How to Clean up Mi Cloud on Xiaomi Without Losing Data on Your Phone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Why Mi Cloud is full and how to fix it without risking data

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage automatically syncs photos, contacts, notes and backups, but it’s limited — only 5GB in the free version. When the space runs out, users face overflow notifications and new data stops being saved. The main problem is that many are afraid to clean the cloud for fear of losing files on the phone itself.

In fact, Mi Cloud is a mirror of your data, not your only storage, and all files remain on your device even if you delete them from the cloud. However, there are nuances: for example, photos from the Gallery can disappear if you turn on the option "Delete from your phone after downloading to the cloud." In this article, we will discuss how to safely free up space in the Mi Cloud without affecting local data on Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi.

We tested all methods on devices with MIUI 12-14 (including global and Chinese firmware) and identified three reliable methods: manual cleaning through the application, synchronization management and backup optimization.

1. Check the current status of the Mi Cloud: what takes place

Before you clean up the cloud, you need to understand what data is taking up space.

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Go to the → Mi Account section.
3. Slip on Mi Cloud (or Cloud in some versions of MIUI).
4. At the top of the screen you will see a diagram of occupied space broken down by categories: Photos, Videos, Contacts, Notes, Backups, etc.

Typical place allocation in a crowded cloud:

Pay special attention to the Backups section. The system can create them automatically when you connect to Wi-Fi, and they accumulate over time. For example, if you have a Xiaomi 12 Pro and you backup once a month, in a year you will accumulate 12 copies of 1-1.5 GB each.

⚠️ Warning: If the Photos section displays 0 bytes but you are sure you have downloaded the images, check the Gallery settings.

2. Manual cleaning of Mi Cloud: step-by-step instructions

The most reliable way to free up space is to manually delete unnecessary data through the Mi Cloud app, which does not affect files on the phone unless they have been synced with the Delete from Device option.

Follow the algorithm:

Check for local copies of photos and videos in the Gallery

Turn off automatic sync (Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Sync)

Backup important notes and contacts on your phone

Make sure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi (for quick synchronization of changes)-->

1. Open your Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud
2. Select the category you want to clear (e.g. Photos).
3. Click Control (or Select in older versions of MIUI).
4. Mark unnecessary files (you can sort by date or size) and tap Delete.
5. The files will disappear from the cloud, but they will remain on the phone.

For backups:

1. In the Backups section, select the device.
2. Check out the list of backups sorted by date.
3. Remove all except the last one (the freshest).

If you want to remove all your photos from the cloud at once:

1. Go to Mi Cloud → Photo → Settings (⚙️).
2. Choose Clear all photos.
3. Confirm action. This will not delete files from your phone unless they have been synced to the Delete Device After Download option.

⚠️ Warning: If you used the Store Optimization feature in the Gallery, some of the photos may have been replaced with thumbnails, in which case removing them from the cloud will result in the loss of originals. Check this in Gallery Settings → Storage Optimization.

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Before mass removal of photos from Mi Cloud, open the Gallery, go to the All Photos album and make sure that there is no cloud icon with a cross next to each image – this means that the original is stored only in the cloud.

3. Synchronization control: what can be turned off

Mi Cloud automatically syncs a lot of data, even if you don't notice it, and turning off unnecessary syncs will not only free up space, but also save traffic and battery power.

To set up synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
2. You will see a list of categories: Contacts, Messages, Notes, Gallery, Records, etc.
3. Turn off the switches next to unnecessary categories, for example, if you don’t use Xiaomi Notes, feel free to turn them off sync.

Recommendations by category:

• 📱 Contacts: It is best to leave them on if you use multiple devices.
• 📝 Notes: You can turn off if you don’t use the built-in Notes app.
• 🎥 Gallery: Turn off if you don't want to automatically upload photos to the cloud.
• 🔄 Backups: Leave on, but set up a schedule (e.g., once a month).
• 📞 Call log: rarely takes up much space, but you can turn off to save traffic.

For photos and videos, there is a separate setting:

1. Open the gallery. → Settings (⚙️) → Synchronization with Mi Cloud.
2. Turn off the "Automatic Boot" option.
3. If you want to download only over Wi-Fi, turn on "Download only over Wi-Fi".

4.Optimizing backups: how to reduce their size

Backups are one of the main reasons for Mi Cloud overflows, and by default, the system saves full backups, including apps, settings and data, which takes 1-3 GB per copy, but most users don’t need that deep backup.

How to reduce the amount of backup copies:

1. Open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Backups.
2. Select your device from the list.
3. Click on Backup Settings (or Select Data).
4. Check the unneeded categories: 📱 Applications and their data (takes up the most space) 📁 System settings (you can leave if you drop your phone often) 📞 Call log (not useful for reservation) 📧 Messages (unless you store important SMS)

Save the changes and create a new backup. It will weigh significantly less.

You can also remove old backups:

• 🗑️ In the Backups section, select the device.
• 📅 View the list of copies sorted by date.
• 🧹 Remove all but the last 2-3 (in case the fresh backup is damaged).

⚠️ Warning: If you delete all backups, it will be impossible to recover data when you reset your phone. Always leave at least one up-to-date copy.

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The optimal backup strategy is to leave only the last 2-3 copies, disable the backup of applications and their data, and create backups manually every 1-2 months.

5. Alternative methods: transferring data to another cloud

If there is not enough space in Mi Cloud after cleaning up, consider moving some of the data to another cloud storage, which is important for users who are actively using photos or documents.

The best alternatives for Xiaomi:

• ☁️ Google Photos: 15 GB free, automatic upload of photos in original quality (until the limit is filled).
• 📁 Yandex Drive: 10GB free, easy integration with MIUI via the Files app.
• 🌍 Mega: 20GB free, strong encryption, but slower to sync.
• 🍎 iCloud: 5GB free (relevant if you have Apple devices).

How to transfer photos to Google Photos:

1. Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
2. Open it and log in to your Google account.
3. Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
4. Turn on the switch and select the download quality (Original or High).
5. Wait until the download is complete. Now the photos are duplicated in Google Photos, and they can be deleted from the Mi Cloud.

To transfer documents and files, use Google or Yandex Drive Files:

• 📂 Select files in the Files app.
• 🔗 Press Share → Save to the Cloud.
• ☁️ Select your target cloud (Yandex Drive, Google Drive, etc.).

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If you migrate photos to Google Photos, open the app settings and turn on the option "Delete copies from your device after backup." This will free up space on your phone, but the originals will remain in Google Photos.

6. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When cleaning Mi Cloud, users often make mistakes that lead to data loss, and here are the most common ones and ways to prevent them:

• 🚫 Remove photos from Gallery thinking they are saved in the cloud: If you have the option "Storage Optimization" enabled, the original photos can only be stored in the cloud. Before deleting, check if the phone has full-size copies.
• ❌ Disable contact sync without local copy: If you turn off contact sync and don’t export it to.vcf, all numbers will be lost when you reset your phone.
• 🔄 Delete all backups: Always leave at least one up-to-date copy. If the phone breaks, it will be impossible to recover data.
• 📱 Using third-party software to clean up Mi Cloud: Some apps promise "automatic cleanup" but can delete important data or disrupt synchronization. Use only official Xiaomi tools.

How to avoid problems:

• 🔍 Before cleaning, check if there are local copies of the data.
• 📥 Export important contacts and notes to files (.vcf,.txt).
• 🔄 Check your occupied space regularly (every 2-3 months) in the Mi Cloud.
• ☁️ Use multiple cloud services to duplicate important data.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions