Cleaning up backups in Xiaomi Cloud: The Complete 2026 Guide

Why Clean Up Backups in Xiaomi Cloud and When You Need to

Xiaomi Cloud Cloud automatically backs up your data, from contacts and messages to system settings and installed applications. Over time, these copies take up a significant amount of memory, especially if you change your smartphones often or experiment with firmware. For example, a full Redmi Note 12 Pro+ backup with 256 GB of memory can weigh 15-20 GB, and older versions of copies accumulate for years.

The main reasons for cleaning are: 1. Free space ends (usually 5 GB for new accounts). 2. You need to make room for new data without buying a premium subscription. 3. Outdated copies contain unnecessary information (for example, data from the previous phone). 4. Before selling the device – to prevent leakage of personal data.

It's important to understand that removing a copy from the cloud doesn't affect the data on the device itself -- it's going to stay intact, but if you restore the phone from the backup after you reset, the version of the data that was there when you created that copy will come back.

How to check your busy place in Xiaomi Cloud

Before you clean the copies, make sure they're the problem.

1. Open the Settings app on your smartphone.
2. Go to the Xiaomi Cloud section (or Mi Account → Xiaomi Cloud on older versions of MIUI).
3. Slip on the Warehouse - here will be displayed a diagram of occupied space, broken down by data type.

Typical cloud space allocation:

If you're using backups that are more than 30 percent of the total, you'll get the most out of them, and you can see in the screenshot below that it's 12.8 GB out of 15 GB, but you really only need the latest version.

Step-by-step: how to remove backup via smartphone

The easiest way is to use the Xiaomi Cloud mobile app, which is relevant for MIUI 14 and later (including HyperOS):

Make sure the device has enough charge (minimum 20%)

Connect to Wi-Fi (deleting large copies wastes traffic)

Remember or save data from the last copy you need

Check if a copy is being used to sync on another device-->

1. Open the Settings. → Xiaomi Cloud.
2. Select Backup (or Manage Backups on some firmware).
3. Tap the device you want to remove (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra).
4. Scroll down to the Backup List block – all saved versions with dates will be displayed here.
5. Select the copy you don't need and click Delete (basket icon). Confirm the action.

The system will prompt you to select: • Delete only this copy if you want to leave other versions. • Delete all copies for this device - if it is no longer in use.

⚠️ Note: If you delete all copies for the device, it will be impossible to restore the datalater. POCO Black Shark, where backups often contain unique game mode settings.

The removal process can take anywhere from a few seconds (for copies up to 1 GB) to 10-15 minutes (if the volume is more than 10 GB). Once completed, update the storage page - occupied space should decrease.

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If the Remove button is inactive, check if this copy is synced to another device. Turn it off in Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Sync.

Delete backups via the web version of Xiaomi Cloud

If you do not have access to your smartphone (for example, it broke or sold), you can clean the copies through the browser:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. In the menu on the left, select Xiaomi Cloud → Backup.
3. Click on the device you want to delete.
4. In the list, select the unnecessary versions and click Delete (the trash bin icon).

The web version has several features: • You can see all the devices associated with the account, even those that have not been used for a long time. • You can delete copies of the batch - select several versions and delete them simultaneously. • The exact size of each copy is displayed (on the smartphone, a rounded value is sometimes shown).

Example of the web version interface:

⚠️ Note: The web version does not preview the contents of the copy. If you are not sure what data is stored there, it is better to delete via a smartphone, where you can see a list of applications and files in each version.

What to do if the backup copy is not deleted

Sometimes users encounter errors when trying to clean up, and consider typical problems and solutions:

• 🔄 Copy "hangs" when deleted: Close the Xiaomi Cloud app, clear the cache (Settings) → Annexes → Xiaomi Cloud → Warehouse → Clear the cache and try again.
• 🔒 Remove button is inactive: Perhaps a copy is being used to sync on another device. → Xiaomi Cloud → Synchronization.
• ⏳ Removal process takes too long: If copy weighs more than 10GB, wait up to 30 minutes.If freeze - restart smartphone.
• 📵 Failed to connect to the cloud: Check the Internet connection (better use Wi-Fi) or try using the web version.

If nothing works, try Forced Sync: Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Update. After that, repeat the deletion.

For HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14), an additional step may be required: 1. Open Settings → Memory → Cleanup. 2. Select Cloud Data and click Optimize.

This will reset the cloud storage cache and often solve problems with “hang” copies.

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If the copy is not deleted for more than a day, contact Xiaomi via the chat in the Mi Community app. MIUI/HyperOS and a screenshot of the error.

How to disable automatic backup

To prevent the cloud from filling up again, you can limit automatic copy creation to:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Backup.
2. Turn off the Automatic Backup Switch.
3. In the Backup Settings section, uncheck the boxes for unnecessary data (such as Call Records or Wi-Fi settings).

Recommended settings to save space:

• 📱 Contacts and messages: Leave them on – they take up little space but are critical for recovery.
• 📸 Photos and Videos: Disable if you use Google Photos or another service.
• 🎮 App data: Leave only for important apps (such as WhatsApp or banking programs).
• ⚙️ System settings: You can turn off if you don’t plan to restore the device.

On POCO and Black Shark, check the settings of the Game Space, sometimes creating separate copies of the performance settings that take up to 500 MB.

Alternative ways to free up space in Xiaomi Cloud

If even after removing copies, the place ends, consider these options:

• 📁 Photo Optimization: Include Photo Compression in Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Gallery. This will reduce the size of the images without loss of quality.
• 🔄 Data portability: Copy important files from the cloud to your PC or external drive, then delete them from Xiaomi Cloud.
• 💰 Storage expansion: Buy extra space (from 10GB for 100 rubles/month).Shares often take place in Mi Community.
• 🧹 Cache Cleanup: Cloud.mi.com has a Garbage Cleanup section where you can delete temporary files.

For owners of Xiaomi Pad or Mi Notebook, it’s helpful to know: • Tablet backups often include stylus data and Mi Notes notes, which weigh more than on smartphones. • On Mi Notebook laptops, copies are created through the Mi Cloud Sync app – it can be turned off completely if you don’t use sync.

If you choose to switch to another cloud service (e.g. Google Drive or Yandex Disk), export your data before deleting: Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Export data. The file will be saved in.zip format to the device.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning up Xiaomi Cloud