How to copy photos from the Xiaomi gallery: all working ways

Why Xiaomi’s standard copying works differently

If you've tried to copy a photo from a standard Xiaomi gallery to a memory card or computer and you've had problems, you're not alone. MIUI (hardware-based Redmi smartphones, POCO Xiaomi and Xiaomi use a unique file management system. Unlike pure Android, photos are saved by default in secure folders. DCIM/Camera or Pictures/Screenshots, Access to them is restricted due to security policy MIUI.

For example, when connecting to a PC through USB You may not see the folder with the photo - it is not a bug, but a feature of the work MTP-And if you try to move the pictures to Xiaomi, SD-The system may give an error "Inadequate rights" or "File used by another process." In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to copy photos from the Xiaomi gallery, including bypassing restrictions. MIUI 14/15.

It's important to understand that the methods differ depending on where you want to copy files — to a memory card, a computer, another smartphone or to the cloud. MIUI 12 and later, there are additional restrictions on working with files that were not in the older versions.

Method 1: Copy through the standard Xiaomi gallery

The most obvious, but not always working, method is to use the built-in tools of the Xiaomi gallery, which is suitable for moving photos inside the phone (for example, from internal memory to internal memory). SD-It's a map, or it's sent via messengers. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Select an album (such as Camera or Screenshots).
3. Press and hold your finger in the first photo, then mark the rest (or tap Select in the upper right corner).
4. Click on the Share icon (three dots connected by lines) or More (three vertical dots).
5. Select from the menu: 📁 Copy in... - to move inside the phone (on the phone) SD-map or folder). 📤 Send – for transmission via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct or instant messengers. 🖥️ Export to PC – if the phone is connected to the computer USB.

⚠️ Note: If you are copying the SD-The card appears with the error "Not enough space", check that the card is formatted as internal memory (settings in Storage settings) → Memory card. Otherwise, MIUI block the entry into some folders.

SD-The card is inserted and recognized by the system|There is enough free space on the map (at least 10% of the volume)|Photos not protected by password or fingerprint|In the settings USB selected “File transfers" (MTP)-->

This method is simple, but has limitations:

You can’t copy the entire album at once (maximum 500 files at a time).

- Some formats (e.g,.HEIC or.RAW) may not appear in the copy list.

- When exported to PC, the transfer speed is lower than when connecting directly through USB.

Method 2: Use of a file manager (including hidden folders)

If the gallery doesn't see a part of the photo or doesn't allow you to copy it, try using the file manager. MIUI Explorer is installed by default, but we recommend downloading Solid Explorer or FX File Manager – They show hidden folders and give more rights.

Instructions for a standard conductor:

1. Open the Explorer app (folder icon).
2. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera (or Pictures for screenshots).
3. Press and hold your finger on the file, then select the others.
4. Tap Copy (or Cut if you want to move).
5. Go to the destination folder (for example, SD-map → Download) and press Insert.

⚠️ Note: If you copy files with the.nomedia extension, they don't show up in the gallery after you transfer them, delete this file.

Method 3: Transfer of photo to computer (USB, Wi-Fi, FTP)

If you need to copy a photo on a PC, you have 3 reliable options: USB-cable, via Wi-Fi (via cable) FTP) Or we could use cloud storage.

Option 1: USB-cable (the fastest way)

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via the original cable (cheap cables may not support data transfer!).
2. On your phone, swipe down the notification bar and select File Transfer (MTP).
3. On PC, open the Explorer (Win) + E) → Find the Xiaomi device in the section "This computer".
4. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera.
5. Copy files to a hard drive (for example, in the Documents folder). → My photos).

💡 If the PC can’t see the phone, try it:

• 🔌 Connect to another USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 blue).
• 🔄 Restart your phone and PC.
• 🛠️ Update the drivers MTP via Device Manager (Windows).
• 📱 Enable Debugging on USB in the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).

Option 2: Wi-Fi transmission (without cable)

If you don’t have a cable at hand, use it. FTP-server:

1. Install Solid Explorer on your phone or FX File Manager.
2. In the app menu, find the Remote Access section or FTP-server.
3. Start the server and the address of the view will appear ftp://192.168.1.100:2221.
4. On PC, open the Explorer → enter the address in the address bar → press Enter.
5. Copy files as if they were from a regular network folder.

