Smartphone owners Xiaomi Redmi 9 often face the problem of lack of space not only in the internal memory of the device, but also in cloud storage. When Google Drive or Google Photos becomes full, synchronization stops and new photos are no longer saved to the backup server. This is critical, since the cloud serves as the main tool for the security of your data.
The cleaning process requires careful approach so as not to accidentally delete important files from the phone, thinking that you are only cleaning the server. In this article, we will look at safe methods for freeing up space, setting up automatic uploading, and the intricacies of working with a Google account on the MIUI shell.
Analyzing storage fullness
Before deleting files, you need to understand exactly what is taking up precious gigabytes. In the Google ecosystem, a single space of 15 GB is shared between Gmail, Google Drive and the photo service. On Redmi 9 it is most convenient to carry out diagnostics through a special application.
Go to the phone settings and find the section Accounts and synchronization. Here you will see the status of your Google profile. However, a separate utility provides more detailed information. Open the application Google One, which is pre-installed on most devices with Google services.
In the application interface you will see a color chart that clearly demonstrates the distribution of space. Usually the lion's share is occupied by media files. If the loading bar is red, the system will suggest cleaning tools. Don't ignore the Emails section, as old emails with attachments can silently eat up gigabytes.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting a file from the Trash folder in Google Photos or Google Drive is irreversible. The files are stored there for 30 days, after which they disappear forever; it will be impossible to restore them without professional software.
Particular attention should be paid to the “Backups” section. Users often forget about old backups of previous smartphones, which continue to hang in the cloud and take up space, although the phone itself is already sold or broken.
Managing your Google Photos library
The easiest way to free up space is to work with the gallery. The service automatically groups pictures by dates and events. On Redmi 9 with its screen it is convenient to view previews and highlight unsuccessful frames en masse.
Open the application Google Photos. Go to the Photos tab. To delete large amounts of data, hold your finger on one photo, then swipe down or sideways to select hundreds of files at once. This is much faster than clicking on each image separately.
Once selected, click on the trash can icon. It's important to understand the difference between deleting from a device and deleting from the cloud. If synchronization is enabled, deletion in the application will affect both the phone and the server. If you need to leave a photo on your phone, but remove it from the cloud, use the “Free up space” function.
- 📸 Duplicates: The service often finds similar photos taken in burst mode. Remove unnecessary ones, leaving only the best frame.
- 🎥 Video files: One minute video in 4K can weigh more than a thousand photos. Check the "Video" section in the search and delete old screen recordings.
- 🗑️ Trash: After deleting, go to the "Library" → "Trash" menu and empty it immediately if you need space urgently.
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where photos are deleted, but the space is not freed up. This may be due to the application cache. Try clearing the Google Photos cache via Settings → Applications → All apps → Photos → Storage → Clear cache Settings → Applications → All apps → Photos → Storage → Clear cache.
Use Google Photos search for keywords like “screenshot” or “selfie” to quickly find and remove a specific type of junk that often accumulates in large quantities.
Cleaning Google Drive and attachments
Google Drive serves as a storage for documents, archives and files from instant messengers. On Redmi 9, file management is carried out through a standard explorer or an application Google Filesthat is integrated with the cloud.
Go to the application Google Drive. At the bottom of the screen there is a "Files" tab. Sort the list by size by clicking on the three dots in the corner and selecting the appropriate option. The largest files will appear at the top of the list. Often these are forgotten videos, APK installation files or heavy presentations.
Gmail attachments form a separate layer of garbage. Emails with files larger than 10 MB automatically fall into a special filter. To find them, enter the query has:attachment larger:10Min the Gmail search. This will instantly show all heavy emails that can be deleted.
| Data type | Medium size | Where to look | Deletion priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4K/1080p video | 50-500 MB | Google Photos | High |
| WhatsApp backup | 1-5 GB | Google Drive (Backups) | Medium |
| PDF/Word Documents | 1-10 MB | Google Drive (Files) | Low |
| Email attachments | 5-25 MB | Gmail | Medium |
Don't forget to check the "Trash" folder directly in the Google Drive application. Files deleted from a computer or other device often end up there and continue to be charged as occupied gigabytes.
☑️ Check before deleting
Setting up backup and synchronization
To prevent the problem of low space from returning every two weeks, you need to correctly configure the synchronization policy on your Redmi 9. By default, the phone can try to upload absolutely everything to the cloud, including screenshots and pictures from instant messengers.
