How to find and open internal memory on a Xiaomi phone: all the ways

Have you bought a new Xiaomi smartphone or upgraded your firmware, but can't find where your files are stored?The device's internal memory is not just a place for photos and videos, but also system folders, app cache and hidden data. MIUI (Xiaomi shells and Android memory paths may differ, and some folders are generally hidden from the user by default.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to access Xiaomi internal memory, from the standard conductor to hidden engineering menus, learn how to open memory through Settings, connect your phone to your computer, use file managers, and even work with system partitions (if you have root rights), and pay special attention to problems when memory is not displayed or access is blocked.

Important: on new Xiaomi models 13/14 Redmi Note 12/13 s MIUI 14 The path to some folders has changed due to tighter security policies, MIUI 12 on the Redmi 9), Some of the instructions may not work – we will note these cases separately.

1. Standard method: via built-in MIUI conductor

The easiest method is to use a full-time file manager, which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones, called Files (or File Manager in English firmware) and is usually located on the home screen or in the app menu.

To open up the internal memory:

1. Launch the Files app (the blue/yellow folder icon).
2. In the lower menu, select the Device (or Device) tab.
3. Slip on the Internal Memory (or Internal Storage) section.

Here you will see the main folders:

• 📁 DCIM — Photos and video from the camera
• 🎵 Music - audio files
• 📥 Download – downloads from the browser
• 📂 Android – Application data (partially hidden)
• 🔧 MIUI — shell-file

If there's no folder, it's either empty or hidden, for example, an Android folder might not show up if the settings turn off the hidden files, to enable them:

1. In the conductor, press three points (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Settings → Show hidden files.
3. Restart the app.

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If you can’t see your Android folder anyway, try connecting your phone to your PC – it will show up 90% of the time.

2. Connect to the computer through USB (MTP-regime)

If the built-in Explorer is not satisfied or you need to transfer large files, the easiest way to connect Xiaomi to the PC. MTP (Media Transfer Protocol, which runs on all modern versions of Windows, macOS and Linux.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your computer using the original USB-Type-C cable (or Micro-USB for older models).
2. On the screen of the smartphone will appear a notification Charging through USB — tap him.
3. Select File Transfer mode (or File Transfer in English firmware).
4. On the computer, a conductor window with the Internal Memory folder will open.

If the computer can't see the phone:

• ⚠️ Check the cable – cheap non-original cords often don’t support data transfer.
• ⚠️ Update the drivers ADB and MTP via the official Android website.
• ⚠️ On Xiaomi MIUI 13/14 You may need to unblock the debugging USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (slip 7 Once in the version, then go back to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers).

On macOS you may need to install Android File Transfer – the standard Finder does not always work correctly with the Internet. MTP. On Linux, the mtp-tools package is usually sufficient (installe via the terminal with the command sudo apt install mtp-tools).

3. Access via engineering menu (for power users)

If you need to access system partitions (e.g, /data or /system), Even when you turn on the hidden files, you can use an engineering menu, which is suitable for unlocked downloaders or root-enabled devices.

Warning: Incorrect actions in the engineering menu can lead to data loss or device blinking. If you're not sure, skip this section.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi models with MIUI 14 and Android 13+ Access to the engineering menu through codes can be blocked, in which case you will need to unlock the bootloader through the official tool Xiaomi.

How to open the engineering menu:

• 📞 In the phone application, type ##4636## → Choose Storage.
• 🔧 Use the code ##284## for the memory test (not all models).
• 🖥️ Connect through ADB and execute the command: adb shell df -h This will show all memory parts, including hidden memory.

If you have root rights, you can use Root Explorer or FX File Explorer for access to the:

• /data — User data (including application data)
• /system — system-file MIUI Android
• /cache — update cache and temporary files

4.Use of third-party file managers

Standard conductor MIUI It's not always convenient -- it hides some files and doesn't support cloud services. Alternative managers offer more options:

To set up access to internal memory in Solid Explorer:

1. Launch the application and provide permissions.
2. In the side menu, select Warehouse → Internal memory.
3. To access hidden folders, click on three dots (⋮) → Settings → Show hidden files.

