How to Free Memory in the Xiaomi Cloud: A Complete Guide to 2026

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 50GB for premium users) can quickly fill up if you don’t keep track of the content. When memory runs out, the smartphone stops syncing new data, and space-short notifications become annoying. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to free Xiaomi’s cloud from removing duplicates to optimizing backups.

It's not just a limited amount of work: a clogged cloud slows down sync between devices, increases file load times, and can cause data recovery failures, for example, if you haven't cleaned Mi Cloud in a long time, you might have accumulated old backups from previous smartphones, unnecessary screenshots, or repetitive photos from the Gallery, and we'll show you how to find and remove that garbage without spending money on expanding storage.

It’s important to understand that clearing the cloud is different from freeing up memory on the smartphone itself, and this is about files that are stored on Xiaomi servers, not in the internal drive of the Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5. If you need to make room on your phone, read our separate instructions.

1. Checking occupied space in Mi Cloud

Before you delete files, you need to understand what exactly is taking up space in the cloud.

1. Open the Settings app on Xiaomi smartphone.
2. Go to the Accounts section → Mi Account.
3. Slip on Mi Cloud (or Cloud in newer versions of MIUI).
4. At the top of the screen you will see a diagram with the distribution of memory by categories: Photos, Videos, Documents, Backups, etc.

For example, if a diagram shows that 70% of the memory is taken up by a photo and you haven't cleaned the gallery in a long time, then the priority is to delete the unnecessary pictures, and if the bulk of the storage is going to be backed up, it's worth checking if copies are saved from multiple devices.

Notice the Recycle Bin item on the Mi Cloud menu, where files that are deleted from the cloud are taken in and stored for another 30 days before being permanently erased, and if you've recently cleaned the cloud but the space hasn't vacated, check the Recycle Bin and manually clean it.

2. Delete unnecessary photos and videos

Photos and videos are the main cloud eaters, and even if your smartphone has Storage Optimization enabled (saving previews instead of originals), you can still have full-size copies in the Mi Cloud. Here's how to clean them:

• 📸 Duplicates and blurry photos: Open the Gallery → Albums. → Mi Cloud and sort files by date. Delete repetitive frames (such as serial photos with a pinched down button) and failed shots.
• 🎥 High-resolution video: Video in 4K full HD Check the video folder in the cloud and delete unnecessary videos (for example, random screen recordings).
• 🗑️ Screenshots and memes: Screenshots folder is often littered with old screenshots from messengers or social networks.

To speed up the process, use the Date Selection function:

1. In Mi Cloud, go to the Photos section.
2. Click on the calendar icon (or Filter).
3. Select a date range (for example, photos older than 1 year).
4. Mark all files in this range and click Delete.

Outdated screenshots (over 6 months)

Blurred or repetitive photos

Low quality videos (for example, recorded in messengers)

Backups of old devices (if you don’t already use your phone)

Files from the Downloads folder that are duplicated on the phone-->

⚠️ Note: If you have Autoboot to the Cloud enabled (Settings) → gallery → Cloud sync, deleting files from Mi Cloud will cause them to disappear from your phone, and before cleaning, turn off sync or make a local copy of important data.

3. Cleaning of backup copies of devices

Backups are the second-largest garbage in the Mi Cloud. Xiaomi automatically creates backups of contacts, messages, settings, and even installed apps. The problem is that copies can accumulate for years, especially if you change your smartphone a lot.

To remove unnecessary backups:

1. Open Mi Cloud → Backup copies.
2. You will see a list of devices (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO F3) and the dates of creation of copies.
3. Slip on the device, then select an old copy (e.g., from 2022) and click Delete.

If you haven’t used a device in a long time (for example, you sold the Xiaomi Mi 9 two years ago), you can delete its backups completely.

1. In the Backups section, find the old device.
2. Press three points (⋮) near-name.
3. Select Delete all copies.

💡

Before removing the backup, export important data (contacts, notes) to a local file. For contacts: open Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Export to a VCF file.

4. Optimization of synchronization of photos

By default, Mi Cloud uploads all photos and videos from your phone to the cloud in their original quality, which quickly fills up storage, especially if you're shooting in RAW or 4K. To reduce space consumption:

• 📱 Turn off the autoload of unnecessary folders: Go to the Gallery → Settings → Cloud synchronization → Sync folders and uncheck folders like Screenshots or WhatsApp Images.
• 🖼️ Reduce the quality of photos you upload: In the same sync settings, choose Optimized Quality over Original.This will reduce the weight of files by 50-70% without noticeable loss of quality.
• 🔄 Sync only over Wi-Fi: Turn on the option to Download only over Wi-Fi to avoid mobile traffic consumption and accidental downloads.

If you are actively using Google Photos or another cloud service, you can completely disable sync with Mi Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Mi Cloud
2. Turn off the gallery's synchronization slider.
3. Confirm the action (files will remain on the phone, but will no longer be duplicated in the cloud).

⚠️ Note: After the sync is disabled, new photos will no longer be uploaded to Mi Cloud, but the old files will remain in the cloud.

5. Deletion of documents and other files

The Mi Cloud Documents section stores files that are downloaded manually or saved from other applications (such as WPS Office or Files).

• 📄 Outdated. PDF-contract;
• 🎵 Audio files (e.g. voice recordings);
• 📊 Exported data from apps (e.g. training history from Mi Fit);
• 📦 Archives (.zip,.rar) with backup copies.

To clean up this section:

1. Open the Mi Cloud → Documents.
2. Sort files by size (click on the filter icon).
3. Delete the largest files that are no longer needed.

If you don't remember why you saved a file, check its date of creation, such as a 2020 apartment lease or last year's Internet receipt.

6. Alternative ways to make room

If the cloud is still crowded after cleaning, consider these options:

• 💳 Buy extra space: You can expand storage to 200 GB in Mi Cloud (costs from 99 rubles/month), which is true if you are actively using the Xiaomi ecosystem (for example, synchronize data with Mi Band or smart home).
• 🔄 Move files to another cloud: Upload important data (photos, documents) to Google Drive, Yandex Drive or Dropbox, and then delete it from Mi Cloud.
• 📱 Use local storage: If your phone has a microSD slot, transfer some files to a memory card and turn them off from cloud sync.

To transfer files to another cloud:

1. Download data from Mi Cloud to your computer (via i.mi.com).
2. Upload them to the selected service (e.g. Google Photos).
3. Remove the originals from the Mi Cloud.

💡

Before buying additional space in Mi Cloud, estimate how much you really need. For example, if you are occupied by 4.5 GB of 5 GB, and enough and the minimum tariff for 10 GB (about 30 rubles / month).

7. Automatic cleaning setup

To avoid manually cleaning the cloud, set up automatic rules:

• 🗓️ Delete old files: In the Mi Cloud → Settings → Storage management enable Autoclean option.The system will prompt you to delete files older than 1 year.
• 📂 Remove folders from sync: In the Gallery settings, mark folders that do not need to be uploaded to the cloud (such as Telegram or Downloads).
• 🔄 Size Limitation: In some versions MIUI There is a function Storage limit - when it is reached, new files will not be downloaded.

It is also useful to check notifications from Mi Cloud regularly.The system sends alerts when a place is running out and suggests clearing unnecessary data (e.g. duplicate photos).

If you take pictures often but don’t want to clog the cloud, use Google Photos with Storage Optimization. This service offers 15 GB for free (versus 5 GB in the Mi Cloud) and better optimizes space through compression.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's cloud