Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive cloud overflow notifications or the need to link an account for basic system functions. Xiaomi Cloud is a powerful backup tool, but in the face of limited free volume (only 5 GB) and periodic changes in privacy policy, many users decide to completely abandon the service.
The deactivation process is not always obvious, as the developers of MIUI and the new HyperOS seek to keep the user inside their ecosystem by hiding the appropriate switches in the depths of the menu. Incorrect deletion of an account can lead to the locking of the device or the loss of important contacts and photos that were not stored locally. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the steps of safely disabling sync, cleaning servers and completely logging out of the account.
Before taking drastic action, you need to clearly understand the difference between a temporary sync stop and a complete deletion of your account. Deleting your Mi Account irreversibly erases all data from your company’s servers, including backups of SMS, notes and system settings. It is therefore critical to first make a local backup of critical data to your computer or external media to avoid unpleasant surprises after a server break.
Preparing for disconnection: data retention
The first step before any interference with system services should be to create a full copy of the data. Synchronization in MIUI often runs in the background, and the user may not know that some folders of the gallery or new contacts have already flown to the cloud, while others, on the contrary, remained only on the server.
If you plan to just turn off sync but leave your account, make sure all the original photos are saved in your phone's memory. Often the cloud only stores compressed previews, and originals are removed from the device to save space.
- 📸 Open the Settings. → Mi Account → Xiaomi Cloud.
- 📸 Select the Gallery section and see the download status.
- 📸 Make sure the Sync switch is active to pull all data onto the device before shutting down.
This data is stored in specific databases of the system and when you delete an account can be lost if you do not export to.vcf or.txt. Use the built-in export function or third-party applications to create a backup that can be easily restored on any other device, even not Xiaomi.
Disabling the synchronization of individual services
If your goal is not to delete your account completely, but to stop automatically uploading data to the Internet, you can use selective shutdown of services, which will allow you to use other Mi Account functions, such as finding a device or locking the screen, without transferring personal files to the company's servers.
To control synchronization, go to Settings → Mi → Xiaomi Cloud Account. Here you will see a list of all the categories of data that the system is trying to sync. The most “heavy” and frequently used are Gallery, Recorder and Contacts. By disabling them, you free up space in the cloud and stop traffic transfer.
⚠️ Warning: If you turn off the Gallery sync, new images will no longer be saved in the cloud. If you lose your phone, you can't recover photos from the last days without a local copy.
Also worth checking for system applications, for example, synchronizing Mi Notes and voice recordings is often on by default. If you use these tools to work, make sure you export them. In some firmware versions, disabling may require confirmation via SMS or password.
Hidden synchronization folders
Some system folders, such as WhatsApp or Telegram screenshots, can be synced separately from the main gallery.Check the settings of each messenger app inside the Xiaomi Cloud section to make sure there are no active sliders left.> The radical but most effective way to get rid of the ecosystem is to completely delete the account, a process that requires access to the Internet and verification of identity. It is important to understand that after this procedure, the device may require re-authorization when resetting, if the "Find Device" function was not disabled in advance. → Scroll down to the Delete Account button, the system will warn you several times about the consequences and prompt you to download the data archive. By agreeing to the terms, you start a process that can take up to 24 hours to completely delete data from the servers. Alternatively, through the web interface of i.mi.com. Once you go to the profile settings, you can find the option to close your account. This method is convenient if the phone is unavailable or inoperable. Once you delete your account, all purchased themes, games and subscriptions will be lost without the possibility of recovery. Compare the consequences of different actions: Data in the cloud Data on phone Recovery Disconnection Synchronization Save Remains Full Exit Save Saved (partially) After login Delete Account Remains Unable to Reset (Hard Reset) Complete Deletion After Disabling the “Find Device” function A critical step before selling a phone or flashing is to disable the Find Device security feature. As long as this feature is active and tied to your account, the phone will require a password from Mi Account even after it is completely reset to factory settings.This is anti-theft protection, but it becomes a problem for the new owner. To turn off protection, go to Settings. → Account Mi → Xiaomi Cloud → Find the device. Put the switch to "Off". The system will ask for a password from the account to confirm the operation, and without this step, the phone will turn into a brick for an outsider after the reset. If you have forgotten your password and cannot disable the function through the menu, access recovery is possible only through the account recovery procedure on the Mi Account website. Using third-party services to bypass the lock (Bypass) is often illegal and can lead to unstable system operation or virus exposure. 💡Before selling your phone, make sure to make a full Wipe Data reset only after disabling Find Device and logging out, ensuring that the new owner does not encounter activation locks. Cleanup of Xiaomi services Even after leaving the account on the device can remain cached data and service files of cloud services. To be completely clean, it is recommended to clear the data of the system applications responsible for the cloud, which is especially true if you plan to use a phone with a different account or custom firmware. → Annexes → All apps. Find the names on the list. MIUI Cloud Service, Xiaomi Cloud or Sync. Select Clean within each of them → All data. This action will delete local authorization tokens and temporary files. Some system processes can automatically re-start services. To prevent this, you can use the developer mode or ADB-It's easy for the average user to just not type in the old acca-unt data when you first set up. 🗑️ Find the Xiaomi Cloud Services app in the list of installed. 🗑️ Click Clear Data and Clear Cache. 🗑️ Repeat the procedure for the Gallery app if you want to reset the cloud album display settings. 🗑️ Restart the device to apply changes. ⚠️ Attention: Cleaning up the Gallery app data will not delete your photos, but will reset sorting settings, hidden albums and interface display options.Frequent problems and their solution In the process of disabling the cloud, Xiaomi users often face technical difficulties. The system can emit network errors, require re-authorization, or simply “hang” during the deletion phase, most often due to unstable connection or server locks in a particular region. If you see an error “I failed to connect to the network”, try changing the type of connection (from Wi-Fi to mobile Internet or vice versa). It also helps change. DNS-In the case of servers in the Wi-Fi settings of 8.8.8.8 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare), Mi Cloud servers sometimes perform technical work, and waiting for several hours solves the problem. 💡The most common cause of disconnection errors is to desynchronize the time on the device. Make sure that the date and time settings are automatically determined via the network. If the phone requires a password that you do not remember, and it is impossible to restore the phone number (for example, the SIM card is lost), you will have to go through the verification procedure through the support service. Without that, you can't legally unlock a device protected by Mi Cloud. What happens to photos after the cloud is turned off? If you just turn off sync, all the photos will remain in your phone's memory. If you delete an account, the photos will disappear from the cloud, but remain on the device unless you choose to clear the device during the deletion process. Can you restore a deleted Mi Account? Within 30 days (sometimes up to 60) after deletion, you can restore the account by contacting support or via a form on the site. After this period, the data is deleted irrevocably. Why Xiaomi imposes the cloud? It is part of the ecosystem to retain the user, ensure data security and provide paid storage services. For the company, this is a source of income and a way to collect usage statistics. Does disabling the cloud affect the operation of the phone? It does not affect the basic operation of calls and applications. However, after this period, the data is deleted, the data is deleted from the time when the device is synchronized, when the device is synchronized, when the device is synchronized, the vaporizes the device. How to completely remove Xiaomi Cloud on custom firmware? On custom firmware (LineageOS, Pixel Experience), Google services replace Mi Cloud. Xiaomi Cloud services there are usually already cut out or can be removed through the system settings of applications without root rights.