Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often face the unpleasant situation of cloud storage overflowing, demanding that additional space be purchased or files deleted, blocking the creation of new backups, because Mi Cloud is set to sync all images, including screenshots, thumbnails and deleted pictures by default.
Freeing up space in the cloud is not just about removing pictures, it's about working with sync settings. Many users mistakenly believe that removing a photo from a phone gallery automatically cleanses the cloud, or vice versa, they think that cleaning up the cloud will remove pictures from the device. The logic here is more complex and requires careful attention so that important memories don't lose forever.
In this article, we’ll take a look at all the cleanup options available, from manual removal to hidden system features, learn how to manage categories, clean your cart, and understand the difference between local storage and a company’s servers, which will allow you to optimize your use of free rates or reduce your subscription costs.
Understanding the Storage Structure of Mi Cloud
Before we start taking any drastic measures, we need to understand how Xiaomi organizes data. Cloud albums are not just a folder, but a dynamic structure that depends on the settings of the Gallery app. The main space is occupied by the original photos and videos that you shoot on camera, but a significant part can eat up service files.
The system divides content into multiple threads. One is basic synchronization, where the originals are stored in full resolution. The second stream is Cloud Album, which is often confused with the main storage. The third is a basket where deleted files lie for up to 30 days, continuing to occupy space. Understanding this hierarchy is critical for effective cleaning.
It’s worth noting that some system folders, such as MIUI/thumbnail, can create copies of thumbnails in the cloud if the option is enabled, and backups of settings and call lists that are not photo-related but affect the overall limit are also a separate place.
- 📸 Gallery: The main storage of all media files from the device.
- ☁️ Synchronization: the process of copying data to the company’s servers.
- 🗑️ Recycle Bin: Temporary storage of remote items.
- 📂 Categories: Smart division into people, places and objects.
⚠️ Before mass deletion, make sure that important files are saved to an external hard drive or other cloud service, as data recovery after cleaning the shopping cart is impossible.
Why does the place end so quickly?
Manual removal of photos and videos through the Gallery
The most obvious and frequently used method is manual cleaning through the standard app. To free up cloud albums on Xiaomi, you need to open the Gallery app and go to the Albums tab, where it is important to switch to cloud viewing mode if it is available separately, or simply delete files marked with the cloud icon.
You can speed up the deletion process using the group selection function: press and hold your finger in one photo, then swipe your finger across the screen or use the "Select All" button on the menu. This allows you to delete hundreds of files at a time. However, the system can require confirmation for every hundred files to prevent accidental data loss.
Once deleted, the files are moved to the folder "Recently deleted." Until you clear this folder, the cloud will not be freed up. It's a security mechanism, but it often becomes a trap for users who think that everything has been cleaned. Go to the "Recently deleted" album and click "Clean everything" to permanently erase the data.
☑️ Pre-deletion check
And you should pay special attention to video files, which take up the lion's share of the space, and in the Gallery app, you can sort albums by content type and select the category "Video." When you remove heavy videos, you get gigabytes of free space instantly, and if you want to save the video, but not in the cloud, copy it to your computer before you delete it.
Managing Categories and Smart Albums
Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells have powerful analytics tools. Artificial intelligence automatically sorts photos into categories like "People," "Places," "Documents," "Screenshots." Often it's the Screenshots or WhatsApp Images folder that blows the cloud up to the sky, as all the information noise gets there.
You can make room by turning off sync for specific categories. Go to the Gallery settings, find "Cloud Sync" and select "Sync settings." You can leave the camera on, and you can stop screenshots and photos from messengers from downloading, which will drastically reduce traffic and space.
It's also worth checking out "Favorites." If you accidentally add a heavy video or a series of photos to it, they'll sync as a priority. Go through your favorites and delete the extra. Smart albums like "Selfie" or "Panoramas" also take up space, and their contents need to be reviewed periodically.
| Category | Type of data | Recommendation | Influence on the spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera. | Photos and videos | Synchronize | High. |
| Screenshots | Images | Shut down. | Average. |
| WhatsApp/Media | Garbage photos | Shut down. | Critical |
| Panoramas | Photo Photo | Check it out. | High. |
Cleaning through the web interface i.mi.com
Sometimes the mobile application is unstable or does not display all files due to caching. In such cases, the most effective way to free cloud albums on Xiaomi is to use the web version of the service. Open your browser on your computer or phone and go to i.mi.com.
Log in using your Mi Account. The web interface provides more detailed access to the file structure. You can see the exact size of each file, the date of download and the path to it. It is more convenient to do mass deletion using the Shift or Ctrl key to highlight file ranges.
The advantage of the web version is that the changes are instant and do not depend on sync on the phone. You can delete 1000 photos and they disappear from the server immediately. After that, the smartphone will just need to update the gallery page or restart the application to show the changes correctly.
The web interface also has a separate tab called "Basket." Make sure you go there and click "Clean the Bin." Only then the action will be final and the meter of the occupied space will decrease. Remember, this action is irreversible.
⚠️ Note: When working through the web interface, be careful with sorting by date, as when you delete large amounts of data by mistake you can lose important archives for the whole year.
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Use the web version to sort files by size, which will help you quickly find and delete heavy videos that quietly rank among thousands of photos.
Disconnecting synchronization and optimization
If you don't want to pay for a subscription and the space is running out all the time, the only way out is hard optimization. You can not only remove the space, but also prevent the loading of excess garbage. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Cloud and see the list of applications that have access to sync.
Turn off sync for all applications except Gallery and Contacts. Recorder, notes, and other system utilities often load data into the cloud that you wouldn't need if your phone was lost, freeing up several hundred megabytes that are often ignored.
Also, in the Gallery settings, look for "Storage Optimization" or "Saving Space"; when you turn on this feature, the original photos will be stored in the cloud, and only thumbnails will remain on the phone, which allows you to access all photos without taking up the device's memory, but requires the Internet to view the originals.
- 🔒 Privacy: Turn off synchronization of personal folders.
- 📉 Traffic: Stop uploading photos via mobile network.
- 🗑️ Auto Removal: Set up automatic cart cleaning.
- 🔄 Update: Stay tuned for Gallery app updates.
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Disabling the synchronization of garbage folders (screenshots, application cache) is more effective than periodic manual cleaning, since the problem is solved at the root.
Alternative methods and third-party solutions
Sometimes standard methods don't work, especially if you're using multiple devices, so you should check which devices are connected to your Mi Account, and maybe your old phone or tablet keeps uploading their photo archives to the cloud, taking your place.
Go to i.mi.com, the device management section, and delete any unfamiliar or old gadgets. Then check the sync settings on each active device. You can also consider using third-party clouds like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk by moving the archive there, and Xiaomi's cloud is only used for system settings.
There is also a method of cleaning through application management. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Gallery → Memory. Click "Clear Cache." This won't delete your photos, but it can remove temporary files that interfere with the correct display of cloud status. In some cases, resetting the Gallery application itself helps.
If nothing helps, and the cloud is full of system debris that is not being removed, the last resort is to create a new Mi Multimedia Account.It's a radical step, but it allows you to start from scratch by configuring sync only for the really important folders from the start.