In the Google Photos settings, find the “Auto-upload and synchronization settings” item. Here you can choose which folders to sync. Disable downloading of folders WhatsApp Images, Telegram or Screenshotsunless you plan to keep them forever. This will significantly slow down the growth of the cloud.
Also an important parameter is the quality of the download. Select the Space Saver (High Quality) option instead of Original Quality. In saving mode, photos are compressed without any visible loss of quality for the smartphone screen, but they take up much less space. For Redmi 9 with its screen resolution, this option is more than enough.
⚠️ Attention: Switching from “Original quality” to “Space saving” mode does not automatically compress already downloaded photos. You will have to delete the old originals and download them again to free up space.
Check the backup settings of the smartphone itself. Go to Settings → About phone → Backup and restore. Make sure that the backup does not include unnecessary application data that can be restored otherwise.
How to delete an old phone backup?
Go to the Google Drive application → Menu (three bars) → Backups. Find the name of your old device, click on the three dots next to it and select “Delete backup.”
Working with instant messengers and third-party applications
A significant part of the space in the Redmi 9 cloud can be occupied by automatic backups of chats from WhatsApp and Viber. These applications create backups daily, and old versions can be stored for a week or a month.
Go to the settings of the messenger itself. In WhatsApp, the path looks like this: Settings → Chats → Chat backup. Here you can change the frequency of creating copies from “Daily” to “Weekly” or completely disable uploading videos to the cloud. Video in chats is the main eater of space.
Check the list of applications that have access to your Google Account. Sometimes forgotten games or services continue to store data in the cloud. Go to the Google account management page in your browser, section “Security” → “Third-party applications with account access.” Revoke access from unnecessary apps.
- 📱 Telegram: It's a cloud-based messenger, but it can duplicate media to your phone's gallery, which then syncs with Google. Disable saving to gallery in Telegram settings.
- 📂 Dropbox/OneDrive: If you use alternative clouds, make sure that they do not duplicate the same photos in Google Photos, creating double the load.
- ⚙️ System logs: Some Xiaomi diagnostic utilities can upload error reports to the developer cloud. It rarely takes up much space, but it's worth checking out.
For advanced users, it is possible to manage files via the web interface. From a computer, it is more convenient to select and delete files en masse using hotkeys and a large monitor than to do it with your finger on the Redmi 9 screen.
Regularly clearing messenger folders of videos and disabling their auto-upload to the cloud saves up to 80% of space in Google storage.
Frequent errors and problem solving
When trying to clear the cloud, Redmi 9 users sometimes encounter synchronization errors. The "Backup failed" message may appear even after files have been deleted. This is often solved by simply rebooting the device or updating Google Play services.
Another common problem is “ghost” files. You deleted the photo, but the location counter did not change. This is due to a delay in indexing on Google servers. Typically, updating information takes from 15 minutes to 24 hours. Don't panic and wait.
If you accidentally deleted important data, do not try to immediately overwrite your phone's memory with new files. The less activity on the device, the higher the chances of recovering data through special utilities or Google support, although no one gives guarantees here.
⚠️ Attention: The MIUI and Google applications interface is regularly updated. The location of the menu items may vary slightly depending on the firmware version of your Redmi 9. If you do not find the item, use the search inside the settings.
Remember that buying additional space in Google One is a temporary solution. Without an established content selection system, the additional space will also quickly fill up with garbage.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Will a photo be deleted from the phone if I delete it from the Google Photos cloud?
Yes, if synchronization is enabled. Deleting in the Google Photos app deletes the file everywhere. To leave the photo only on the phone, you must first disable synchronization for this folder or move the photo to a local folder excluded from the backup before deleting it from the cloud.
How much space do WhatsApp backups take on Redmi 9?
The size depends on the amount of media in chats. A regular text backup weighs kilobytes, but a backup with video and photos can take from 500 MB to several gigabytes. You can check the exact size in Google Drive in the “Backups” section.
Is it possible to restore data from the cloud after resetting your phone?
Yes, when you initially set up Redmi 9 after resetting, the system will prompt you to log into your Google account and restore data from the last available backup. Make sure that the backup was created recently before resetting.
Why does Google say that the space is occupied even though I deleted everything?
The files may be in the Google Photos or Google Drive trash. Gmail with heavy attachments can also take up space. Check all three services (Disk, Photos, Mail), since they have the same limit.
Is it safe to use cleaner applications to clean the cloud?
Third-party cleaner applications often require full access rights and can remove unnecessary things. It is safer to use the official Google One tools and built-in cleaning functions in MIUI to avoid accidental loss of important data.