Xiaomi’s “Other”: What it is, why it takes up space and how to clean without harming your phone

What is the Other in Xiaomi’s storage and why is it growing like a leap?

Have you ever looked into your Xiaomi storage settings and found in horror that the mysterious Other section has eaten half of the memory? 10GB, 20GB, or even all 30GB — and it’s unclear what the files are, can they be deleted, and why the system stubbornly hides their contents. Unlike photos, videos or apps that are easy to identify, The Other is like a black box: MIUI shows its size, but doesn’t explain what’s inside.

In fact, the Other is a collection dump of system files that don't fall into the standard categories, which includes app cache, temporary update files, log files, remnants of deleted programs, dalvik-cache data (if you have an old Xiaomi on Android 7-9), and debris from MIUI that the system doesn't consider it necessary to classify, the problem is that over time this section grows to giant sizes - especially if you are actively using your phone, often updating your firmware or testing beta versions of the software.

But why doesn't Xiaomi give you a simple "Clean" button? It's a security issue: there may be critical data in those files for the system to work. For example, removing the wrong files from /data/dalvik-cache will cause applications to crash, and cleaning up /data/log folder can erase the error logs you'll need to diagnose problems. So cleaning up The Other requires accuracy -- and that's what this article is about.

What exactly is stored in the “Other” section on Xiaomi?

To effectively clean the Other, you need to understand what it consists of, and here are the main culprits for inflating this section:

• 📁 Application cache and system cache: temporary files that are created when programs are running, such as the Google Play Services cache or the Google Play Services cache. MIUI Gallery can weigh a few gigabytes.
• 🔄 Remains of updates MIUI: After installing a new firmware, old update files often remain in the folder. /cache or /data/ota.
• 🗑️ Log files and dumps: bug records, app crashes and system events. /data/anr or /data/tombstones It can weigh hundreds of megabytes.
• 🧹 Garbage from remote applications: sometimes after uninstallation of programs, their settings or cache in folders remain /data/data.
• 🔧 Dalvik-cache and ART: Optimized files to speed up applications (relevant to Android) 5-9). On the new Xiaomi with Android 10+ This section is smaller, but still present.
• 📱 Files. MIUI: topics, widgets, Mi Cloud cloud storage data that the system does not classify as media or documents.

Interesting fact: on some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro), the Other section can take up to 40% of the total memory if you do not clean the cache and update the firmware for a long time, while the standard Cleanup function in MIUI removes only surface debris without touching deep system files.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to manually delete files from folders /system or /vendor — It's going to lead to a device blink, even with root rights, the risk is high!

How to Safely Clean “Other” on Xiaomi Without Root

If you don’t have root rights, the cleanup options are limited, but there are a few legal ways to free up 3-10GB of storage:

1. Cleaning the app cache

The easiest way is to remove the cache of all installed programs.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Sort by size."
3. Open each major app (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, MIUI Gallery) and click Clear Cache.

Pay special attention to system applications:

• 📱 com.miui.gallery – often caches thumbnails and can weigh 1-2 GB.
• 🔍 com.android.providers.media – responsible for indexing files.
• 🌐 com.google.android.gms (Google Play Services) – cache can reach 500MB.

2. Delete temporary update files

After installing the firmware, MIUI often leaves behind tails in the /cache folder to remove them:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top corner and select “Delete downloaded service pack”.
3. Then go to Settings → Storage → Cleanup and start Deep Cleanup.

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If your phone is slowing down after the MIUI update, try resetting the cache via Recovery: turn off the device, press Power + Volume Up, select Wipe Cache Partition. This will not delete your data, but will clear the system cache.

3.Using the built-in security utility

The Security app (or “Security” on global firmware) has hidden cleaning features:

1. Open “Security” → “Cleaning” → “Deep Cleaning”.
2. Select System Garbage and Residual Files.
3. Click “Clean” and restart the phone.

⚠️ Note: Do not use the “Accelerate” or “Optimize” features in the “Security” app – they only close the background processes, but do not free up memory».

Clear the cache of all apps (especially galleries and Google Services)|Remove old MIUI service packs|Run Deep Clean in the Security app |Reboot the phone after cleaning |Recheck the Other section in the storage settings-->

Radical Methods: Cleaning the “Other” with root rights

If the standard methods didn’t work, and the Other still takes tens of gigabytes, you’ll have to use advanced methods, which would require root rights and a root-enabled file manager (like Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).

We warn you that improper actions with root can lead to data loss or device blink. If you are not sure, you should consult a specialist.

1. Cleaning up the folder /data/log

This folder stores the system and application logs, and you can safely delete them:

rm -rf /data/log/*


rm -rf /data/anr/*




rm -rf /data/tombstones/*

2. dalvik-cache removal

On older versions of Android (up to 10), the dalvik-cache can weigh a few gigabytes.

rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*

After that, be sure to restart the phone – the system will restore the necessary files automatically.

3. Cleaning the remnants of remote applications

The /data/data folder can have files from uninstalled programs left in it to find them:

1. Open Root Explorer and go to /data/data.
2. Sort the folders by date of change.
3. Delete folders with app names you have deleted long ago (e.g. com.whatsapp if you no longer use WhatsApp).

⚠️ Warning: Never delete folders /data/system, /data/misc or /data/property — This will cause the phone to fail!

Once a month | Once every six months | Only when the memory runs out | Never cleaned | I don't know what it is-->

Hidden MIUI functions for memory management

MIUI has some non-obvious tools that help control The Other without root.Most users don't know about them, but they can save a few gigabytes.

1.Lite Mode function

This mode limits the background activity of applications and reduces the cache volume:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Lite Mode.
2. Turn on the option and select the applications you want to limit caching for.

2. Background Limitation for Applications

Many programs (like Facebook or TikTok) actively cache data in the background to stop this from happening:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management.
2. Select the app and set “Limit background activity”.

3. Hidden setting "Low Memory Cleanup"

MIUI can automatically clean the cache when memory runs out, to enable this feature:

adb shell settings put global low_storage_threshold_bytes 536870912

This command will set a threshold of 512 MB: when there is less space left, the system will automatically clear the cache.

What if the other one is growing again?

Even after cleaning, the Other section can grow quickly, and here are some preventive measures to keep it under control:

• 🔄 Update regularly MIUI: in new versions of firmware optimized work with cache.
• 🚫 Avoid Beta Software: They Often Leave More Garbage After Updates.
• 📱 Use lightweight versions of apps (e.g. Facebook Lite instead of Facebook).
• 🔍 Check the storage once a month through Settings → Warehouse → Analysis.
• 🗑️ Do not store unnecessary files in the Mi Cloud – they can also be duplicated in the Other».

If the Other is persistently over 15-20GB, despite all the cleanups, it could be a sign:

• 🛠️ Damaged file system (helps reset to factory settings).
• 🐛 Bug in firmware (check the forums) 4PDA Complaints about your model).
• 📴 Virus or malware (scan your phone through Malwarebytes).

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If, after all the manipulations, the Other partition still takes up more than 30% of the memory, consider resetting the phone to factory settings, a radical but effective method that will return the device to a “clean” state.

Myths and misconceptions about the “Other” section of Xiaomi

There are a lot of false tips on the Internet to clean up The Other, and we'll take a look at some of the most popular myths.

❌ Myth 1: «You can just format a section. /data through TWRP, And the Other will disappear. Reality: Formatting /data It's like completely resetting your phone, you're going to lose all the data, all the apps and all the settings.

❌ Myth 2: "Apps like Clean Master or CCleaner effectively clean the Other" Reality: These programs only remove the surface cache and often damage the system by killing background processes.

❌ Myth 3: «If you delete the folder /cache, The phone will get faster. Reality: Folder /cache It recovers from rebooting, and cleaning it up gives you a temporary effect. /data/dalvik-cache or /data/log.

Another common misconception is that the Other can be deleted completely, and in fact, this section will always take up space, simply because Android and MIUI are constantly creating temporary files for their work, and the user's task is to keep it within a reasonable range (5-10 GB for modern smartphones).

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