored here.

2.Analysis through ADB (for advanced)

If you are ready to connect your smartphone to your PC, use the command:

adb shell du -h -d 1 /storage/emulated/0/ | sort -hr

This command will show the size of all folders in the root directory, sorted by descending. For example, on POCO F5 with 256 GB of memory, this way we found a cache of Google Play Services weighing 3,2 GB, which did not appear in standard analysis.

3. Third-party applications for analysis

Apps like Storage Analyzer or Files by Google visualize occupied space in diagrams, which can show, for example, that 40% of "Other Files" are YouTube cache, and 20% are residual data from deleted Facebook.

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

Before you start cleaning, back up your important data (photos, contacts, messages) and follow the algorithm from the safest to the more radical methods.

1. Standard cleaning through settings

Go to Settings → Storage → Cleanup and:

2. Manual cleaning of the app cache

Some apps (like Google Chrome or Instagram) can have a cache that is a few gigabytes in size to clear it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (e.g. Telegram) → “Storage” → “Clean the cache”.
3. To clean up completely, click Clear Data (⚠️ this will remove all settings and inputs!).

3. Removal of logs and dumps

System logs can be safely deleted via MIUI Security:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to “Optimization” → “Deep Cleaning”.
3. Select “Legs and garbage” and confirm removal.

4.Reset of the partition cache (without loss of data)

If previous methods did not help, reset the partition cache via Recovery:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery.
3. Select “Wipe Cache Partition” (use volume buttons for navigation).
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

This method does not affect personal data, but clears the system cache, which often reduces the size of “Other Files” by 1-3 GB.

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Resetting the partition cache is the only officially recommended Xiaomi way to clean up system garbage without root rights.

Radical methods: root-access cleaning and ADB

If the Other Files take up more than 10GB and don’t shrink after standard methods, you’ll need to use advanced tools. ⚠️ These actions can cause the smartphone to function unstable if performed incorrectly.

1. Cleaning through ADB (no root)

Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the commands:

adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.media # Cleaning up media cache


adb shell pm clear com.google.android.gms # Clearing Google Services cache




adb shell rm -rf /data/local/tmp/* # Delete temporary files

2. Manual folder removal (root required)

With Root Explorer or Solid Explorer (with root access), you can manually remove:

• 🗑️ Folder /data/log is the system logs.
• 🗑️ Content /cache (except for recovery and lost+found folders)
• 🗑️ Folder /data/dalvik-cache (Dalvik cache, automatically restored).

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Before removing root-access folders, back them up with the adb pull command /path/to/folder C:\backup\.

3. Flashing through Fastboot (extreme case)

If the Other Files take 20+GB and are not cleaned, the file system may be damaged, in which case a full Fastboot flashing will help:

fastboot flash system system.img


fastboot flash userdata userdata.img

⚠️ This will delete all data on the device, including photos and apps. Use only if other methods have failed.

How to prevent the re-accumulation of “Other Files”

To prevent the problem from returning in a month, follow these recommendations:

• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Storage → Cleanup (just enough once every 2 weeks).
• 🚫 Turn off automatic media saving in instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp).
• 📱 Use cloud-based photo storage services (Google Photos, Mi Cloud).
• 🔍 Check hidden folders once a month through the file manager.
• 🛡️ Install an antivirus (such as Malwarebytes) to look for hidden debris.

It is also useful to disable automatic MIUI optimization, which sometimes creates unnecessary duplicate files:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5 times on the MIUI version to activate Developer Mode.
3. Return to “Additional Settings” → “For Developers”.
4. Turn off the option “MIUI Optimization”.

Frequent Errors When Cleaning Other Files and How to Avoid Them

Many users compound the problem by trying to clear the memory in the wrong ways, and here are the most common mistakes and their consequences:

It's especially dangerous to delete files with.odex,.apk, or.so extensions, which are critical to the firmware, and if you're not sure what the file is, you should leave it alone.

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Before you manipulate your system files, check their destination through Google searches, such as the libandroid_runtime.so file is part of the system, and com.tencent.mm is a WeChat folder that can be cleaned.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Xiaomi’s Other Files