Cleaning up cloud albums on Xiaomi: A complete guide to 2026

Xiaomi Cloud Albums in Mi Cloud is a convenient tool for automatic backup of photos and videos. But over time, the amount of data stored can exceed the free tariff limits (usually 5 GB), and duplicates, unnecessary screenshots and old media files take up precious space. POCO — From manual removal to automated tools.

The problem of a filled cloud is not just for basic users, but even paid subscriptions face the need to sort content, such as when you move to a new smartphone or change your Mi Account, and we’ll look at all the ways you can do it, through the Gallery mobile app, the i.mi.com web version, and hidden features that you don’t know about.

Important: the cleaning procedure depends on the version MIUI (relevant MIUI 12-14) and device models. If you have a Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12, the algorithm will be identical, but older smartphones (such as the Mi 9) may not have some options!

Why are Xiaomi’s cloud albums filling up so fast?

The main reason is the automatic synchronization of all media files, which Xiaomi turns on by default when you first sign in to your Mi Account. Even if you didn't upload photos manually, the system could save:

• 📸 Duplicate photos – for example, pictures in formats HEIC and JPEG, or copies from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).
• 📱 Screenshots – automatically uploaded to Screenshots, even if they are temporary (e.g. confirmation codes).
• 🎥 High-resolution video – videos with resolution 4K or 1080p It takes up 10 to 20 times more space than a photo.
• 🗑️ "Garbage files – thumbnails, edit cache from the Gallery app, or failed shots (blurred, dark).

Another common problem is synchronization from multiple devices, and if you used one Mi Account on the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Redmi 10, photos from both smartphones will be combined in the same cloud, and Xiaomi does not always correctly handle filename conflicts, which leads to duplicates.

Many users do not know that removing a photo from their phone ≠ If you delete a picture from the local gallery, but you didn't turn off the sync, it will stay in the Mi Cloud and take up space.

Method 1: Delete photos through the mobile gallery

The easiest method is to use the built-in Gallery app (com.miui.gallery), which is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and other smartphones. POCO s MIUI. The instructions are suitable for versions MIUI 12–14:

1. Open the Gallery app and go to the Cloud tab (the cloud icon in the bottom menu).
2. Press three points (⋮) In the upper right corner, select Cloud Management.
3. In the Albums section, select a folder to clean (such as Camera or Screenshots).
4. Press and hold your finger on any file to activate the selection mode. Mark unnecessary photos/video.
5. Slip on the basket badge (🗑️) at the bottom of the screen and confirm the deletion.

An important nuance: deleted files enter the Recycle Bin and are stored there for 30 days before final erasure. To make room right away, go to the Recycle Bin (a section in the same Cloud Management menu) and clean it manually.

Check the amount of free space in the Mi Cloud

Disable autosynchronization (Settings) → Synchronization)

Download important photos on your phone or PC

Remove duplicates manually or through applications-->

If you need to remove all photos from a particular album, do the following:

1. In the Cloud Management section, select the album and click on three dots (⋮) near-name.
2. Tap Delete the album – this will only remove the folder structure, but not the files inside.
3. To erase all media files, go back to the album, highlight everything (Select All) and click Delete.

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If the album is not deleted, check if the read-only option is included in its settings, which is true for system folders like WhatsApp Images or Telegram.

Method 2: Cleaning up via i.mi.com

The Mi Cloud web interface (i.mi.com) offers more file management options than the mobile app, for example:

• 🔍 Use advanced search by date, size, or file type.
• 📊 Sort media by volume (to quickly find the heaviest videos).
• 🗂️ Delete entire folders without confirmation for each file.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Mi Account.
2. In the menu on the left, select Gallery.
3. On the right, you'll see a list of albums. Click on the one you want to open the contents.
4. To delete individual files, tick them and click Delete in the top menu.
5. To delete the entire album, hover over its title, click on three dots (⋮) and select Delete the album.

The advantage of the web version is the ability to mass delete without the limitations of the mobile interface. For example, you can sort files by size (click on the Size column) and delete the largest videos in a few clicks.

Attention! When you delete files through the web, they don't get into the mobile application's shopping cart. They go to Recycle Bin on the same 30 days site, and to make room immediately, go to Recycle Bin after you delete them and manually clean them.

Method 3: Automatic cleaning of duplicates

If you have a lot of identical photos in your cloud (for example, because of synchronization from multiple devices), you can use the built-in function of searching for duplicates. MIUI 13 and newer:

1. Open the gallery. → Cloud. → Cloud management.
2. Scroll down and find the Duplicates section (or similar photos in some versions).
3. The app will scan albums and show groups of identical or similar shots.
4. Choose which copies to leave and which to delete (usually the best quality file is suggested).

If this option is not in your version MIUI, Use third-party applications:

• 📱 Files by Google – has a tool Cleanup with search for duplicates (works for cloud photos, if they are downloaded to the device).
• 🖥️ Duplicate Cleaner Pro (for PC) – scans folders for the presence of the same files by checksums.

Important: Before mass removal of duplicates, back up important photos to an external drive or other cloud service (such as Google Drive).

Method 4: Storage optimization (photo compression)

If you don't want to delete the photo, but you need to make room, use the storage optimization function. MIUI 14 and allows:

• 📉 Compress the photo to a lower resolution (for example, from 12 MP to 2 MP).
• 🎞️ Convert video to a more compact format (c) 4K before 1080p).
• 🗃️ Save the originals on the device and upload compressed versions to the cloud.

How to turn on:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery.
2. Storage Optimization (or Storage Management in older versions)
3. Choose Compress Photo or Compress Video and follow the prompts.

Example of saving space:

⚠️ Attention: compression is irreversible. Original files will be replaced with compressed versions, and quality cannot be restored. Before optimizing, export important photos in full resolution to external media.

Method 5: Disabling Autosynchronization and Choosing Alternatives

If the cloud is filling up too quickly, consider turning off automatic sync or switching to another service.

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Go to the Gallery section and turn off the Sync Gallery switch.
3. (Optional) Click on Sync Settings and select which albums you don’t want to upload to the cloud (like Screenshots or WhatsApp).

Alternative options for storing photos:

• 🌐 Google Photos – 15 GB free (total limit with Gmail and Drive), easy search for content.
• 🖥️ Yandex Disk – 10 GB free, integration with Yandex.Photo (automatic sorting by person/place).
• 💾 Local storage – transferring photos to microSD or external SSD (for example, Samsung T7).

If you decide to switch to another service, be sure to disable sync with Mi Cloud to avoid duplicate files.

1. Turn off autoboot in Mi Cloud.
2. Enable sync with Google Photos or another service.
3. Manually transfer important albums from Mi Cloud to the new storage.

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Disabling autosynchronization does not delete files that have already been downloaded; to free up space, they must be manually erased through Cloud Management or the web version.

Problem Solving: Errors in Cloud Cleanup

When you use Mi Cloud, you often encounter errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If the cloud still shows that the place is occupied after cleaning, try:

1. Sign out of your Mi Account and log in again (sometimes cache data is lost).
2. Clear the Gallery app cache (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Clear the cache).
3. Check the Hidden Files section in Mi Cloud – sometimes media that is not displayed in the main gallery will get there.

⚠️ Note: if after all the manipulations the volume of the cloud does not decrease, contact Xiaomi in support via the feedback form on the website i.mi.com:

• Smartphone model and version MIUI.
• Screenshot of the Managing the Cloud with Error section.
• Login of your Mi Account (without password!)

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi cloud albums