Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where the built-in cloud storage is overflowing.The system automatically suggests that you turn on gallery sync to avoid losing valuable footage when the device breaks or is lost. However, over time, cloud storage is filled with duplicates, screenshots and unnecessary pictures, which requires cleaning.
The problem is that simply removing an image from a gallery on a phone doesn’t always mean it’s gone from the company’s servers. Many users mistakenly believe that cleaning up local memory solves the problem, but after a while they discover that the photo has returned or continues to take up space in the account. Understanding the mechanism of how Mi Cloud works is critical to effectively managing the digital space.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to delete photos directly through your smartphone, web interface and third-party applications, you will learn how to break the connection between the device and the cloud so that the cleanup is correct, and how to avoid common errors that lead to loss of data or, conversely, the inability to erase it.
It is critical to know that removing a photo from the Xiaomi cloud without first turning off sync will cause it to be erased from all connected devices, including the main smartphone, a nuance often overlooked by simply wanting to free up space on the server, but ultimately losing the originals in the phone, so you need to clearly understand where the original file is stored before starting any operations.
Synchronization mechanism in the Xiaomi ecosystem
To manage files properly, you need to understand the logic of the service. Synchronization in the shell of MIUI or HyperOS works on the principle of mirror reflection. When you take a picture, it is stored in internal memory, and the background process sends a copy to the server. If synchronization is active, any change (deletion, editing, moving to the album) is replicated on all devices associated with one Mi Account.
There's a concept of "storage optimization." If this feature is enabled, the original high-resolution photos are stored in the cloud, and the phone has smaller copies of them to save space. In this scenario, removing from the cloud will automatically deprive you of access to a quality image on your smartphone.
⚠️ Before mass deletion, make sure that important images are saved to a computer or external hard drive.Recover files deleted from the cloud can only be recovered within 30 days from the recycle bin, after which they disappear forever.
Also, consider the difference between local and cloud albums. Albums created inside the Gallery app (like Favorites or custom folders) can be synced separately. Checking the status of each album is the first step to clean up. Don't rely on automatic settings, you better manually monitor which folders are sent to the network.
Delete photos directly via smartphone
The most obvious way to clean up is through the phone interface, but there are some subtleties that depend on the sync settings, and if you just highlight a photo in the gallery and press the delete button, the system will issue a warning that the file will be deleted from the Mi Cloud and from all synced devices, which is standard behavior in active sync.
To selectively delete, do the following: Open the Gallery app, go to the Album tab, and select All Photos or a particular album (like Camera). Press and hold your finger on one of the images to activate the highlight mode, then select the remaining unnecessary frames. The basket icon will appear in the bottom menu.
Once you click on the cart, the system will request confirmation. If sync is enabled, you will see a message that the photo will be deleted from the cloud. Confirming this operation will immediately delete the file from the server. If you want to delete the photo only from your phone, leaving it in the cloud, you first need to stop syncing for this particular album in the settings.
☑️ Checklist before removal from the phone
Mass cleaning requires special care. In the highlight mode, you can select hundreds of photos at once, swiping your finger across the screen. However, you should not delete everything without checking the content. Often, in shared folders, you will find screenshots from messengers or saved stickers that also take up space. Separating content into categories helps you find the extra one faster.
Cleaning the cloud through the i.mi.com web interface
Managing files through a browser on a computer is often more convenient, especially when dealing with large amounts of data. i.mi.com provides full access to your account content. Here you can see files as they are stored on the server, regardless of the current sync status on the phone.
To get started, go to the official website and log in using your Mi Account. The system can request a confirmation code that will come via SMS or security application. After you log in, select the Gallery (or Photos) section. The interface resembles a standard gallery: there is a grid of previews, albums and the ability to view details.
