Modern robot vacuum cleaners of the Xiaomi brand and its sub-brands like Roborock or Viomi have a complex navigation system based on building maps of the room. Users often face the need to clean the memory of the device when the layout of the apartment has changed, the robot began to make mistakes in navigation or when selling the gadget to a new owner. The process of deleting stored data may seem unclear due to the features of the interface of the mobile application Mi Home.
In this article, we will take a look at all the mapping tools available, how to remove one particular room, how to erase all the maps at once, and what to do if standard methods don't work. Resetting a map is an effective way to solve a lot of software errors associated with building a cleaning route.
It's important to understand that deleting the map puts the device back in a first-on navigation state, and that the robot will have to re-examine the space to create a new digital twin of your apartment, so before starting the procedure, make sure that there are no extra items on the floor that can interfere with the quality of the scan.
Why you may need to delete the card
The main reason for doing the deletion procedure is to change the layout of the living space, if you reposition furniture, build new partitions or, conversely, combine rooms, the old scheme will become irrelevant, the robot will try to avoid non-existent obstacles or, worse, crash into new objects, because its virtual model does not correspond to reality.
Another common scenario is a software malfunction of the lidar or gyroscope, where sometimes the navigation system accumulates errors and the device begins to "lose" in a familiar room, to rush randomly or miss areas for cleaning, in which case a complete reset of map data helps to eliminate logical errors in the memory of the controller.
- 🔄 Change of location: You have moved to a new apartment or are transporting a vacuum cleaner to another home and old data just gets in the way.
- 🧹 Navigation problems: The robot gets stuck, fights against chair legs, or builds incorrect routes.
- 🔒 Preparation for sale: You want to transfer the device to a new owner and your personal details about the housing layout must be destroyed.
- 🏠 Zoning Change: You have installed virtual walls or zones that are no longer relevant, and it’s easier to recreate everything.
It’s worth noting that some models, such as the Xiaomi Vacuum Mop 2 Pro or Roborock S7, can store multiple cards at once, which is convenient for multi-storey homes, but requires careful removal to avoid erasing the desired floor diagram.
Preparation of the device for data reset
Before you start manipulating the memory, you need to perform a number of preparatory steps, which will help to avoid situations where the process will interrupt halfway, leaving the system in an unstable state, first of all, make sure that the battery is at least 20-30%.
Also critical is a stable Wi-Fi connection. All card management operations are done through the company's cloud servers, so a disconnection could cause the uninstall command to not reach the device.
☑️ Checklist before removal
You can physically prepare the room, remove wires, socks and other small objects that can get entangled in the brushes during re-construction of the map, and while this does not directly affect the "remove" button, it will save you time immediately after the procedure.
⚠️ Warning: Before removing the card, make sure the base (dock station) is installed in its usual place. After resetting, the robot will look for it, focusing on the last known position, and if you move the base, it may not return to charging.
Delete the card through the Mi Home app
The most common and safe way to clear the navigation memory is to use the official Mi Home app (or Xiaomi Home).The interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version and region, but the logic of action remains the same for most models.
To start, open the app on your smartphone and go to the home page where all the connected devices are displayed. Find your robot vacuum icon and click on it to go to the control screen. Here you will see the cleanup start button and battery status.
In the upper right corner of the screen, there's usually a three-dot menu or settings icon. Click on it to reveal the list of options. You need to find the section related to map management. In different versions, it can be called "Maps Management," "Map" or "Maps Settings."
Once you enter the map menu, you will see a list of saved schemas (if there are more than one) or one current card. Next to the name or thumbnail of the card, there is often a delete button (basket icon) or a menu item "Delete card", after clicking, the system will ask you to confirm the action, since this process is irreversible.
What to do if there is no removal button?
Once confirmed, the robot will be commanded to clean the memory buffer, and the card will disappear on the smartphone screen, and the status of the device will change to "Map not found" or similar, and the vacuum cleaner is now ready for a new scan.
Alternative methods of resetting navigation
If you can't remove a map through the app because of connection errors or interface bugs, you can use alternative methods, one of which is using voice commands if your model supports control via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, although the feature of completely removing the map is rare there.
A more efficient way is to physically reset Wi-Fi settings, which in some models (such as the early versions of Xiaomi Vacuum 1 or S50) also clears map data. This requires simultaneously pressing the on and back buttons (or the on and off button and the partial clean button, depending on the model) and holding them for about 5-10 seconds before the beep.
Another option is available in the advanced settings of the app itself, in the About section, where you can find "Reset Wi-Fi settings" or "Reset system." Full system reset guaranteed to delete all maps, cleaning history and schedule settings, returning the device to factory state.
| Resetting method | Difficulty | What's removed | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through the Mi Home menu | Low. | Only a map of the premises. | Minimum |
| Resetting Wi-Fi buttons | Medium | Map and network settings | We need to reconnect to the router. |
| Factory Reset (dumping) | Tall. | All data, history, settings | Total loss of configuration |
| Disconnection from the account | Low. | Access to the map (the data stays in the cloud) | The card is not completely removed. |
Use these methods only if the standard path through the application interface is not available. Remember that after resetting the Wi-Fi, you will have to re-pair the device with your phone.
Building a new map after removal
Once you've successfully removed the old card, the robot goes into a new calibration waiting mode, launch the device from the base and press the start of the cleaning button, and unlike a normal cleaning, the robot will now move slower and make more turns.
At this point, the room is actively scanned by a laser rangefinder or camera. Don't interfere with the device: don't pick it up, don't move it to another room, don't block the path. If the robot gets stuck during construction, the map can be saved with errors or tears.
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For the perfect map, run the Quiet Cleaning mode or a special map-building mode (if any in the model) so that the robot moves as closely as possible and does not miss corners.
The process can take 15 to 40 minutes depending on the area of the apartment, the robot must explore all available area and be sure to return to base to complete the cycle, only after successful parking, the new map will be stored in memory and displayed in the application.
If you've finished cleaning the map, but the walls are floating or the rooms aren't splitting, you can use the in-app editing tool to manually divide a room, merge zones, or draw virtual walls where the robot doesn't have to clean.
Frequent mistakes and their solution
When working with mapping, users often encounter typical problems, one of the most common is the message "Capt failed to save", this can be due to overflow of memory of the device or unstable Internet at the time of saving.
Another problem is that if you accidentally kick the base or it moves a couple of centimeters, the whole map can go away and the robot will think the wall is not where it really is, and in these cases, the "Recover Map" function (if the robot has fixed its location) or re-deletion and construction helps.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to build a map if the room is running a projector or there are sources of bright directional light falling on the lidar sensors. This can knock down the orientation system, and the map will be distorted.
And also, the problem of "duplicating rooms" is that sometimes a robot divides one large living room into two separate zones, and it doesn't solve this by removing the entire map, but by combining the rooms in the editor, and be careful when you choose a tool so you don't delete the extra one.
Recommendations for the care of the navigation system
For Xiaomi to be a robot vacuum cleaner that lasts a long time and builds accurate maps, you need to keep its sensors clean. The top dome of the lidar should be free of dust and pet hair. Rub it with dry soft cloth once a week.
Regularly update your firmware. Engineers are constantly releasing patches that improve the algorithms for avoiding obstacles and building maps. New versions of the software often contain bug fixes that may have caused you navigation problems in the past.
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Regular cleaning of sensors and up-to-date firmware is a guarantee that you do not often have to remove and rebuild cards manually.
If you're using a robot on multiple floors, give it time to be aware of changing floors. Don't turn it on immediately after you move it to the next level. Give it 1-2 minutes to adapt the sensors before you start building a new map for that floor.