How to transfer photos from Google Photos to the gallery on Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Transferring photos from Google Photos to the standard Xiaomi gallery is a challenge that many users face after changing their device or cleaning cloud storage. Despite its apparent simplicity, the process has nuances, from automated methods to manually copying through the file manager. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods, including hidden MIUI functions that speed up the transfer without loss of quality.

The main problem is that Google Photos doesn’t save originals to the device by default — it just caches previews for quick browsing. This means that simply “saving” through the application interface is not enough: files need to be physically copied to the DCIM/Camera folder or another directory that the Xiaomi gallery scans. We’ll look at both official methods from Google and workarounds for cases where sync is not working properly.

Why Google Photos Aren't Shown in Xiaomi Gallery

Before you start moving, it's important to understand the cause of the problem, and 90 percent of the time, it's because:

• 📁 Files are not uploaded locally: Google Photos shows thumbnails, but the originals are stored in the cloud. Without explicit saving, they are not available to the gallery.
• 🔄 No sync with MIUI: The Xiaomi Gallery scans only certain folders (e.g., DCIM or Pictures). Files in other directories are ignored.
• 🚫 Limitations MIUI 14+: Newer firmware versions block access to some system folders, which prevents automatic porting.
• 🔒 Privacy settings: If in Settings → Apps → Permissions Google Photos does not have permission to access the storage, file retention will not be possible.

Another common reason is to optimize storage in Google Photos. If you have Settings Saving Mode enabled, the originals are replaced with compressed versions (up to 16 MP resolution), which can distort the final quality when you transfer. Check this setting in the application settings: Google Photos → Settings → Backup and Sync → Download quality.

Method 1: Save through Google Photos (the easiest one)

This is Google's official method for transferring individual images or small albums, and its main advantage is simplicity, minus manual labor when working with a large number of files.

1. Open the Google Photos app and find the photo or album you want.
2. Tap the photo to open, then click on the three dots ⋮ in the upper right corner.
3. Select "Save to Device" and the file will be copied to the DCIM/Google Photo folder.
4. Launch the Xiaomi Gallery and update it (pull the screen down). Photos should appear in the Device section.

For batch storage:

1. Hold your finger on the first photo, then highlight the rest.
2. Click on the Save icon (cloud icon with a down arrow).
3. Wait for the process to be completed – a notification will appear in the status bar.

⚠️ Warning: If photos don't show up in the gallery after saving, check the DCIM/Google Photos folder through any file manager (e.g. Xiaomi Files). Sometimes MIUI doesn't scan that directory automatically. The solution is to manually move files to DCIM/Camera.

Check the free space on the phone (minimum 2x photo volume)

Turn off the “Saving Traffic” mode in Google Photos settings

Make sure the app has access to storage (Settings → Apps → Google Photos → Permissions)

Close all background tasks to speed up the process-->

Method 2: Automatic synchronization with DCIM folder

This method is suitable for users who want to automatically duplicate all new photos from Google Photos to the Xiaomi Gallery.It requires pre-configuration, but eliminates manual saving in the future.

1. Open Google Photos and go to Settings → Backup and Sync.
2. Activate the option “Save originals on your device” (not available on all devices).
3. If you don't have one, use a workaround: Download a cloud-enabled file manager (like Solid Explorer). Connect your Google account and find the Google Photos folder in the cloud. Select the files you want and copy them to Internal Memory → DCIM → Camera.

For Xiaomi, MIUI 14+ has a hidden automatic synchronization feature:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Files.
2. Click on three dots ⋮ and select Scan Settings.
3. Add the DCIM/Google Photos folder to the list of scanned directories.
4. Reboot the gallery.

Method 3: Transfer through the file manager (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use advanced file managers like MiXplorer or FX File Explorer, which allow you to access hidden folders and force you to update Xiaomi’s media base.

