How to completely disable sync on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Synchronizing data on Xiaomi smartphones is a convenient feature that automatically saves your contacts, notes, photos and settings in the Mi Cloud. However, many users face situations when this feature begins to interfere: drains the battery, transfers unnecessary data over the mobile network or simply creates unnecessary traffic. Moreover, after MIUI updates, the sync settings are sometimes reset and it is re-enabled without the owner’s knowledge.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable sync from basic shutdowns through settings to completely delete your Mi Account and block background processes. You’ll learn how to stop syncing for individual applications, how to prevent automatic backups, and what to do if settings don’t save after rebooting. And we’ll also uncover a hidden method for disabling syncs through ADB, which works even on locked devices.

Why Xiaomi synchronization can be harmful?

At first glance, automatic synchronization seems useful: it protects data from loss and makes it easier to switch to a new phone.

🔋 Increased battery consumption – background synchronization processes can consume up to 15% of your charge per day, especially if you use mobile internet.
📡 Uncontrolled traffic — MIUI synchronizes data even in roaming, which leads to unexpected costs.
🔒 Privacy risks – a piece of data (e.g., call history or data) SMS) stored on Xiaomi servers in an unencrypted form.
🚫 Conflicts with other clouds – if you use Google Drive or Yandex.Disk, data duplication can lead to errors.

Synchronization is particularly problematic on the Redmi and Poco budget models, where limited CPU and memory resources cause the system to “slow down” when transmitting data to the cloud, for example, on the Redmi Note 10 users complain of lags while syncing photos and updating applications.

⚠️ Note: If you plan to sell or transfer your smartphone, be sure to turn off sync and log out of your Mi Account – otherwise the new owner will be able to access your data through the Find Device feature".

Method 1: Disable synchronization through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the standard settings menu, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco models on MIUI 12-14:

Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
Go to Accounts and Synchronization (some firmware may call it Mi Account).
Choose Mi Cloud (or Xiaomi Cloud).
Turn off the main data sync switch at the top of the screen.
For full control, scroll down and manually turn off sync for each item: 📇 Contacts 📝 Notes 📷 gallery 🎵 Records. 📅 Calendar

After these actions, sync will stop, but Mi’s account will remain active, which means that some features (such as themes or proprietary apps) may continue to use the cloud in the background.

Is the main synchronization switch switch switch switch off?|Synchronization for each data type is turned off|Are there any active downloads in the Mi Cloud?|Rebooted smartphone to apply changes-->

Method 2: Delete your Mi Account (completely disable)

If you want to completely stop any interaction with the Xiaomi cloud, you will have to delete your Mi Account from your smartphone.

🚫 Loss of access to Find the device and Lock the screen.
🔄 Reset some personal settings (for example, themes of design).
📱 Unable to use branded services (Mi Video, Mi Music).

Instructions for deleting the account:

Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
Slip on the profile avatar at the top of the screen.
Select Account Management (Password may be required).
Scroll down and click Delete Account.
Confirm the action via SMS or email (depending on the security settings).

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi) K60) After deleting the Mi Account, a new account may be required to be linked to activate the device, due to Xiaomi’s anti-theft policy.

Yeah, for backup.|Yes, but only for themes and applications.|No, removed immediately after purchase.|I don't know what that is.-->

Method 3: Disable background synchronization via "Special permissions"

Even if you have disabled sync in Mi Cloud, some system applications (MiuiDaemon, CloudService) can continue to share data with Xiaomi servers to block them:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
Find the applications: com.miui.cloudservice (main cloud service) com.xiaomi.account (account management) com.miui.daemon (background processes)

Turn off AutoRun.
Stop background activity.
Limit access to Mobile Data and Wi-Fi.
Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute commands: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.cloudservice adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.cloud

These commands will shut down cloud services completely, but they won't delete them.

adb shell pm enable com.miui.cloudservice


adb shell pm enable com.xiaomi.cloud

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (MIUI Global for the European region after the shutdown of cloud services ADB Updates may stop working through the air (OTA). In this case, you will have to install the firmware manually.

What if the ADB does not recognize the device?

If the adb device command doesn’t show your smartphone, try: 1. Install official Xiaomi drivers from mi.com. 2. Switch the connection mode USB file transfer (MTP). 3. Use an alternative ADB-client, such as Scrcpy or Minimal ADB and Fastboot. 4 On some models (Poco) X3 Pro) requires additional debugging permission in the menu Additional settings → Powers USB.

