What is the name of the cloud on Xiaomi: we analyze Mi Cloud, Mi Drive and other storage services

If you own a smartphone, a tablet, or another Xiaomi device, you're going to have to ask yourself, "What's the name of the cloud on Xiaomi?" And the thing is, the company has multiple storage services, and they're often confused, and you're talking about Mi Cloud, you're talking about Mi Drive, and you're going to come across Cloud and Account or Mi Share in your device settings, and you're going to figure out what's what, what features each solution offers, and how to use them correctly.

Note right away: Xiaomi’s main cloud for backup and synchronization of data is called Mi Cloud, but in different regions and on different devices, its interface may differ (MIUI Global, you'll see Mi Cloud, and in Chinese, XiaoMi Yun FuWu, Mi Drive is a separate file storage service, similar to Google Drive, and Mi Share is designed to quickly transfer data between devices.

1.Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s main cloud for backup

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s primary cloud service that automatically syncs your contacts, notes, photos, messages and even system settings. MIUI Available on all smartphones, including Redmi, POCO And Black Shark, which is the key feature, is that you can back up your phone and restore it to a new device.

To activate Mi Cloud, go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud. Here you'll see a list of data that can be synchronized:

• 📱 Contacts – Backup of the phone book.
• 📝 Notes – Synchronization of records from the Notes app.
• 📷 Gallery – Automatic upload of photos and videos to the cloud.
• 💬 Messages - backup SMS and MMS.
• ⚙️ System settings – saving Wi-Fi settings, wallpaper, sound profiles, etc.

By default, Xiaomi provides 5GB of free space in the Mi Cloud. If that’s not enough, you can buy additional space: from 50GB (≈150 ₽/month (≈1 200 ₽/Prices may vary by region.

⚠️ Warning: If you reset your phone to factory settings without first backing up to Mi Cloud, all unsaved data (photos, contacts, messages) will be permanently lost!

2. Mi Drive – Cloud-based file storage (similar to Google Drive)

Mi Drive is a separate service from Xiaomi, which is positioned as an analogue of Google Drive or Yandex Disk. Unlike Mi Cloud, it is not tied to the backup of the system, and is designed for manual storage and sharing of files: documents, archives, music, videos, etc.

The Mi Drive is accessed through:

• 🌐 Web version at midrive.xiaomi.com (requires authorization through a Xiaomi account).
• 📱 Mi Drive mobile app (available on Google Play and App Gallery).
• 🖥️ Desktop client for Windows and macOS (you can download on the official website).

Features of the Mi Drive:

• 🔄 The ability to share files via a link or invite other users to shared folders.
• 🔍 Built-in search of the contents of documents (including PDF and office files).
• 📂 Support for file versioning (you can restore the previous version).
• 🛡️ Encryption of data during transmission (protocol) TLS 1.2+).

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If you use both Mi Cloud and Mi Drive, remember: free 5GB is shared between both services. To avoid space shortages, regularly clean unnecessary backups in Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Storage management.

3. Mi Share – Fast transfer of files between devices

Mi Share (formerly known as Mi Drop) is not a cloud storage service, but a service for direct file transfer between Xiaomi devices (as well as some other brands that support the protocol), which uses Wi-Fi Direct technology, which allows you to share data without an Internet connection.

How to use Mi Share:

1. Open the Files or Gallery app on your smartphone.
2. Select the files you want to send and click Share.
3. In the list of options, select Mi Share.
4. On the second device, confirm the receipt of files (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be enabled).

Mi Share can transmit 10 to 20 MB/s (depending on the device model), which is much faster than sending via instant messengers or email.

• 🚫 Does not work on devices without support MIUI (For example, on pure Android).
• 📶 Requires Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled on both devices.
• 📁 Maximum size of one file – 1 GB (in new versions) MIUI Limitation increased to 2 GB).

4. How to distinguish Xiaomi services: a brief guide

To avoid confusion in the names, remember a simple rule:

• 🔄 Mi Cloud = Backup (contacts, notes, settings, photo).
• 📁 Mi Drive = Cloud storage (files, documents, shared folders).
• 📲 Mi Share = Transfer of files between devices without the Internet.

