Smartphone owners Xiaomi Redmi 9 often face an unpleasant situation when the internal memory of the device suddenly becomes full, and visually a significant part is occupied by the mysterious “Other” category. This storage can grow to tens of gigabytes, occupying up to 30-40% of the total available space, which leads to a slowdown of the interface and the inability to install new applications.
The “Other” system partition is an aggregated mass of temporary files, residual data of remote apps, messenger caches and system logs, which standard cleaning tools cannot always correctly identify and delete. Understanding the nature of these files is the first step to successfully optimizing your Android devices without losing important personal data.
In this article we will analyze in detail the algorithms of actions that will help you safely and effectively free up precious gigabytes on your gadget. We will look at both standard shell tools MIUIand more advanced methods that require care, but give the best results in the fight for free space.
Memory analysis: what is hidden in the category
Before taking decisive action to delete data, it is necessary to conduct a thorough diagnosis and understand what exactly it is from the amount of memory is added up. The “Other” category on Redmi 9 is not one specific type of file, but a hodgepodge of application caches, offline maps, temporary system files and messenger data.
Often the main “eaters” of space are social networks and instant messengers, such as Telegram or WhatsApp, which save every viewed picture and video into hidden folders. Also, data from navigation applications can have significant weight if you downloaded regional maps for offline use, and the cache of streaming services.
- 📱 Cache of system applications and Google services accumulating in the background.
- 🗑️ Residual files after deleting games and heavy apps that were not completely cleared system.
- 📸 Thumbnails of photos and videos from the gallery, which are duplicated in system folders for quick preview.
- 📦 Temporary files of operating system updates MIUI, which are sometimes not deleted automatically.
To accurately determine the culprits of memory overflow, it is recommended to use built-in analysis tools or third-party tools that can visualize the folder structure. Without understanding what exactly is taking up space, you can accidentally delete critical system files, which will lead to unstable operation of the smartphone.
⚠️ Attention: Before manually deleting files from system folders, make sure that they are not important configuration files of running applications, otherwise apps may stop launching.
Standard cleaning tools in MIUI
The shell MIUIinstalled on Xiaomi Redmi 9has a built-in powerful cleaning tool, which is the first line of defense against junk files. Running a standard cleanup through the Security app can remove surface cache and temporary files, freeing up several hundred megabytes or even gigabytes of space.
However, the standard scanner is often too conservative and does not penetrate the deeper layers of the Other category so as not to disrupt the operation of applications. For deeper cleaning, you need to go to the advanced settings of the cleaner, where you can select specific types of files to remove, such as advertising files, installer packages APK and old backups.
☑️ Standard cleaning algorithm
It is important to regularly carry out such preventive maintenance, since the accumulation of garbage occurs constantly in the background. If, after the standard procedure, the volume of “Other” remains practically unchanged, then manual intervention in the file structure of the device is required.
Use the “Acceleration” function in the security application before cleaning - this will close background processes and allow the cleaner to work more efficiently.
Manual cleaning through Explorer
The most effective way to combat with the expanded category “Other” - this is a manual revision of files through a built-in or third-party file manager. By going to the root directory of the internal drive, you can see the actual size of the folders and identify those that take up a disproportionate amount of space.
Particular attention should be paid to the folders Android/data i Android/obbwhere game and application data is stored. This is where gigabytes of cache are often hidden, which is not formally considered garbage by the system, but can be safely deleted if you are ready to download the data again the next time you launch the application.
It is also worth checking the messenger folders, which often have their own directories in the root of the storage. For example, Telegram may store media files in a folder Telegram/Telegram Images, and cleaning this directory through the settings of the application itself is often more effective than deleting it through the file manager.
| Folder / Directory | Description of contents | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
DCIM/.thumbnails |
Gallery thumbnail cache | Can be deleted, the system will create it again |
Android/data |
Application and game data | Delete only the cache of specific apps |
Download |
Downloads from browser | Check and delete unnecessary |
MIUI/debug_log |
System debugging logs | Safe to delete |
When manually cleaning, it is important to act consistently and not delete files whose purpose you do not know. It is better to delete less, but be sure of the result, than to lose important settings or account data due to hasty actions.
