Cleaning up Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Cloud Storage: The Complete 2026 Guide

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage is a handy backup tool, but it’s limited in scope. Redmi Note 8 Pro owners often face a notification that says “Cloud memory is almost full,” especially if they use automatic photo, video and app synchronization. Unlike today’s flagships, this model (released in 2019) offers only 5GB of free space by default — and it’s not long enough.

Complicating the problem is that Xiaomi doesn’t offer the ability to expand the cloud for money for older Redmi Note 8/9 devices. So the only way out is to clean the storage manually regularly. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to free up space, from removing unnecessary backups to optimizing synchronization, and find out which files can be safely deleted and which ones shouldn’t be touched, so you don’t lose important data.

Note: the cleaning procedure for the Redmi Note 8 Pro is nuanced by the MIUI version (maximum supported MIUI 14). For example, the new firmware Mi Cloud menu looks different, and some features (like smart cleaning) are not available. All the instructions below are relevant for MIUI 12-14 and tested in practice.

1. Checking occupied space in Mi Cloud

Before you delete files, you need to understand what exactly takes up space.

• 📸 Photo and video (automatic synchronization from the gallery)
• 📱 Backup copies (system settings, SMS, call-in)
• 📄 Documents and downloads (files from the File Manager")
• 🎵 Audio files (recordings from the recorder, music)
• 🔄 Application cache (temporary synchronization data)

To see the details:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Slip on the line "Storage" (at the top of the screen).
3. The system will show a diagram with the distribution of space by category.

Note the Other section, which often hides undeleted backups from old firmware or duplicate files, and if this partition is more than 1 GB, it should be cleared (more on this below).

2. Deletion of system backups

Backups are the main space eater. Redmi Note 8 Pro creates them automatically when you update MIUI or manually through Settings → About Phone → Backup. One copy can weigh between 500MB and 2GB, and older versions are not deleted by themselves.

How to remove unnecessary backups:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup.
2. Select the device (Redmi Note 8 Pro).
3. Scroll down to the backup history block.
4. Slip on an unnecessary copy (for example, from MIUI 11, if you already have MIUI 14) and click "Delete".

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the last backup unless you are sure that the data is stored elsewhere!

If the list doesn’t have old copies, but the “Other” section in the storage is full, try this method:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Backup.
2. Slip on "Local backups" (if any).
3. Delete all files with the.mbk extension – they are duplicated in the cloud.

Outdated copies from MIUI 11/12

Duplicate backups (with the same date)

Local copies (.mbk) on the phone

Copies from other devices (if linked to your account)-->

3. Cleaning photos and videos from the gallery

Automatic synchronization of photos in Mi Cloud is enabled by default and quickly fills up storage, especially if you shoot video in 4K (Redmi Note 8 Pro supports shooting at a resolution of 3840×2160): one minute of such video takes ~300-400 MB.

Ways to make room:

• 🗑️ Remove from the cloud by leaving it on your phone: Open the gallery → Albums. → Mi Cloud. Select unnecessary files (long tap). Click "Delete" and select "From the cloud only".

Turn off autosynchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization of the gallery.
2. Turn off the Auto Boot slider.

Transfer files to another cloud:

Download your photo to your PC via the web version of Mi Cloud, and then upload it to Google Photos or Yandex Drive (there you get 15 GB and 10 GB for free, respectively).

If you want to remove all photos from the cloud at once:

1. Open i.mi.com on PC.
2. Sign in and go to the Gallery section.
3. Press "Select all" → "Delete".

⚠️ Warning: photos deleted from Mi Cloud don't get into the cart - they're erased forever! Before mass cleaning, back up on your PC.

4. Optimization of application synchronization

Mi Cloud syncs not only media files, but also application data: notes, calendar, browser, voice recorder, and many of these data are duplicated or obsolete, but they continue to take up space.

How to turn off unnecessary synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Data Synchronization.
2. View the list of applications and turn off the sliders opposite: 📝 Notes (if not used) 🎤 Recorder (audio recordings weigh a lot) 🌐 Browser (history and bookmarks) 📅 Calendar (if you use Google Calendar)

How to delete already synchronized data:

1. In the same menu (Data Synchronization), tap the application (for example, "Notes").
2. Click on "Remove Data from the Cloud".
3. Confirm the action.

💡

If you use Google services (Contacts, Calendar, Drive), disable their sync in Mi Cloud to avoid data duplication.

5. Clearing cache and temporary files

When synchronized with the cloud, Xiaomi creates temporary files and cache that accumulate over time, which can not be seen in the main menu of the Mi Cloud, but they occupy space in the “Other” section.

How to clear the cache:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find and select "Mi Cloud" (or "Xiaomi Cloud").
3. Slip the Storage" → "Clear the cache".
4. Reboot the phone.

If the cache is not cleared, try resetting the Mi Cloud app (click Clear Data on the same menu) and this won’t remove your files from the cloud, but will reset your sync settings.

6. Alternative ways to make room

If standard methods do not help, try these non-obvious techniques:

1. Delete data from other devices

If other phones are tied to your Xiaomi account (like an old Redmi 5 or tablet), their backups may lie in your cloud to remove them:

2. Compress photo before downloading

In Redmi Note 8 Pro, you can enable the option “Traffic Savings”, which compresses the photo when uploaded to the cloud:

⚠️ Note: If you decide to abandon Mi Cloud completely, save all important data first (contacts, SMS, Disabling sync without backup may result in loss of information!

Frequent Questions (FAQ)