Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often face a situation where cloud storage is overflowing. Xiaomi Cloud automatically synchronizes your photos, contacts and notes that take up gigabytes of free space. When the 5GB limit is exhausted, the system stops creating new backups, which can lead to the loss of important data when the device breaks.
Users often wonder how to effectively clean the cloud without accidentally deleting files from the phone itself. The data management process in the Mi Account ecosystem has its own nuances that distinguish it from standard file managers. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways of cleaning, from manual deletion through settings to a complete account reset.
Incorrect file deletion can disrupt synchronization between devices. It is important to understand the difference between deleting a local copy and deleting from the cloud. We have prepared detailed instructions to help you safely free up space and optimize your Mi Account.
Analysis of the occupancy of the Mi Cloud storage
Before we start taking drastic measures, we need to determine exactly what is taking up space. Xiaomi Cloud divides space into several categories: gallery, voice recorder, notes and system settings. Most often, the lion's share of volume is absorbed by high-resolution photos and videos.
For detailed statistics, go to the settings menu of your smartphone. Find the Mi Account section and select Xiaomi Cloud. Here you will see a visualization of the occupied space by file type, which will allow you to make an informed decision about what data can be deleted without damage.
Note the Sync option, which is enabled for all applications, and if it's enabled for all applications, cleaning the cloud can affect data on other devices that are linked to the same account, for example, removing photos from the cloud can remove them from the tablet if two-way sync is enabled.
⚠️ Before mass deletion, make sure you have a local copy of important files on your computer or external hard drive. Data recovery from the cloud basket is only possible within 30 days.
Analysis shows that users often forget about hidden backups of system settings and call lists, which take up little space, but accumulate significant data over time, and regularly checking statistics helps keep things under control.
Delete photos and videos through the gallery
The largest part of the storage is the media library, and the Xiaomi Cloud can be cleaned from photos directly through the Gallery app on your smartphone, a method that allows you to visually evaluate content before you delete it.
Open the gallery and go to the Cloud tab or turn on the remote elements. You can select photos by date, album or location. To speed up the process, press your finger on one picture, and then swipe your finger across the screen to highlight a group of files.
Once highlighted, press the delete button. The system will ask for confirmation of action. If you want to delete files only from the cloud but leave them in your phone's memory, this method through the standard gallery may not work, as it often deletes files everywhere, in which case you'd better use a web interface.
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Use the Date Selection Mode in the gallery to quickly clear old archives for a specific month or year without removing fresh images.
Remember to check the folder Recently deleted. Files that have been there continue to be in your account quota for 30 days. To instantly free up space, you need to clear this basket.
Video files take up much more space than static images, and it is recommended to sort the media library by file size and remove heavy videos that are no longer of value.
Cleaning through the web interface i.mi.com
The most flexible and secure way to manage data is to use the official Xiaomi Cloud website, which allows you to manage files from a computer, which is often faster and more convenient than from a small smartphone screen.
Go to i.mi.com and log in using your Mi Account. The interface is completely the same as the cloud storage, and you can see all the synchronized data here, from contacts to notes in the Notes app.
Select the Photos section. Multiple allocation mode is available here. You can press the Shift or Ctrl key on the keyboard to select hundreds of files at once. After selecting, press the delete button (basket icon).
☑️ Pre-deletion check
The web interface also allows you to manage contacts and calendars, so you can export contacts in.vcf format before deleting to back up your computer, which is especially useful when you clean your account completely before selling your device.
One of the unique features of the web version is that it can be controlled remotely, but for the task of cleaning the cloud, we're interested in the file manager, which is more stable than the mobile application when processing large amounts of data.
Managing contacts, notes and recorder
In addition to media files, Xiaomi Cloud stores text information, SMS-Messages, voice recorders and notes also take up space, albeit in smaller volumes.
To delete contacts, go to the appropriate section on the site or in your phone settings, you can select a group of contacts or delete them all at once. Importantly, removing contacts from the cloud will remove them from the phone book of the device if synchronization is active.
Notes and recordings of the recorder often contain important information. Before cleaning these sections, make sure you copy the data you want. The formats of the recorder files can be specific, so it is better to save them locally.
| Type of data | Where it takes place | Risk of loss | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo/Video | Gallery/Cloud | High-pitched | 30 days (Basket) |
| Contacts | Phone book | critical | Difficult (via the web) |
| Notes | Notes appendix | Medium. | Only from the cloud. |
| Dictaphone | Audio recordings | Medium. | 30 days |
SMS history and call logs are cleared in the "More" section of the website or in deep sync settings. These data rarely take up much space, but deleting them is useful for maintaining privacy.
Disconnect synchronization and free up space
Sometimes users don’t have to delete data forever, but simply stop syncing certain types of files so they don’t load into the cloud, making room for other, more important backups.
Go to the Mi Account settings on your smartphone. Select Xiaomi Cloud and click Sync. Here's a list of all the apps that use cloud storage. You can turn off switches in front of unnecessary categories.
When you turn off sync, the system will offer two options: delete data from the device or leave it. Choose Leave on the device if you want to save files locally but remove them from the cloud. This will break the link between the local copy and the cloud.
What happens after the synchronization is turned off?
This method is effective for users who prefer to store large archives on external media or use third-party services such as Google Photos or Yandex.Disk. Xiaomi Cloud in this case will only be used for critical system settings.
Be sure to check the vacancy status. Once synchronization is disabled, the amount of occupied space may not decrease instantly unless you delete the files already downloaded.
Complete reset and deletion of Mi Account
A radical solution to overcrowded storage is to completely reset your cloud data or delete your account, a step that is appropriate when selling your phone, transferring it to another user, or compromised data.
To completely delete all data through the web interface, go to account settings.xiaomi.com. In the security and privacy section, find the data management option. Here you can initiate the process of cleaning all Xiaomi Cloud content.
Deleting your Mi Account will result in the loss of all attachments, theme store purchases, subscriptions and cloud data, which is irreversible, and once you delete your account, you can't restore access to your data.
⚠️ Note: Deleting your Mi Account may block the ability to use some system features on your smartphone, such as finding your device or locking your screen through Mi Cloud.
If your goal is to simply clear the place, rather than delete your account permanently, use the Clear All Data feature in your site’s cloud settings to return the storage to a post-purchase state, freeing up all 5GB (or more if you have a subscription).
After the cleaning procedure, it is recommended to restart the device, which will allow the system to correctly update the synchronization status and remove notifications of space shortage.
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Deleting your account completely is a last resort, and for a routine cleanup, you just need to delete files via the web interface and disable heavy media synchronization.