How to save a cleaning card in a Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner: from manual saving to recovery after a failure

Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners aren’t just cleaning devices, they’re real smart assistants that can build detailed maps of the space, but many users face a problem: once you reboot, update your firmware or crash in the Mi Home app, the saved map suddenly disappears. Why does this happen? The fact is that by default, most models (such as the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro or Dreame D9) don’t save the map automatically — you need to fix it manually or configure it to sync with the cloud.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to save a map, including hidden application functions, commands for the ADB, and what to do if the card does reset. We will focus on models with the LDS-ladar (laser scanner) and hybrid navigation systems, since they have different algorithms for building maps, and you will learn how to avoid the typical errors that cause the map to “fly” after each turn on.

If your vacuum cleaner has already lost the map, don't panic. In 90% of cases, it can be restored without completely flashing it, and the key is to follow the clear algorithm that we've described below.

1.How card saving in Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaners works

Before you save a card, it's important to understand how it's formed and where it's stored. Xiaomi robots have two types of memory for the cards:

• 📱 Local memory — the card is stored in the device itself (in the internal flash memory), and when the power is turned off or the settings are reset, the data can be erased.
• ☁️ Cloud storage — the card syncs with Xiaomi servers through a Mi Account, which is more secure, but requires a stable Internet connection.

Most models (such as the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P or Viomi V3) only keep the card locally by default, which means that if any failure (battery discharge to 0%, forced shutdown, firmware update) the card may disappear. To avoid this, you need to enable cloud synchronization manually — but not in all regions this feature is officially available.

Another caveat: Hybrid navigation robots (laser + camera, like the DreameBot Z10 Pro) can build maps faster, but they also lose maps more often due to conflicts between sensors, and in such cases, calibrating the laser through an engineering menu helps.

⚠️ Warning: If your vacuum cleaner is connected to a Mi Account from a Chinese region, cloud-based card storage may be blocked due to Xiaomi’s restrictions on local users, in which case alternative methods will have to be used (see Section 4).

2. Method 1: Manually save the card through the Mi Home application

The easiest way is to save the card manually after cleaning is complete.

1. Start the robot for a full cleaning (the “Zone” or “Full cleaning” mode).
2. Wait for him to build the map (usually 5-10 minutes).
3. Open the Mi Home app, go to the tab with the map.
4. Click on the Save icon (the floppy or cloud icon, depending on the version of the application).

If there is no save button, your model does not support this function directly, in which case you can try an alternative method:

• 🔄 Reboot the robot via Settings → Reboot in the app.
• 📲 After you restart, check if the map is still there. If so, it's stored locally.
• ☁️ If the card is gone, turn on cloud sync (see next section).

Make sure the robot is connected to Wi-Fi | Check the battery level (minimum 20%) | Close all doors in the room | Remove from the floor small objects that may interfere with the scan-->

On some firmware (for example, on Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite), the save button only appears after double-clicking on the card. If nothing helps, update the Mi Home app to the latest version or try using Mi Home Lite (an alternative client for Android).

Method 2: Enabling cloud-based map synchronization

Cloud storage is the most reliable way, but it doesn't work on all models and regions.

1. Open Mi Home and go to the robot settings.
2. Find the Map → Map Settings section (or Map Settings in English).
3. Enable the option of “Card Sync” or “Cloud Map”.
4. Confirm the link to your Mi Account.

If you don’t have an option, try changing your account region to Singapore or Hong Kong (there is more frequent access).

• 🌍 In Mi Home, go to profile → Region.
• 🔄 Select Singapore or Hong Kong and reboot the app.
• 🔍 After changing region, check for the cloud sync option.

Yes, it works stably | Yes, but sometimes it fails | No, no such function | I don't know how to check-->

Important: Once cloud sync is enabled, it can take up to 10 to 15 minutes to load the map to the server for the first time, don't turn off the robot or close the application at this time, and if the process is stalled, restart the vacuum cleaner and try again.

⚠️ Note: On firmware models for the Chinese market (e.g. Viomi) V2 suffixed CN In the title, cloud synchronization may require a link to a Chinese Mi Account, in which case it is easier to use the method of saving through the Internet. ADB (see section 5).

Method 3: Save the card through the engineering menu (for advanced)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try saving the card through the robot’s engineering menu, a method that works for most Xiaomi-based models (including the Dreame and Viomi), but requires caution.

Instructions:

1. Turn on the robot and connect to its Wi-Fi point (network type rockrobo-XXXX).
2. In your browser on your phone or PC, enter the address: http://192.168.8.1/miIO/info
3. Copy the value of token is the key to access the robot’s API.
4. Use Postman or Terminal to send a card save command: curl http://[IP_Robot]/miIO.info -H "X-API-Token: [your token]" -d '{"method":"save_map"}

If the command is successful, the robot will respond {"result":"ok"}. The map will then be stored in local memory. For models with laser navigation (LDS), it is also useful to calibrate the sensor through the command:

curl http://[IP_robot]/miIO.info -H "X-API-Token: [your token]" -d '{"method":"calibrate_tof"'

For convenience, you can use ready-made utilities like Valetudo (an alternative firmware for robot vacuum cleaners) or DustBuilder (a tool for working with maps), these solutions allow you not only to save maps, but also edit them manually.

