How to save a cleaning card in a Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner: all ways with step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum (including 1S, STYJ02YM, S5 and later) builds room maps for efficient cleaning, but doesn’t always save them automatically. If you find that after a reboot, reset or firmware update, the map has disappeared, this article will help you regain it or prevent future loss. We’ll break down official and alternative conservation methods, including the nuances of working with Mi Home, Mi Home Lite and manual backups.

The Xiaomi robots are either stored in the cloud (linked to an account) or locally in the device’s memory. When you change your router, reset your network, or move, the card can “fly” — not a breakdown, but a feature of the architecture. Next, you will learn how to forcefully save the card to the Xiaomi cloud, export it to a file or transfer it to another smartphone without loss.

Why the cleaning card disappears: the main reasons

Before you save a map, it's important to understand why it's missing. Here are the key scenarios:

• 🔄 Rebooting the robot – forced shutdown by button or battery resets temporary data if the card is not synced to the cloud.
• 📶 Changing Wi-Fi – the robot is tied to a particular router. When connecting to a new network (for example, after moving), the card may not load.
• 🔧 Resetting settings - returning to factory settings (Settings) → Reset) erases all local data, including maps.
• ☁️ Xiaomi cloud problems – if sync with servers is interrupted (for example, due to blocking) IP or regional restrictions, the card is not saved.
• 📱 Remove the Mi Home app – when reinstalling the app without a backup, the card may disappear if it was not tied to the account.

The most vulnerable models are Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum 1 and Mi Robot Vacuum 1S – they do not have a built-in module for automatically saving maps to the cloud. In new versions (for example, Xiaomi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite or S7), this feature is more stable, but also requires manual synchronization.

⚠️ Warning: If the robot gives a Map load failed error after updating the firmware, do not try to reset the settings - this will delete the card permanently. First check the Internet connection and log in to Mi Home.

Method 1: Save the map through the Xiaomi cloud (official method)

The most reliable way is to link the card to your Mi Account.

1. Open the Mi Home app and go to the section with your robot.
2. Click on the gear icon (⚙️) in the upper right corner, then select the map settings.
3. Activate the option to sync the map with the cloud (or Cloud Map Backup in English version).
4. Wait for the process to be completed – a notification will appear at the bottom of the screen.

If there is no option:

• 📌 Update the Mi Home app to the latest version (minimum required 6.1.100).
• 🌍 Check the region of the account: the function is only available for countries China, Europe or Russia (binding to cn, eu, ru servers).
• 🔌 Make sure the robot is connected to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (5GHz not supported).

Once synchronized, the card will be available on all devices authorized in one Mi Account. To check if the card is saved, restart the robot: if the card loaded automatically after turning on, everything is configured correctly.

Method 2: Manually export the card to the file (for power users)

If cloud sync is not available (e.g. due to regional restrictions), you can save the card manually through the Mi Home token, a technique that requires technical skills but guarantees 100% control over the data.

You'll need:

• 📱 Smartphone with root rights or PC with Python installed.
• 🔑 Mi Home Access Token (can be obtained via Packet Capture or miio extractor script).
• 💾 Mi Home Backup Tool (Available on GitHub).

Step-by-step:

1. Get the device token: pip install python-miio mirobo --debug --ip 192.168.x.x get_map (substitute 192.168.x.x on IP-address of your robot).
2. Download the map in.dg or.png: mirobo format --ip 192.168.x.x --token YOUR_TOKEN get_map -s
3. Save the file to your PC or cloud storage (like Google Drive).

To restore the card, use the command:

mirobo --ip 192.168.x.x --token YOUR_TOKEN upload_map map.dg

⚠️ Warning: Do not edit the map file manually, this can lead to navigation errors. If the robot moves chaotically after downloading the map, reset the map through Settings → Map. → Reset the card.

Getting a Mi Home token|Install Python and the Miio Library|Download the map by team get_map|Save the file in a safe place|Check file integrity-->

Method 3: Transfer the card to another smartphone or account

If you change your phone or you want to transfer control to another user, you can transfer the card without loss.

1. On an old smartphone, open Mi Home and make sure the card is loaded.
2. Go to Profile → Settings → Devices and select your robot.
3. Click Transfer Control (or Share Device) and enter the new account login.
4. On the new smartphone, log in to Mi Home and accept the invitation.

If there is no option to Transfer Control:

• 🔄 Update the app to 6.2.100 or later.
• 📋 Check that both accounts are linked to the same region (e.g., both to Europe).
• 🔑 Make sure you have administrator rights on the robot (in your device settings).

After transfer, the map syncs automatically. If this does not happen, restart the robot and update the data in the application (pull the screen down for updates).

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Before handing over control, check that the new smartphone is enabled Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – this will speed up the synchronization of the card.

Method 4: Save the card via Mi Home Lite (alternative application)

Mi Home Lite (available for Android) offers a simplified interface and sometimes works better with older robot models.

1. Install Mi Home Lite from Google Play or APKPure.
2. Sign in to the same Mi Account as the main app.
3. Go to the robot section and wait for the map to load.
4. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Save the map.

Advantages of Mi Home Lite:

• ⚡ Faster loads cards on weak smartphones.
• 📱 Supports older versions of Android (starting with 5.0).
• ☁️ Automatically syncs cards to the cloud without additional settings.

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 No features (such as zoning or cleaning schedule).
• 🔄 Less frequently updated than the main application.

Method 5: Backup of robot settings (including map)

The full backup of the robot's settings includes not only the map, but also the cleaning schedules, the no-go zones, the suction settings, to create the backup:

1. In Mi Home, go to Profile → Settings → Cloud Mi.
2. Select Backup and click Create Backup.
3. Wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 5 minutes).
4. Download the backup file to your device or to the cloud.

For recovery:

1. Go to the same section and select Restore from backup.
2. Specify the backup file and confirm the recovery.

⚠️ Warning: Backup is tied to a specific robot model. If you change the Mi Robot Vacuum, you'll have to change it. 1S Mi Robot Vacuum S7, The map cannot be restored – it is incompatible with the new device.

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Backup via Mi Home is the only way to save not only the map, but also all the robot settings, including zones and schedules.

What to do if the card is not saved: diagnosis of problems

If none of these methods worked, check the following points:

• 📡 Wi-Fi quality – the robot must be connected to the network at a speed of at least 2 Mbps. Use the Wi-Fi Analyzer app to check the signal strength.
• 🕒 Server time - if the robot has lost date and time, sync with the cloud does not work. → Date and time.
• 🔌 Battery charge - at a charge level below 20%, the robot can block card operations.
• 📱 Firmware version - outdated software often causes crashes. Update the robot through Settings → Firmware update.

If the problem persists, try resetting the network settings on the robot:

1. Press the Reset button for 5 seconds until you hear the beep.
2. Connect the robot to Wi-Fi again via Mi Home.
3. Start cleaning to re-build the map.

Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum 1 and 1S models may require USB firmware (instructions available on the 4PDA forum).This is a last resort if the robot has completely stopped saving cards.

FAQ: Frequent questions about saving cards in Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum