How to permanently disable auto-reservation on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Automatic backup on Xiaomi devices is a useful feature for saving data, but not all users need it. Some prefer manual backup management, and some are annoyed by constant synchronization with Mi Cloud, which consumes traffic and battery power. If you are looking for a way to completely disable the authorization on your smartphone or tablet, this article is for you.

We’ll go through all the possible methods, from standard MIUI settings to hidden developer settings. It’s important to understand that the procedure may differ depending on the firmware version (e.g. MIUI 14 vs MIUI 15) and the device model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.).

Why Auto Reservations Can Be Intruding

At first glance, automatic backup seems like a harmless feature, but it has a few hidden drawbacks that lead users to look for ways to turn it off:

• 📉 Traffic consumption: even in the background, Mi Cloud synchronizes data, which is critical for tariffs with limited Internet.
• 🔋 Increased battery consumption: Continuous redundancy service activity reduces battery life by 5–15%.
• 📱 Slowing down: on weak devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) background synchronization can cause lags.
• 🔒 Privacy: Not all users trust cloud storage, especially when it comes to personal photos or messages.

Also, many people experience a situation where backups are created uncontrollably — for example, after every Wi-Fi connection or when the charge level is low — which leads to the storage of the device being filled with unnecessary files. If you notice that your Xiaomi suddenly has less free space, the first reason is automatic redundancy.

Method 1: Disconnecting through the basic MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to use the standard settings menu, which is suitable for most devices on MIUI 12-15 and does not require superuser rights.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to About Phone (or About Tablet for Xiaomi Pad).
3. Select Backup and Reset (in some versions – Cloud and Account).
4. Put it on automatic backup.
5. Move the slider to the off position or uncheck all the ticks from the data types (contacts, messages, photos, etc.).

If your MIUI version doesn’t have a separate auto-reserve item, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select your Mi Account account.
3. Turn off sync for all applications or only for those that don’t suit you (such as Gallery or Notes).

Some devices (such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro or Redmi K50) may have a data loss risk notification after disabling the auto-reservation, which can be ignored as a standard warning.

Method 2: Disconnecting with Mi Cloud

If the auto-reservation continues after the settings are turned off, the problem may be in the Mi Cloud cloud service, which is suitable for users who have previously activated cloud sync.

1. Open the Mi Cloud app (if it isn’t on the home screen, search through search).
2. Sign in with your Xiaomi account (if not authorized).
3. Go to the Backup tab (or Backup in English).
4. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Backup Settings.
5. Turn off the option Automatic backup over Wi-Fi and Auto Sync.
6. Return to the Mi Cloud home screen and manually delete all existing backups (if you don’t need them).

Please note that even after disabling auto-reservation, Mi Cloud may periodically offer to create a new copy. To avoid this, further disable notifications from the application:

1. Press the Mi Cloud icon on the home screen.
2. Select Application Information → Notifications.
3. Disable all switches in the Allow Notifications section.

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If copies continue to appear in Mi Cloud after you disable auto-reserve, check if you are connected to another account (such as a work account), sometimes the device syncs with multiple accounts at the same time.

Method 3: Using the Developer Mode

For power users who aren’t afraid to dig into hidden settings, there’s a more radical method, which is to turn off auto-reservation through developer mode, even on devices where standard settings don’t give them full control.

First, you need to activate the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7-10 times in a row until you become a developer!

Now, follow the following steps:

1. Go back to the main Settings menu and find a new Developer section (usually at the bottom).
2. Scroll down and find the option Background Processes or Background Process Limitation.
3. Select No Background Processes (this will disable all background tasks, including redundancy).
4. Next, find Do Not Save Actions and activate this option.
5. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Disabling background processes may affect the performance of other applications (for example, messengers will stop updating in real time).If after using this method there are problems, return the settings to the original state.

Method 4: Disconnect via ADB (for advanced users)

If all the previous methods didn't work, the most reliable, but also the most difficult, is to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting the device to a computer and basic command line knowledge, but it guarantees that it disables system-level auto-reservation.

What you'll need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB (You can download from the official Google website).
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🔧 Included debugging by USB smartphone.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate USB Debugging in the developer settings (see previous section).
2. Connect the device to the computer and confirm the debugging permission on the smartphone screen.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices

(Your device name should appear as a confirmation of your connection.)

1. Run the command to disable autoreservation:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.cloudservice


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.cloudbackup

1. Reset the device.

After that, Mi Cloud and auto-reservation services will be completely disabled. To get it back, use the commands:

adb shell pm enable com.miui.cloudservice


adb shell pm enable com.miui.cloudbackup

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The ADB method is the only way to permanently disable auto-reservation if it is activated at the firmware level (e.g., on some Chinese versions of MIUI).

⚠️ Attention: misuse ADB Do not follow commands unless you are sure of their purpose, and note that after resetting settings or updating the firmware, you may need to turn off again.

Method 5: Delete backups manually

Turning off auto-reservation does not delete copies already created. If you want to completely clear your device of unnecessary data, do the following:

To remove local backup copies:

1. Open the File Manager (Files or Explorer app).
2. Go to MIUI/backup/AllBackup.
3. Delete all files with the.mbk extension (these are backup archives).

To delete copies in Mi Cloud:

1. Open the Mi Cloud app.
2. Go to the Backup section.
3. Select an unnecessary copy and click Delete (or Clean).
4. Confirm the action.

If you don't have any space on your device after you delete the copies, check the Download folder, sometimes backup files are saved there by default, and remember to clean the Recycle Bin in the file manager, as deleted files can stay there for up to 30 days.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after you turn off auto-reserve, Xiaomi users may face unexpected challenges, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Auto-reservation is activated after the MIUI update.

Solution: After each major update, check the Mi Cloud settings and Backup. Xiaomi sometimes resets custom settings to standard.

Problem 2: It is impossible to disable reservations for individual applications (e.g. Gallery or Notes).

Solution: Use ADB to force synchronization to be disabled:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.gallery

(Replace com.miui.gallery with the desired application package).

Problem 3: After disabling the auto-reservation, notifications from Mi Cloud (e.g., new photos) stopped working.

Solution: This is normal behavior. If notifications are important, only enable manual sync in the Mi Cloud settings.

Problem 4: There is no Automatic Backup on the device.

Solution: You probably have an outdated version of MIUI (below 12) or custom firmware. Try upgrading or using ADB.

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If you use custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), Mi Cloud auto-reservation may not be available at all, in which case check the settings of Google Drive, and it may be through it that you are backing up.

FAQ: Frequent questions