Where is the “cloud” in the Xiaomi phone: MI Cloud, Google and hidden folders

When users ask where the cloud is in a Xiaomi phone, they usually mean one of two things: either the physical location of files synced with cloud services, or the settings for access to these services. In fact, the cloud is not a folder on the device, but a remote server, but its traces can be found in the Xiaomi system. In this article, we will analyze how MI Cloud (a branded cloud from Xiaomi) and Google Drive, where their cached data is stored, and how to manage it.

It's important to understand that the files themselves don't take up space on your phone until you download them, but app cache, photo thumbnails, and temporal data can weigh hundreds of megabytes, and we'll show you how to find that data, clean it, or move it to another location, like a memory card, and we'll also explain why sometimes cloud files are displayed in a gallery or a file manager, even though they're not on the device.

What is the cloud in Xiaomi: MI Cloud vs Google Drive

Xiaomi smartphones support two major cloud services:

• 📱 MI Cloud – a branded cloud from Xiaomi, integrated into firmware MIUI. Offers 5GB for free, syncs contacts, notes, photos and backups.
• 🌐 Google Drive is Google’s universal cloud, available on all Android devices, and it stores backups of apps, documents and media files.

Both services work on the same principle: files are stored on remote servers, and only links (for quick access) and cache (for faster loading) remain on the phone. For example, when you open a photo from Google Photos, it is downloaded from the server, but thumbnails can be stored in the device's memory.

The main difference is that MI Cloud is more integrated into the system, for example, MIUI backups are created automatically only in MI Cloud, not in Google Drive, but Google offers more tools for working with documents (for example, Google Docs or Sheets).

Where to look for files from MI Cloud on your phone

The proprietary MI Cloud doesn't store all your data on the device, but some files can be found in local folders.

1. Gallery: Photos and videos from MI Cloud are displayed in the Gallery app in the Cloud album (if sync is enabled).
2. File Manager: Go to Categories → Cloud. This will show the files available for download.
3. Application cache: Temporary data is stored via the path: /data/data/com.miui.cloudservice/files Please note: this folder is only available with root rights or through ADB.

If you want to save files from MI Cloud to your phone, do the following:

Open the MI Cloud| app Select a section (e.g., “Photos” or “Notes”)| Click on the file and select “Save to Device” | Specify a folder to save (e.g., Downloads or DCIM)

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⚠️ Note: If you delete the file from MI Cloud via the web version (i.mi.com), it will disappear from the gallery on the phone, even if it was previously downloaded. To avoid losses, first export important data to another place.

Local copies of Google Drive and Google Photos

Google services work differently than MI Cloud. For example, Google Photos defaults to upload all your images to the cloud, but the originals can stay on the device — it depends on the sync settings.

1. Open Google Photos → Click on the avatar → Photo settings → Backup and sync.
2. If you turn on the Delete copies from your device after backup, the original photos are deleted from your phone after uploading to the cloud.

The files from Google Drive are stored in the folder:

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.google.android.apps.docs/files

Here you can find offline copies of documents that you saved for access without the Internet.

💡 Useful tip: If you want to free up space but aren’t sure which files can be deleted, use the built-in Memory Analysis in Settings → Memory: The system will show how much cloud application cache and time data are taking up.

Hidden folders and cloud application cache

Even if you don't download files from the cloud, MI Cloud, Google Drive, and Google Photos applications create cache and temporary files, and can be found in the following places:

• 📁 /Android/data/com.miui.cloudservice/cache/ — cash MI Cloud (miniatures, previews).
• 📁 /Android/data/com.google.android.apps.photos/cache/ — Google Photos (can weigh a few gigabytes!).
• 📁 /Android/obb/com.google.android.apps.docs/ — Additional Google Drive files (for example, for offline document viewing).

To clear this cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (like Google Photos).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

⚠️ Note: Do not manually delete folders through the file manager unless you are sure of their purpose! /Android/obb/ It can cause app malfunctions. Instead, use built-in cleaning tools.

How to transfer cloud data to a memory card

If the phone's internal memory is not enough, you can transfer files downloaded from the cloud to a microSD.

1. For MI Cloud: Open the MI Cloud app. Select a file → Save to your device. In the file manager(s), find the downloaded file and move it to the memory card.
2. For Google Drive: Open the file in Google Drive → press ⋮ → Download. The file will be saved in Downloads. From there, it can be transferred to SD-map.

🔹 Important: The cloud services themselves (MI Cloud or Google Drive can’t be transferred to a memory card, only downloaded files. Also note that some applications (such as Google Photos) can’t work with files directly from the memory card. SD-map.

If you want new files to be saved to the map automatically, change the default settings:

Settings → Storage → Default Memory → Memory Map

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Moving files to a memory card does not prevent them from syncing with the cloud, for example, if you delete a photo from your phone after transferring to SD, it will remain in Google Photos (if it was uploaded there earlier).

Xiaomi Cloud Problems: What to Do?

Sometimes users experience sync errors or lack of access to cloud files.

If the problem is not solved, try:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📱 Update the annexes MI Cloud and Google Drive to the latest version.
• 🗑️ Clear the application cache (see section above).
• 🔧 Reset network settings (Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings).

⚠️ Note: If after resetting settings or updates MIUI You've lost files from the cloud, don't panic. They're not deleted from servers, but you may need to log in again. MI Cloud in file manager – sometimes after updates, the system creates duplicate files.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the cloud on Xiaomi