Xiaomi’s “Other” Eats Memory: 7 Ways to Clean Up + Hidden MIUI Nuances

You opened your storage settings on Xiaomi, and there's a 10GB, 20GB, or even 50GB section of the "Other" section, even though you haven't downloaded anything? This is a typical MIUI device problem, where the "Other" hides the app cache, update remnants, system logs and junk files that are not visible in the standard file manager. Unlike the obvious "Photos" or "Video," this section doesn't have a "Delete" button - it has to be cleaned manually, combining system tools and third-party utilities.

In this article, we will discuss why the Other is growing (spoiler: not only you, but also the Android architecture + MIUI features), and give unique cleaning methods that you will not find in standard guides – for example, how to delete the cache of com.miui.systemAdSolution (advertising module) or clean the /data/log folder without root rights. All instructions are tested on Redmi Note 10/12 Pro, POCO X3/X5 and Mi 11/12 with MIUI 13-14.

What is hidden under the “Other” in Xiaomi: analysis of files

The “Other” section of MIUI is a dump for files that the system cannot categorize as standard (photo, video, audio, etc.) and includes:

• 📁 App cache (including hidden cache of Google Play Services and MIUI System Launcher)
• 🔄 Remains of updates (folders) /cache and /data/ota_package)
• 📜 Logs and dumps (.log,.dumpstate files in /data/log)
• 🧹 Garbage after deleting applications (folders lib, odex in /data/app)
• 🔒 Encrypted files (e.g. Mi Account or Wallet data)
• 🎯 Advertising modules (cache com.miui.systemAdSolution, com.xiaomi.midrop)

On Xiaomi, with MIUI 12+, up to 30% of the volume of the Other can be occupied by com.android.providers.media, a media scanner database that inflates due to indexing errors. Another black hole is the /data/system/usagestats folder, which stores application usage statistics (sometimes weighing up to 1-2 GB).

To understand what exactly “eats” the memory, use the analyzer of the storage:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → Storage.
2. Slip on the chart "Other" → "More details".
3. If there is no “More details” option, install DiskUsage (will show hidden files without root).

⚠️ Note: Do not manually delete files from folders /system or /vendor This is going to make the device blink. /data and /cache.

Method 1: Clear cache of all applications (including system)

The safest method, which frees 1-5 GB at a time. in MIUI, the cache is cleaned not only for user applications, but also for system services (for example, com.miui.home - launcher).

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → “Sort by size.”
3. Select the app (start with the “heaviest”) → “Storage” → “Clean the cache”.
4. For system applications (like Google Play Services), click Clear Data only if you are sure it will reset your settings.

Pay particular attention to:

• 🔍 Google Play Services (cache up to 1-2 GB)
• 🔍 MIUI System Launcher (animation cache and widgets)
• 🔍 Download Manager (download residues)
• 🔍 Mi Video/Mi Music (miniatures and metadata)

After mass cleaning of the cache, restart the device, this will allow the system to recalculate the occupied space. If after the reboot the volume of the Other has not decreased, then the problem is in the system logs or update residues (see the following methods).

Method 2: Removing Logs and Dumps (without root)

Log files (.log,.dumpstate) are created by the system for diagnosis, but are rarely used by the user. In MIUI, they can take anywhere from 500 MB to 3-4 GB, especially if the phone has not restarted for a long time or there have been crashes.

How to delete:

1. Install a file manager with access to root folders, such as File Manager+.
2. Go to /data/log (permission to access hidden files may be required).
3. Delete all files with extensions:.log.dumpstate.tombstone.last_kmsg
4. Also check folders: /data/anr /data/tombstones /data/system/dropbox

⚠️ Warning: Don't delete files in /data/log/bootstat -- they're needed to boot the system properly. If the phone slows down after cleaning, restart it.

If the /data/log folder is empty, but the Other is still large, check the memory dump folder:

• Open /data/dontpanic – this is where dumps are stored when applications fall.
• Delete files older than 1–2 weeks (named app_@2023-10-15@14-22-30.dump).

💡

If the volume of the "Other" has not changed after deleting the logs, run the adb shell pm trim-caches -a command in ADB - it will forcibly clear the cache of all user applications.

Method 3: Cleaning up the remnants of MIUI updates

Xiaomi is known for not deleting old firmware files after the update MIUI, but they remain in the /data/ota_package folder and can weigh up to 2–3GB. In addition, temporary update files accumulate in /cache.

Step-by-step:

1. Open a file manager with root access (or use ADB).
2. Move to the /data/ota_package Delete all files with the.zip extension.
3. Clear /cache completely (the system will restore the files you want when you restart).
4. If you have a folder called /data/lineageos_updates (on some firmware), delete its contents.

For users who are updated through MIUI Updater:

• 📦 After a successful update, manually delete the firmware file from Download (it can be duplicated in /data/ota_package).
• 🔄 If the update is interrupted, check the /cache/recovery folder — there may be an under-performed update.zip.

Method 4: Reset the media base (if the "Other" is inflated due to photo / video)

If the Other has more than 5GB and you’re actively using the camera, the problem may be in the media scanner’s database (com.android.providers.media), which stores thumbnails, metadata and indexes for quick search, but often “forgets” to delete records after cleaning the gallery.

How to reset:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Find the Multimedia Warehouse (com.android.providers.media).
3. Slip "Storage" → "Space Management" → "Clean Data."
4. Confirm the action. Attention: after that, the gallery will temporarily become empty - wait for the rescan (5-10 minutes).

Alternative method (through ADB if the standard method does not work):

adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.media

⚠️ Warning: Once the media base is reset, the albums created in the standard gallery MIUI and the user tags will disappear. Backup won't help - this data is stored only in the database.

If the problem recurs, turn off automatic photo backup in Mi Cloud (it duplicates thumbnails in "Other"):

• 📸 Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery → Turn off sync.
• 🔄 Reboot your phone and check the volume of the Other in 10 minutes.

Method 5: Removing Advertising Modules and Unnecessary MIUI Services

Xiaomi preinstalles services for displaying ads, analytics and “smart” features that can not be removed by standard means, but can be turned off or cleaned their data.

• 📢 com.miui.systemAdSolution is an advertising module (cache up to 300 MB).
• 🔍 com.xiaomi.midrop is a file transfer service (logs up to 500 MB).
• 📊 com.miui.analytics – usage analytics (dumps up to 1 GB).
• 🎵 com.miui.player is a music player (miniatures and cache).

How to clean:

1. Install App Manager (allows you to manage system applications without root).
2. Find the app in the list from the list above.
3. For everyone: Clear cache and data (if possible). Turn off auto-start (Settings → Permissions → Auto-Start). Freeze the app (in App Manager) if you don't use its features.

For advanced users: Uninstall via ADB (requires an unlocked bootloader):

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop

If after cleaning the advertising modules the volume of the "Other" has not decreased, check the folder with browser downloads:

• 🌐 In Mi Browser, the cache is stored in /data/data/com.android.browser/cache.
• 🔍 Delete files with.tmp,.download extensions.

Method 6: Manual cleaning of /data/system folder (for experienced)

The /data/system folder stores user settings, usage statistics and temporary files, which are rarely cleared automatically.

• 📊 usagestats are app usage statistics (up to 1-2 GB).
• 🔑 clipboard is the clipboard history.
• 📋 Dropbox is a system error log.
• 🖼️ thumbnails are thumbnails (if the gallery is already cleaned).

Instructions:

1. Use File Manager+ or Root Explorer (with root mode enabled).
2. Go to /data/system.
3. Remove the contents of the folders from the list above (do not delete the folders themselves!).
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Do not touch files: packages.xml packages.list settings_*.xml Their deletion will result in resetting all settings and loss of application data.

If you are not sure what you can remove, use the safe method: the ADB command:

adb shell rm -rf /data/system/usagestats/*


adb shell rm -rf /data/system/dropbox/*

Method 7: Complete reset (last resort)

If all methods fail, and the Other takes more than 10-15 GB, then a hard reset remains, which will delete all user data, but return the device to its “clean” state.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Backup: 📱 Contacts: export to Settings → Contacts → Import/Export. 📸 Photo/video: copy to PC or cloud. 🔑 Passwords: check if they are saved to Google Smart Lock.

Settings → About the phone → Resetting settings

Select “Erase all data” (not “Reset”!).

Do not restore data from the MIUI backup

If the Other grows again after the reset, the problem is the firmware. Update MIUI to the latest version or install custom firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU) where you optimize your storage.

💡

Factory reset is a last resort, and 80% of the time, the solution is 1-6 (cleaning the cache, logs and media base).

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Xiaomi's "Other"