5. Method 4: Save the card via ADB (for Android)

If your robot vacuum cleaner is connected to an Android phone, you can try saving the card via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works for models where the card is stored in the cache of the Mi Home app.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB debugging on your phone (Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number – press 7 times, then go back to Settings → Developers → Debugging by USB).
2. Connect the phone to your PC and execute the command: adb backup -f mihome_backup.ab com.xiaomi.smarthome This will back up Mi Home data, including maps.
3. If you only need to remove the card, use the utility abe (Android Backup Extractor) to unpack the file mihome_backup.ab.

Warning: This method stores all the information from Mi Home, including the settings of other devices, and to restore only the card, you will have to manually search for files with the.map or.dat extension in the unpacked backup.

To automate the process, you can use a Python script with a miio library:

from miio import Vacuum


vacuum = Vacuum(ip="192.168.8.1", token="YOUR_TOKEN")




map_data = vacuum.get_map()




with open("map_backup.json", "w") as f:




f.write(str(map_data))

💡

If you lose a card frequently, set up an automatic backup via Tasker (Android) or Shortcuts (iOS). Create a task that sends a card save command to the server or cloud once a week.

Method 5: Recovery of the card after resetting

If the card does reset, don't rush to re-start the robot. First, try to restore it from the backup:

• ☁️ If cloud sync is enabled, just restart the robot. The map should be automatically loaded within 5-10 minutes.
• 📱 If the card is saved locally, try resetting the network settings on the robot (not a full reset!): go to Settings → Network → Reset.
• 🔧 For models with Valetudo or custom firmware, restore the map from the map_backup.json file via the web interface.

If it doesn't work, we'll have to re-build the map to speed up the process.

1. Place the robot in the center of the room.
2. Start cleaning in “Full Cleaning” mode (not “Zone”).
3. Do not interrupt the process until the robot has walked around all the rooms.
4. After you have completed the map, save it (see section 2).

Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Ultra) have a Quick Map feature that allows you to restore the map in 2-3 minutes, but requires the robot to already “know” the layout of the room. Activates through Settings → Map → Quick map.

7.Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Many users face the same problems when saving cards, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

• 🔌 Robot shuts down during save → Before saving the card, make sure the battery level is at least 30%. If the robot is discharged to 0%, the card is almost always reset.
• 🌐 No Wi-Fi connection → Cloud synchronization requires stable internet. If the router is running at 5GHz, switch to 2.4GHz - many Xiaomi robots do not support 5GHz.
• 🔄 The card is “hit” after a firmware update → Before upgrading, save the card manually and make a backup via ADB. If the card disappeared after the update, try rolling back to the previous firmware version.
• 🏠 Robot doesn't recognize rooms after rearranging furniture → Run remapping in map settings. Some models (like Dreame D10 Plus) allow you to manually edit the map — add or remove walls through the app.

Another common problem is that the robot forgets the map after changing the router, and that's because some models link the map to the MAC- address of the network.

1. Connect the robot to the new Wi-Fi.
2. Start cleaning in Full Cleaning mode.
3. After you build the map, save it and restart the robot.

💡

If your robot vacuum cleaner often loses the card, check the energy saving settings in the Mi Home app. Turn off the battery saving option for the robot - it can interrupt background synchronization processes.

8. Alternative solutions: if nothing helps

If all methods have been tried but the card is still being reset, consider the following options:

• 🛠️ Valetudo firmware is an alternative open-source firmware for robot vacuum cleaners that gives you complete control of the maps. It supports most models Xiaomi/Dreame.
• 📡 Home Assistant – Smart Home system allows you to integrate the robot and save maps on your server.
• 🔧 Manual editing of configuration files for power users. Maps are stored in /data/map/ files on the device (access via ADB).

Valetudo firmware will require:

1. Unlock root access to the robot (instructions are on the official website).
2. Install firmware via SSH or USB-OTG.
3. Set up a web interface for managing maps.

Valetudo’s advantage is that the cards are saved on your server, not in the Xiaomi cloud, which eliminates data loss when crashes, and the firmware allows you to edit cleaning areas, adjust the schedule and even control the robot through MQTT.

⚠️ Warning: Third-party firmware (like Valetudo) can take you out of warranty and cause the robot to run in an unstable way. Make a full backup of the original firmware before installing it!

If you are not willing to take risks, contact Xiaomi Service Center. In some cases, the loss of the card is associated with hardware problems (for example, a malfunction of the laser sensor), and self-manipulation will only aggravate the situation.

Yes, I use Valetudo.|Yeah, I tried, but I came back to the stock.|No, I'm afraid I'll lose my guarantee.|I don't know what that is.-->

FAQ: Frequent questions about saving maps in Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaners