Modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco are actively using cloud storage to synchronize contacts, photos and system settings. Over time, the accumulated amount of data can exhaust the free limit of 5 GB, which will lead to a stop of sync and the appearance of annoying notifications. Users often face the question of how to make space without losing important documents or pictures.
Cleaning up Mi Cloud is not just about deleting files, it's about a complex data management process that requires careful attention. It's important to understand the difference between deleting from a device and completely erasing from the cloud, as these actions have different consequences. In this article, we'll look at all the available methods of freeing up space, from manually cleaning the gallery to managing system backups.
Before we start taking drastic measures, it is worth analyzing what exactly takes up most of the memory, often finding that the lion’s share of gigabytes is from old videos, duplicate images or forgotten WhatsApp backups, and managing this data properly will extend the life of free rates or reasonably switch to paid ones.
Analysis of the occupancy of the Mi Cloud storage
The first step before any cleaning is to make a detailed diagnosis of your current state, with MIUI and HyperOS providing built-in tools to visualize your occupied space. To get into the management menu, go to Settings → Mi → Mi Cloud Account, and you'll see a color diagram here where each sector is responsible for a specific type of data.
Note the Gallery section, which traditionally takes up to 80% of the total volume, which is where the original photos and videos are stored in high resolution. If this sector is crowded, cleaning the app cache will not give the desired result, because the problem lies in the media files.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting data via the web interface may not immediately affect the smartphone if synchronization is enabled. Always check the status of the connection to the network before mass deletion.
For more in-depth analysis, you can use the web version of the service. Sign in using your Mi Account. The web version interface is often more informative and allows you to sort files faster by date or size. This is especially convenient if you need to find and delete heavy video files taken several years ago.
Cleaning the gallery and synchronization of photos
The most efficient way to free up space is to use the media library, and unlike a local gallery, cloud storage stores the original files, even if they are compressed on the phone to save space, so to clear this partition, open the Gallery app and go to the Cloud tab.
You can selectively delete unwanted images here, if you delete a photo from the cloud, it will disappear from all synchronized devices, so before a mass sweep, it is recommended to create a local copy of important archives on a computer or external hard drive, the deletion process can be accelerated using the allocation mode by date or album.
- 📸 Open the album "All photos" and highlight the groups of photos from the past months.
- 🗑️ Use the “Delete” button to confirm the action for cloud storage.
- ♻️ Remember to clear the recently deleted folder as files are stored there for another 30 days.
- 📹 Check the video section separately, as they take up the largest amount of memory.
There's a function called "Storage Optimization," which replaces the originals on the phone with smaller copies, leaving the full versions only in the cloud, but if the goal is to make space in the cloud, this method won't work, and only manually deleting or transferring files to another storage facility will help.
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Use the Cleanup feature in the Security app to find duplicate photos that can also sync and take up space.
Managing system backups
The second most important consumer of space are system backups. Xiaomi automatically backs up settings, icon locations, call lists and SMS. Over time, the number of such restore points can grow, especially if you often change devices or reset settings.
To manage backups, go to Backups in the Cloud menu, which shows you a list of all the devices that you've archived for, and if you see a device that you're no longer using, or an old copy that's clearly irrelevant, you should delete it, and that will instantly free up a few gigabytes.
| Type of data | Approximate volume | Frequency of update | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | High (GB) | Constantly. | Regular cleaning |
| System backup | Medium (MB-GB) | When changing settings | Keep 1 current |
| Contacts | Low (CB) | When added | Doesn't require cleaning. |
| Recorder recordings | Medium (MB) | As the recording progresses | Check once a month |
It's important to distinguish between on-premises and cloud backups. Local backups are stored in your phone's memory and don't affect Mi Cloud quotas, but they take up internal memory of your device. Cloud backups are directly consuming your data plan. Make sure you delete data from the right source.
☑️ Check before removing the backup
Cleaning through the web interface i.mi.com
The mobile application is not always convenient for large-scale file sorting operations. The web version of the service provides a wider functionality and a better overview of the folder structure. Use the browser on your computer to log in by going to i.mi.com and logging in.
The web interface allows you to drag and drop files, select them in groups, and move quickly between years of shooting, and is the perfect tool for the initial “rough” cleaning, where you need to remove several gigabytes of old content at once, and you can separately manage contacts and notes.
⚠️ Note: When files are deleted through the browser, they are irrevocably erased after cleaning the basket. There is a waiting period on a mobile device, this process can be accelerated on the web.
The web interface also has a “Find Device” section, which is not memory-related but important for account security, so make sure that you are in the cloud management section of the cloud category so that you don’t accidentally activate the device lock function instead of deleting files.
What to do if the web interface is not loaded?
Deletion of voice recorder data and notes
Many users forget that voice recordings and text notes are also synced to the cloud. A high-quality recorder can be a significant space, especially if you have conducted long interviews or lectures. Checking this section often brings pleasant surprises in the form of hundreds of megabytes freed up.
Go to the Recorder or Notes app and sort files by size. Old records that have lost their relevance can be deleted. For notes, it is important to check for attachments: photos or screenshots added to the note text are also considered part of the cloud backup.
- 🎙️ Listen to long recordings of the recorder and delete noise or empty files.
- 📝 Check your notes for heavy investments.
- 📅 Sort the data by date of creation to find the forgotten archives.
- 🔄 Make sure that after removing the changes are synchronized (the cloud icon appears without errors).
If you use third-party note-taking apps that integrate with Mi Cloud, their data may also be included in general statistics, and it is recommended that you periodically audit not only system applications, but also third-party applications that have access to the cloud.
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WAV voice recordings take up 10 times more space than MP3. Convert important recordings before uploading to the cloud, if possible.
Disconnecting synchronization and alternatives
If the cleanup does not give a long-term result, and you do not plan to expand the tariff, it is worth considering the option of disabling sync for the most severe categories.This will not delete data from the cloud instantly, but will prevent new files from downloading, which will allow you to safely delete old ones through the web interface.
In your account settings, you can selectively disable the sync of the Gallery or Recorder, and then the new photos will only remain on the device. This is a risky step, because if you lose your phone, you will lose your data, so make sure you have an alternative backup system, for example, Google Photos or Yandex.Disk.
Switching to alternative services is often the only sensible solution for active users: Google Photos provides more flexible compression settings and often does not tariff high-quality photos (although the policy changes), and Yandex.Disk offers unlimited photo for mobile devices as part of the Plus subscription.
Remember that completely disabling the Xiaomi cloud can disrupt some system functions, such as finding a lost device or restoring settings when flashing. The best option is a hybrid model: important contacts and settings in the Mi Cloud, and heavy media files in third-party storage.