If you need to:

• 🔙 Recover data after resetting the phone → Use the Mi Cloud.
• 📎 Save important documents in the cloud → Choose Mi Drive.
• 📤 Quickly send photos to a friend of Xiaomi → Mi Share is fine.

Contact synchronization enabled in Mi Cloud?|Is there a backup of photos?|Is there enough free space in the vault?|Is the Mi Drive app updated to the latest version?-->

5. Xiaomi Cloud Problems and Their Solutions

Xiaomi users sometimes encounter cloud services errors, and let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Problem 1: The data cannot be synchronized with the Mi Cloud.

Decisions:

• 🔄 Restart the device and check the internet connection.
• 🔧 Update the firmware MIUI last-minute.
• 🔒 Log out of your Xiaomi account and log in again.
• ⏳ If the error persists, try turning off sync for a particular type of data (for example, for notes only) and turning it on again.

Problem. 2: There's not enough space in the Mi. Cloud/Mi Drive.

Decisions:

• 🗑️ Remove old backups in Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Storage management.
• 📤 Transfer photos and videos to Google Photos or another service.
• 💰 Buy additional space (in the Mi Cloud app or on the website).
• 🔍 Check if files are duplicated in Mi Drive (e.g., the same photos can be stored in both Mi Cloud and Mi Drive).

⚠️ Note: If you delete files from Mi Drive via the web version, they will also disappear from the mobile application and vice versa.However, deleting the backup in Mi Cloud does not affect the data on the device itself - they will remain in the phone's memory until manually cleared.

6. Alternatives to Xiaomi Cloud Services

If you are not satisfied with the limitations of Mi Cloud or Mi Drive, you can consider alternative solutions:

• 🌍 Google Drive / Google Photos – 15 GB free, deep integration with Android.
• 🇷🇺 Yandex Disk – 10 GB free, convenient for users from Russia.
• 🍎 iCloud – if you have Apple devices (5GB for free).
• 🔗 Syncthing – Open source software for synchronizing files between devices without a cloud.
• 💾 Local storage - external storage SSD or NAS backup.

Advantages of alternatives:

• 📈 More free space (for example, Google gives 15 GB vs. 5 GB from Xiaomi).
• 🌐 Best cross-platform (access with iOS, Windows, macOS).
• 🛡️ Additional features (for example, text recognition in photos in Google Photos).

However, Xiaomi services have advantages:

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization of settings MIUI (wallpaper, sounds, themes).
• 📱 Optimization for Xiaomi devices (e.g. backup) SMS).
• 💰 Cheaper storage expansion (for example, 200 GB in Mi Cloud costs) ≈300 ₽/A month ago, Google Drive — ≈500 ₽/month).

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If you are actively using the Xiaomi ecosystem (smartphone) + smartwatch + The Mi Cloud is the most convenient solution for synchronizing data between devices. For storing documents and sharing files with users of other platforms, you should choose Google Drive or Yandex Disk.

7.Security of data in the cloud Xiaomi

Many users are concerned about the privacy of data stored in Xiaomi’s cloud services, and consider how the company protects information:

• 🔐 Encryption: All data is transmitted via a secure protocol HTTPS (Mi Drive also uses client-side encryption for some file types).
• 🏢 Storage: Xiaomi servers are located in different regions, including Europe and Asia (for global users, data centers in Singapore and the United States are used).
• 🛡️ Two-factor authentication (2FA): You can enable in your account settings for additional protection.
• 📜 Privacy Policy: Xiaomi says it does not sell user data to third parties (unlike some other Chinese companies).

As an additional safety measure, it is recommended:

• 🔑 Use a complex password for a Xiaomi account.
• 📱 Enable Application Locking in Settings → Privacy.
• 🚫 Do not store confidential documents (passports, bank data) in the cloud).
• 🔄 Regularly check active sessions in your account (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Security).

If you don’t trust cloud services, you can:

• 💾 Create local backups on PCs through Mi PC Suite.
• 🔌 Use an external drive to store important data.
• 🔐 Encrypt files before uploading to the cloud (e.g., by using the 7-Zip or VeraCrypt).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's cloud