Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive cloud overflow notifications.The MIUI system and the new HyperOS are aiming to upload every photo to the cloud by default, which can be inconvenient for users with a limited free rate.Many are looking for a way to disconnect the xiaomi cloud from the gallery to make room or just save local copies of the images.
Disabling sync is not a complicated process, but it requires careful attention, as the settings menu may differ from firmware to firmware. It is important to understand that completely disabling the service will affect not only photos, but also other data, if you do not customize the settings selectively. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible options for managing cloud services of the Chinese giant.
Before you start taking decisive action, you should weigh the pros and cons. Complete deletion of your Mi Account will result in a loss of the ability to search for a device through the Find Device function. Therefore, most often it is better not to delete the account, but simply reconfigure the sync settings specifically for the Gallery application.
Why do users turn off cloud syncs?
The main reason Android smartphone owners are trying to limit the work of Xiaomi Cloud is because of the data storage policy: free of charge, the user is given only 5 GB of space, which fills up very quickly, especially when shooting high-resolution videos, the system begins to constantly remind you to buy a subscription, which annoys many.
The second important aspect is privacy and speed: some users prefer to store personal photos exclusively on physical media or use alternative services such as Google Photos or Yandex.Disk. In addition, background downloading of large amounts of data can significantly consume mobile Internet traffic and reduce the autonomy of the device.
⚠️ Warning: Before you turn off sync, make sure your important photos are already saved elsewhere. Once turned off, new pictures won't be in the cloud, and old ones can stop showing up in the gallery when the cloud-only option is enabled».
Also worth noting is the impact on performance: com.miui.cloudservice’s constant background process can consume CPU resources, especially if heavy 4K video is in the queue for download. Disabling this feature allows you to offload RAM and extend battery life.
Preparing for changing account settings
Before you go deep into the menu, you need to do a few preparatory steps to avoid the situation where photos are “missing” from view, although they are physically left on the device or in the cloud. First of all, check the status of your network: you often need an active Internet connection to make changes to your account settings.
It is also recommended to back up important data manually if you are planning a radical change, such as copying the DCIM folder to your computer or an external hard drive, and this forethought will save your memories in case of unforeseen synchronization errors.
☑️ Checklist before shutdown
There are two things to distinguish between disabling sync for a particular application and logging out completely, and the first is more secure and flexible, allowing you to use other ecosystem services, such as finding a device or syncing contacts, leaving the gallery standalone.
Disable Gallery Sync through Mi Cloud Settings
The safest and most effective way to break the connection between the gallery and the cloud is to turn off sync specifically for this type of data. To do this, go to the basic settings of your smartphone. Find a section called Mi Account or simply Mi Account, which is usually at the top of the list or in the Password & Security sub-menus.
Inside the account menu, select Cloud (or Xiaomi Cloud) where you will see a list of all apps and data that sync with the server. Search in the list of Gallery or Photos. The switch next to this item should be put inactive. The system can warn you that photos will be deleted from the device if they are stored only in the cloud - be careful when reading notifications.
If you're using a new HyperOS shell, the path may be slightly different. Often it looks like: Settings → Advanced Settings → Backup and Restore. In this section, you can also manage sync settings for different types of data, including media files.
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Tip: Once you turn off the gallery sync, go to the settings of the Gallery app itself and clear the cache, which will help update the display of the albums and remove the cloud icons from the thumbnails.
Once the tumbler is turned off, the system will stop uploading new photos, and old photos that have already been in the cloud will stay there unless you choose the deletion option, while the local copy on the phone is saved completely.
Parameter management in the Gallery annex
Sometimes sync management is more convenient to do directly from the application interface. Open the standard Gallery on your Xiaomi or Redmi. Click on the profile icon or three dots in the upper right corner to open the menu. Select Settings.
In the list that opens, look for Cloud Sync or Cloud Settings, where you can not only turn off the feature completely, but also set up download conditions, for example, you can prevent photos from uploading over a mobile network, leaving this option only for Wi-Fi, which will save traffic.
Some versions of MIUI include a "Free Space" feature that automatically removes photos and videos from the device that have already been successfully uploaded to the cloud, and if you turn off the cloud, it's also recommended that you deactivate this feature so that the phone doesn't start deleting the originals, believing they're securely stored.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Synchronization of the Gallery | Off | Photos are not uploaded to the cloud |
| Downloading over Wi-Fi | On (if necessary) | Savings in mobile traffic |
| Make room | Off | Originals stay on the phone |
| Synchronizing albums | Off | Hiding shared albums |
Note that the changes are effective immediately, and you may notice that the cloud icons next to the dates or albums are missing, and that is a normal response to a change in account status for this type of content.
Radical measures: deletion of the Mi Account
If your goal is to get rid of the Xiaomi ecosystem completely, you can delete your account from your device, and this action will break the connection with all services: the cloud, theme, device search and Mi Pay. → Mi Account.
At the bottom of the screen or in the menu (three dots), find the exit or delete account button. The system will require you to enter a password from your Mi Account to verify your identity. This is done to protect against device theft. Once you enter your password and confirm, the phone will clear the data associated with the account, but personal files (photos, music, documents) usually leave intact.
⚠️ Warning: Deleting your Mi Account will disable Find Device.If your phone is lost or stolen, you won’t be able to track its location or remotely block it.
This method is suitable for users who prefer full control and use third-party backup solutions, but for most users it is enough to simply disable the sync of the gallery, as described in the previous sections, leaving the account active for system needs.
Alternatives and solutions to memory problems
After the Xiaomi Cloud shutdown, the issue of free space can become even more acute, as photos will no longer be deleted from the device automatically, in which case alternative storage options should be considered. A popular solution is to install Google Photos, which offers compressed (but high-quality) storage or takes up space in your Google Drive.
You can also use third-party cloud storage, such as Yandex.Disk, Cloud Mail.ru or Dropbox, many of which have an auto-upload feature (autoback) that you can configure in their own applications, which allows you to have a copy of the data on the Internet, but not depend on the limitations and interface of MIUI.
If you prefer to store everything locally, regularly transfer archives to your computer or buy a microSD card (if the smartphone model supports this format), regular cleaning of duplicates and screenshots also helps to maintain order in the gallery.