How to Clean Up Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud: 5 Ways to Get Rid of the Cloud

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage is a handy backup tool, but it’s limited. Even 5GB of free space (or 100GB for Mi 11 Ultra and Mi MIX 4 users) quickly runs out if you actively sync photos, videos, notes and backups. When the storage is overflowing, the smartphone starts giving notifications about space shortages, and new backups stop being created. In this article, we’ll discuss how to clean up Mi Cloud on Xiaomi without losing important data, from manually deleting unnecessary files to completely resetting the cloud.

Complicating the problem is that Xiaomi does not provide direct access to cloud management via a web interface (unlike Google Drive or iCloud), all manipulations have to be performed through smartphone settings or special utilities. We tested all current methods on Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5 and Xiaomi 13T models with MIUI 14/15 - instructions will also be suitable for older devices (subject to upgrade to the latest firmware version).

Why Mi Cloud is full and what takes up the most space

Before you start cleaning, it is important to understand what data is taking up space in your cloud.

• 📸 Photo and video from the gallery (automatic synchronization through the Gallery) → Mi Cloud).
• 📱 System backups (created when you change your device or manually in Settings) → The phone. → Backup).
• 📞 Contacts and messages (synchronized through Settings) → Accounts. → Mi Cloud).
• 📝 Notes and Records from the Appendices Notes and Recorder.
• 🎵 Music and documents (if you manually uploaded them to the cloud).

In our experience, up to 80% of the space in the Mi Cloud is occupied by system backups and media files. For example, one full backup of the Xiaomi 12 Pro with installed applications weighs in on the system. ~4-6 GB, and monthly incremental copies are added another 500-800 MB. Photos in the original resolution (especially in the original version). RAW-Mi 11 Ultra photos can eat up to 10-20 MB apiece.

To check the current state of the storage:

1. Open your Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud
2. Slip on the Warehouse line (or Storage Management in newer versions of MIUI).
3. The system will show a diagram with the distribution of space by data type.

Method 1: Remove system backups

Backups are the main space eater in the Mi Cloud. Xiaomi creates them automatically when you change your device or update your firmware, and allows you to make copies manually. Old backups (especially from previous smartphones) can be safely deleted if you no longer plan to restore data from them.

Instructions for removal:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backups (for cloud copies, tap Mi Cloud in the same menu).
2. Select the unnecessary copy (note the date of creation and the device model).
3. Click Delete and confirm the action.

Important! If you delete a single backup, the system will warn you that it will not be possible to recover the data after that, and we recommend saving critical files (contacts, SMS) to local storage or Google Drive.

Method 2: Clean up photos and videos from Mi Cloud

Photos and videos are the second largest in the cloud. Xiaomi automatically syncs media files, and many users don't even know that their gallery is being duplicated in the cloud.

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Go to Mi Cloud (the cloud icon in the bottom menu).
3. Select the albums or individual files you want to delete.
4. Tap Delete and confirm. Files will disappear only from the cloud, but will remain on the device.

If you need to delete all the photos at once:

1. In the Mi Cloud Gallery section, click on three dots (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Storage Management → Clear everything.

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Before mass deleting a photo from Mi Cloud, check if sync with Google Photos is enabled, so you will avoid losing photos if you accidentally delete it.

For users who want to disable autosynchronization of photos in the cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
2. Turn off the switch next to the Gallery.

Method 3: Delete contacts, notes, and other data

Contacts, SMS, notes and recordings of the recorder take up relatively little space (usually no more than 100-200 MB), but they can also be cleaned if the cloud is crowded, the main thing is not to delete current contacts, otherwise they will disappear from the phone.

How to delete unnecessary data:

• 📞 Contacts: Go to Contacts → Settings → Contact management → Mi Cloud and delete duplicates or old records.
• 📝 Notes: Open the Notes app, select unnecessary entries, click Delete and confirm removal from the cloud.
• 🎤 Recorder: In the Dictaphone app, go to Mi Cloud and delete unnecessary files.

If you want to completely disable the synchronization of this data:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
2. Turn off the switches next to Contacts, Notes, Recorder and other unnecessary options.

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Deleting data from Mi Cloud does not affect local files on the phone if sync is disabled, but when sync is turned on again, the data can be uploaded to the cloud again.

Method 4: Reset Mi Cloud to factory settings

If you want to completely clear Mi Cloud (for example, before selling an account or device), you can perform a cloud storage reset.This method will delete all data without the possibility of recovery, so use it only as a last resort.

Instructions:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com and log in.
2. Choose Mi Cloud. → Storage management.
3. Scroll down and click Reset Storage (or Clear All Data in Newer Versions).
4. Confirm the action via SMS or email.

Warning: Once reset, all backups, photos, contacts and notes will be permanently deleted. If you need any data, export it first:

• 📱 Contacts: Export to.vcf file via Contacts → Settings → Exports.
• 📸 Photo: Download them to PC through the Gallery → Mi Cloud → Highlight everything → Save it to the device.

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If you are selling a Xiaomi smartphone, remember to unplug the device from the Mi Cloud in your account settings, otherwise the new owner will not be able to log in to your account.

Method 5: Use of third-party utilities (for advanced users)

For those who don’t want to manually clean the cloud, there are third-party tools, such as the Mi Cloud Cleaner utility (available on GitHub) that allows you to massively delete files from Mi Cloud via ADB. However, this method requires an unlocked bootloader and super-user rights (root), which voids the warranty.

If you do decide, follow the instructions:

1. Install ADB on your PC and connect your smartphone in debugging mode (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap to enable Developer Mode, then Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging over USB).
2. Download Mi Cloud Cleaner from GitHub and follow the instructions in README.
3. Run the script via the command line: adb shell pm grant com.termux.api android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE adb shell am start -n com.miui.cloudservice/.ui.CloudServiceActivity

Risks:

• ⚠️ It is possible to block the Mi Account when massively deleting files.
• ⚠️ Xiaomi may block access to the cloud if automated actions are suspected.

How to Prevent Mi Cloud Compounding in the Future

To avoid having to clean the cloud regularly, set it up correctly:

• 🔄 Turn off autosynchronization of unnecessary data (Settings) → Mi Cloud → Synchronization).
• 📁 Use alternatives: for example, Google Photos to back up your photos.
• 🗑️ Clean old backups regularly (every 3-6 months).
• 💾 Buy extra space if 5 GB is not enough (cost from 100 rubles / month for 50 GB).

You can also set up selective backup:

1. In Settings → About Phone → Backup, select Set up Backup.
2. Uncheck the boxes from unnecessary items (for example, Wi-Fi settings or Wallpaper).

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Optimal strategy: leave only contacts, notes, and call logs in Mi Cloud sync, and use Google Photos for media. This reduces cloud usage by 60–70%.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When working with Mi Cloud, users often face typical problems:

If the cloud still shows the occupied space after cleaning, try:

1. Sign out of the Mi Account and log in again.
2. Clear the cache of the Mi Cloud app in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Mi Cloud → Clear the cache.
3. Update MIUI to the latest version.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions