The Mi Cloud Gallery on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones automatically syncs your photos and videos to the company’s cloud storage. For many users, this is a convenient feature, but not everyone likes that personal photos are uploaded to servers without explicit consent. Moreover, Mi Cloud Gallery can slow down the device, consume traffic and take up space in memory.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable your gallery from the cloud, from simply deleting your account to hidden settings in MIUI. You’ll learn how to stop automatically uploading photos, delete already synchronized data, and regain control of your media files. The instructions are relevant for all modern models, including the Xiaomi 14, Redmi Note 13 and POCO F6.
Why Mi Cloud Gallery is a problem
At first glance, the cloud gallery seems useful: it reserves photos, allows you to view them from other devices and saves space on your phone.
- 🔒 Privacy: All your photos and videos are stored on Xiaomi servers in China, raising questions about data security.
- 📶 Traffic Consumption: Background synchronization eats away at mobile internet, especially if you have a limited rate.
- 🐢 Slowdown: The process of uploading files to the cloud loads the processor and can cause lags.
- 📁 Duplication of files: the gallery appears copies of photos marked "Mi Cloud", which complicates navigation.
Another problem is that cloud photos can automatically recover after a phone reset or flashing, and many users find that old photos suddenly return to the gallery, even if they were deleted long ago, because they are linked to a Mi Account.
Yes, slowed down the phone | Yes, spent traffic | Yes, restored deleted photos | No, everything worked fine | Didn't use this feature-->
Method 1: Disabling synchronization in gallery settings
The easiest method is to deactivate the automatic upload of photos directly in the Gallery app, which will not delete files already uploaded, but will stop further synchronization.
Instructions:
- Open the Gallery app on your smartphone.
- Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.
- Select the Settings (cog icon).
- Go to Mi Cloud or Cloud Sync.
- Turn off the slider near the Autoboot.
- Confirm the action by clicking Disconnect in the pop-up window.
After that, the phone will stop sending new photos to the cloud, but the files that have already been uploaded will remain on Xiaomi servers and will be available when you log in from another device.
Close and reopen the gallery.|Make sure there is no active synchronization on the menu.|Check traffic consumption in network settings|Restart your phone to apply changes-->
Method 2: Delete your Mi Account (completely disabling)
If you want to completely stop interacting with Xiaomi services, including the cloud gallery, you can delete the attached Mi Account. This is a radical method, since after it you will lose access to all functions that require authorization (for example, themes, cloud backup, some system updates).
How to delete your account:
- Open Settings → Accounts and Sync (or Mi Account)
- Slip on your profile at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and select Delete Account.
- Enter the password for confirmation.
- Confirm the removal by clicking Delete in the pop-up window.
⚠️ Note: After deleting your account, all data associated with it (including photos in Mi Cloud, notes, backups) will be permanently lost and can only be restored within 30 days through Xiaomi Support.
If you don’t want to lose access to other services, but only get rid of the cloud gallery, move on to the next way.
Method 3: Cleaning the data of the Gallery application
Sometimes even after the sync is turned off, the gallery still has ghost files from Mi Cloud, which can take up space and appear as gray thumbnails, and to delete them, you can reset the Gallery app data.
Step-by-step:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find the gallery in the list and tap it.
- Choose Warehouse.
- Click Clear Data and confirm the action.
- Go back to the gallery and check if the cloud photos are gone.
| Action. | The result | Side effects |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache | Deletes temporary files | It does not affect cloud data. |
| Clearing the data | Resets gallery settings | Remove albums and tags, but not the photos themselves |
| Removal of updates | Returns the standard version | Could bring back cloud synchronization |
⚠️ Attention: Clearing the gallery data does not delete photos and videos from the phone's internal memory. It only resets the app's settings, including binding to the Mi Cloud. If you want to delete the media files themselves, use the file manager.
Method 4: Using ADB to Deep Shut Down
For power users who want to permanently block the gallery from accessing the cloud, there is a method using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to disable system-level synchronization, even if the settings do not have such an option.
What you need:
- 💻 Computer with drivers installed ADB and Fastboot.
- 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → For developers).
- 🔌 USB-cable.
Commands to disable Mi Cloud in the gallery:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.gallery
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.cloudservice
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.micloud.sdkAfter these commands are executed:
- 🔄 Reboot the phone.
- 📱 Gallery will stop interacting with the cloud.
- 🚫 Mi Cloud features in other apps will also be disabled.
What to do if ADB is not working?
Method 5: Alternative galleries without cloud synchronization
If the standard MIUI gallery doesn't suit you, you can install a third-party app that won't interact with the Mi Cloud.
| Annex | Advantages | Deficiencies |
|---|---|---|
| Google Photo | Convenient interface, backup in Google Drive | Requires a Google account, free storage restriction |
| Simple Gallery | Lightweight, cloud-free, open source | Fewer functions compared to a standard gallery |
| A+ Gallery | Theme support, hidden folders, no advertising | Paid version for advanced functions |
To completely discard the Mi Cloud Gallery:
- Install an alternative gallery from Google Play.
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find the standard Gallery and click Disable.
- Assign a new gallery with the default app to open the photo.
💡
Before disabling the standard gallery, make sure the alternative app displays all your media files correctly.Some galleries don't support RAW or high-resolution video formats.
What to do if the photos are synchronized
If after all the manipulations Mi Cloud Gallery continues to upload photos, check the following points:
- 🔄 Updates MIUI: After the system update, the settings may reset.
- 📱 Duplicate accounts: Make sure that the phone does not have a second Mi Account tied (check Settings). → Accounts).
- 🔧 Hidden Settings: On some firmware, the synchronization option is hidden in Settings → Special facilities → System settings → Mi Cloud.
- 📡 Background data: Limit gallery access to mobile internet in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Transfer of data.
If the problem persists, try resetting your network settings:
- Go to Settings. → Wi-Fi.
- Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select Additional.
- Press Network Resets.
💡
On some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13T or Redmi K60), cloud synchronization of the gallery is tied to the system process com.xiaomi.micloud.sdk. It can only be disabled through ADB or after obtaining root rights.