How to quickly and safely send photos from Xiaomi to your computer: all the working ways

Transferring photos from your smartphone to your computer is a task that users of Xiaomi, Redmi and other companies regularly face. POCO. Despite its apparent simplicity, the process can be complicated by the lack of drivers, slow data transfer or incompatible protocols. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of transferring photos, from the classical to the traditional photo. USB-cable to cloud services, and also consider typical errors and their solutions.

We will focus on the speed of transmission, for example, why MTP Files are copied more slowly than by FTP, And how to fix it. You'll also know what the settings are in the MIUI They can block access to files and how to disable them. If you're looking for the fastest or most reliable method, here's a comparison table with the pros and cons of each option.

Before you start, check:

• 🔌 Cable USB — Use original or certified cables (cheap cables often do not support data transfers).
• 📱 Version. MIUI — in old firmware (below) MIUI 12) some functions may be missing.
• 💻 PC operating system - for Windows 10/11 The macOS instructions will be different.

1. Transfer of the photo through USB-cable: step-by-step instruction

The most common method is to connect your smartphone to your computer via cable, but even here, Xiaomi users often face problems: the phone is not identified, files are not displayed or the transfer is too slow, let's figure out how to do it right.

First, connect your smartphone to your PC using a cable (preferably original). The phone screen will display a Charge notification via the Charge. USB — Select the file transfer mode from the menu (MTP). If this item is not, go to Settings. → Connection and sharing → USB-plug in and plug in MTP.

On your computer, open this computer (My computer is in older versions of Windows) and your smartphone should appear as a removable drive (e.g. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12).

• 🔄 Reconnect the cable or try another port USB.
• 🔧 Install Mi drivers PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi).
• 📱 In the phone settings, turn on debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).

Why is the transmission slow? MTP (Media Transfer Protocol: Speed limits because of the way things work:

1. Copy the photo to the archive (.zip) directly on your phone, then transfer the archive to your PC.
2. Use it. PTP (for photographs instead of MTP — In some cases, it works faster.
3. Connect your smartphone to the port USB 3.0 (usually blue) on your computer.

2. Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi: FTP and Mi Drop

If you don't have a cable on hand or want to avoid wires, you can transfer photos over the local network. Xiaomi offers two built-in solutions: FTP-Mi Drop server and application: the first method is suitable for large amounts of data, the second is for sending multiple images quickly.

To set up FTP-server:

1. Open Explorer on your phone (File app).
2. Go to the photo folder, tap it. ⋮ → FTP (Network Disk in New Versions MIUI).
3. Start the server and write down the address of the view ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx.
4. On your computer, open Windows Explorer (or Finder on Mac), enter the address in the address bar and press Enter.

Transmission speed FTP usually higher than MTP, But it depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi network. For stability, connect both devices to the same 5 GHz network.

The Mi Drop app (pre-installed on most Xiaomi devices) allows you to send files without settings:

• 📲 Open Mi Drop on your phone, select a photo and click Send.
• 💻 On your computer, open your browser and click on drop.mi.com, scan. QR-phone-screen.
• ⬇️ Files will automatically be downloaded to the PC.

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If FTP-The server won't start, check if it's blocked by an antivirus or firewall on the computer. ftp://* excepted.

3. Cloud services: Google Photos, Mi Cloud and Yandex.Disk

Cloud storage is convenient because photos are automatically synchronized between devices, but there are limitations to this method: the amount of free space (usually 5-15 GB) and the dependence on Internet speed.

Google Photos is the most universal solution:

• 📱 Install the app from Google Play, log in to your account.
• 🔄 Enable autoboot: Settings → Backup and synchronization.
• 💻 On your computer, open photos.google.com and download the necessary photos.

Note that since June 2021, Google has restricted free storage for high-quality photos, and now all images are in the overall 15GB limit.

Mi Cloud is a proprietary cloud from Xiaomi:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Gallery and turn on synchronization.
• 💻 Go to i.mi.com, log in and download photos.

Mi Cloud provides 5GB for free, but the servers are located in China, which may slow down downloads in some regions.

Yandex.Disk is an alternative for users from Russia:

• 📱 Install the application, log in to your account and enable autoloading photos.
• 💻 On PC, download the desktop application or use the web version.

4.Bluetooth and NFC transmission: when justified

Bluetooth and NFC They're rarely used to send photos because of their slow speed, but they can help if there's no other option, like when you need to send 1-2 pictures urgently, and only a computer with no Wi-Fi adapter is on hand.

