How to view photos in the cloud Xiaomi: all ways to access the Mi Cloud

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage is a handy tool for backing up photos, videos and other files. If you’ve ever enabled sync in your phone’s settings, your pictures are automatically saved to the cloud even if the originals have been removed from your device. But how do you access them if you need to restore old photos or free up memory on your smartphone?

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can view photos in the Xiaomi cloud – through your mobile app, web version, and other devices. You’ll learn how to find hidden albums, recover deleted shots, and solve typical access problems. The instructions are relevant for all Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco models based on MIUI 12-14 and later.

What is Mi Cloud and how does it work with photos?

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s cloud storage integrated into the MIUI ecosystem, which automatically synchronizes photos, contacts, notes and other data between devices, and the main advantage for users is the ability to free up memory on a smartphone by storing original images in the cloud.

How it works:

• 📸 When synced, all new photos and videos are automatically uploaded to Mi Cloud.
• ☁️ Files are stored in a compressed format (unless saving in original quality is enabled).
• 🔄 Changes (deleting, editing) on one device apply to all synchronized gadgets.
• 🗃️ 5GB of free space is available by default (you can expand for a fee).

It's important to understand that Mi Cloud is not just a backup, it's a full-fledged photo archive, and even if you delete a picture from your phone, it's still in the cloud (if it's not deleted from there), which is a good thing in situations where you need to recover accidentally erased photos.

Method 1: Viewing photos through the Gallery app on Xiaomi smartphone

The easiest way to view photos in the cloud is to use the standard Gallery app on your Xiaomi, which automatically displays both local and cloud images if sync is enabled.

Step instructions:

1. Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
2. In the bottom menu, select the Albums section.
3. Scroll up to the Mi Cloud block (cloud with the inscription).
4. Slip All photos on the album or select a specific folder (for example, Screenshots, Downloads).
5. To upload a photo to your phone, click on the picture, then select Download (the arrow icon down).

If the Mi Cloud section is not in the gallery, check:

• 🔄 Is synchronization enabled: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery.
• 📶 Is there internet access (Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• 🔄 Is the Gallery app updated to the latest version.

Note that if you have previously disabled the autoupload of photos to the cloud, new images may not be available, in which case they can be downloaded manually through the Mi Cloud settings.

Method 2: Access photos via the web version of Mi Cloud on your computer

If you want to view or download photos from Xiaomi to your computer, the most convenient way to use the web version of Mi Cloud is suitable for mass uploading pictures or if the phone is temporarily unavailable.

Step-by-step:

1. Open your browser on your PC or laptop and go to i.mi.com.
2. Sign in with the same Xiaomi account as you do on your phone (login – email or phone number).
3. In the main menu, select the Gallery section (photo icon).
4. Use filters by date, album or file type (photo/video) to find the right shots.
5. For download:

Advantages of the web version:

• 🖥️ It is convenient to view photos on a large screen.
• 📁 You can download entire albums at once (in the ZIP-archive).
• 🔍 There is an advanced search for marks and dates.

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If photos in Mi Cloud are showing low quality, check your phone's sync settings, and you may have a traffic saving mode that compresses images.

Important: If you use two-factor authentication (2FA) for your Xiaomi account, you will need to enter a code from an SMS or authenticator application when you sign in from a new device.

Method 3: Recover deleted photos from the Mi Cloud Recycle Bin

If you accidentally delete a photo from the cloud, it can be recovered within 30 days, which is how much backup you have in your Mi Cloud Recycle Bin, and then the files are deleted irrevocably.

How to recover deleted photos:

1. Go to the web version of Mi Cloud (i.mi.com) or open the Gallery app on your phone.
2. Go to the Cart section (in the web version - in the side menu, in the mobile application - in the Mi Cloud album).
3. Select the photos you want to return and click Restore.
4. Confirm the action – the files will be returned to the main gallery.

Warning: Recovered photos will retake space in your cloud storage, and if the limit is filled, make room before you recover.

The limitations of the Mi Cloud cart:

Method 4: Viewing photos from the Mi Cloud app on another phone

If you have a second smartphone (not necessarily Xiaomi), you can install the official Mi Cloud app and access all synchronized data, including photos.

Instructions for Android:

1. Download the Mi Cloud app from Google Play.
2. Sign in with the same Xiaomi account as your main phone.
3. In the main menu, select the Gallery.
4. View photos, download them or share them directly from the app.

For iPhone (iOS):

• 📱 Install the Mi Home app (it includes access to the Mi Cloud).
• 🔑 Log in and go to the Cloud section. → gallery.
• ⚠️ iOS functionality is limited – some albums may not show.

The advantage of this method is that you can view photos on the go without uploading them to the device, but to save traffic, it is recommended to download pictures only over Wi-Fi.

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The Mi Cloud app on Android allows you not only to view, but also to manage albums: create new ones, move photos, delete duplicates.

Solving photo access problems in Mi Cloud

Sometimes users find that photos in the Xiaomi cloud are not displayed or downloaded. Let's look at typical problems and ways to solve them.

Problem 1: Photos are not synced to the cloud

• 🔌 Check your internet connection (synchronization only works with a stable connection).
• 🔄 Enable autoboot: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery → Autoboot.
• 📵 Make sure that no traffic or battery saving mode is on (it can block background synchronization).

Problem 2: Cannot log into your Xiaomi account

• 🔑 Check the correctness of login and password input (check the register!).
• 📧 If you forgot your password, use the recovery function via email or linked phone number.
• 🛡️ If your account is blocked, contact Xiaomi with proof of ownership of the device.

Problem 3: Cloud photos are displayed in low quality

⚠️ Note: If you previously enabled the option to save traffic in the Mi Cloud settings, all photos could be compressed to resolution 2048×2048 You can't restore the original quality, you have to look for backups on other devices.

Additional advice:

• 🔄 If the photos are not displayed in the gallery, try updating the data (pull the screen down in the Mi Cloud album).
• 📱 On some Poco models, access to Mi Cloud may be hidden – search in the cloud settings».
• 🗃️ If the cloud is crowded, free up space by deleting unnecessary files or buying extra space.

How to Free Up Your Space in Mi Cloud Without Losing Photos

The free 5GB in the Mi Cloud runs out quickly, especially if you're actively taking pictures, and we're telling you how to optimize storage without losing important shots.

Ways to make room:

1. Remove duplicates and failed photos: 🔍 In the web version of Mi Cloud, use date sorting to find old or recurring photos. 🗑️ Delete screenshots, memes, and temporary files that you can download again.
2. Compress the photo without loss of quality: 📱 In the Mi Cloud settings (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Gallery) enable the option to compress photos when downloading. ☁️ This will reduce the weight of new images, but will not affect the already uploaded ones.
3. Move the photo to another cloud: 📁 Download your photo from Mi Cloud and upload it to Google Photos, Yandex Drive or iCloud. 🔄 After checking the integrity of the files, delete them from the Mi Cloud.

Buy an extra seat:

• 💳 In the Mi Cloud settings, tariffs are available from 50 GB to 2 TB (payment monthly or annually).
• 🎁 Xiaomi periodically holds promotions with free storage increase.

Tip: If you take pictures often, set up automatic cleaning of the local gallery after uploading to the cloud. To do this, in Gallery settings → Cloud settings, turn on the option to Remove from the device after download.

FAQ: Frequent questions about viewing photos in the cloud Xiaomi