Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where the system notification reports cloud storage overflow. Mi Cloud is a powerful backup tool that is activated by default when the device is first turned on. However, not all users realize that removing photos from the phone gallery does not always lead to their disappearance from the cloud, and vice versa.
Understanding the logic of synchronization is critical to avoid losing valuable images or, conversely, accumulating digital debris. Cloud albums can take up gigabytes that you pay monthly if you do not control the download process. In this article, we will detail the mechanisms for cleaning, setting up automatic deletion and manual management of the media library.
Mistakes can cause important memories to be lost forever without recovery. MIUI and the new HyperOS have their own media features to consider. We'll look at both standard methods through phone settings and web-based management.
Principles of synchronization Mi Cloud
To effectively manage space, you need to understand the difference between local storage and remote servers. Synchronization is a process that makes folder content identical across all connected devices. If you delete a photo on your phone, it disappears in the cloud, but only if the synchronization is active and works correctly.
The Gallery's timeline is often confused by "Albums" and "Timeline." The Gallery's timeline is simply a visual display of all media files sorted by date. Cloud albums are logical structures that can duplicate content or contain only selected images. The difference between these concepts determines which cleaning method will be effective.
⚠️ Warning: Before a mass cleanup, make sure you have an up-to-date backup of important data on an external medium.
There are several use cases: full backup, selective synchronization, or manual download. Depending on the scenario chosen, the cleaning algorithm will differ. For example, if you turn on the "Free space" option, the phone will delete local copies, leaving only previews, but the files will remain in the cloud.
Delete photos through the Gallery app
The most common way to clean up is to use the standard Gallery app on your smartphone, which is suitable if your goal is to remove photos everywhere, both on your device and on Xiaomi servers.
To start, open the app and go to the Albums tab, and here you'll see folders that sync to the cloud, which are usually tagged with a cloud icon, highlight unwanted images with a long press, and then select the rest by swiping around the screen or using the "Select All" button.
Once highlighted, click on the Recycle Bin icon. The system will ask for confirmation of action, warning that files will be deleted from Mi Cloud. This is the key point: if you want to clear the cloud, this path is direct. However, if sync was disabled earlier, only local copies will be deleted.
☑️ Deletion algorithm
It's worth noting that you have to work with "Recently Deleted," and once you get there, you keep files for another 30 days, taking up space in the trash, but not in the main cloud storage, and you have to clean this folder separately to make it free instantly.
Managing Files via i.mi.com Web Interface
Deleting a lot of photos through a smartphone screen can be awkward and slow. The web version of the Mi Cloud cloud service provides a more flexible toolkit for working with files from a computer, which is especially true when you need to audit thousands of images.
Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Mi Account. The web version allows you to select files in groups using a pinched Shift or Ctrl key. This speeds up the process by many times compared to the touch interface.
| Action. | Smartphone | Web interface | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selection | Long press + swipe | Ctrl + Click / Shift | PCs faster. |
| Viewing details | Screen bounded | Full screen mode | More convenient to evaluate |
| Loading speed | Depends on the phone. | Depends on the PC. | More stable on PC |
| Removal | Basket (30 days) | Basket (30 days) | Same thing. |
The web interface also allows you to sort files by date of creation, which helps you quickly find and delete old screenshots or photos for a particular year.
What to do if the web version is not loaded?
Automatic cleaning and optimization
Manual cleaning is a time-consuming process, so MIUI offers automation tools, so the Free Space feature allows you to store full versions of photos in the cloud and only smaller copies on your phone, saving your smartphone’s internal memory, but not reducing the amount of space you’re using in the cloud.
To set up automatic removal of duplicates and similar images, use the built-in cleaner. Go to Settings → About Phone → Memory (or through the Security app). The system will analyze the media library and suggest removing blurred photos, screenshots and takes.
It's important to distinguish between clearing the cache and deleting the originals. Cache is temporary files that can be deleted safely. Originals are your data. Setting up sync over Wi-Fi will prevent mobile traffic from being consumed, but it doesn't affect storage volume.
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Use the "Free space" feature only if you have a stable Internet connection at home, otherwise you risk being left without access to full versions of photos on the road.
For those who use third-party clouds (Google Photos, Yandex Drive), it is recommended to disable the synchronization of the gallery in Mi Cloud to avoid duplication. → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud. → Synchronization.
Dealing with "Recently Deleted" and Complete Cleansing
Many users forget about the folder "Recently deleted", which continues to take up space for 30 days after cleaning, files there are available for recovery, but they are still listed in your storage quota.
Go to the "Recently Deleted" album in the Gallery app. Click on the menu (three dots) and select "Clear All." Confirm action. Now the files are deleted irrevocably, and the seat meter in Mi Cloud must update.
⚠️ Attention: After cleaning the folder "Recently deleted" file recovery is not possible with standard means.
If you deleted a photo but the cloud isn't free, try restarting your device or logging out and re-entering your account, sometimes taking time to recalculate the statistics with Xiaomi servers.
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The recently deleted folder is a security buffer that also consumes space in the cloud, and it's a must-cleaning feature if you don't have enough space.
Solving problems with synchronization and display
There are times when photos are deleted but the cloud still has dead albums or the counter is not updated, which may be due to indexing errors or sync service failures. The first step should always be to check the version of the Gallery app and Mi services.
Try to clear the Gallery app data (without deleting photos, only app settings). path: Settings → Apps → All apps → Gallery → Clean → Clear everything. This will reset the thumbnail cache and force the system to re-scan the media files.
If the problem persists, check the status of Mi Cloud servers. Manufacturer-side maintenance may temporarily block the update of the occupied space, and it is also worth checking whether Google storage is full if you are using backup through it in parallel.