How to view Xiaomi Cloud storage: a complete management guide

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often face the need to vacate space or check backups. MIUI Cloud’s built-in cloud ecosystem (formerly known as Mi Cloud) is a key tool for synchronizing data between devices. However, finding specific information about the occupied volume or content of folders is not as easy as it seems at first glance.

The interface of settings can vary depending on the firmware version – whether it is a global MIUI or the latest HyperOS. Understanding the structure of cloud storage allows you not only to store photos and contacts safely, but also to effectively manage your subscription if the base volume of 5 GB is not enough for you. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to access your account data.

We will look at both mobile methods through smartphone settings and the web interface, which provides more options for working with files, and pay attention to the nuances of data cleaning, so as not to accidentally delete important documents that are not stored anywhere else.

Direct access through smartphone settings

The fastest way to know your cloud storage status is to use the standard menu on the device itself, which is ideal for quickly checking the total volume and enabling synchronization. You need to go to Settings, then click on the top line with your Mi Account, and that's where the summary of all services is displayed.

Once you log in, look for Xiaomi Cloud or Cloud, and here you'll see a visual scale showing the ratio of used to free space, clearly segregating the data into categories: gallery, voice recorder, notes and call records, clicking on a specific category, you can detail the viewing.

In some versions of the shell, the interface may require additional confirmation via SMS or password to display content, a standard security procedure that protects your personal data from unauthorized access in the event of a phone theft.

⚠️ Note: If you see a connection error message when you try to log into the cloud menu, check the stability of the Internet connection. Servers may be temporarily unavailable, or the system prohibits data transfer for this application.

Memory management is limited to basic functions here. You can quickly clear the space by removing old screenshots or videos that take up the most space, but for deep file sorting, it's less convenient than using a browser on a computer.

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Use the Cleanup feature in the cloud menu on your phone to automatically remove duplicate photos that have already been synced and deleted from the device, but are still hanging in the download queue.

Full control via i.mi.com web interface

The best way to view content in detail and manage files is with a computer. The Mi Cloud web version provides an interface that is as close to desktop file managers as possible. Open any browser and go to i.mi.com, the official portal where all your data is stored.

Once you enter your username and password from Mi Account, you will see a control panel that not only provides photos, but also contacts, notes, voice recordings, and even the location of lost devices, and the interface is divided into logical blocks, making it easier to navigate through a large amount of information.

The Drive section, if available in your region, is a place where you store files that are manually uploaded, not just automatically synchronized photos, and the Web interface allows you to create folders, rename files and download them with archives, which is extremely convenient when changing your smartphone.

An important advantage of the web version is that it can delete or move files massively, and you can select hundreds of photos at a time and send them to the trash, and on a mobile device, this often results in a freeze in the interface, or takes much longer because of the optimization for touch input.

Gallery management and photo synchronization

Photos and videos typically take up 90 percent of all available space in the Xiaomi cloud, offering flexible sync settings to choose which albums to upload to the web and which to leave only in the phone’s memory, a critical feature for users with little free storage.

In the gallery settings, you can activate the "Free Space" function. Once the photo has successfully uploaded to the Xiaomi Cloud and received a server confirmation, a copy of it will be deleted from the device, and only a preview will remain in the gallery, which is downloaded as needed when viewed.

There is also the ability to hide certain albums from syncing, such as screenshots from apps or temporary images from messengers often don’t need to be stored forever, and disabling them will save precious gigabytes without losing important family shots.

Remember to check the folder "Recently deleted." Files that are deleted with sync, get there and take up space in the cloud for 30 days, and cleaning this basket is the fastest way to instantly return free space if you urgently need it for a new backup.

Tariff plans and memory expansion

The basic Mi Account provides 5GB of free space for a modern smartphone with a high-resolution camera, which is catastrophically short even for a month of active shooting, and the company offers multiple subscription levels to expand the limits.

Subscription costs vary by region and currency of the account. 50 GB, 200 GB and 2 TB packages are usually available. Payment can be made by a linked credit card or via a mobile account if the operator supports this option. When you buy a family subscription, the amount of memory is shared among all group members.

Below is a table with indicative characteristics of the available tariffs (the relevance of prices may vary):

When choosing a fare, it is important to consider that the paid space applies to all ecosystem services, including Mi Drive. If you actively use a recorder to record lectures or meetings, or keep important documents in notes, it makes sense to consider switching to a paid tariff.

Cleaning and optimization of the occupied place

Sooner or later, every user is confronted with a message saying, "Storage is full," at which point the synchronization of new photos stops, and fresh images may not be saved to the cloud. You need to do a data audit. Start by analyzing large video files, which often weigh 100-500 MB each.

You can sort files by size in the web interface, and that allows you to quickly identify heavyweights that you might have forgotten about, often from old concerts or travel videos that were taken a few years ago that are no longer valuable.

Also worth checking is the Find Device section, which, while it doesn't store files, takes up a portion of the account's quota, keeping the location history and lists of connected gadgets. Removing old, inactive devices from the trusted list will help to offload the profile a little.

⚠️ Before mass clearing the cloud, make sure that important files are copied to an external hard drive or other service (Google Drive, Yandex.Disk.

Use built-in analytics tools in your storage settings, and it tells you which applications or data types are taking up the most space, and by following these guidelines, you can free up to 30 percent of the space without losing really important information.

Frequent problems and their solution

Users often complain about data de-synchronization, like the photo deleted in the phone but left in the cloud, or vice versa, in which case a complete re-assignment of the account helps, you need to log out of Mi Account in the settings, reboot the smartphone and log in again.

Another common problem is the error of downloading large files, often due to unstable Wi-Fi or power saving settings that kill background synchronization. Add Xiaomi Cloud to battery exclusions so that the system does not limit its operation.

If you have changed your account region (e.g., moved from Russia to Kazakhstan or Europe), cloud access may be restricted or moved to another server, in which case the data may not be visible until the server migration is completed, which sometimes takes up to 30 days.

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Regularly checking cloud storage via a web interface is the best way to keep your data in order and avoid suddenly stopping syncs at the most inopportune moment.

Data security and two-factor authorization

Because the cloud stores personal photos, correspondence and passwords, account security comes to the fore. Be sure to enable two-factor authentication (2FA), which will protect your data even if your password is leaked. The confirmation code will come to the associated phone number.

Check the trusted device list regularly, and if you sell an old phone or lose a tablet, remove it from the list immediately in your account security settings, which will cut the device’s connection to the cloud and prevent the new owner from accessing your data.

Use complex passwords that don’t match email or social media passwords. Xiaomi Cloud is the key to managing your entire device, including the ability to remotely lock or erase data, so compromising this account carries serious risks.