When you use a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone, your photos, contacts, notes, and even app backups are automatically synced with Xiaomi Cloud, the company's cloud storage. But where exactly is that data stored? Which country is the servers, and can you choose your own region? These questions become especially relevant if you're concerned about privacy, download speed, or compliance with local data retention laws.
Unlike Google Drive or iCloud, where server layouts are often transparent, Xiaomi Cloud operates on a more complex scheme: the company uses several data centers in different countries, and the choice of region depends on where you registered your Mi Account account and what firmware you use. In this article, we will understand where the Xiaomi Cloud servers are physically located for users from Russia, Europe, India and other regions, how to check your current region and whether it can be changed.
It is important to understand that server location affects not only the speed of synchronization, but also the availability of certain features. For example, users in China by default receive enhanced cloud capabilities, while European accounts may face restrictions due to GDPR.
Physical location of Xiaomi Cloud servers by region
Xiaomi Cloud does not have a single data center, as it distributes the workload across multiple regions, with major server clusters located in the following countries:
- 🇨🇳 China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) is the main data center for users with Chinese accounts (Mi Account, registered at +86), which stores data from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
- 🇺🇸 United States (Virginia, California) — servers for global accounts (registration via email or non-Chinese carrier number) used by users in North America and parts of Latin America.
- 🇩🇪 Germany (Frankfurt) is a European data center that complies with the requirements of GDPR, which includes data from users from the EU, including Russia (until 2022), Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries.
- 🇮🇳 India (Mumbai, Bengaluru) is a local server for the Indian market, and users with +91 are automatically linked to the region.
- 🇸🇬 Singapore is a backup data center for the Asia-Pacific region (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam).
Interestingly, Xiaomi does not advertise the exact addresses of data centers, but they can be calculated from the IP- addresses that the cloud returns when synchronized. For example, when downloading files to Xiaomi Cloud from a Russian account, traffic often goes through the German servers Hetzner or Amazon AWS in Frankfurt, Chinese users, on the contrary, connect to the servers of Alibaba Cloud or Xiaomi’s own data centers in Beijing.
Important: the server region is determined not by your current location, but by the country of registration of your Mi Account account. For example, if you registered with Xiaomi Cloud using a Russian number (+7), but later moved to Thailand, your data will still be stored on European servers (until the region of your account changes).
How to check which servers your Xiaomi Cloud is stored on
There are several ways to find out where your data is located, and the easiest way to check the URL is to sync or download files.
- Open your smartphone Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
- Enable synchronization of any type of data (such as Contacts or Gallery).
- When downloading, open the network log (for example, through the Packet Capture app or HTTP Toolkit on your PC).
- Find queries for domains of the type: https://api.io.mi.com/... https://cloud.cn1.mi.com/... https://cloud.global.mi.com/... You can define a region by subdomain (cn1, global, in).
An alternative way is to use Traceroute (e.g., via Termux on Android):
traceroute cloud.mi.comIf you see IP- addresses from Germany (e.g. 5... or 85...), your data is stored in the EU. Chinese servers are characterized by IP 47... (Alibababa Cloud) or 123.
☑️ Checking the region Xiaomi Cloud
Can you change the Xiaomi Cloud region?
Xiaomi doesn’t officially provide the ability to change the cloud storage region, but there are workarounds that sometimes work:
- 🔄 Change country to Mi Account. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Personal Information → Country/Region. If your account is not tied to a Chinese number (+86), you can choose another country (e.g. Germany or Singapore).
- 📱 Reset and re-register your account. Create a new Mi Account with a phone number or email from the desired region. For example, register with a German virtual number (+49) to transfer data to the EU.
- 🌍 Using VPN when registering. Some users argue that registering an account via VPN (e.g., from IP Germany or the United States) can link the cloud to the corresponding region.
⚠️ Warning: Changing your account region may result in loss of access to certain services. For example, Chinese accounts (+86) have advanced cloud features (free 5TB for photos) that are not available in the global version.
If you are critically interested in changing a region (for example, to comply with GDPR or speed up synchronization), the only reliable way is to create a new account with a reference to the desired country, and the old data will have to be manually transferred through backup or export.
