How to completely clean Mi Cloud (Xiaomi AiCloud) on your smartphone: Step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage is a handy tool for backing up photos, contacts and settings, but over time it gets filled with unnecessary data. If you’re running into space shortages, want to delete old backups or completely reset your account before selling your phone, this guide will help you figure out all the nuances. Unlike the standard “just delete files” tips, we’ll look at all the cleaning methods, from selectively removing photos to completely resetting the cloud via the web version and even through the engineering menu (for advanced users).

It’s important to understand that Mi Cloud is closely integrated with Xiaomi’s ecosystem, so doing the wrong thing can cause data loss across all connected devices, from a smartphone to a Mi Band smartwatch. In this article, you’ll find step-by-step screenshots, warnings about critical moments, and alternative methods for cases where standard settings don’t work. For example, did you know that even after deleting files from the cloud, they can stay in your phone’s cache for another 30 days? Or that MIUI backups take up 2-3 times more space than the original data?

We’ll also look at hidden Mi Cloud features that aren’t covered in the official documentation — like how to delete data that hangs when synchronized, or how to get around the limit of deleting more than 500 files at a time. If you’re planning to sell a phone or just want to make room, read on.

1.Preparation for cleanup: what you need to know before deleting data

Before you start deleting files from Mi Cloud, check out three key points:

• 🔄 Sync disabled? If you delete files right during sync, they can recover automatically. Go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronize and deactivate it.
• 📱 Removing from the cloud doesn’t always mean deleting from your phone, but some data (such as notes or calendar entries) can disappear permanently.
• 🔒 Two-factor authentication enabled? After clearing the cloud, the system may require confirmation of the SMS or email – make sure you have access to your linked contacts.

Pay special attention to MIUI backups, which are created automatically when you upgrade your system and can take up to 5-10 GB of space. Unlike regular files, they can't be deleted selectively, only the whole thing. Unless you plan to restore your phone to factory settings, you can delete those copies.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the Mi Cloud features may not work properly.

2. Method 1: Delete files via the Mi Cloud mobile application

The easiest way is to use the built-in Mi Cloud app on your smartphone, which is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices running MIUI 12 and later. The instruction is suitable for models from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Open the Mi Cloud app (a cloud icon on a white background) and follow the following steps:

1. Sign in to your Xiaomi account (unless you are automatically logged in).
2. Go to the Storage Management tab (or Storage in English).
3. Select the data category for cleaning: 📷 Photos and videos – here are stored automatic backups from the gallery. 📞 Contacts – synchronized phone numbers. 📝 Notes - records from the Mi Notes app. 🔄 Backups – full system shots (weigh the most).

Click on the desired category, highlight files (long press to select several) and tap on the basket icon.

To speed up the process, packet removal can be used:

1. In the Photos section, click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Select everything → Delete.
2. In the Backups section, select older versions (e.g. from MIUI 13 if you already have MIUI 14) and delete them.

To clear the cloud through the browser:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. In the menu on the left, select Storage Management.
3. Click on category (for example, Photos) → tick unnecessary files → Delete.
4. For mass removal, use filters: Type: Video Size: >50 MB Date: Older than 1 year

The web version features hidden data that is not displayed in the mobile app, such as temporary files from Mi Browser or Mi Video cache, which can be deleted in the Other Data section.

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If you delete files through the web version, you see a “Server is busy” error, try using your browser in incognito mode or clear cookies for the i.mi.com domain. This often helps with synchronization failures.

Method 3: Completely reset Mi Cloud (delete account)

If you need to unplug your device completely from the Mi Cloud (for example, before selling your phone), it is not enough to simply delete files - you need to reset your account.

• 🚫 Delete all data from the cloud (photos, contacts, notes).
• 🔄 Disable synchronization on all devices associated with the account.
• 📱 Reset Mi Account settings on your phone (but not factory reset!).

To reset the account:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Scroll down and click Delete Account.
3. Confirm the action via SMS or email.
4. Enter your Xiaomi account password (if requested).

After that, all data from Mi Cloud will be deleted without recovery, but there is a caveat: if you used this account to log in to other Xiaomi services (for example, Mi Home for smart home), access to it will also be lost.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3) After deleting your Mi Cloud account, Find Device may be blocked, and you will need to re-authorize to unlock it.

5. Method 4: Clearing the Mi Cloud cache on your phone (hidden files)

Even after the data is removed from the cloud, the phone can still have local copies of it in the cache, take up space in the device's memory and sometimes cause synchronization errors, to clear them:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Cloud (or Cloud Service) and tap on it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. For a complete cleanup, click Clear Data (this will reset your sync settings!).

It is also recommended to clear the cache of related applications:

• 📸 Gallery (com.miui.gallery) – miniatures of cloud photos are stored here.
• 📞 Contacts (com.android.contacts) – Cache of synchronized numbers.
• 📝 Mi Notes (com.miui.notes) - local copies of notes.

On devices with MIUI 14 and later, the Mi Cloud cache can weigh up to 1-2 GB, especially if you’ve been actively backing up. After cleaning, synchronization can temporarily slow down — this is normal, since the system re-indexes data.

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Cache cleaning doesn’t remove files from the cloud, it only frees up space on your phone.If you need to delete data completely, use methods 1-3.

Method 5: Delete “hang” data (if files are not deleted)

Sometimes files in Mi Cloud freeze when deleted, the process goes on indefinitely or gives an error "Can't delete" due to synchronization failures between Xiaomi servers.

• 🔄 Reset sync: Open Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud. Turn off sync for problem category (e.g. Photos). Wait 5 minutes and turn it on again. Try to delete files again.
• 🌐 Use another region: Sometimes errors occur due to server congestion in your region. Try changing the country in your Xiaomi account (in profile settings) to India or Singapore, then repeat deleting.
• 📱 Turn off battery optimization for Mi Cloud: Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization, find Mi Cloud and select No Limits.This will help if files are not deleted due to background lock.