How to Delete Files from Xiaomi Cloud: 5 Ways to Delete Your Files

Xiaomi Cloud (or Mi Cloud) is a handy tool for backing up photos, videos, contacts and documents. However, over time, even free 5 GB are filled with unnecessary files: duplicate photos, old screenshots or temporary documents. Their accumulation not only takes up space, but also slows down synchronization between devices. In this article, we will examine all the ways to remove files from the Xiaomi cloud, from basic to hidden functions that are not written in the official documentation.

It's important to understand that simply deleting a file from your phone doesn't always clear it from the cloud. For example, if you've enabled Autoupload photos in the Gallery, the images can automatically sync back, we'll show you how to permanently erase data, avoiding typical errors, and what to do if files freeze during the deletion process. We'll also look at the features of working with the cloud on devices running MIUI 14 and later, where the interface is drastic.

1. Delete files through the Mi Cloud mobile application

The most obvious way is to use the official Mi Cloud app, preinstalled on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones.This method is suitable for quickly cleaning individual files or folders, but has limitations: for example, you can not massively delete files by date or type.

To get started:

• 📱 Open the Mi Cloud app (cloud icon on white background).
• 🔑 Sign in with the same Xiaomi account that the cloud is linked to.
• 📁 Select the Files or Gallery section (depending on the type of data).
• 🗑️ Press and hold the file to highlight, then tap on the basket icon.

If you want to delete multiple files at once, use Multiple Selection (the two-square icon in the upper right corner). Note that deleted files end up in a basket that is stored for 30 days before final erasure. To clear the cart early, go to the Recycle Bin → Clear Everything section.

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If there is no delete button in the Mi Cloud app, check the permissions: go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Cloud → Rights and enable access to storage.

2. Clean up the cloud through the web version of Mi Cloud

The Mi Cloud web interface is convenient when you need to manage files from a computer or tablet, and you can have advanced features like sorting by size or date of change, and the main advantage is that you can massively delete files without the limitations of the mobile version.

Step-by-step:

1. Open your browser and go to i.mi.com.
2. Sign in under your Xiaomi account (if necessary, confirm the sign-in via SMS or email).
3. In the left menu, select the Files or Gallery section.
4. Tick unneeded files and click Delete (or Delete key on the keyboard).

In the web version there is a hidden ability to filter files by size: click on the filter icon (☰) → Sort by: Size. This will help you quickly find the heaviest files that take up the lion's share of space, and you can also restore deleted files within 30 days, which is a separate tab in the Recycle Bin.

3. Automatic cleaning: setting up storage rules

MIUI 14+ has a Smart Cleanup feature that automatically deletes old or duplicate files according to set rules, eliminating routine manual cleaning, but requires pre-setting.

How to turn on:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud.
• 📊 Select Storage Management → Smart cleaning.
• ⚙️ Set up rules: Delete files older 3/6/12 Clean screenshots or uploaded files automatically. Delete folders (e.g. Important documents).
• 🔄 Activate the slider Enable the smart cleaning.

This function works in the background and does not require constant monitoring. However, be careful: automatically deleted files do not fall into the trash and it will be impossible to restore them.

4. Delete backups and application cache

Many users forget that Mi Cloud stores not only media files, but also app backups, call logs, SMS and even game data, which can take up gigabytes of space, and they are rarely in demand.

To clean them up:

1. In the Mi Cloud mobile app, go to the Backups section.
2. Select the device for which you need to remove the backup.
3. Press three points (⋮) → Delete backup copy.
4. Confirm the action (the system will request a password from the Xiaomi account).

Separately, you should clear the cloud cache, which accumulates during synchronization.

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Find Mi Cloud in the list and select it.
• 🧹 Click Clear Cache and Clear Data (Warning: This Will Reset the App Settings!).

Ensure that important data is stored locally

Check the date of the last backup

Disable autosynchronization for unnecessary applications

Write down your Xiaomi account password (required for confirmation)-->

5. Freeing up space through "Storage Optimization"

MIUI has a built-in Storage Optimization tool that analyzes occupied space and suggests removing unnecessary files, including those synchronized with the cloud.

Algorithm of action:

• 🔧 Open the Settings. → Memory.
• 📊 Tap on Optimize (or Free up space in new versions).
• 🔍 Wait for the analysis (may take 1-2 minutes).
• 🗑️ In the Xiaomi Cloud section, mark files to delete and confirm the action.

The tool automatically groupes files into categories:

• 📸 Duplicate photos – repeated pictures with a difference of several pixels.
• 🎥 Large videos – videos larger than 100 MB.
• 📄 Old documents – files that have not been opened for more than a year.

The advantage of this method is to visualize the occupied space: you will see which files "eat" the most space, but the tool does not always correctly determine duplicates, so we recommend manually checking the marked files before mass deletion.

6. Delete files with PC (via Mi PC Suite)

If you're more comfortable managing the cloud from your computer, you can use the official Mi PC Suite software, which allows you not only to sync data, but also to view files in the cloud, delete them or transfer them to a local disk.

Instructions:

1. Download and install Mi PC Suite from the official website.
2. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable (data transmission mode).
3. Sign in to Mi PC Suite under your Xiaomi account.
4. Go to the Cloud section → File management.
5. Select unnecessary files and click Delete (or drag them to a local folder for archiving).

The advantage of this method is to preview files before deleting, for example, you can open a full-size photo or listen to an audio file to make sure you delete exactly what you need, and Mi PC Suite allows you to export files from the cloud to your PC with one click, which is convenient for creating local backups.

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Mi PC Suite is the only official way to manage Xiaomi’s cloud from a computer without using a browser.The program supports mass movement of files between the cloud and local storage, which speeds up the cleanup.

7 What to do if the files are not deleted?

Sometimes users find that files in Mi Cloud "hang" when deleted or recover after cleaning, this is due to synchronization features or server errors.

If none of these methods worked, try Forced Synchronization:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn off and turn on the Synchronization slider again.
3. Reset the device.

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If the file is stuck in the Delete status, try to delete it via another device (for example, from your phone if you tried it with a PC before), sometimes changing the device resets the frozen process.

8 Security: How to permanently erase data from the cloud

Deleting files through the Recycle Bin does not guarantee their complete erasure from Xiaomi servers. For permanent deletion (for example, before selling an account or device), you need to follow additional steps:

Instructions for complete cleaning:

• 🔒 Delete all files via the web version of Mi Cloud (as described in Section 2).
• 🗑️ Clean the basket manually (Basket section) → Clear it all up).
• 🔄 Turn off sync on all devices: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Turn off all sliders
• 📧 Write in support of Xiaomi asking to clear server data (it can take up to 7 days).

If you are selling or transferring your device to another person, make sure to log out of your Xiaomi account:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi account.
2. Click on the profile icon → Get out.
3. Confirm the exit (the system may request a password).

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Before you leave your account, untie the device in the web version of Mi Cloud: Devices → Find your device → Delete. This will prevent automatic binding to the new owner.

⚠️ Note: If you use Mi Cloud for storage SMS, If you remove your phone logs or notes from the cloud, you'll lose data on all your synchronized devices.

FAQ: Frequent questions about deleting files from the Mi Cloud

Now you know all the ways to manage files in the Mi Cloud, from basic cleaning to complete data erasure. Regular cleaning in the cloud will not only free up space, but also speed up the work of devices synced with your Xiaomi account. If there are specific questions (for example, how to delete files from a particular model of Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5), clarify them in the comments – we will add detailed instructions to the article.