How to disable synchronization with Mi Cloud on Xiaomi: all the ways and consequences

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud sync is a handy tool for backing up contacts, photos, notes, and other data, but many users prefer to turn it off for privacy, traffic saving, or battery reasons. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to disable sync, from partially disabling individual items to completely deleting your Mi Account.

It's important to understand that turning off sync doesn't always mean data loss, like saving contacts locally and moving photos to Google Photos or physical media, and we'll look at each method, its pros and cons, and give you recommendations for safe storage without the Mi Cloud.

The instructions in this article are relevant for all modern Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi, POCO and Mi series based on MIUI 12/13/14 (including global and Chinese versions of firmware).If you use a device on Android One (for example, the Mi A3), some features may be missing - we will mention this too.

Why users turn off sync with Mi Cloud

There are several reasons to shut down cloud sync, and they're not always technically related. Here are the most common scenarios:

• 🔒 Data privacy: Many users don’t trust the storage of personal information (photos, messages, geolocation) on Xiaomi servers, especially after the data breach scandals in 2020-2022.
• 📶 Traffic savings: Synchronizing in the background consumes Internet traffic, which is critical for users with limited rates or slow connections.
• 🔋 Extending battery life: Constant synchronization drains the battery, especially on budget models (Redmi 9A, POCO M3).
• 📱 Move to other services, like replacing Mi Cloud with Google Drive, Dropbox, or local storage.
• 🚫 Synchronization errors: Sometimes the Xiaomi cloud is unstable, duplicate contacts, do not save notes, or freeze when you upload photos.

According to a survey of Xiaomi users in 2023, 42% of respondents had turned off sync at least once, and 18% had done so forever, with 65% of them continuing to use the Mi Account for other functions (such as unlocking a bootloader or shopping in the Mi Store).

If you're in one of these categories, the following sections will help you choose the best way to turn off, but first, let's figure out what kind of data is synchronized by default.

What data is synchronized by Mi Cloud by default

By default, Mi Cloud reserves almost all of the key data on the smartphone. The full list depends on the version of MIUI, but in most cases includes:

Important: Even after sync is disabled, some data (such as Mi Store purchase history or Mi Fit data) may be stored on Xiaomi servers unless you delete your account completely.

If you want to turn off sync only for certain types of data (for example, leave contacts but delete photos), you can do this without completely shutting down the cloud.

Partial shutdown of synchronization: step-by-step instructions

If you don’t need to sync all your data, but want to keep access to some of the features of the Mi Cloud (like device search), follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your Xiaomi smartphone.
2. Go to Accounts and Sync (in some versions of MIUI 14, just Accounts).
3. Tap your Mi Account (usually displayed as your email or phone number).
4. Select Mi Cloud.
5. You will see a list of all synchronized data, and turn off sliders next to unnecessary categories (such as Photos or Call Records).

When you turn off the sliders will turn gray, and next to it will appear the message "Sync off" changes apply immediately, but sometimes you need to restart the device.

Unnecessary categories are disabled in the Mi Cloud

Are local copies of data (contacts, notes) preserved?

Have there been any errors in the application (for example, Gallery)

Checked whether the vacant space in the cloud (in the "Storage" section)

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Features for different versions of MIUI:

• 📱 On MIUI 12 and older, the path may differ: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
• 🌍 On the global firmware (Redmi Note 10 Global), the item may be called Cloud & Sync.
• 🔧 Some devices (e.g., POCO F3) require you to first click Account Management and then select Mi Cloud.

If you notice that some data is missing after you turn off sync (such as contacts), don't panic. They may have stayed in the cloud but disappeared from the device.

1. Turn the sync back on.
2. Wait for the process to be completed (notice will appear in the curtain).
3. Make a local copy (export contacts to.vcf file).
4. Turn off the sync again.

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Before you turn off contact sync, export them to the file: open the Contacts app, click ⋮ → Contact Management → Import/Export → Export to storage. The file will be saved in internal memory in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder.

Disconnecting sync with Mi Cloud

If you want to completely disable sync but save your Mi Account (for example, to unlock a bootloader or purchases), follow these steps:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Choose Mi Cloud.
3. In the upper right corner, click on the icon ⚙ (settings).
4. Select the option “Disable synchronization” (or Sync off in English firmware).
5. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

After that, all the data will no longer sync, but the account will remain active, and you can turn the sync back on at any time.

⚠️ Warning: Full sync shutdown doesn't remove data from the cloud! it will stay on Xiaomi servers until you manually clean it or delete your account. To make room, go to Mi Cloud → Storage and delete unnecessary backups.

If you notice that some features have stopped working after you've turned off (like finding a device through Find Device), that's OK. These services depend on active cloud sync, and the alternative is to use Google Find My Device or third-party apps like Cerberus.

How to delete your Mi Account and all data from the cloud

If you choose to completely abandon Xiaomi services, including Mi Cloud, you can delete your Mi Account.This is irreversible - you will lose access to all related services, including:

• 📱 Find Device (Find Device)
• 🛒 Mi Store purchases and order history.
• 🔓 The ability to unlock the bootloader (Bootloader Unlock).
• 📊 Data from Mi Fit (if linked to an account)

To delete the account:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com from your computer or smartphone.
2. Sign in under your account.
3. Go to Account Settings → Delete the account.
4. Confirm the deletion via email or SMS (depending on the binding).
5. Enter your password and go through a security check (captcha entry or confirmation via the Mi Security app may be required).

Deletion takes up to 7 days, which is given in case you change your mind, during which time you can cancel the deletion through the same section on the site, after the expiration of the period, all data will be irretrievably deleted, including:

• Backups in Mi Cloud.
• Purchase history and warranty information.
• Data on the tethered devices.

⚠️ Warning: If you plan to sell or transfer your Xiaomi smartphone to another user, be sure to delete your Mi Account in advance, otherwise the new owner will not be able to use the device due to the link to your account (Mi Account Lock feature).

Mi Cloud Alternatives: Where to Move Data

When you're not using Mi Cloud, you need to take care of backing up your data, and here are the most reliable alternatives:

For data transfer:

• 📝 Notes: In the Notes app, select Export and save in.zip or.txt format.

If you prefer local storage, consider using NAS- drives (such as Synology or Western Digital My Cloud) or external SSD- drives.This will eliminate reliance on cloud services, but will require regular manual backups.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you turn off sync with Mi Cloud, users face a few typical problems, and here's how to solve them:

1. Contacts were missing after the shutdown

This means that the contacts were only stored in the cloud, to recover them:

1. Turn on sync back to Mi Cloud.
2. Wait for the synchronization to be completed (check in the notification curtain).
3. Export contacts to the.vcf file (as described above).
4. Import the file to Google Contacts or local storage.
5. Turn off the sync again.

2. photo synchronization is not disabled

Sometimes the photo slider in Mi Cloud doesn't respond to the pressing, it may be due to:

• 🔄 Firmware update. Reboot the device and try again.
• 📱 App error. Clear the Mi Cloud cache in the application settings.
• 🔒 Region restrictions: Some firmware (e.g., Chinese) has some functionality blocked.

3. the notification “Synchronization stopped” appears constantly

This means that the system is trying to sync the data, but it can't because of a lack of internet or a server error.

1. Open Settings → Notifications → System Notifications.
2. Find Mi Cloud and turn off notifications.
3. Or turn off the synchronization completely, as described above.

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If you notice that after you turned off the Mi Cloud, the battery is running slower and traffic is saved, but some features (like device search) are missing, that's OK. Use alternative services like Google Find My Device.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions