Many smartphone users Xiaomi and Redmi face an unpleasant situation: the built-in storage is full, although there are not many photos and applications. In the system settings, the mysterious “Other” category can take up tens of gigabytes, causing the device to slow down and make it impossible to install updates. This problem is especially relevant for models with a small storage capacity, where every gigabyte counts.
Having understood the nature of this section, you will understand that the system does not “eat up” your data without leaving a trace. On the contrary, it is a collection of temporary files, messenger caches, remnants of remote apps and system logs. Proper cleaning will allow you to regain free space without losing important contacts or documents, returning your smartphone to its former performance.
In this article, we will analyze in detail what the “Other” section in the shell consists of MIUI i HyperOS, and will also provide step-by-step guide for safely removing garbage. You will learn about built-in cleaning tools, manual methods through Explorer, and radical ways to solve the problem if standard methods do not help.
The nature of the “Other” section in the Android system
Category “Other” (sometimes referred to as “System” or “Other”) is a hodgepodge of files that the operating system cannot clearly classify as images, videos, audio, or installed applications. In an ecosystem Android this is often temporary data necessary for the fast operation of apps, but over time it grows to critical sizes.
The bulk of this section consists of cache files of social networks and instant messengers. For example, Telegram or WhatsApp save every viewed photo and video to internal memory for quick access when you reopen the chat. The user sees a message in the chat, but does not realize that its copy already weighs several megabytes and is located in hidden folders.
Also included here are error logs, remnants after unsuccessful firmware updates, and files downloaded by browsers but not recognized as documents. The system Xiaomi aggregates all this scattered data into one category so as not to clutter the main list of files with dozens of technical folders.
It is important to understand that completely deleting the “Other” section is impossible, since some files are vital for work OS. However, a significant part of it can be safely eliminated, freeing up valuable space on the drive of your Redmi.
⚠️ Attention: Do not delete files from system folders manually if you are not sure of their purpose. This can lead to unstable operation of the shell MIUI or crashes in applications.
Analysis of occupancy through the smartphone settings
The first step before any cleaning should be diagnostics. You need to determine exactly what data is taking up space. In smartphones Xiaomi the built-in memory analyzer works quite accurately, allowing you to see the distribution of space by category.
First, go to the settings menu. Find the section About the phone and click on the item Storage. Here you will see a color chart with the “Other” section highlighted in gray or blue. By clicking on it, the system will offer a detailed breakdown if such a function is available in your firmware version.
It often turns out that the lion's share of “Other” is occupied by specific applications. For example, video editors can save projects to a temporary folder, and navigators can load offline maps that the system does not consider media files. In this case, the problem can be solved by specifically cleaning the culprit.
If the standard menu does not provide detail, you should use third-party utilities for disk analysis, such as DiskUsage or Files by Google. They visualize memory in the form of a map of blocks, where you can immediately see which folder has grown to gigantic proportions.
Diagnostics through settings is a mandatory step that helps to avoid deleting necessary files blindly.
Using the built-in Security application
In every smartphone Xiaomi a system application is pre-installed “Security”which includes a powerful Cleanup tool. This is the safest way to remove garbage, since the app’s algorithms know which files can be touched and which cannot.
Launch the application and click on the big button Cleaning. The system will scan the device and offer to remove cache, advertising files and installer remnants. However, this may not be enough to deep clean the Other section.
Scroll down the screen to the "Deep Cleaning" or "Storage Analysis" section. Here you will find categories for Large Files, Duplicates, and Rarely Used Applications. Removing duplicate photos and videos often frees up several gigabytes that were previously disguised as “Other” due to indexing errors.
- 🗑️ Application cache: Temporary data that can be deleted without fear of losing logins and passwords.
- 📦 APK installer files: After installing the app, these files are no longer needed and take up space.
- 📸 Image thumbnails: Folder
.thumbnailscan grow to several gigabytes, storing thumbnails of your photos.
Regular use of this tool, at least once a week, will prevent critical memory filling. The system itself will tell you when the amount of garbage becomes significant by sending a notification to the lock screen.
☑️ Weekly memory maintenance
Manually clearing the cache of messengers and social networks
Messengers are the main memory “polluters” on modern smartphones. Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp by default, they save all media files to the internal memory. Over time, this folder can weigh more than the entire operating system.
There is an excellent built-in tool in the settings itself Telegram . Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Here you will see the amount of cache used. Press the button Clear cache. Don't worry, your correspondence and files will not disappear - they are stored on the server and will be downloaded again if necessary.
For WhatsApp the procedure is slightly different. Go to Settings → Data and storage → Manage storage. The application will show the most difficult chats. You can selectively remove media from specific conversations, which is often more effective than a complete wipe.
Settings → Applications → All applications → [Select messenger] → Storage → Clear cacheThis system path allows you to clear the cache of any application, even if it does not have such a function inside it. Be careful: do not click the “Clear all” or “Reset” button, otherwise you will delete the correspondence history and will have to log in again.
