How to upload a photo to Xiaomi album without syncing with Mi Cloud: 5 working ways

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones automatically offer uploading new photos to the Mi Cloud — which is convenient for backups, but not always necessary. For example, if you want to save personal pictures only on your device or are afraid of data leakage. Fortunately, MIUI has ways to add photos to albums without syncing — and we will talk about them in as much detail as possible.

Many users mistakenly think that turning off the cloud completely solves the problem. In fact, even after deactivating Mi Cloud → Photos, some images can be automatically sent to network albums (for example, through Google Photos or Xiaomi Gallery). To ensure that you do not synchronize, you need not only to set up the system correctly, but also choose the right ways to download. In this article, proven methods for MIUI 12-14, including hidden functions and workarounds.

If you take pictures on your smartphone often, but you don't want them to go to the cloud, it's important to understand that the problem isn't just with the Mi Cloud settings. Even the standard Gallery app can secretly sync albums with Xiaomi servers -- especially if you're using features like Cloud Albums or Backup. We've tested all the ways and selected those that are guaranteed to bypass this logic.

Note: Some methods require system services to be disabled, which may affect other features (e.g. Quick Submission or Smart Search).If you are actively using the Xiaomi ecosystem, weigh the pros and cons before changing your settings.

1. Method: Disable synchronization in Mi Cloud settings

The most obvious, but not always effective, method is to completely deactivate your photos sync in the cloud, which is a good way to do it if you’ve never used a backup and want to prevent future downloads.

Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud. Scroll to Photos and disable the slider. The system will ask if you want to delete already uploaded photos from the server - choose Delete if you want to completely clear the cloud. However, remember: this does not guarantee that the images will not sync through other channels (for example, Google Photos or Xiaomi Gallery).

⚠️ Attention.

Even after the Mi Cloud shutdown → Photos of some albums can be synced through the Cloud Albums feature in the Gallery app. To check this out, open the Gallery → Albums. → Three points (⋮) → Settings → Cloud Albums and Make Sure Option Is Disabled.

If you use Google Photos, go to the app, click on the avatar in the upper right corner and select Photo Settings → Backup and Sync. Turn off this option to prevent automatic downloads to Google Drive.

2. Method: Saving a photo in "Personal album" (hidden mode)

A personal album is a secure folder in MIUI where you can add photos without the risk of synchronization, and the images from this album are not displayed in the main gallery or uploaded to the cloud.

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Go to the Albums section.
3. Press three points (⋮) In the upper right corner and select a Personal Album.
4. Create a password or use a fingerprint to access.
5. Click Add and select a photo from the main gallery.

⚠️ Attention.

Photos in Personal Album are not backed up in the cloud, but they are not protected from accidental deletion. If you reset your smartphone to factory settings or manually delete the album, the pictures will be lost without recovery.

This is a good way to temporarily store sensitive photos, but it does not replace full local backup. For example, you can additionally copy the pictures to the next file. SD-card.

3. Method: Using a file manager for manual transfer

If you don't trust the standard Gallery, you can bypass it completely and work with the photo through the file manager, which is guaranteed to eliminate synchronization, since you operate the files directly.

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your computer via USB (select File Transfer mode).
2. Open the DCIM → Camera folder (all photos taken on the camera are stored here).
3. Copy the desired pictures to any other folder on the device, such as Download or create a new one (for example, Private_Photos).
4. Disconnect your smartphone from your PC and check that the photos are displayed in the Gallery in the Folders section (not in Photos!).

This approach completely eliminates Mi Cloud or Google Photos, because you're working with files at the system level, but there's a caveat: if you delete photos from the Camera folder, they'll disappear from the main album in the Gallery, but they'll stay in the new folder.

💡 Useful advice

To hide the folder from prying eyes, rename it by adding a dot at the beginning (for example,.Private_Photos). In most file managers, such folders are not displayed by default.

4. Method: Disable automatic download in Google Photos

Many Xiaomi users are unaware that Google Photos can sync photos in parallel with the Mi Cloud. Even if you disabled the Xiaomi cloud, photos can go to Google Drive.

Step 1: Open the Google Photos app and tap on the avatar in the upper right corner.

Step 2: Select Photo Settings → Backup and Sync and turn off the slider.

Step 3: Return to Settings and select Storage Management → Free up space to delete already uploaded photos from the server (optional).

⚠️ Attention.

If you use Google Photos to back up other data (such as contacts or documents), disabling photo sync won't affect those features, but some features, such as Photo Search or Automatic Collage Creation, will stop working.

For complete confidence, check the settings of Google Drive:

1. Open Google Drive.
2. Press the gear icon (⚙️) → Settings.
3. Select Backup and make sure that the Photo and Video option is turned off.

5. Method: Use of third-party galleries (e.g. Simple Gallery)

Xiaomi’s standard gallery is tightly integrated with the Mi Cloud, so even when synchronization is disabled, it can send metadata to images, and the solution is to install a third-party gallery that is not connected to cloud services.

Recommended annexes:

• 📱 Simple Gallery – a lightweight gallery with support for hidden folders and no cloud synchronization.
• 🔒 A+ Gallery – open source, no advertising and surveillance.
• 🖼️ QuickPic – a classic gallery without binding to accounts.

After installation:

1. Open a new gallery and give access to the storage.
2. Import your photos from the DCIM/Camera folder to any other directory (e.g. Pictures/Private).
3. Remove the originals from Camera if you want to avoid duplication.

🔹 Key conclusion

The side of the gallery not only prevents synchronization, but often offers additional features such as folder encryption, hidden albums, editing metadata. For example, in Simple Gallery you can block access to certain folders on the Internet. PIN-code.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

Each method has its pros and cons, and below is a table for quick selection of the best option depending on your needs.

If you need to avoid any synchronization, the best option is to combine a file manager and a third-party gallery, such as transferring photos to the Private folder via Total Commander, and then browse them in Simple Gallery.

Additional security measures

Even after the synchronization is turned off, some data can be transmitted in the background to completely eliminate the leakage of the photo:

• 🔄 Turn off autoload in instant messengers: in Telegram, WhatsApp or Viber, check the settings of media files and prohibit automatic saving to the gallery.
• 📡 Limit background data transfer: go to Settings → The Internet and the Internet → Transfer of data → Background transmission and disable it for Gallery, Mi Cloud and Google Photos apps.
• 🔐 Encrypt your photo folder: Use apps like Cryptomator or Solid Explorer (with encryption) to password-protect your files.

⚠️ Attention.

If you use Xiaomi with global firmware (e.g. MIUI Global), some cloud sync features may be hidden. To find them, turn on Developer Mode (Settings → Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times) and check the Developer → Special MIUI features section.

For maximum privacy, consider using custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) that doesn’t have Xiaomi’s built-in cloud services. However, this requires unlocking the bootloader and may take you out of warranty.

FAQ: Frequent questions