How to Clean Up Xiaomi Cloud on Android: 5 Ways to Work

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage is a handy tool for backing up photos, contacts, and documents, but it’s limited. Even 5GB of free space (or 100GB for premium users) can fill up quickly if you don’t keep up with the synchronization. When the cloud is crowded, the smartphone starts giving out notifications about space shortages, and new backups stop being created. In this article, we’ll discuss how to properly clean the cloud on Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO without risking losing important data.

The problem is that many users don't understand which files are taking up space in the Mi Cloud, which can be automatic app backups, duplicate photos from the Gallery, archives of messages from Mi Messages, or even cache from long-deleted games, and we'll show you how to find and delete unnecessary data, and set up automatic cleanups so that the problem doesn't happen again.

Important: Before cleaning, check to see if important documents or notes are linked to the cloud. Some files (such as those from Mi Notes) can only be stored in the cloud and not duplicated on the device.

1. Checking occupied space in Mi Cloud

Before you delete files, you need to understand what exactly takes up space.

1. Open the Settings app on your smartphone.
2. Go to the Accounts section → Mi Account (or Xiaomi Account on new firmware).
3. Slip on Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud).
4. At the top of the screen you will see a diagram of occupied space broken down by categories: Photos, Videos, Backups, Documents, etc.

If the diagram is not displayed, update the Mi Cloud app via Google Play or GetApps. On some firmware (MIUI 14 and later), the storage information may be in the Storage → Cloud section.

What usually takes up the most space?

• 📸 Photos and videos – Automatic sync from the Gallery can upload even those pictures that you have already deleted from your phone.
• 📱 Backup copies – copies of system settings, SMS and call logs created when changing the phone.
• 📄 Documents - Files from Mi Notes, WPS Office or other applications linked to your account.
• 🎮 Game data – saves from Genshin Impact, Honor of Kings and other projects using the Xiaomi cloud.

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If you see a large (1GB+) Other category in the diagram, it's likely that it's cache or temporary files from older versions of MIUI that can be deleted without risking data.

2.Remove photos and videos from the cloud

Photos and videos are the main "eaters" of space in the Mi Cloud, and can be removed directly from your smartphone or through the web version.

Method 1: Through the Gallery Appendix

1. Open the Gallery and go to the album Cloud (or Mi Cloud).
2. Select unnecessary files (long tap) and click Delete.
3. Confirm the deletion – files will disappear from the phone and the cloud.

Important: if you delete a photo only from the Gallery, but not from the cloud, it will remain in the Mi Cloud and take up space. To delete it completely, you need to go to Mi Cloud → Photo and repeat the procedure.

Method 2: Using the Mi Cloud Web Version

If there is little space on the phone or it is inconvenient to choose files, use the browser:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Select the Photo or Video section.
3. Mark unnecessary files and click Delete (basket icon).
4. Clean the Recycle Bin or the files will remain in the cloud for another 30 days.

⚠️ Note: Photos deleted from the cloud cannot be recovered after 30 days (recycle bin shelf life).If you accidentally delete important images, try to restore them through the Recycle Bin in the web version of Mi Cloud.

3. Cleanup of backup copies and system data

Backups are created automatically when you change your phone or update your MIUI, and can weigh anywhere from 500MB to several gigabytes, even if you haven’t used your old device in a long time.

To remove them:

1. Open the Settings. → Accounts. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Put it on backup (or backup).
3. Select the device you want to remove (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro).
4. Click Delete backup and confirm.

If you have multiple devices on the list, delete copies one at a time. Do not delete the backup of your current phone unless you are sure it won't be needed to recover it.

Make sure the copy is older than 6 months

Save important SMS/Contacts manually

Check if you are not linked to a copy of the purchase in the games

Disable automatic backup (if not necessary)-->

4. Deletion of documents and notes

Files from Mi Notes, WPS Office or Mi Drive also take up space in the cloud, and can be removed by selectivity:

• 📝 Notes: Open Mi Notes, go to the Cloud, select unnecessary notes and delete them. In the web version (note.mi.com), you can sort notes by date and size.
• 📑 Documents: in Mi Cloud → Find the old papers. PDF, Excel or Word files. Delete those that haven't been opened in more than a year.
• 🎵 Audio files: If you have recorded voice notes, they can be stored in Mi Cloud → Listen to and remove unnecessary notes.

For mass removal, it is more convenient to use the web version of Mi Cloud, for example, you can sort files by size and delete the heaviest ones.

⚠️ Note: If you use Mi Drive to store your work files, copy them to Google Drive or your computer before cleaning them.

5. Disabling automatic synchronization

To prevent the cloud from re-filled, turn off automatic sync for unnecessary data:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Mi Cloud
2. Slip on the synchronization.
3. Turn off the switches next to: 📷 Gallery (if you do not need automatic photo backup) 📱 Contacts (if duplicated in Google) 📝 Notes (if you do not use Mi Notes) 🎮 Games (save from Mi Game Center)

If you need sync but don’t want to fill the cloud, set up a selective boot:

• In the Gallery, turn off Autoboot over the mobile network (so that photos are uploaded only over Wi-Fi).
• In Mi Cloud → Settings set a limit on video downloads (for example, only files under 50 MB).

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Turning off autosynchronization can save up to 2-3 GB per month if you actively shoot high-resolution video.

6. Clearing cache and temporary files

Some apps (such as Mi Video, Mi Browser, or games) store cache to the cloud, and these files are not visible in the main Mi Cloud sections, but take up space.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find an app that can use the cloud (e.g. Gallery, Mi Video, Mi Browser).
3. Slip it on the vault. → Clear the cache.
4. Restart your phone and check the space available in the Mi Cloud.

You can also use a built-in memory optimizer:

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Press Cleanup (or Optimization).
3. Choose Deep Cleanup and wait for the process to be completed.

This method removes temporary files that can be duplicated in the cloud, but does not affect user data.

7. Alternative ways to make room

If the cloud is still full after cleaning, try these methods:

• 🔄 Transfer files to another cloud: download photos from Mi Cloud to your computer, then upload them to Google Photos or Yandex Drive. This will free up space, but save access to the files.
• 📱 Resetting synchronization: in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account press Exit, then log back in. Sometimes it resets the suspended download processes.
• 🔧 Update MIUI: In new firmware versions (e.g. HyperOS), the cloud storage algorithm is optimized. → The phone. → Updating the system.

If none of these things work, check to see if you have any other devices connected to your account, and sometimes old phones or tablets keep syncing in the background to turn them off:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com.
2. In the Security section → Devices remove unknown gadgets.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Mi Cloud