How to Clean Up Your Place in Xiaomi Cloud: A Complete Guide with Hidden Features

Xiaomi Cloud cloud storage is an indispensable tool for backing up photos, contacts and smartphone settings, but its free rate is limited to only 5 GB. When memory runs out, the system begins to issue notifications to clean up, and new backups stop being created. Many users of Redmi, POCO or Mi face the problem: how to make space without deleting important data?

In this article, we will discuss all the available methods, from basic (delete unnecessary files) to hidden (clean the cache of cloud applications and manage backup versions).

• 🔍 Find and delete the heaviest files in the cloud
• 📱 Optimize smartphone backups without data loss
• 🗑️ Clear the cache of applications related to Xiaomi Cloud
• 🔄 Use alternative clouds for automatic synchronization

Special attention will be paid to hidden MIUI features that allow you to free up to 1-2 GB of space without manually deleting files. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 and work on devices from Xiaomi 11T to Redmi Note 13.

1. Analysis of occupied space: what exactly takes up space?

Before you delete something, you need to know which data is taking up the most space, and in Xiaomi Cloud, you can do this directly from the mobile app or through the web version.

Open the Mi Cloud app on your smartphone and go to the Storage section, and here you will see a diagram of the memory distribution by category:

• 📸 Photos and videos (most often occupy 60-80% of the space)
• 📱 Backups (including settings, SMS, call log)
• 📄 Documents (manually downloaded files PDF, XLS, etc.)
• 🎵 Audio (voice recordings, music recordings)
• 🔄 Other data (application cache, temporary files)

Click on any category to see a detailed file list sorted by size. For example, in the Photos section, you can find all the duplicates, screenshots, or high-resolution videos that can be compressed or transferred to another storage.

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If you have a MIUI/Backup folder in the file list that weighs more than 1GB, these are old system backups that you can delete if you haven't restored your smartphone in a long time.

2. Delete unnecessary files: step-by-step instructions

The most obvious way to make room is to delete the data that's not necessary, but it's important to not overdo it, so you don't lose important information.

1. Sort files by size (in the Mi Cloud app, click on the filter icon in the upper right corner and select “By size”).
2. Check the folders with screenshots and duplicates of photos. They often take hundreds of megabytes.
3. Remove old backups (in the Backup section, select outdated versions and click Delete).
4. Clear the Recycle Bin (deleted files are stored there for 30 days and continue to take up space).

For mass removal:

1. Press your finger on any file in the list.
2. Check all unnecessary items.
3. Click on the basket icon at the bottom of the screen.

Outdated backups (over 6 months)

Screenshots and memes

Duplicate photos (for example, from Telegram or WhatsApp)

Unused documents (checks, tickets over a year)

App cache (.cache or.temp folder)-->

⚠️ Warning: If you use AutoSync Photos, deleting files from the cloud will also cause them to disappear from your smartphone (unless the Save Originals option is disabled).

3. Optimization of backups: how to reduce their size

Backups are one of the most voracious categories in Xiaomi Cloud, and one full copy can weigh 1 to 3 GB, and if you make them regularly, the space ends very quickly. Here's how to reduce their volume:

To set up a backup:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup.
2. Click Set up and uncheck the unneeded categories.
3. Select Manual Mode so that copies are created only on your command.

⚠️ Warning: If you turn off syncing Contacts or Notes, they will disappear from the device the next time you reset or flash them. Save them to a separate file (export to VCF or TXT) before changing settings.

4. Hidden MIUI features for cloud cleaning

MIUI has some little-known tools that help free up space in the cloud without manually deleting files, and most users don’t know about them, but they can save up to 1-2GB of space.

1. Cleaning the cache of cloud applications

Mi Cloud, Gallery and Notes app stores temporary files that can be deleted:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Cloud and press Warehouse.
3. Select Clear Cache and Clear Data (Warning: This Will Reset App Settings!).

2. Compress photo before downloading

If you upload photos to the cloud in their original resolution, they take up 3-5 times more space than you could.

1. Open the gallery → Settings → Cloud synchronization.
2. Choose the Load Quality and set High (Compression)

3. Delete old versions of files

Xiaomi Cloud saves up to 5 versions of a single file (for example, if you edited a document) to leave only the current one:

1. In the web version of the cloud (i.mi.com), open the file you want.
2. Click on three dots → Version control.
3. Remove all versions except the last one.

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Compressing photos when uploaded to the cloud saves up to 70% of the space without a noticeable loss of quality, a feature that is especially useful if you often take pictures in RAW or 4K format.

5. Alternative clouds: how to move data and make room

If you’re actively using Xiaomi Cloud but 5GB is constantly under-utilized, consider moving some of your data to other storage facilities, which will free up space without losing files.

The most convenient options for Xiaomi users:

• 🌥️ Google Photos – free 15 GB (shared with Gmail and Drive), automatic synchronization of photos in high quality.
• ☁️ Yandex Drive – 10 GB free, there is an automatic download of photos from the phone.
• 📦 Mega - 20 GB free, data encryption.
• 🍎 iCloud – if you have Apple devices (5GB free, but integration with MIUI is worse.

To transfer files:

1. Download data from Xiaomi Cloud to your computer (via i.mi.com).
2. Upload them to a new cloud (for example, through the Google Backup and Sync desktop app).
3. Remove the originals from Xiaomi Cloud.

To automatically sync photos in Google Photos:

1. Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
2. Log in to your Google account.
3. Enable Backup and Synchronization in the application settings.
4. Choose High Quality (unlimited storage) or Original Quality (accounted for by Google Drive quota).

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If you use Google Photos in High Quality mode, photos and videos will be compressed to 16MP and 1080p resolutions respectively, which is invisible to most users, but saves up to 90% of space.

6. Cleaning through the web version: hidden opportunities

The Mi Cloud mobile app is convenient, but the web version (i.mi.com) has more storage management features available, such as:

• 🔍 Search for files by extension (e.g. all.apk or.zip).
• 📂 Massively move files between folders.
• 🗑️ Clean the cart at once for all devices.
• 🔄 Restore deleted files within 30 days.

Step-by-step instructions for cleaning through the browser:

1. Sign in to i.mi.com under your Xiaomi account.
2. Go to the Files section (or Gallery if you need to clear the photo).
3. Use the filter by size: click on the sort icon and select “By size (by decrease)”.
4. Tick the largest files and click Delete.
5. Go to the Recycle Bin and clean it completely (the files in the Recycle Bin also take up space!).

⚠️ Warning: The web version does not have a preview function for some file types (e.g.,.db or.bak).If you are not sure what can be deleted, download the file to your computer first to check.

7.How to avoid cloud overflow in the future

To avoid running into a space shortage every few months, set up automatic storage management rules:

• 📅 Limit backup frequency: instead of making copies daily, make copies once a week or manually.
• 🗃️ Eliminate unnecessary folders from sync: for example, screenshots or downloads from messengers.
• 🔄 Set up automatic cart cleaner: In the cloud web version, you can enable the option “Clean the cart in 7 days.”
• 📱 Use local storage for temporary files: for example, save draft documents to your phone, and only upload final versions to the cloud.

It is also useful to check the occupied space regularly.

1. In the Mi Cloud mobile application, enable notifications about the storage filling (in the account settings).
2. Open the Warehouse section once a month and delete any unnecessary files.

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The most effective way to save space is a combination of manual cleaning (every 1-2 months) and automatic rules (excluding unnecessary data from synchronization).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)