How to quickly transfer photos from Xiaomi to your computer: all the ways of 2026

Transfer photos from Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO It seems like a simple task to get to a computer – until you encounter connection errors, slow transmission speeds, or unexpected limitations. MIUI. In 2026, users have at least 5 working ways to export photos, but each of them has nuances: from the need to unlock the photo. USB-Debugging before data volume limits in cloud services.

This article will not just list the standard methods like “plug on cable”, but will take a look at the hidden MIUI settings that speed up the transfer by 2-3 times, explain why Windows 11 sometimes “does not see” the phone as a drive, and show workarounds for models with a locked bootloader (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+).

Transfer of USB-Cable: Why a phone is not defined as a storage device

The most obvious way to connect Xiaomi to a PC via cable is often a puzzle due to the features of MIUI firmware. The main problem is that the smartphone defaults to Charge mode, not File Transfer (MTP).

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable (cheap analogues may not support data transfer).
• 📱 A notification will appear on the phone screen "USB for..." - tap it and select File Transfer (or File Manager on newer versions) MIUI).
• 🖥️ On PC, open This PC – the phone should appear as a removable drive (e.g. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11).
• 🔍 If the device is not visible, check Device Manager in Windows: there should be no exclamation points in the "Portable Devices" section.

On models with MIUI 14+ (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or POCO F5), you may need to take an additional action: go to Settings → Connections & Sharing → USB and enable the default File Transfer option.

⚠️ Warning: If Windows gives an error "Device not recognized", try connecting the phone to another one USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 blue) or update drivers via Mi PC Suite. On Type-C laptops, sometimes it helps to use an adapter.

2. Mi Drop: Unlimited wireless transmission (up to 1GB at a time)

Mi Drop is a Wi-Fi file sharing application built into MIUI that works without the Internet and does not require registration, and its main advantage is speeds up to 10-15 MB / s (versus 2-5 MB / s for cloud services).

1. Open Mi Drop on your phone (if not, download from the Mi App Store).
2. Select the Submit tab and select the desired photos.
3. Click Next and select the Computer.
4. On PC, open your browser and go to http://192.168.x.x:port (it will appear on your phone screen).
5. Download files through the web interface.

Limitations of the method:

• 📶 Phone and PC must be on the same Wi-Fi network (or connected to the same access point).
• 📁 The maximum size of one package is 1 GB (for large volumes you will have to split into parts).
• 🔋 Developer Mode must be enabled on the phone (otherwise Mi Drop may not see the PC).

Enable Wi-Fi on your phone and PC|Open Mi Drop on your smartphone|Run a browser on your computer|Check that devices are on the same network|Allow access to files in settings MIUI-->

Transfer speed depends on the class of Wi-Fi router. On tests with Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi AX6000 500 photos (total volume of 2 GB) were transmitted in 3-4 minutes (versus 8-10 minutes on a USB 2.0 cable).

3. Cloud services: Google Photos vs Mi Cloud vs Yandex Drive

Cloud storage is convenient for backup, but has critical limitations for Xiaomi:

• 📸 Google Photos compresses images when downloading free (source quality is only available with a subscription).
• ☁️ Mi Cloud gives just 5GB for free and can block access if you suspect “atypical activity".
• 💾 Yandex Disk offers 10 GB, but synchronization through MIUI often "hangs" on 99%.

To transfer photos through the cloud:

1. Install the service app (such as Google Photos) on your phone.
2. Enable autosynchronization in the settings (path: Settings → Backup).
3. On PC, open the web version of the service and download files.

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Cloud on Xiaomi models for the Chinese market (with China firmware) ROM) You may need to link to a Chinese phone number, by creating an account on account.xiaomi.com with a Chinese phone number. VPN.

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To speed up the loading in Google Photos, before syncing, put your phone in Flight Mode, turn on Wi-Fi and connect to charging. This will prevent background MIUI restrictions.

4. FTP-Server on the phone: a professional method for large volumes

If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes of photos (for example, with Xiaomi 13 Ultra after a vacation), FTP-The server on the phone will be the most reliable solution, and it requires configuration, but it can go up to 20 to 30 MB/s on the local network:

1. Install FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer from Google Play.
2. In the app, find a section FTP-server (or remote access).
3. Start the server and the address of the view will appear ftp://192.168.1.100:2221.
4. On PC, open Explorer, enter the address in the address bar and press Enter.
5. Copy files as if they were from a regular network drive.

Advantages of FTP:

• 🚀 Speed is limited only by Wi-Fi capabilities (on Wi-Fi 6 up to 50MB/s).
• 📂 There are no limits on file sizes or folders.
• 🔒 You can set up a login/password for protection.

On models with MIUI 14+, the built-in Explorer also supports FTP, but it doesn't work well. Use Solid Explorer for reliability, which correctly displays Cyrillic file names.

5. microSD memory card: when cable and Wi-Fi don't help

If the phone supports memory cards (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro or POCO X5 Pro), transferring a photo over a microSD can be the easiest solution.

1. Insert the card into your phone and transfer the photos to it through the Gallery or the Explorer.
2. Remove the card and paste it into a card reader connected to the PC.
3. Copy the files to the hard drive.

Nuances:

• 📱 On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) The card is formatted as internal memory, and it can't be retrieved without losing data. → Memory.
• 🔄 If the card is used as a removable drive, the read/write speed will be limited to the card class (e.g., the card class, UHS-I It's up to 90MB/s).
• 🛑 Avoid cheap card readers – they often don’t support exFAT (need for files) >4GB).

⚠️ Note: When transferring photos from memory card to PC via card reader, do not use formatting in Windows - this can lead to data loss.

Specialized programs: Mi PC Suite and alternatives

Xiaomi’s official software, Mi PC Suite, allows you to manage files on your phone, but has a number of drawbacks:

• 🖥️ It only works on Windows (no version for Windows). macOS/Linux).
• 🐢 Transmission speed is lower than when connecting directly through MTP.
• 🔄 Requires the installation of drivers that may conflict with others USB-device.

Alternatives:

• 🌐 AirDroid – Wi-Fi transmission with drag-and-drop support, but free version is limited to 200 MB/day.
• 📁 Snapdrop is a web service for sharing files between devices on the same network (does not require installation).
• 🔌 Scrcpy – in addition to screen control, allows you to drag and drop files from your phone to your PC.

For the Mi PC Suite:

1. Download the program from the official website pcsuite.mi.com.
2. Connect your phone over USB and select Mi PC Suite mode in the notification.
3. In the program, go to the Files section and copy the photos.

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Mi PC Suite is useful for backup contacts and SMS, but for photo transfer it is better to use direct transmission over MTP or FTP – it is faster and more reliable.

Transmission Speed Comparison: Which Method Is the Fastest?

We tested all the ways on Xiaomi 13 Pro (128 GB UFS 3.1) and Redmi Note 11 (64 GB UFS 2.2) with transfer of 1 GB of photos (100 files of 10 MB each).

Conclusions:

• 🥇 Maximum speed – memory card (up to 90 MB / s), but not suitable for all models.
• 🥈 USB 3.0 is a universal method (40-45 MB/s), but requires high-quality cable.
• 🥉 FTP — Best wireless option for large volumes (25-30 MB / s).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions