How to Clean Up Your Place in Xiaomi Cloud: A Complete 2026 Guide

Cloud storage Xiaomi Cloud (or Mi Cloud) is an indispensable tool for owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO. It automatically syncs photos, contacts, notes and even backups of the system, but sooner or later every user faces a problem: memory runs out, and you do not want to pay for expansion. Especially acute is the question when the cloud is filled with unnecessary data – duplicate photos, old backups or app cache.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working ways to clean up Xiaomi Cloud, including hidden features that are not written in the official instructions. You will learn how to delete unnecessary files without risking losing important data, what settings will help prevent overflow in the future, and what to do if the cloud still shows “not enough space” despite the cleanup. All methods are tested on current versions of MIUI 14/15 and work on devices from Xiaomi 11T to Redmi Note 12.

1. Check the current status of Xiaomi Cloud

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand what exactly is taking up space in your cloud.

1. Open the Settings app on your smartphone.
2. Go to Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud (or Xiaomi Account → Cloud in new MIUI versions).
3. Click on Storage Management (or Warehouse).

Here you'll see a diagram of the memory distribution by category: Photos, Videos, Backups, Notes, Contacts, and more, and note the heaviest sections, which are the ones to start cleaning.

An important caveat: if you use Google Photos or other cloud services in parallel with Mi Cloud, it is possible that some of the files are duplicated, for example, photos can sync in both Xiaomi Cloud and Google Drive, taking up space twice.

2. Delete unnecessary backup copies

Backups are one of the main space eaters in the Mi Cloud, and they automatically create them when you update MIUI, reset your settings, or manually at the user's command, and the problem is that old backups often stay in the cloud for years, even though they're no longer relevant.

To remove unnecessary backups:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Storage Management.
2. Select the Backups tab.
3. Look at the device list and backup dates. Copies older than 1 year can almost always be removed — they contain outdated data and take up to 5-10 GB.
4. Click on the unnecessary copy and select Delete.

Warning: If you delete all backups, it will be impossible to recover data when you reset your phone, and leave at least one last copy (preferably no older than 3-6 months).

Outdated copies (over 1 year old)

Copies from previous devices (if you have changed your smartphone)

Duplicate copies (sometimes created when synchronization errors occur)

Copies from test firmware (if you have experimented with custom ROMs)

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3. Cleaning up photos and videos

Media files are the second-largest garbage in Xiaomi Cloud, and even if you delete photos from your phone, they can stay in the cloud in the Gallery or Mi Cloud Photos section.

• 📸 Duplicate photos (for example, photos in.jpg and.heic formats).
• 🎥 Low quality videos (for example, recorded in messengers).
• 🗑️ Screenshots and memes that are not needed for a long time.
• 🔍 Files from the Regently Deleted folder (they are stored for 30 days before final deletion).

To clear the media files:

1. Open the Gallery app (or Photos in newer versions of MIUI).
2. Go to Mi Cloud or Cloud (usually displayed as a separate tab).
3. Sort files by date or size (click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Sort).
4. Select unnecessary files and click Delete.

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If you’re afraid of accidentally removing important photos, first transfer them to your computer or external drive, connect your phone to your PC and copy the DCIM/Camera and Pictures folder.

To speed up the process, you can use the function of searching for duplicates:

1. In the Gallery, click on the search icon (magnifying glass).
2. Choose Duplicates or Similars.
3. The system will automatically find the duplicate images – it remains only to delete them.

4. Optimization of synchronization of notes and documents

Notes and File Manager are also synced with Xiaomi Cloud, but not everyone knows that:

• 📝 Note drafts are stored in the cloud even after being removed from the app.
• 📁 Temporary files from File Manager (such as download cache) can take up hundreds of megabytes.
• 🔗 Links and attachments in notes (photos, PDF) duplicated in the cloud.

To clear this section:

1. Open Notes and go to the Recycle Bin icon. Delete all contents.
2. In File Manager, click on three lines in the top left → Categories → Cloud. This shows all files synced to the cloud. Delete those that are not needed.
3. Turn off synchronizing unnecessary folders: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization and uncheck Notes or Files if you do not use them.

5. Clearing cache and temporary files

Many users are unaware that Xiaomi Cloud stores app cache and temporary files that can be safely deleted.

• 🗃️ Cache Mi Cloud (accumulates when synchronized).
• 📥 Temporary download files (e.g. updates) MIUI, squatter).
• 🔄 Synchronization error logs (created when failures occur).

To clear the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Cloud (or Xiaomi Cloud) and open it.
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. For deep cleaning, also click Clear Data, but note that this will reset your sync settings.

If you want to delete temporary update files:

1. Open File Manager → Categories → Downloads.
2. Find the file. Downloaded_rom files with the.zip extension (this is firmware).
3. Remove everything except the current version of MIUI (you can find it in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version).

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Clearing the Mi Cloud cache does not delete your data (photos, contacts, notes), but only temporary files that the system can recover the next time you sync.

6. disable automatic synchronization of unnecessary data

By default, Xiaomi Cloud syncs everything: contacts, messages, call history, app settings, and even physical activity data (if you have a Mi Band), some of which is duplicated in other services (like contacts in Google Account), and some is simply not needed.

To disable the synchronization of unnecessary data:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
2. View the list of categories and turn off the boxes opposite:

We also recommend that you disable the automatic uploading of photos in their original quality.

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery
2. Select Download Quality and set Average or Traffic Savings.

This will reduce the amount of space occupied by 2-3 times without significant loss of quality.

7. Alternative ways of vacating space

If after all the manipulations, the place in Xiaomi Cloud still runs out, consider the following options:

• 🔄 Transfer data to another cloud: copy important files to Google Drive, Yandex Disk, or Dropbox, and then delete them from the Mi Cloud.
• 💾 Local Storage: Turn off photo and video sync, but only save them on your phone or memory card.
• 🛒 Buying extra space: if you can’t do without the cloud, sign up for a subscription. For example, 200 GB in Xiaomi Cloud costs ~300 rubles per year (current for 2026).
• 🔧 Cloud Reset: The last resort is to clean up the Mi Cloud completely and then restore only the data you need.

Note: If you decide to reset the cloud, export all the important data (contacts to.vcf, photos on PC, notes in.txt) beforehand.

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Select Data Export (or Backup).
3. Download the archive to your device or computer.

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If you use Xiaomi Cloud only for backups, consider alternatives like Swift Backup (for root rights) or Titanium Backup. These allow you to create local backups without being tied to the cloud.

Frequent Questions (FAQ)