Method 5: Alternative methods (without root rights)

If you don’t want to delete your account or use ADB, there are a few other ways to limit sync:

📵 Mobile Data Limitation: Go to Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Data transfer. Select Background Limitation and add Mi Cloud and CloudService to the list.
⏳ Delayed synchronization: In Settings → Battery and productivity → Power management, turn on Charge Saving mode. This will suspend background activity, including synchronization, until the device is charged.
🔄 Resetting synchronization settings: In Settings → Annexes → App management, find Mi Cloud. Press Storage → Clear the data and clear the cache, which will reset all synchronization settings to factory.

Xiaomi. 12T In addition to new models with HyperOS, these methods work unstable - the system can automatically restore permissions for cloud services after an update, ADB + limitation of mobile data).

💡

If you use two of them SIM-maps, disable mobile data for slot 2 in the settings SIM-maps and mobile networks. Many background processes MIUI They use the second default SIM to transmit data, even if it is not active.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you turn off sync, users often face unexpected difficulties, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

Problem.	Reason.	Decision
Synchronization settings are reset after rebooting	Auto Recovery in MIUI	Disable Settings → Applications → Special Access → Auto-Recovery for Mi Cloud
Cannot delete the Mi Account	Device is tied to account for activation	Untie the device via account.xiaomi.com (Device Management section)
Synchronization continues despite the switched off settings	System processes are active com.miui.cloudbackup	Disable them via ADB (see Method 4) or Settings → Apps → Show system
After deleting the account, ask to link a new	Xiaomi policy for devices with MIUI Global	Create a temporary account and disable all permissions for the cloud

On the forums, users of the Poco F4 GT and Redmi K50 complain that after upgrading to MIUI 14, sync is automatically enabled, in which case only a complete deletion of the account or blocking through ADB will help.

💡

If you plan to use a smartphone without a Mi Account, save data backups in advance - after deleting the account, access to cloud backups will be lost.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions

Can I turn off sync only for photos, leaving contacts?

Yes, in the Mi Cloud settings, you can selectively turn off sync for specific data types. For example, you can leave Contacts and Notes, but disable Gallery and Records. However, even in this case, MIUI system processes can periodically synchronize photo metadata (dates, geolocation).

Why does the battery run out even faster after the synchronization is turned off?

This is paradoxical, but it happens. The reason is that MIUI starts actively looking for a cloud connection if the sync suddenly breaks. To fix this: Reboot the device. Turn off Autostart for Mi Cloud (see Method 3). Enable Charge Saving mode in battery settings. If the problem persists, check the activity of the processes through Settings → Battery → Battery Use.

How to check if the synchronization is disabled?

There are several ways: Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud – status should be out of sync. Use the NetGuard or GlassWire app to monitor network activity – there should be no connections to the domains api.io.mi.com or cloud.xiaomi.net. Check the battery log: if Mi Cloud does not appear in the list of energy-consuming applications, sync is disabled. On Xiaomi 13 Ultra and other flagships, you can also use the ADB battery command: adb dumpsys unplug to see a detailed report of background activity.

What will happen to my Mi Cloud data after deleting my account?

When you delete your Mi Account, all data from the cloud is permanently deleted after 30 days. This applies to: Photos and videos in Mi Cloud Gallery. Backups of messages and calls. Notes and records. Exception: if you previously exported data manually (for example, contacts in a.vcf file), it will remain on your device. To avoid data loss, before deleting your account: Download the archive from Mi Cloud → Settings → Export data. Save important files on Google Drive or local drive.

Can I turn off sync on an always locked device (with a forgotten password)?

If you forgot your smartphone password and can’t access the settings, there are two options: Reset via Fastboot: Connect your phone to your PC in Fastboot mode (press Power + Volume down when turned on). Follow the command: fastboot erase userdata This will delete all data, including your Mi Account settings.

Appeal for Xiaomi:

If you have proof of purchase (check, box), you can contact support to unlock.
The process can take up to 7 days and not all regional centres provide this service.

⚠️ Note: On devices with a locked bootloader (Redmi Note 11 and later), a reset via Fastboot can result in a complete lock (Migre account authorization is required to re-activate).