How to Free Up Space in Mi Cloud: A Complete Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage is a handy tool for syncing data between devices, but it’s limited. Even 5GB of free space (or 100GB for premium users) can quickly be filled with backups, high-resolution photos and automatic updates. When the space runs out, the system starts to issue cleanup notifications, and new files stop syncing.

Complicating the problem is that many users don’t know which data is taking up the most space and how to delete it safely. Cleaning through a mobile application is often ineffective – some files remain “invisible” to the user, but continue to occupy space. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to free up space in the Mi Cloud, including hidden features and deep cleaning tools that are not mentioned in the official documentation.

1. Analysis of occupied space: what exactly takes up space?

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand the storage structure in Mi Cloud. Unlike Google Drive or iCloud, there is no single interface for viewing all files - the data is scattered in sections: backups, gallery, notes, call records, etc. To see the full picture:

1. Open the Mi Cloud app on your smartphone.
2. Go to Storage Management (or Storage Management in English).
3. Click on the pie chart at the top of the screen and this will show the distribution of data by category.

Typical distribution for a user with a filled storage:

Pay special attention to the “Other Data” section, which often hides temporary files from applications, sync cache and debris after updates, and cannot be deleted through the standard interface, but will require additional actions, which we will discuss in section 5.

2. Delete old backups of devices

Backups are the main space eater in the Mi Cloud. Each copy can weigh between 500MB and 2GB, and the system defaults to the latest 5. If you haven't cleaned the storage in a while, copies from multiple devices can accumulate, including those you don't use anymore.

To remove unnecessary backups:

• 📱 Open the Mi Cloud → Backup (Backup).
• 🔍 Scroll down to the Backup Management section.
• 🗑️ Select the device you want to remove (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3).
• ⏳ Click on the date of creation of the copy and select Delete.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the last backup of your current device unless you are sure that all important data (contacts) are available, SMS, settings) are stored locally. It will not be possible to restore a deleted copy.

If there are models on the list that you don’t use anymore (like the old Redmi 4X), delete all copies of them – they take up space and have no practical value.

1. Click on the device name in the list.
2. Select Delete all backup copies.
3. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

3. Optimization of photo and video storage

Photos and videos in their original resolution can take up to 80% of the Mi Cloud’s volume, especially if you’re actively using a smartphone camera, the problem is that the system defaults to download all media files, including screenshots, social media memes and duplicates.

Ways to make room:

• 📸 Removing Duplicates: Use the Gallery App → Albums. → Duplicates (available on MIUI 12 and newer).
• 🗃️ Cleaning the cart: Deleted files are stored in the cart for 30 days. To clear it early: Gallery → Basket → Clean up.
• 🔍 Size Filtering: In Mi Cloud, sort files by size and delete the heaviest ones (usually this video in the file size). 4K).
• ☁️ Disable Autoboot: Go to Mi Cloud → Settings → Autoload media files and disable the option to save space.

If you want to save your photos, but reduce their weight:

• 📱 Use the boot compression function in the Mi Cloud settings (available on the MIUI 13+).
• 💾 Transfer the originals to a physical drive or Google Photos (free storage for compressed photos there).

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Before mass removal of photos, export them to your computer via Mi. PC Suite or connect your smartphone as USB-This ensures that you don't lose important photos.

4. Clearing notes, call records and other data

Notes, call records, and even a message history in the Mi Cloud can take hundreds of megabytes, which are often ignored during cleaning, but deleting them can free up up to 1-2 GB of space.

How to clear notes:

• 📝 Open the app Notes.
• 🔍 Go to the basket section and clean it.
• 🗑️ Remove unnecessary notes with large investments (PDF, picture).
• ☁️ Turn off synchronization of notes in Mi Cloud → Settings → Synchronize notes if you use Google Keep.

Deletion of call records:

• 📞 Open the phone application → Records.
• 🗂️ Sort records by date and delete old ones (over 6 months old).
• 🔧 In call recording settings, turn off autosave to the cloud.

For recordings with Mi Band or other Xiaomi devices:

• 🏃 Go to Mi Fit. → Profile → Settings → Delete the data.
• 📊 Select a period to clean (e.g., 2022 data).

⚠️ Note: Call records stored in Mi Cloud may be used as evidence in court (in some countries) and only be deleted if you are sure they will not be needed.

5. Delete hidden and system files

One little-known fact is that Mi Cloud stores not only user data, but also system files that don't appear in the standard interface.

• 📦 Error logs and crash reports (crash dumps).
• 🔄 Temporary synchronization files.
• 📱 Application cache, backups of settings MIUI.
• 🔧 Configuration files for Xiaomi Home and other services.

To delete these files:

1. Go to the Mi Cloud web version at https://i.mi.com (sign up with the same account).
2. Open the Storage Management section → Other data.
3. Click Clear Cache (if option is available).
4. For deep cleaning, use Mi Cloud Cleaner, an unofficial tool from the XDA Developers community (requires ADB).

If you’re not afraid to use ADB, follow the following commands to clear the cloud cache:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.cloudservice


adb shell pm clear com.xiaomi.cloud

These commands will reset the sync settings, but will not delete user data. Once they are executed, restart the device and re-enter the Mi Cloud.

6. Disabling unnecessary synchronization

Many users are unaware that Mi Cloud is syncing data they don’t need by default.

• 📅 Calendar: If you use Google Calendar, duplicate entries in Mi Cloud is pointless.
• 📍 Location: History of visited places takes up to 200 MB per year.
• 🎵 Music: Synchronize playlists from Mi Music (if you don't use this app).
• 📱 Topics and wallpaper: Backup copies of themes of design MIUI They can weigh up to 500 MB.

To disable unnecessary synchronization:

1. Open Mi Cloud → Settings → Data Synchronization
2. Uncheck the boxes in front of unnecessary categories (for example, Calendar, Music).
3. To save traffic, turn off synchronization over the mobile network.

If you want to completely disable sync for a particular application (such as Mi Browser), do so in the settings of the application itself:

• Open the application (for example, the browser).
• Go to Settings. → Synchronization.
• Turn off the sync option with Mi Cloud.

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Disabling the synchronization of unnecessary data not only frees up space, but also speeds up the smartphone, as the background processes of the Mi Cloud consume up to 10% of battery power.

7. Alternative ways: transferring data to other clouds

If there is not enough space in Mi Cloud after cleaning up, consider migrating some of the data to other services:

To automate the transfer, use:

• 📲 AutoSync: Sync files between Mi Cloud and Google Drive on schedule.

Example of the command for Rclone (transfer photos from Mi Cloud to Google Drive):

rclone copy mi:Gallery/ gdrive:Xiaomi_Backup/Photos --progress

After transferring data, be sure to disable synchronization of the relevant categories in the Mi Cloud to avoid duplication.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Mi Cloud