Owners of Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where cloud storage is overflowing. In 2023, Xiaomi Cloud services underwent a series of changes in the interface and logic of synchronization, which raises questions for users accustomed to old gallery management schemes.
Incorrectly deleting files can result in the loss of important images on all connected devices. The sync system works automatically, and actions taken in one place are often duplicated in another. Understanding these processes is critical to preserving your data.
In this article, we will discuss the current ways to clean storage, learn about the intricacies of the cart, the features of the web version and methods of selective removal, which will help you effectively manage the space without the risk of accidental loss of information.
Principles of synchronization of the gallery
The main thing that works is that you constantly check the data between the device and the server, and when you take a picture, it's stored in the phone's memory, and if you turn on the Sync option, a copy of the file is sent to the company's servers.
It's important to understand that the cloud is a mirror, not an isolated archive, and that changes to the smartphone gallery are automatically reflected in the cloud, and that feedback is also real-time when connected to the network.
There's a nuance to the quality of the images you download, and users can opt for space-saving optimization or downloading the originals. In 2023, compression algorithms were improved, but the originals still take up a lot of volume.
⚠️ Warning: Deleting a photo from the cloud when you actively sync it will disappear from your phone. This is not a backup in the classical sense, but an extension of the device's memory.
The Mi Account system account is used to manage these processes, and it is through it that you log in to all devices, and without an attached account, you can't use the advanced gallery features.
Delete photos through the Gallery app
The easiest way to clear the space is to use a standard app on a smartphone.The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS, but the logic remains the same.
Open the app and go to the Albums tab, and you'll find a folder called Cloud or Cloud, and that's where the images that you upload to the server are stored.
- 📱 Press and hold your finger in the photo to highlight.
- 🗑️ Select the basket icon in the bottom corner of the screen.
- ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window.
If you want to delete a lot of files at once, use the highlight mode, which is usually activated by long pressing or via the Select menu in the upper right corner, which allows you to tag hundreds of pictures at a time.
Once deleted, the files are placed in a newly deleted folder, which takes up space in the cloud until they are permanently deleted or 30 days later.
Working with the cloud through a web browser
It's easier to use a computer for mass cleaning, and the web version of the service provides more functionality for managing files, which is especially useful if you want to delete thousands of photos at once.
Go to the official i.mi.com website and log in. In the interface, select the Gallery section, which displays all albums synced to your account.
| Action. | Keyboard combination | The result |
|---|
| Selection of one | Mouse click | Selected 1 file |
| Allocation of range | Shift + click | All picked between |
| Selection of several | Ctrl + Click | Selected individual |
| Removal | Delete button | Move to the basket |
Use the Shift key to quickly highlight a wide range of photos. Click on the first shot, press the key, and click on the last one. All images between them will be selected.
Once highlighted, press the delete button. Files will disappear from the main view, but the space will only be vacant after cleaning the shopping cart on the site.
What to do if the site is not loaded?
If the web version doesn't open, check the ad blockers. Often they conflict with the scripts of the Xiaomi site. Try incognito mode or another browser. DNS, If you try to write 8.8.8.8, the web interface allows you to sort photos by date, it helps you quickly find old archives that you can safely delete, and in 2023, the site's speed was optimized for heavy albums. Xiaomi Cloud security system provides a buffer zone for deleted files. The recently deleted folder stores data for 30 days. It is an insurance against accidental loss of important information. While the files are in the bin, they continue to take up space in your storage, and if your goal is to free up gigabytes right now, you need to do the final cleanup. 🗑️ Check out the album recently deleted. 🧹 Click the Clean or Delete button. ⚠️ Confirm the irreversibility of the action. It will not be possible to recover files after this procedure using standard means. Servers mark memory cells as free to write new data. ⚠️ Attention: Data recovery after cleaning the cart is possible only through complex technical procedures or paid services, and success is not guaranteed. Act carefully. If you deleted the photo by mistake, enter the cart before the expiration of 30 days. Choose the desired pictures and click Restore. They'll be back on their original albums. Synchronization and settings management To avoid cloud overflow in the future, you need to set your sync settings correctly. Not all of your images need to be stored on the server. For example, screenshots or photos from messengers are often not valuable. Go to Settings -> Mi Account -> Xiaomi Cloud. This is the Gallery Sync switch, and you can turn it off completely or you can set it up selectively, and you have the gallery settings, Delete Synced Photos, which allows you to delete the images from the server, but leave them in the phone's memory. This is ideal for those who use the cloud as a temporary buffer. 💡Use the Free Space feature in the gallery settings. It will automatically find and prompt you to delete photos that have already been saved in the cloud, freeing up your phone’s memory but leaving thumbnails to view. If this option is enabled, large videos will not be uploaded via the mobile network. This will save your traffic and speed up the system. Regularly check the list of devices connected to the account. Old or sold phones may continue to sync data or require space. Users often encounter errors when deleting, for example, a photo may not be deleted or returned after a reboot, this indicates desynchronization of data, in such cases, it is recommended to update the page or restart the application. If the problem persists, try to delete the photo via the web version and then update the gallery on your phone. Another common problem is the "Not enough space" error when you try to delete. Paradoxically, a system sometimes needs a little space to perform database operations. 💡If deletion is blocked, try temporarily disabling sync, deleting files locally, and then enabling sync again with a request for data update. If you have frequent crashes, check the version of the Xiaomi Cloud Services app. Update it through the GetApps store or Google Play store. Older software may not work properly with new server protocols. Can you delete photos from the cloud by leaving them on your phone? Yes, it's possible. You need to go to the gallery sync settings and select the option to delete cloud copies. However, the easiest way to do this is through the web interface, pre-disable sync on your phone so that it doesn't download the remote back. How long do you store deleted photos in Xiaomi Cloud? In the cart, they are deleted automatically. If you clean the cart manually, recovery becomes impossible immediately after the phone is deleted. You have to delete everywhere or turn off sync. Do photos in the cart take up storage space? Yes, files in the folder "Recently deleted" take up space in your cloud storage. To free up space, you have to clear the cart. What to do if the delete button doesn't work? Try updating the page in your browser or rebooting your phone. Check the Internet connection. If the problem is not solved, log in from another device and try to delete files from there.