📶 Important: Wi-Fi transmission speed is 3-5 times lower than over USB. For 100 photos (≈500 MB may take 10-15 minutes.

USB-cable|Wi-Fi (FTP)|Cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud)|Bluetooth|Other-->

Method 4: Export to the cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Photos, Yandex Drive)

Cloud services are convenient for backing up and transferring photos to other devices. Xiaomi has a built-in Mi Cloud, but it is limited to 5 GB of free space. Alternatives are Google Photos (15 GB) or Yandex Drive (10 GB).

Instructions for Mi Cloud

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on Gallery Sync (if disabled).
3. Select Autoboot. → Camera and turn on the option.
4. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours).
5. On another device, log in to the same Mi Cloud account and download the photo.

⚠️ Note: Mi Cloud compresses photos when downloading if you have the Traffic Saving option enabled. To download originals, turn it off in sync settings.

Instructions for Google Photos

If you prefer Google Photos:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and log in to your Google account.
3. Click on the avatar. → Photo settings → Backup and synchronization → switch on.
4. Choose quality: 📸 Original - no compression (considered as a quota of Google Drive). 🔍 High quality – free, but compression up to 16 MP.

Wait for the download (progress is displayed in notifications).

photos.google.com

🔍 Comparison of cloud services for Xiaomi:

💡

If you need to make room on your phone, but don’t have time to upload to the cloud, use the “Free Space” feature in Google Photos, which will remove photos from your phone that are already uploaded to the cloud, but save their thumbnails for viewing.

Method 5: Transfer to another smartphone (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, ShareMe)

To copy a photo to another phone (for example, from Xiaomi to Samsung or iPhone), use:

• 📶 Wi-Fi Direct – fast transmission without Internet (up to 10 MB / s).
• 🔵 Bluetooth is slow but versatile (works even on older phones).
• 📲 ShareMe (Mi Drop) – Xiaomi’s proprietary application for file transfer.
• 🌐 Local area network - through FTP or HTTP-server (e.g. Send Anywhere).

📌 Step-by-step instructions for ShareMe:

1. Install ShareMe on both phones (available from Google Play and App Store).
2. On the sender phone (Xiaomi) select Send → Photo Photo → tag files.
3. Click Next and select Without Internet (for Wi-Fi Direct).
4. On the second phone, select Get → Connect to the access point created by the first phone.
5. Confirm the transmission on both devices.

⚡ Transmission speed depending on the method:

• 🥇 Wi-Fi Direct (ShareMe): 5-10 MB/s (50 photos in 1-2 minutes).
• 🥈 Local area network (FTP): 2-5 MB/s.
• 🥉 Bluetooth 5.0: 1-2 MB/s (slow for large numbers of photos).
• ⚠️ Bluetooth 4.0: 0.5-1 MB/s (not recommended for album transfer).

💡

To transfer photos between Xiaomi phones, use ShareMe, which is the fastest and most stable solution. Send Anywhere or Wi-Fi Direct is suitable for other brands.

Problem Solving: Mistakes When Copying Photos in Xiaomi

Even if you follow the instructions, you may encounter errors, and we'll look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

1. The error "Inadequate rights" when copying on SD-map

Reason: B MIUI 12+ There are strict restrictions on writing to external drives:

• 🔧 Format. SD-Card as internal memory (Settings) → Memory. → Memory map → Format as internal. Attention: all data on the map will be deleted!
• 📂 Copy the photo first on PC, then from PC to PC SD-map.
• 🛠️ Use a root-enabled file manager (such as Root Explorer) if your phone is unlocked.

2.Photos are not displayed after copying

Causes and solutions:

• 🖼️ Files have an extension.nomedia → delete this file or rename the photo to.jpg.
• 🔍 Destination folder not scanned by gallery → Restart your phone or use the Rescan Media app.
• 📱 Photo format.HEIC (iPhone) → convert.JPG through Google Photos or HEIC to JPG Converter.

Slow transmission by USB

If copying takes hours, check:

• 🔌 Cable: Use the original cable USB 3.0 (blue connector).
• 🖥️ Port: Connect to the rear ports of PCs (they are usually faster than the front ones).
• 📱 Regime. USB: In the developer settings, turn on debugging by USB and choose PTP instead MTP (Sometimes it's faster).
• 🛠️ Drivers: Update MTP-driver for Xiaomi on PC (download from official website).

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo copying in Xiaomi