How to remove photos from Xiaomi cloud on Android Redmi

Users of Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a shortage of internal storage when the gallery is crowded. Mi Account users automatically access a cloud service that begins to back up images, taking up valuable space. Sometimes there is an urgent need to erase these copies to make room or hide confidential footage from prying eyes. The process of cleaning the storage has its own nuances, which depend on whether you want to delete the photo only on the Internet or also on the device itself.

Many users mistakenly believe that simply removing a picture from the phone gallery will automatically clean up the cloud server, but the logic of synchronization can work both ways. It is important to clearly understand the difference between deleting a local copy and deleting from the Mi Cloud cloud storage so as not to lose important memories forever. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible scenarios for Xiaomi owners.

Before you start taking drastic measures, make sure you have up-to-date backups on your computer or external media. Deleting photos from the Xiaomi cloud without first backing up will result in irretrievable data loss if not stored elsewhere. Next, we'll look at step-by-step algorithms for different versions of the MIUI shell and HyperOS.

Gallery and Cloud Management through Phone Settings

The easiest way to manage your library is to use the built-in Gallery app on your Android smartphone. The interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the basic logic remains the same. First, make sure the device is connected to the Internet, as all changes will be synchronized with the server in real time.

Go to the gallery settings to check sync status. Usually, the path is: Settings → Account and Sync → Mi Cloud. Here you will see the Gallery Sync switch. If it is active, any changes to the Camera folder will be duplicated in the cloud. To manage deletion, you need to act through the album menu.

Open the Gallery app and go to the Albums tab. Find a folder that is labeled with a cloud icon or has the caption "Synced." Select unnecessary photos, click on the basket icon and confirm action. The system has two options: delete only from the device or delete everywhere.

⚠️ Note: When you select the Delete Everywhere option, the photo will disappear from all devices associated with your Mi Account, including your tablet or second phone.

If you want to just free up space on your phone but leave your photos in the cloud, select Delete from your device, in which case the image will remain accessible via the web interface or when you re-enable sync, a useful feature for archiving old photos without physically storing them in the smartphone memory.

Complete cleaning through the web version of Mi Cloud

It's much more convenient to use a computer and a web browser to delete photos in a mass manner, and this method allows you to quickly extract thousands of photos and erase them, which would take hours on your phone. Go to the official i.mi.com website and log in using your Mi Account.

Once you log in, select the Gallery or Photo icon. You will see a grid of all images uploaded to the cloud. You can sort them by date, album or location. To select a group of files, use the Ctrl key (for sample) or Shift (for range) on the keyboard.

Once you've highlighted objects, click on the basket icon at the top of the interface. Confirm deletion in the pop-up. It's important to note that deleted files end up in the cloud storage bin, where they're stored for another 30 days before they're permanently erased, which gives you time to recover if you accidentally delete the extra.

To make room, you also need to clear the cart, and find the appropriate section on the menu on the left and select "Clean the cart" and then you can't recover the data in any way.

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Use the web version to sort photos by year – it’s faster than flipping through the tape on a small smartphone screen.

Disconnecting synchronization before removal

A common mistake users make is to try to delete a photo from the cloud without turning off the sync beforehand. If you just delete a picture from your phone when you're on active, it can automatically boot back out of the cloud or, conversely, go away from anywhere. To break that connection, you need to set the settings correctly.

Go to Settings of your Xiaomi Redmi. Find the Mi Account section (usually at the top of the list or under Passwords and Security). Select "Mi Cloud" and find "Gallery." You need to switch to "Off" position.

When you turn off sync, the system will ask you what to do with the photos that are already uploaded to the cloud, you will be asked to leave them in the cloud or delete them. Choose the option that suits your purpose. If you want to clear the cloud but leave the photos on your phone, first copy them to a local folder that cannot be synced, such as Downloads.

• 📱 Turn off Wi-Fi before mass removal to avoid instant reboot.
• 🔒 Check if sync is enabled on other devices (tablets, PCs) so they don’t restore remote storage.
• 🗑️ Use the “Clear Data” function of the Gallery app only if you are sure that you do not need copies in the cloud.

There is also the option to limit sync to Wi-Fi only, which is useful if you want to control the download process, but do not want to completely disable the function, but for the complete removal of files from the cloud, this parameter is not crucial, the main thing is the status of the account itself.

Using the Mi Cloud app on Android

Some Xiaomi devices have a separate “Mi Cloud” app installed or accessed through Settings → Advanced Settings → Mi Cloud. This interface allows you to manage the content of the storage in more detail than through a standard gallery.

In the app, you'll see a list of data categories: Contacts, Messages, Notes and Gallery. Click on Gallery. This shows the statistics of the occupied space and the number of photos. By clicking on the control button, you can choose to stop downloading or completely delete data from the cloud.

The application interface allows you to view the photos that take up the most space, often long videos or serial shooting, and removing such heavy files from the cloud through the application is faster and more stable than through the browser.

⚠️ Note: If you use third-party memory cleanup applications, they may not work properly with cloud system files, leading to sync errors.

Difference Between Device and Cloud Deletion

Understanding the Mi Cloud storage architecture is critical. It's not just a folder on a server, it's a dynamic system that strives for identity at all ends. When you delete a photo, you send a command to the server. The server, in turn, sends a command to all the connected devices.

If your goal is to make room on your phone but save it in the cloud as an archive, use the Free Space feature, which is available in the gallery menu in some versions of MIUI, and removes local copies of those photos that are already securely stored in the cloud, and when you view them, they will be downloaded from the Internet.

If the goal is to delete the photo forever, it will be deleted everywhere. There is no standard way to hide the photo from the cloud, leaving it visible in the phone gallery, or vice versa, if the sync is active. The only option is to move the photo to a folder that is excluded from sync (for example, a hidden album or a.nomedia folder), before deleting from the cloud.

The table below shows a comparison of actions and their consequences:

This table helps you quickly navigate the consequences of your actions, and always remember that the basket is a buffer zone, and the final removal only happens after it is cleaned.

Solving problems with undeletable photos

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the photo is not deleted, hangs in the status of "Waiting" or returned after deleting, this can be caused by app cache errors or network connection problems, in which case deeper intervention is required.

The first step is to clear the cache of the Gallery and Mi Cloud app. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Gallery, select Memory and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear Data, as this can reset album settings.

If the problem persists, try to put your smartphone in flight mode, delete photos locally, then turn on the Internet. Sometimes breaking the connection helps interrupt the cycle of constant reboot. It is also worth checking the date and time on the device - time dissynchronization can block Xiaomi services.

In extreme cases, if the photo is “stuck” and interferes with the work, you can temporarily rename the file through the File Manager Explorer, finding it in the folder. DCIM/Camera, Changing the file name can bypass the locking process of synchronization.

Questions and Answers (FAQ)

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Regularly checking cloud content through a web interface is the best way to monitor occupied volume and avoid overflowing storage.