Xiaomi Cloud (or Mi Cloud) cloud storage automatically syncs photos from your smartphone, freeing up space on your device. But what if you want to remove unnecessary photos — like duplicates, failed frames or sensitive files? Simply removing them from the phone gallery doesn't always solve the problem: photos can stay in the cloud, taking up precious gigabytes of your tariff.
In this article, we will discuss all the ways to remove photos from Xiaomi Cloud, from basic to hidden functions that are not written about in the official documentation. You will learn how to clean the cloud from your phone (Redmi, POCO, Mi), through the web version or computer, as well as how to recover accidentally deleted files.
Why do photos stay in Xiaomi Cloud after being deleted from your phone?
Many users are faced with the situation of having deleted the photo from the Xiaomi gallery, and then it reappears a week later because the cloud has synced it back, and this is due to three key mechanisms:
- 🔄 Auto Sync: Mi Cloud saves all photos to the cloud by default, even if you deleted them locally.
- 🗑️ Recycle Bin: Deleted files are sent to a recently Deleted folder and stored for 30 days (or longer if you have a premium rate).
- 📁 Hidden Albums: Some photos (such as screenshots or instant messenger shots) are saved in separate folders that are not displayed in the main gallery.
To permanently remove photos from Xiaomi Cloud, it's not enough to simply erase them from your phone, either turn off sync in advance or clear the cloud separately, and then you have step-by-step instructions for each case.
Method 1: Delete photo through the Gallery app on the phone
The easiest method is to use the built-in Xiaomi Gallery (Mi Gallery or Google Photos, if you installed it), but here's the nuance: if sync with the cloud is active, deleted photos can be restored.
- Open the Gallery app on your Redmi/POCO/Mi.
- Select the album All photos or Xiaomi Cloud (if it is displayed).
- Click on the photo you want to delete and hold your finger for 2 seconds to activate the selection mode.
- Slip on the basket icon (🗑️) In the lower menu and confirm the removal.
⚠️ Note: if you have sync enabled, the photos will be sent to the Xiaomi Cloud Recycle Bin and stored there for 30 days. To delete them irrevocably, after this step, go to Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Basket and clean it manually.
Disable autosynchronization in Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Gallery
Check if photos are in hidden albums (.nomedia)
Cleaning the cloud basket after removal
Backup important files on the PC-->
Method 2: Clean up through the web version of Xiaomi Cloud
If you want to delete a photo regardless of your phone (for example, from someone else’s device or after selling a smartphone), use the web version of Xiaomi Cloud.
- Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Mi Account.
- In the left menu, select the Gallery section.
- Check out unnecessary photos or folders. To select all files in the album, use Ctrl + A (on PC) or Command + A (on Mac).
- Click on the basket icon (🗑️) and confirm the action.
- Go to the Trash section and click Clear the Recycle Bin to delete files without recovery.
🔹 The advantage of this method is that you can see all the photos, including those hidden from the phone gallery (for example, screenshots from WhatsApp or Telegram saved to the cloud), and you can sort files by date or size to quickly find unnecessary ones.
What to do if you do not see the Gallery section in Xiaomi Cloud?
Method 3: Remove via Mi PC Suite (for Windows)
If you need to clean the cloud en masse or work with large amounts of data (for example, make room before updating the tariff), it is more convenient to use the official Mi PC Suite software, which allows you to manage cloud files directly from your computer:
- Download and install Mi PC Suite from the official website.
- Connect yours. Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO PC-only USB-cable (data transmission mode).
- In the program, go to the Xiaomi Cloud section (cloud icon in the top menu).
- Select the Gallery tab and mark the files for deletion.
- Click Delete and confirm the action. Don't forget to clear the cloud cart after that.
⚠️ Attention: Mi PC Suite sometimes doesn’t display all the cloud files, especially if they were downloaded from other devices (like the previous phone).In this case, use the web version (method 2) to clean up completely.
| Deleting method | Suitable for | Cons | Pluses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through the Telephone Gallery | Quickly remove individual photos | Photos can be restored by synchronization | It does not require a PC or internet. |
| Web version of Xiaomi Cloud | Mass cleaning, working with other people's devices | You need to remember the password from the Mi Account | All files are visible, including hidden files. |
| Mi PC Suite | Controlling the cloud from a computer | Not always showing all files. | Convenient for large amounts of data |
| Shutting down synchronization | Preventing future downloads | Does not delete already uploaded photos | Save space in the cloud |
Method 4: Disable autosynchronization (so that photos don’t return)
If you are constantly faced with deleted photos returning to the gallery, the problem is the sync settings. By default, Xiaomi Cloud automatically uploads all new images and restores deleted ones (if they are in the cloud).
- Open the settings on your phone.
- Go to Xiaomi Cloud → Gallery.
- Disable the switches: Auto-load (responsible for sending new photos to the cloud); Sync deleted files (recovers deleted photos from the cloud).
Settings → Applications → Gallery → Permissions
Warehouse
Photo/media/files
🔹 Important: once sync is disabled, new photos will no longer be uploaded to the cloud, but existing files will remain.
💡
If you want to save some of your photos to the cloud, but not all of them, create a separate album in the Gallery (for example, "Important Photos") and enable sync only for it.
Method 5: Recovery of accidentally deleted photos
If you deleted photos from Xiaomi Cloud by mistake, they can be restored within 30 days (or longer if you have a premium rate).
- Open the web version of Xiaomi Cloud.
- Go to the Trash section.
- Tick the files you want to return and click Restore.
- The photos will return to the original album in the cloud and start syncing with the phone (if autoload is enabled).
To find and remove them:
- In the web version of Xiaomi Cloud, go to the Gallery → All albums.
- Scroll down the list, and there may be folders with names in Chinese (e.g., “screenshots”) or technical names (MIUI/screenshot).
- Open each folder and delete any unnecessary files.
- For complete cleaning, use the Select All function (if the folder is completely unnecessary).
🔹 Tip: To prevent such folders from appearing in the future, disable auto-save media files in the settings of messengers. For example, on WhatsApp, this is done as follows: Settings → Storage → Saving in the gallery (disable).