The deletion process in the web version is similar to working on a PC. Select the desired images by holding the Ctrl (for selective) or Shift (for range), and press the delete button. The advantage of the web version is that you can upload new photos from your computer to the cloud or download archives, but in the context of our task, the main thing is the ability to safely remove the excess without fear of accidentally erasing from the phone, if the sync is set up correctly.
| Action. | On a smartphone. | On i.mi.com | In the Mi Cloud (PC) app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed of operation | Tall. | Depends on the Internet. | Medium |
| Deletion of the original | Yes (in synchronization) | Yes. | Yes. |
| Convenience of choice | Middle (finger) | Tall (mouse) | Tall (mouse) |
| Access to the basket | There is. | There is. | There is. |
It is important to note that changes made through the website will instantly affect all devices where sync is enabled. If you delete the album through the browser, it will disappear from the gallery of your Xiaomi Redmi Note or Black Shark.
Disconnecting synchronization before removal
If your goal is to free up space in the cloud but save photos in your phone's memory, or if you want to clean your phone by leaving a photo in the cloud, you need to set up sync correctly, and that's the most important step that causes you to lose data, and the mechanism is this: you have a master file and dependent copies.
To remove the photo from the cloud, but leave it on the phone: this scenario is only possible if the photos were downloaded from another device or computer. If the photo is taken on this phone, delete it from the cloud, leaving it on the phone, you can only turn off sync before deleting. Otherwise, with active sync, deleting anywhere erases the file everywhere.
To turn off gallery sync, go to Smartphone Settings, find Mi Account (or Xiaomi Account). Select the Cloud. From the list of services, find the Gallery and switch to the "Switched Off" position, the system will warn that new photos will not be downloaded, and the old ones may stop showing if optimization is enabled.
⚠️ Warning: Once sync is disabled, old photos may disappear from the gallery if Storage Optimization is enabled, in which case only previews remain on the device.
What is storage optimization?
There's a nuance with "Recently Deleted," which is that even after you turn off sync, files can stay in the cloud bin for a while, and to clean up completely, you have to go to the cloud settings through your browser and clear the cart there, and then you have to completely vacate the server space.
Using the Mi Cloud application for Windows and macOS
For users who prefer to work with files on the big screen, Xiaomi has released an official application for computers, which allows you to manage cloud files as if it is a regular folder on your hard drive, which is convenient for sorting large archives before deleting.
Once you install the program and log in, you'll see an interface with categories like Contacts, Messages, Gallery, etc. Going to the gallery section, you can view all the albums. Deletion works like the web version: file highlighting and Delete key pressing or delete buttons in the interface.
The main advantage of a desktop application is that it can be batched, so you can sort files by date of creation and quickly select, for example, all the images from the previous year, but you should remember the stability of the connection. When the network breaks, the process of synchronizing the deletion status can be interrupted, and the file will remain in the cloud, although the computer will disappear from the list.
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Use file size sorting in the Mi Cloud for PC app to quickly find and remove the “heavy” videos that take up the most space in the cloud.
It also allows you to set up automatic uploads from your PC to the cloud, so if you accidentally turn this on, check the folders on your computer that the program monitors, and users often forget about them and wonder why the cloud is again filled after cleaning.
Cleaning the basket and final removal
Many users forget that deleted files don't disappear immediately. They move to a special buffer, the Recycle Bin, which is designed to protect against accidental data loss. The files are stored there for 30 days, then deleted automatically, but they take up space in the cloud immediately after they enter the Recycle Bin.
To make room, you have to clear the cart. On your smartphone, this is done through the Gallery app: go to the Albums tab, scroll down to the Other Albums section and select Recently Deleted. Click on the menu (three dots) and select Clear All.
In the web version of i.mi.com, the shopping cart is in the side menu or in the gallery settings, there is also a full cleanup function, after this operation, it will be impossible to restore photos using any standard means, this is the final point in the file life cycle in the Xiaomi ecosystem.
⚠️ Warning: Cleaning the cart is irreversible, and make sure that no files that are being deleted are any of the important documents that you planned to recover or rare frames that you accidentally got there.
It is recommended to clean the cart regularly, for example, once a month, which will help to keep the amount of space under control and avoid a situation where the cloud is overflowing at the most inopportune time, blocking the creation of new backups.
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Files are in the cloud quota even when they are in the cart, and the final deletion procedure is required through the “Recently Deleted” menu to actually free up space.