If the app does not see the memory:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🔧 Check the permissions in Settings → Annexes → [Manager's name] → Permissions (should be enabled with Storage and File Management).
• 📱 Android 11.+ You may need to manually provide folder access through Settings → Confidentiality → Special access → Managing all files.

5.Memory access problems and solutions

Sometimes Xiaomi's internal memory doesn't show up or it gives you errors, and let's look at the most common cases and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Memory is not visible in the conductor or on the PC.

• 🔌 Check it out. USB-cable and port (try another cable or computer).
• 🔄 Restart your phone and PC.
• 📱 On your phone, go to Settings. → Connected devices → USB and select File Transfer.
• 🖥️ On PC, update drivers through Device Manager (find a device with an exclamation mark).

Problem 2: The folders are empty or not open.

• 🔍 Enable the display of hidden files (see Section 1).
• 🛠️ Check for errors through Settings → Memory. → Check it out.
• 📲 Install another file manager (e.g. MiXplorer).

Problem 3: Xiaomi with MIUI 14 is not working MTP.

• 🔐 Unlock Debugging by USB (see section 2).
• 📋 Turn it on. USB-Debugging (security options) in the settings for developers.
• 🔄 Try to connect in mode. PTP (for photographs instead of MTP.

⚠️ Warning: If your phone starts to warm up or discharge quickly after you connect to your PC, turn it off and check the cable. Cheap cables can short-circuit, causing damage to the port. USB.

6. Alternative methods: Wi-Fi, FTP cloud

If USB-Connection is not available (for example, a broken port), wireless methods can be used:

Method 1: Wi-Fi transmission (FTP)

Many file managers (e.g., Solid Explorer) FX File Explorer supports the creation of FTP-servers right on the phone. How to set up:

1. Connect your phone and PC to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. In the file manager, find the function FTP-server (usually in the side menu).
3. Start the server and write down the address (e.g. ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
4. On the PC, open the Explorer → enter the address in the address bar → Enter your login/password (usually anonymous without password).

Method 2: Cloud services

If you want to transfer files without cable, the easiest way to upload them to the cloud is to:

• 📁 Mi Cloud (built-in in) MIUI, 5GB free of charge)
• 🌐 Google Drive (15GB free)
• ☁️ Yandex Disk (10GB free)

To upload files to Mi Cloud:

1. Open your Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud
2. Enable synchronization for Gallery, Notes or Files.
3. Download files manually through the Mi Cloud app.

Method 3: Send Anywhere

Send Anywhere allows you to transfer files between devices in a six-digit code without registration. Suitable for single transfer of large files (up to 10 GB in the free version).

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Wireless Transmission Methods (Wi-Fi, FTP, cloud) convenient but slower USB 3.0. For video transmission 4K Large archives are better to use cable.

7 How to Free Up Internal Memory on Xiaomi

If the internal memory is full, the system starts to slow down, and the new files are not saved.

Step 1: Clearing the cache

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (like Gallery or Chrome).
3. Click Clear Cache (Do not Clear Data – This Will Remove Settings!).

Step 2: Delete unnecessary files

Use the built-in cleaning utility:

1. Open Settings → Memory → Cleaning.
2. Select Garbage Files, Large Files or Duplicates.
3. Press Clear.

Step 3: Transfer files to a memory card

If you have a microSD, you can transfer some of the data:

1. Open the files. → The device → Internal memory.
2. Select files (such as photos or music).
3. Click Move and select the memory card.

⚠️ Attention: Xiaomi with Android 11+ Transferring apps to a memory card is blocked by default. This is a Google restriction, you can only bypass it by root or through the Internet. ADB (Pm set-install location 2).

Step 4: Removal of Systemic Garbage

MIUI It creates a lot of temporary files to delete them:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click Clean in the System Cache section.
3. Confirm the action.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's internal memory