For Bluetooth transmission:

1. 📱 Turn on Bluetooth on your phone (Settings) → Connection and sharing → Bluetooth).
2. 💻 Activate Bluetooth on PC (in Windows) 10/11 — parameter → Devices).
3. 🔗 Connect the devices (confirm the pairing on the phone).
4. 📤 In the gallery, select a photo, click Share. → Bluetooth and select your computer.

Transfer speeds are only 1-2 MB/s, and large files (for example, the data, RAW-Photos may not be sent.

NFC Slower and only works at close range (up to 10 cm), a method suitable for transferring small files (such as business cards or screenshots) to laptops with modules. NFC. For that:

• 📱 Turn it on. NFC on the phone (Settings) → Connection and sharing → NFC).
• 💻 Bring the phone to NFC-tag on the computer (usually marked with the symbol N).
• 📤 Select a photo and confirm the sending.

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Bluetooth and NFC You should only use it to transfer 1-2 small files. USB, Wi-Fi or cloud.

5. Use of third-party applications: Send Anywhere, Xender

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t suit, you can use third-party apps, which often offer higher speeds and additional features, such as transferring without file size restrictions.

Send Anywhere is one of the fastest solutions.

• 📱 Install the app on your phone and computer (or use the web version).
• 📤 On your phone, select a photo, click Send and generate a 6-digit code.
• 💻 Enter this code on the computer and the transfer will start automatically.

The application uses P2P-So the data is transmitted directly, without downloading to the server, and it can be up to 10 to 20 MB/s on a local network.

Xender is an alternative with support for large files:

• 📱 Install Xender on your phone and open it.
• 💻 On your computer go to web.xender.com and scan. QR-phone-screen.
• 📤 Select a photo and click Send.

Third-party apps have the advantage of being unaccounted for (as opposed to cloud-based services) and speeding up, but beware: some programs may contain ads or request unnecessary permissions.

6. Transfer of photos using a memory card (microSD)

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (e.g. Redmi Note 11 or POCO X3 Pro, you can transfer a photo to a microSD and then paste it into a computer through a card reader, which is suitable for transferring large amounts of data without depending on the Internet or cables.

Instructions:

1. 📱 Insert the memory card into the phone (if it is not already installed).
2. 📁 Open the Files app, go to Internal Memory → DCIM → Camera.
3. 📤 Select a photo, click Copy, then go to the memory card (SD-card) and click Insert.
4. 💻 Remove the card from your phone, paste it into the card reader and connect it to the PC.

Advantages of the method:

• 🚀 Maximum speed – limited only by the class of the memory card (e.g, UHS-I Provides up to 90 MB/s).
• 🔒 Security – files are not transferred over the network, the risk of data loss is minimal.
• 📦 Convenience – you can carry hundreds of gigabytes at a time.

Important: Before retrieving the memory card, always use the Safe Retrieval feature in your phone settings to avoid damaging files.

7. Solving typical problems when transferring photos

Even with the right settings, Xiaomi users may encounter errors, and consider the most common ones and how to fix them.

If none of the methods work, try resetting the network settings on your phone (Settings). → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth settings. This often helps with connection problems.

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If the photo is not copied due to the error "File is used by another program", close all applications that may block access (for example, gallery or photo editor).

8.How to automate the transfer of photos from Xiaomi to PC

If you have to move photos regularly, it makes sense to set up automatic synchronization, which will save time and eliminate manual copying.

Method 1: Autoboot in Google Photos + PC client

• 📱 On your phone, turn on autoload in Google Photos.
• 💻 On your computer, install Google Backup and Sync – photos will automatically download to the specified folder.

Method 2: Synchronize with Mi Cloud + PC-folder

• 📱 Enable autoboot in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Mi Cloud → gallery).
• 💻 Use the web version or official Mi software PC Suite for Automatic Downloading.

Method 3: FTP-server + task planner (for advanced)

• 📱 Set up. FTP-server on the phone (as described in section 2).
• 💻 On PC, create a.bat script with a command to copy files (e.g. wget). -r ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx/DCIM/Camera).
• ⏰ Add the script to Windows Task Planner to automatically start (e.g., once a day).

Automation is especially useful for photographers or bloggers who work with a lot of photos on a daily basis.

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Automatic cloud sync is the most reliable way, but it requires a stable Internet. FTP + script.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos from Xiaomi to PC

If your question is not covered in FAQ, Check your phone settings or contact Xiaomi Support with the device model and version MIUI.