⚠️ Attention: The messenger interface is updated frequently. If you do not find these items, check the current help inside the application itself or on the official website of the developer.
In the Telegram settings, enable auto-deletion of the cache: set a limit, for example, 500 MB. Then the application itself will delete old files, freeing up space.
Working with the Android folder and hidden files
Sometimes “Other” consists of forgotten downloads and hidden system folders. To access them you will need a file manager. In Xiaomi this application "Explorer". Don't forget to enable the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings by clicking on the three dots and selecting the appropriate item.
Pay special attention to the folder Android/data. Here lies the data of games and heavy applications. If you deleted a game, but the folder with its name (for example, com.pubg.imobile) remains, you can safely delete it. This often returns 5-10 GB of space.
Also check the Download (Downloads) folder. Browsers and email clients often save PDF documents, installation files and pictures there, which the user forgets about a month later. Sorting files by size will help you quickly find the “heavyweights”.
| Folder | What is stored | Is it possible to delete |
|---|---|---|
MIUI/debug_log |
System debug logs | Yes, if it doesn’t take up a lot |
.thumbnails |
Photo and video thumbnails | Yes, the system will create new ones |
Android/obb |
Game data cache (maps, textures) | Only if the game is deleted |
DCIM/.thumbnails |
Gallery cache | Yes, safe |
Deleting a folder .thumbnails may temporarily slow down the opening of the gallery, since the system will have to re-generate the thumbnails. However, this is a great way to quickly free up space before an important trip or shoot.
Why is the .thumbnails folder coming back?
This folder is the system cache of the gallery. Once deleted, it will automatically be created again the next time you view your photos. To stop its endless growth, some users create a file with the same name instead of a folder, blocking the creation of a new directory, but this can cause errors in the gallery.
Radical methods: Resetting and transferring data
If none of the above methods helped reduce the size of the “Other” partition, errors or fragmentation may have accumulated in the file system. In such cases, a complete reset of the device to factory settings helps.
Before this procedure required create a backup copy of all important data to the cloud Mi Cloud or to a computer. Resetting will delete absolutely everything: contacts, SMS, photos and installed applications. The phone will look as if you just took it out of the box.
To reset, go to Settings → About phone → Reset settings. Select item Erase all data. After the reboot and initial setup, the “Other” section will occupy the minimum possible volume required for the system to operate.
- 💾 Backup: Save the photo to Google Photos or to your PC.
- 🔑 Accounts: Remember your Google and Mi account passwords, they will be required to log in.
- 🔋 Charge: Make sure your phone is charged at least 50% before starting the process.
An alternative to a full reset can be to transfer media files to a memory card microSDif your model Redmi supports this function. Moving photos and videos will unload the internal memory, although this will not directly reduce the “Other” system partition, but will solve the problem of lack of space.
⚠️ Attention: After resetting the settings, it will take time for initial setup and downloading security updates. Do not interrupt this process to avoid damage to the bootloader.
A factory reset is a “nuclear weapon” against garbage. Use it only when gentle cleaning methods have exhausted themselves.
Prevention and rules of digital hygiene
To prevent the “Other” memory problem from returning, it is important to develop digital hygiene habits. Don't store files on your phone that can be viewed in the cloud. Modern mobile tariffs and ubiquitous Wi-Fi allow you to stream music and videos without downloading them to memory.
Regularly check the “Downloads” folder and the trash can in the gallery. Files in the Recycle Bin often take up space for another 30 days after they are deleted. Clear it immediately if you are sure that the photos will no longer be needed.
Disable autosaving of media in instant messengers. In the settings WhatsApp i Viber you can prevent saving received pictures to the phone gallery. They will remain available inside the chat, but will not be duplicated in system folders, bloating the “Other” section.
Timely firmware update MIUI or HyperOS is also important. Engineers Xiaomi constantly improve algorithms for working with memory and in new versions often correct errors that lead to incorrect display of the amount of occupied space.
Why, after cleaning, the space was not freed up immediately?
The system takes time to recalculate file indices. Try restarting your smartphone. Sometimes the displayed volume is updated only after a reboot.
Is it possible to delete the Android folder completely?
No, this will lead to most applications not working. You can only delete the contents of folders for specific deleted games or apps inside the data and obb directories.
Does the “Other” section affect the speed of operation?
Yes, if the internal memory is more than 90% full, the speed of writing and reading data drops, which causes interface lags and long loading times for applications.
How to transfer applications to a memory card on Xiaomi?
In modern versions of Android, this function is often hidden or not available for most applications. You can check in the settings of a specific application, but it is safer to use the card only for photos and videos.
What to do if “Other” takes up more than 20 GB?
This is an anomalous situation. Most likely, the logging process is frozen or the cache of one application is not cleared. Try to find the culprit through a disk analyzer or reset the settings.