Danger of the Android folder
Deleting the entire Android/data folder can lead to reset of progress in games and loss of application settings. Delete only the contents of folders of specific deleted apps.
Clearing the cache of instant messengers and social networks
Messengers are the main candidates for the title of source of garbage in the "Other" category on Redmi 9. Applications like Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp by default save all received media files, creating huge archives that the system classifies as user data and not a cache.
For effective cleaning, you need to go into the settings of each messenger separately. In Telegramfor example, there is an excellent "Storage Usage" feature that allows you to not only clear the cache, but also set media files to be automatically deleted after a certain period of time, which prevents the "Other" category from bloating again. files.
- 🧹B WhatsApp go to Settings → Data & Storage → Manage Storage to delete large files.
- 🗑️ B Viber use the “Memory” item in the settings to clear the cache and media.
- ⚙️ B Instagram i Facebook often only a complete reinstallation of the application helps or clearing data through Android settings.
Don't forget that clearing the cache inside the application will not delete your conversations if they are stored on a server or in the cloud, but local media files will be lost. Therefore, before global cleaning, it is recommended to make a backup copy of important dialogs.
Using developer mode and ADB
For advanced users who are not afraid to work with the command line, There is a cleaning method via ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This method allows you to access hidden sections of the system and delete files that are inaccessible through a standard file manager, even with superuser rights in some cases.
To use this method, you must enable developer mode on Xiaomi Redmi 9, activate USB debugging and connect your smartphone to the computer. Using the command adb shell pm clear [package_name] you can completely clear the data of a specific application, including its hidden cache.
adb shell pm clear com.android.chromeThis command, for example, will completely clear the Chrome browser data. Be extremely careful when using commands to clear system packages, as this may lead to a cyclic reboot of the device or loss of system settings.
⚠️ Attention: Interfaces and names of system processes may differ in different versions. MIUI. Before executing ADB commands, check the current documentation for your firmware version.
Radical measures: Reset to factory settings
If none of the above methods helped to significantly reduce the size of the “Other” category, and it continues to grow for no apparent reason, it is possible that critical errors have accumulated in the file system or system tables are damaged. In this case, the most effective solution is a full reset to factory settings.
This procedure will completely destroy all data on the device, returning it to its “out of the box” state, which is guaranteed to clear the “Other” section to its minimum value. Before starting the process, be sure to create a complete backup of all important contacts, photos and documents on external media or in cloud storage.
To perform a reset, go to the settings menu, select “About phone” and find the “Reset settings” option. The system will warn you of the consequences, and after confirmation, the formatting process will begin, which will take a few minutes.
A full reset is a last resort that solves 99% of software memory problems, but requires careful preparation of backup copies.
What to do if “Other” does not decrease after a reset?
If, after a complete reset, the “Other” category still takes up a significant amount of space (more than 5-7 GB), this may indicate a feature of the file system or an error in the display of statistics by the MIUI shell itself. In this case, try updating the firmware to the latest available version or flashing the device via a computer.
Is it possible to delete the MIUI folder on Redmi 9?
The folder MIUI contains important shell data, themes, sounds and configuration files. It is strictly forbidden to delete the entire folder, as this will break the interface. You can clear only specific subfolders, such as MIUI/debug_log or MIUI/Gallery/cloud/cache.
Does an SD memory card affect the “Other” category?
Yes, if in the storage settings the memory card is combined with internal memory or some space is used for downloads, the files on it can also be counted in the overall statistics. However, the “Other” system partition usually refers specifically to the internal drive.
How to prevent the “Other” from growing again?
For prevention, regularly (once a week) clear the messenger cache, disable auto-saving of media to the gallery in application settings and periodically delete files from the folder Download. It is also useful to reboot your smartphone once a month to reset temporary system processes.