Instructions for MiXplorer:

1. Install the application from 4PDA (requires permission to install from unknown sources).
2. Open internal memory → Android → data → com.google.android.apps.photos → cache.
3. Find a folder with cached originals (usually called media or thumbs).
4. Copy the files to DCIM/Camera.
5. In MiXplorer, click on three dots → “Scan Media Files” (this will force the gallery to update).

⚠️ Warning: The /Android/data/ folder is hidden by default. To see it, in the MiXplorer settings, turn on "Show Hidden Files" and give the app root rights (if the phone is rooted). Without root access to the Google Photo cache, you may not have any.

Critical detail: After copying files through the file manager of the gallery, Xiaomi may not see them immediately, in which case, restart the phone or use the ADB command to force the scan:

adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE -d file:///storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera/

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If the photos are displayed in the gallery without thumbnails (gray icons) after transfer, then MIUI did not have time to generate the preview. Solution: open each photo in the gallery manually, previews will be created automatically.

Method 4: Using Google Takeout for Mass Exports

If you want to move the entire library (thousands of photos), manual methods will not work, in which case Google Takeout will help, which allows you to download the archive with all the media files, and then upload them to your phone.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to the Google Takeout website via a browser on your PC or phone.
2. Select Google Photos (uncheck the boxes from other services).
3. Click "Next" and specify: Archive format:.zip (recommended). Maximum size: 2 GB (so as not to split into many parts). Delivery method: "Send download link via email."

Mi Cloud

DCIM

Xiaomi File Manager

ZArchiver

The advantage of this method is to preserve the entire structure of albums and metadata (dates, geotags).

• ⏳ Long wait (it can take hours to create an archive).
• 📦 A large amount of data (for example, 50 GB of photos will be broken into 25 archives of 2 GB).
• 🔌 Requires a PC connection for easy unpacking.

Method 5: Transfer over PC (most reliable)

For users who have access to a computer, this method is the most reliable: it guarantees 100% lossless transfer and allows you to filter out unnecessary files before copying.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original from Xiaomi).
• 📁 Google Backup and Sync (for downloading photos on PC)

Instructions:

1. Install Google Backup and Sync on your PC and log in to your account.
2. In the program settings, select "Google Photos" and specify the folder to save (for example, D:\Google Photos).
3. Wait for the synchronization to be completed (time depends on the amount of data).
4. Connect Xiaomi to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
5. Copy files from a folder to your PC to your internal memory → DCIM → Camera on your phone.
6. Turn off your phone and wait until the gallery updates the media base (it can take up to 10 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: When copying via PC, avoid using microSD cards in Xiaomi slot. MIUI sometimes doesn't scan files on SD- gallery cards. If you want to save photos to a card, transfer them to internal memory before moving them to File Manager.

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Transfer over a PC is the only method that guarantees the preservation of the original quality and all metadata (EXIF, geotags, dates).

Solving problems: photos are not displayed in the gallery after the transfer

If you’ve completed all the steps but the photos never showed up in the Xiaomi Gallery, check out the following points:

• 🔍 Destination folder: Make sure the files are copied to DCIM/Camera, DCIM/Screenshots or Pictures. Other folders may be ignored.
• 📂 File format: The MIUI Gallery does not support.HEIC (iPhone format) and some RAW- formats. Convert them to.JPG or.PNG.
• 🔄 Cash Gallery: Clear the cache of the Gallery app in Settings → Apps → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear the cache.
• 📱 Mediabase Update: Install Rescan Media from Google Play, which will force you to update your file scanning.

If the problem persists, check the scan settings in MIUI:

1. Open Files (standard manager from Xiaomi).
2. Go to Categories → Images.
3. Click on three points ⋮ → "Settings" → "Scan Device."
4. Manually add the folder where you saved the photo (for example, DCIM/Google Photos).

For devices with MIUI 13/14 and above, you may need to reset the gallery settings:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.gallery

This command will reset all the settings of the app, but will not delete the photos themselves.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving photos from Google Photos to Xiaomi