Xiaomi Cloud Speed and Reliability in Different Regions
Not only does the location of servers affect the legal side, but also the speed of downloading / uploading files. For example, users from Russia often complain about slow synchronization with European servers (Germany), whereas Chinese servers can be faster, but less stable for global users.
| Server region | Average speed (Mbit/s) | Delay (ms) | Reliability (uptime) | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China (Beijing) | 10–50 | 200–400 | 99.9% | High speed for Asia, but traffic blockages due to GFW |
| Germany (Frankfurt) | 5–20 | 30–80 | 99.95% | Stable for Europe, but slow for Russia/Ukraine |
| United States (Virginia) | 8–30 | 120–250 | 99.9% | Good for America, but high ping for other regions |
| India (Mumbai) | 15–40 | 50–100 | 99.8% | Fast for South Asia, but limited features |
| Singapore | 20–60 | 80–150 | 99.9% | Optimal for South East Asia and Australia |
To speed up work with Xiaomi Cloud, you can use the following techniques:
- 📶 Connecting via 5G/Wi-Fi 6 reduces delays in synchronization.
- 🕒 Download at off-peak hours (at night local server time).
- 🔗 Use of alternative clients (e.g. Mi Cloud Explorer for PC).
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If sync is stalled, try temporarily disabling the VPN or changing the network from mobile to Wi-Fi. Often the problems are caused by the ISP blocking traffic.
Data Security in Xiaomi Cloud: What You Need to Know
The privacy issue is especially important if your data is stored on servers in China or the United States. Xiaomi claims that all files in the Mi Cloud are encrypted according to the AES-256 standard, but there are nuances:
- 🔐 Transfer encryption: Data is transmitted over HTTPS (TLS 1.2+), but server keys are stored by Xiaomi.
- 📁 Encryption on the server: Chinese accounts use end-to-end encryption only for notes (Mi Notes). E2E missing.
- 📜 Compliance with GDPR: European servers comply with the regulation, but Xiaomi may transfer metadata to China for analysis.
If you are concerned about privacy, avoid uploading sensitive information (passports, financial documents) to Xiaomi Cloud, which is best done with Proton Drive, Cryptomator or local encryption before downloading.
⚠️ Warning: In 2021, Xiaomi was fined by Lithuania for illegally collecting user data through Mi Cloud.The company claimed it was related to Chinese firmware (China ROM), but global devices also transmitted browser and app usage data.After the scandal, Xiaomi made changes, but risks remain.
For additional protection:
- Turn off the synchronization of unnecessary data in Settings → Mi Cloud.
- Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for your Mi Account.
- Check active sessions regularly in Settings → Xiaomi Account → Security.
What to do if Xiaomi Cloud is not working or data is lost
Problems with Xiaomi Cloud can be related to server failures and account settings. Here are typical situations and their solutions:
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Photos are not synchronized | Not enough space in the cloud | Clean up unnecessary files or buy extra space |
| The "failed to connect" error | Blocking traffic by the provider | Use a VPN or change your network to mobile/Wi-Fi |
| Data missing after phone change | Incorrect account linking | Check that you are logged in to the same Mi Account as on your old device |
| Slow loading | High ping to servers | Use Mi Cloud Explorer on PC for batch download |
If the data is missing for no apparent reason:
- Check the Recycle Bin in Mi Cloud (files are stored there for 30 days).
- Contact Xiaomi support via Settings → Xiaomi Account → Help by specifying your account ID and approximate data loss time.
- If the problem is firmware, try resetting the cloud settings: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Mi Cloud → Storage → Clear the data.
How to recover deleted files from Xiaomi Cloud?
Xiaomi Cloud Alternatives: Where to Move Data
If you’re not happy with the speed, reliability, or privacy of Xiaomi Cloud, consider alternative services:
- 🅾️ Google Photos - free storage of compressed photos, integration with Android.
- 🍎 iCloud – If you have Apple devices, sync is more stable.
- 🔒 Proton Drive is a Swiss cloud with end-to-end encryption and GDPR compliance.
- 📦 Syncthing is a decentralized synchronization between your devices without the cloud.
- 💾 Local storage is a NAS- server (e.g., Xiaomi Mi Router + hard drive).
To transfer data from Xiaomi Cloud:
- Download all files via the web version (i.mi.com) or Mi Cloud Explorer.
- Use tools like Rclone to automatically migrate to another cloud: rclone copy mi-cloud: remote:backup --progress
- For contacts and calendars, export them in.vcf/.ics and import them to Google Contacts.
If you decide to opt out of Xiaomi Cloud entirely, be sure to disable autosynchronization in the settings and remove backups to free up space.
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Before deleting your Mi Account, be sure to keep local copies of all data – after deleting, recovery will not be possible.