Cleaning up a gallery in Xiaomi Cloud: 5 ways to delete photos forever

Xiaomi Cloud cloud storage automatically syncs photos and videos from your smartphone, freeing up space on your device. But over time, the cloud fills up with unnecessary snapshots — take-ups, screenshots, old memes or random shots. Cleaning the gallery manually through a mobile app or web version takes hours, and some files remain “hang” in the shopping cart. In this article, we will examine all the working ways of mass removal of content from Xiaomi Cloud, including hidden folders and backups, and also explain how to guarantee to erase files without the possibility of recovery.

The problem is that standard methods (e.g., deletion through the Gallery app) often leave files in the cloud bin for 30 days. Even after cleaning the Recycle Bin, some data can be stored in backups or cache. We tested all current methods on MIUI 14/15 and identified 3 critical errors that cause users to lose gigabytes of space. For example, many people do not know that the.Trash folder in the cloud takes up to 15% of the total, and Storage Optimization removes only local copies, but not originals in the cloud.

Why Xiaomi Cloud is Filling with Garbage: 4 Hidden Reasons

Most users think that the cloud is clogged only by manually uploading photos. In fact, MIUI automatically stores much more data in Xiaomi Cloud than you think.

• 📸 Camera boot: Even if you have disabled sync in settings, some models (Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12) save pictures to the cloud via the Mi Cloud Sync feature by default.
• 📁 Hidden folders: System directories like.thumbdata (sketch),.nomedia (service files) or Screenshots take up to three times 2-3 GB, but not displayed in the main gallery.
• 🔄 Duplicates in reinstallation MIUI: After resetting or updating the firmware, the cloud can create copies of all media files with the prefix backup.
• 🗑️ Recycle Bin: Unlike Google Photos, Xiaomi Cloud doesn’t delete files from the Recycle Bin before 30 days, even if the place ends.

Another nuance is storage quotas. Free rates only give you 5GB, of which 1-2GB immediately take up backups of contacts and notes. If you haven't cleaned the cloud for years, chances are that 80% of the space is taken up by unnecessary data. For example, POCO F5 users often complain about the sudden disappearance of free space because of automatic download of video in 4K resolution, which weigh 200-500MB each.

Method 1: Quick removal via mobile app (for beginners)

The easiest method is to use the official Mi Cloud app on your smartphone, which is suitable if you want to delete individual files or folders, but is ineffective for mass cleaning.

1. Open the Settings app → Xiaomi Accounts → Mi Cloud.
2. Sign in if you request a password.
3. Go to the Gallery section (or Photos in new versions of MIUI).
4. Click on the icon. ⋮ (three dots) in the upper right corner and select Control.
5. Check out unnecessary files or folders. To highlight everyone, click on the ✓ icon in the hat.
6. Click Remove → Confirm the action.

⚠️ Note: The files deleted in this way will be in the basket and stored there for 30 days. To free up space immediately, after deleting, go to the basket (Section Recently deleted) and click Clear the Recycle Bin.

This method is not suitable for removing hidden system files (such as sketches or cache). To clean them, you will need a web version of the cloud or a file manager with access to root folders. Also note that when you allocate a large number of files (500+), the application can freeze - in this case, you should use method 3.

Method 2: Mass removal via web version (for PC)

Xiaomi Cloud's web interface allows you to delete files in packs of 200-300 at a time, which is 5-10 times faster than using a mobile app, which is ideal if you want to clear the cloud of screenshots, memes or old photos.

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. In the menu on the left, select Gallery (or Photos).
3. Click on the ✓ icon in the top menu to activate the selection mode.
4. Tag files: To highlight all, click Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac). To selectively delete, hold Ctrl (or Cmd) and click on the files.

Delete

Basket

Clean the basket.

🔹 Advantages of the method:

• 🖥️ Works on any device (PC, Mac, tablet).
• ⚡ Faster than mobile app (no lags at 1000 allocation)+ file).
• 🔍 Shows hidden folders (for example, Camera/Burst serially).

⚠️ Warning: If the cloud is not freed after cleaning the cart, check the Backups section. MIUI Creates duplicate media files in backups that don't show up in the gallery. To delete them, go to Settings. → Backups and select Remove Old Copies.

💡

If the web version of the cloud doesn’t load photos, try opening the site in incognito or another browser (recommended Firefox).

Method 3: Complete cleanup through file manager (for advanced ones)

This method allows you to delete all media files from Xiaomi Cloud at once, including hidden folders and system debris. This is suitable if you want to start with a clean slate or free up as much space as possible.

Instructions for the smartphone:

1. Install a file manager with access to root folders (such as MiXplorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Open the manager and go on the path: /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Gallery/cloud This is where all files synced to the cloud are stored.
3. Select all folders and files (long press → Highlight everything).
4. Press Delete. → confirm.
5. Reboot the phone.

🔹 What will be removed:

⚠️ Note: After this cleaning, Xiaomi Cloud can temporarily block sync 1-2 If you need to save some files, copy them to another folder, for example, /Download/.

Method 4: Remove via ADB (for technical users)

If standard methods don’t work (e.g., the cloud is “hanging” or not responding), you can use ADB, an Android debugging tool that is suitable for removing system duplicates or files that aren’t displayed in the gallery.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional → For developers → Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute commands: adb shell pm clear com.miui.gallery This command will reset the gallery cache but won't delete files from the cloud. -rf /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/*

🔹 When to use ADB:

• 🔧 The cloud does not respond to removal requests.
• 📂 You need to delete files with "blocked" extensions (e.g.,.nomedia).
• 🔄 After the phone was reset, there were “ghost” files in the cloud.

⚠️ Attention: Rm teams -rf They delete files irreversibly, and if you go wrong, you can erase important data before you use it. ADB Backup via Mi Cloud or Google Drive.

Method 5: Cleaning through third-party applications (alternative)

If you are uncomfortable with the web version or ADB, you can use third-party cloud management apps.

• 📱 Files by Google: It has built-in storage analysis and shows which files occupy the most space in the cloud. You can sort by size and remove the heaviest media.
• 🗃️ Dropsync: allows you to configure automatic cleaning rules (for example, delete screenshots older than 30 days).
• 🔍 SD Maid: Finds duplicates in the cloud and suggests you combine or remove them.

🔹 How to Clean the Cloud with Files by Google:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open the section Cleaning → Analysis of storage.
3. Go to the Cloud tab (if available).
4. Sort the files by size or date.
5. Select the unnecessary and press Remove.

⚠️ Warning: Third-party apps require access to your Xiaomi account. Don't use little-known programs - they can steal your data. Before installing, check reviews and ratings on Google Play (should be 4.5).+).

💡

The most reliable way is a combination of the web version (for mass removal) + file manager (for hidden folders), which guarantees cleaning 99% of the garbage.

How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Files from Xiaomi Cloud

If you delete important photos, they can be returned within 30 days through the cart. Once you clear the cart, you can only recover through Xiaomi support, but the chances are minimal.

1. Method 1: Recycle Bin Open Mi Cloud → Gallery → Recycle Bin. Select the files you want and click Restore.
2. Method 2: Backups Check the Backups section in Mi Cloud. Sometimes files are saved in the phone's backups.
3. Method 3: Contact Xiaomi Support via the form at mi.com/support. Delete date and file names. Attach a screenshot from the cart (if the files are still there).

🔹 Chances of recovery:

⚠️ Note: If the files have been deleted through ADB Or you can't restore a file manager with root permission, and in this case, try programs like DiskDigger or Recuva, but they only work with on-premises storage, not the cloud.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Xiaomi Cloud