Cleaning up Mi Cloud on Xiaomi Redmi: 5 ways to free up space in the cloud

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage is a handy data backup tool, but its free rate is limited to just 5GB. When the space runs out, the smartphone starts giving overflow notifications and synchronizing new files is blocked. Especially acute is the problem with Redmi devices with active use of photos, notes and backups.

In this article, you will find proven ways to clean up Mi Cloud, from removing unnecessary backups to optimizing sync, we will analyze which data can be safely deleted and which is better transferred to another storage. All instructions are relevant for Redmi smartphones on MIUI 14/15 and later, including the Redmi Note 12/13, Redmi 10/11 and the flagship series.

Important: Before cleaning, check what data is synced to the cloud. Some files (such as Contacts or Notes) can be critical. If you are not sure, export them to your computer or to another cloud first.

1. How to check the occupied space in the Mi Cloud

Before you clean the vault, you need to know what's taking up space.

1. Open the settings on your Redmi.
2. Go to Accounts and Synchronization → Mi Cloud.
3. Click on Storage Management (or Mi Cloud Storage in newer versions of MIUI).

Here you'll see a diagram of the space distribution by category: Backups, Photos and Videos, Contacts, Notes, and more. The most voracious sections are usually:

• 📸 Mi Cloud Gallery – Auto-uploadable photos and videos (can take up to 80% of the space).
• 📱 Backups of your device – snapshots of your system, apps, and settings (especially if you reset your phone frequently).
• 📝 Notes and documents - scans, PDF and large text files.

If you have Other Data or Unknown Files on the list, it can be cached data or files from remote applications, which can be deleted without risk, but first check the date of creation (older than 6 months - feel free to clean).

2. Delete backup copies of the device

Backups are the main space eater in the Mi Cloud, and each reset or MIUI update creates a new copy that can weigh 1-3 GB.

1. Go to Mi Cloud → Storage Management → Backups.
2. Choose a device (if you have several).
3. Click on the unnecessary copy and select Delete.

🔹 Which copies can be safely removed?

• 🗑️ Copies older than 6 months (unless you plan to restore old data).
• 🔄 Copies from the same device made with a difference of 1-2 days (doubles).
• 📱 Phones you don’t use anymore.

If you want to disable automatic backups, go to Mi Cloud → Settings → Automatic backup and deactivate the option. This will prevent cloud filling in in the future.

3. Clean up photos and videos from the Mi Cloud Gallery

Photos and videos take up the lion's share of space, especially if you have Autoboot enabled.

1. Open the Gallery app on your phone.
2. Go to the Mi Cloud (or Cloud) tab.
3. Select an album or individual files, click Delete.

🔹 How to Optimize Photo Storage:

• 🖼️ Reduce the download quality: in Gallery settings → Mi Cloud → Download quality select High (compression) instead of Original.
• 🗃️ Transfer old photos to another cloud (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk) and delete them from Mi Cloud.
• 📅 Set up automatic cleaning: in Mi Cloud Settings → Storage management → Autocleaning Enable Deletion of Older Files 30/60 days.

Download important photos to your computer|Check out the album "Hidden" (may contain screenshots with passwords)|Turn off autoboot to save traffic|Remove duplicates (use the Photo Duplicates app from Xiaomi)-->

⚠️ Note: photos deleted from Mi Cloud do not fall into the shopping cart - they are irretrievably erased. If you accidentally delete an important file, you can only restore it within 30 days through the web version of i.mi.com (Basket section).

4. Managing synchronized data

Mi Cloud syncs not only backups, but also individual types of data: contacts, notes, calendar, call records, some of which can be disabled or transferred to other services.

🔹 How to disable synchronization of unnecessary data:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud.
2. Open the data synchronization section.
3. Uncheck unneeded categories (such as Notes or Call Records).

💡

If you use Google services (Contacts, Calendar, Drive), disable duplicate sync in the Mi Cloud, which will not only free up space, but also speed up the phone by reducing background activity.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling contacts sync will result in them being deleted from your phone if they are only stored in the Mi Cloud. VCF via Contact → Settings → Imports/Exports.

5. Clear cache and temporary Mi Cloud files

In addition to user data, Mi Cloud stores cached files and metadata that can take up to 500 MB. Cleaning them will not delete your personal data, but will help free up additional space.

🔹 Ways to clean the cache:

• 🧹 Through phone settings: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management. Find Mi Cloud in the list. Click Storage. → Clear the cache.

Through the web version:

1. Go to i.mi.com from your PC.
2. Go to Account Settings → Storage Management → Clear the cache.

You can also delete sync logs that accumulate over time.

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud
2. Click on the icon. ⚙️ (Settings) in the upper corner.
3. Select Clear Sync Log.

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Cleaning cache and logs is the safest way to release 100-500 MB without the risk of data loss. Do this every 2-3 months.

6. Transfer data to another cloud

If 5GB of data is too small in the Mi Cloud, consider migrating some of the data to other services.

• 📷 Photo and video: Google Photos (15 GB free), Yandex.Disk (10 GB).
• 📝 Documents and Notes: Google Drive, OneDrive, Notion.
• 📱 Backups: Local storage on PC or external drive.

🔹 How to transfer photos to Google Photos:

1. Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
2. Sign in to your Google account.
3. Enable Backup and Synchronization in the application settings.
4. Wait for all photos to be uploaded, then delete them from the Mi Cloud.

⚠️ Note: When transferring data to another cloud, do not disable Mi Cloud immediately. First, make sure that all files are successfully copied and available in the new service:

• Do you open photos in Google Photos?
• Have your contacts been saved in Google Contacts?
• Whether notes are available in an alternative app.

7. Reset Mi Cloud to factory settings (extreme case)

If none of the methods worked and the cloud is still occupied by unknown files, you can reset Mi Cloud completely, which will delete all data, including:

• Backups of the devices.
• Photo and video from the Mi Cloud Gallery.
• Notes, calendars, phone records.

🔹 How to Reset Mi Cloud:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com and log in.
2. Select Account Settings → Manage Mi Cloud Data.
3. Click Reset Storage and confirm the action.

After the reset, you will get a net 5GB, but all previous data will be lost.

• You have already saved all your important files elsewhere.
• Only unnecessary or corrupted data is left in the cloud.
• You plan to sell your phone and want to remove all your personal data from the cloud.

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Resetting the Mi Cloud is a nuclear option, only use it if other methods have failed and you are sure that all critical data is saved.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Mi Cloud