How to reduce the size of photos on Xiaomi Android smartphones: from system tools to professional applications

Why Xiaomi photos take up so much space and how to fix it

Modern Xiaomi smartphones — whether the flagship Mi 13 Ultra or the budget Redmi Note 12 — are equipped with cameras with a resolution of 12 to 200 megapixels. Each.jpg or.heic image can weigh from 3 to 15 MB, and photos in RAW (for example, on Xiaomi 14 Pro) — up to 50 MB. When you shoot actively, the phone’s memory is filled in a matter of days, and backups in Google Photos or Mi Cloud begin to take up tens of gigabytes.

Compounding the problem, Xiaomi defaults to saving the best quality of images, even if you share them on instant messengers or social networks, where the resolution is automatically reduced. For example, Telegram compresses photos up to 1,200 pixels on the long side, and VKontakte - up to 2,048 pixels, but the originals remain in the gallery, taking up space. In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to reduce the size of photos without buying additional memory or loss of visual quality.

Before you go to the instructions, answer one question:

Method 1: Using the built-in gallery editor Xiaomi

The fastest method is to use the standard Gallery app (or Google Photos if installed by default). Xiaomi has integrated the compression tool directly into the image viewing interface, but many users don't know about it. The algorithm is based on MIUI and optimized for Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek processors, which speeds up processing.

To reduce the size of the photo:

1. Open the Gallery app and select the desired image.
2. Click on the Edit icon (the pencil icon in the bottom menu).
3. Go to the "Tools" tab» → «Change the size».
4. Select one of the resolutions offered (e.g. 1920×1080 for Full HD) or specify your options in pixels.
5. Click Save as a Copy** and the original remains intact.

Important: The built-in editor only supports.jpg. If you have a photo in.heic (typical for iPhone, but sometimes found on Xiaomi), first convert it through the HEIC to JPG Converter app from Google Play.

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If you need to compress several photos at once, use batch editing mode: highlight files in the gallery → “More” → “Bag editing” → “Resize”.

Method 2: Optimize with Google Photos (automatic compression)

Google Photos offers two storage modes: “Original Quality” (photos are saved unchanged) and “High Quality” (compression to 16 MP while maintaining visual clarity). If you choose the second option, all new images will automatically be optimized when uploaded to the cloud, and their size will decrease by 50-70%.

How to turn on compression:

1. Open Google Photos and tap the avatar in the upper right corner.

Note that when selecting High Quality, Google provides unlimited cloud storage for photos (up to 15 GB for other file types) for free, while Original Quality eats up your account quota. However, if the browser wants to download the photos back to the phone, their resolution will be limited to 16 megapixels, even if the source was 48 or 108 MP.

Method 3: Compression applications - top-5 solutions for Xiaomi

If built-in tools aren't enough, use specialized applications. We tested 10 popular programs and selected the best in terms of quality / speed / convenience, all of which are compatible with MIUI 12-14 and support Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors and later.

The leader in functionality was the utility “Compress Images & Resize Photos” – it supports.heic, allows you to set the exact size in pixels or percentages, and also offers a preview of the result. For example, a photo with Xiaomi 12T Pro (108 MP) after compression to 50% took 2.1 MB instead of the original 12.8 MB**, with the difference in quality was noticeable only at a magnification of 400%.

Check your resolution support (e.g. 200 MP for Xiaomi 13 Ultra)

Make sure there is a batch processing feature (if you need to compress a lot of photos)

Pay attention to ratings and reviews (avoid programs with a score below 4.0)

- Test 1-2 photos before mass processing-->

Method 4: Online compression services (without installing programs)

If you don't want to download additional apps, use web services, which are suitable for one-off tasks, such as when you need to reduce the photo to send by mail or upload to the site, the main advantage is that they do not load the memory of the phone, but require a stable Internet. We recommend three proven resources:

• 🌐 ImageCompressor (imagecompressor.com) – allows you to set an exact size in pixels or percentages, works with.heic.

How to use:

1. Select compression options (for example, in Squoosh you can reduce the resolution to 1280×720 and reduce the quality to 75%).

⚠️ Warning: Don't upload sensitive photos to online services - they can temporarily save files on their servers.

Method 5: Setup Xiaomi camera for shooting in lower resolution

If you regularly face a lack of memory, change the camera settings by default. Xiaomi smartphones shoot in maximum resolution, but for most tasks (social networks, messengers) will be enough and 12-16 megapixels. For example, a photo with Redmi Note 11 Pro+ in 108 MP mode weighs 10-12 MB, and in 12 MP mode – only 1.5-2 MB.

How to change permission:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Touch the icons «⚙️» (Settings) at the top of the menu.
3. Go to the photo resolution.
4. Choose 12 MP or 9 MP (depending on the model). 5 MP can be set for selfies.

Some models (such as Xiaomi 13 Lite) also have the option “Compression” HEIF» — It saves a photo in.heic format, which at the same quality takes up 30-50% less space than.jpg. However, note that not all social networks and messengers support this format.

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Shooting in a resolution of 12 MP instead of 108 MP saves up to 85% of disk space without a noticeable loss of quality when viewing on the screen of the smartphone.

Method 6: Convert to WebP – the format of the future for Xiaomi

Google’s.webp format is 25 to 35 percent smaller than.jpg at the same quality. Xiaomi is gradually rolling out WebP support to its devices, with MIUI 14 allowing you to save screenshots in this format, and you’ll need a third-party app like WebP Converter for photos.

The benefits of WebP:

• 📉 Less weight - photo with POCO X5 Pro (48 MP) in WebP is 3.2 MB vs. 4.7 MB in JPG.
• 🎨 Support for transparency (as in the case of PNG), but with better compression.
• 🚀 Fast upload to the web – ideal for bloggers and website owners.

How to convert:

1. Install WebP Converter from Google Play.
2. Select a photo in the gallery and click "Convert".
3. Select quality (we recommend 80-90% for balance of size and clarity).
4. Save the file – it will have a.webp extension.

⚠️ Note: Some messengers (such as WhatsApp) do not support sending WebP. Before converting, check if the format is compatible with your tasks.

Method 7: Delete metadata (EXIF) for additional savings

Each photo contains EXIF metadata – information about the camera model, shooting date, geolocation, exposure settings, etc. On Xiaomi smartphones, this data can take up to 5-10% of the total weight of the file. For example, a photo with Xiaomi 12S Ultra weighs 11.3 MB, and after deleting EXIF – 10.6 MB. For mass processing, use the EXIF Eraser application.

How to clean up metadata:

1. Install EXIF Eraser or Photo Exif Editor.
2. Select a photo or folder with images.
3. Click on “Delete EXIF” or “Clear metadata”.
4. Save the processed files (the originals will remain intact).

This is especially useful if you post photos online — removing geotags and device information increases privacy, but be careful: once cleaned, it will be impossible to restore data (such as the location of the shooting)

Comparison of Methods: What to Choose for Your Task

The choice of compression method depends on the goals. Below is a comparative table that will help determine:

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo compression on Xiaomi