How to quickly transfer photos from your Xiaomi phone to your computer USB-cable: 3 working methods + mistake-making

Why? USB-cable is the best way to transfer photos from Xiaomi to PC

Transfer photos from Xiaomi to your computer via USB-cable remains the most reliable and fastest method, despite the abundance of wireless alternatives. Unlike cloud services or instant messengers, direct exchange over the wire does not depend on the speed of the Internet, does not compress images and saves original images. EXIF-Data (meta-information about the date of the shooting, the camera model and settings) is critical for photographers, designers or those working with archives.

However, even this simple process can cause difficulties: the computer can not see the phone, files are not copied or even the computer can not see the phone. MIUI It's constantly asking for permission. In this article, we're going to look at 3 proven ways to send photos through the Internet. USB, and also solve typical errors - from the lack of drivers to failures in the mode MTP. We will pay special attention to the Redmi Note 12 models, POCO X5 Xiaomi 13, where the settings may be different.

Before you start, make sure you have:

• 🔌 Original. USB-cable (or certified cable) USB-C/USB-A Cheap cables often only work for charging!
• 🖥️ Windows computer 10/11 MacOS (Macs will require additional software).
• 📱 Xiaomi phone with unlocked screen (on some models, the lock interrupts the connection).

If you’re using Windows 7 or older, install the MTP update first – without it, the system won’t recognize the phone as a drive.

Method 1: Standard File Transfer Mode (MTP)

This is a basic method that works on all Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI 12-14, and uses the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) protocol, which allows the computer to interact with the phone as a media device.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable. The Xiaomi screen will display a notification "Charge via USB".
2. Tap on the notification and select File Transfer (or MTP on older versions of MIUI).
3. A Windows or Finder (Mac) window will open on your computer, where a new drive will appear — usually with the phone model name (e.g., Redmi Note 11).
4. Go to DCIM → Camera (there are photos taken by the main camera) or Pictures (for screenshots and uploaded images).
5. Copy files to your computer in the standard way (by drag and drop or through the context menu).

If the DCIM folder is not displayed, check the visibility settings for hidden files in MIUI:

Settings → Additional → File Manager → Show hidden files

Original. USB-data-cable|Unlocked phone screen|Enabled File Transfer Mode in Notification Curtain|Open access to the folder DCIM customized MIUI-->

Important! Some models (such as the Xiaomi 12T) may require permission to access files when they first connect - confirm it on the phone screen.

Method 2: USB Mass Storage – for older models

This method is relevant for Xiaomi devices on Android 9 and below (for example, Redmi 5 or Mi A2). Unlike MTP, here the phone connects like a regular flash drive, which sometimes speeds up the transfer of large amounts of data.

How to turn on:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and in the notification curtain select "USB-drive (or "Mass Storage").
2. On the screen will appear a warning about the temporary disconnection of the memory card - confirm the action.
3. A new drive will open on your computer (usually with an SD Card or Internal Storage tag).
4. Copy photos from DCIM or Images folders.
5. Once completed, be sure to disable the drive via Windows or Mac, otherwise the data may be damaged!

⚠️ Attention: In Mass Storage mode, the phone blocks access to the memory card for other applications. Do not interrupt the connection during copying - this can lead to loss of data on the memory card. SD-map.

If you're optional "USB-The drive is not in the curtain, so your Xiaomi model doesn't support it. MTP or alternative methods from the following section.

Method 3: Using Mi PC Suite – the official solution from Xiaomi

If standard methods don’t work, try Mi PC Suite, Xiaomi’s proprietary software for controlling your phone from a computer, and it supports all models, including the new Xiaomi 14 and POCO F5, and allows you to:

• 📁 Transmit photos, videos and music without size restrictions.
• 🔄 Synchronize contacts and SMS.
• 📱 Install applications directly from the PC.
• 🔧 Restore the system after failures.

Download Mi PC Suite from the official website (avoid third-party sources - they may contain viruses!). Install the program and follow the instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and select File Transfer mode.
2. Start Mi PC Suite – the device will be automatically determined.
3. Go to the Files tab and select the folder with the photo (for example, Camera).
4. Mark the desired files and click "Export" by specifying the folder on the computer.

Mi PC Suite is the only official way to transfer photos for phones with a locked bootloader (for example, the global versions of Xiaomi for Europe). MIUI.

The solution to the problem: the computer can not see the Xiaomi phone

If your USB phone is not detected, follow this algorithm:

1. Check the cable and port: 🔌 Try another cable (preferably original). 🖥️ Connect to the other one. USB-port (on the back of PC ports) USB 3.0 are more stable). 📱 Restart your phone and computer.

Update the drivers

Control Panel → Device Manager → Portable Devices → [Model Xiaomi] → Update the driver

If the device is displayed with an exclamation point, download the driver from the official Xiaomi website.

Reset the USB settings

Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (tap 7 times to turn on Developer Mode) → Additional → For Developers → Reset USB Configuration

Check the developer's settings

• Enable "Debugging by USB" (in the menu for developers).
• Turn off the Test. USB-devices" (if any).

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g, POCO X3 Pro) with the "Data Protection" included in MIUI The computer won't be able to read the files. Turn it off temporarily: Settings → Confidentiality → Special permits → Data protection

If the problem persists, try alternative connection modes:

• 📱 "Image transmission" (PTP) — It is slower but more stable on the Mac.
• 🖥️ "Just charging" → Then choose again. MTP.
• 🔄 Connect your phone to another computer to rule out a PC problem.

Alternative ways to transfer photos without USB

If you cannot connect via cable (for example, if the port is broken or the original wire is not available), use wireless methods:

1. Mi Drop (built-in app)

Mi Drop is Xiaomi’s proprietary Wi-Fi file transfer service, which works without the internet, but requires both devices to be on the same network.

• 📱 Open Mi Drop on your phone (pre-download from Google Play if removed).
• 🖥️ Go to the web version of Mi Drop on PC.
• 🔗 Scan it. QR-code from the computer screen or enter a 6-digit code.
• 📁 Select a photo and click "Send".

2. Google Photos (for backup)

Not only do you want to save your photos, but also to save them in the cloud.

1. Install Google Photos on your phone.
2. Enable "Backup and Synchronization" in the application settings.
3. On your computer, open photos.google.com and download the photo.

The downside is that there's only 15GB of free storage available (Google's shared storage), and for large archives, you'll have to pay for Google One.

3. Telegram or WhatsApp (for small packages)

Suitable for transferring 10-20 photos:

• 📱 Send a photo to your Telegram (bot) @SavedMessages) or WhatsApp (personal chat).
• 🖥️ Open the web version of the messenger on PC and download files.

Restrictions: image compression (especially on WhatsApp), file size limit (up to 2 GB in Telegram).

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If you are transferring a photo for printing or professional processing, turn off compression in the messenger settings. in Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Photo quality → Original.

How to speed up the transfer of photos via USB

Transferring thousands of photos can take hours if you don't optimize the process. Here are 5 ways to speed up copying:

1. Use it. USB 3.0: 🔌 Get on the hook. USB 3.0 (blue ports on PC) – the speed will increase from 5-10 MB / s to 40-60 MB / s. 📱 Use a cable on your phone. USB-C 3.1 (e.g., from the Xiaomi kit) 11T Pro).
2. Archive photos before transfer: 📁 Select a folder with a photo in the File Manager MIUI and select "Squeeze". 🗜️ Copy.zip on PC – faster than transferring thousands of small files.
3. Turn off the antivirus: 🛡️ Antiviruses (such as Avast or Kaspersky) scan each file when copying, slowing down the process.
4. Use TeraCopy (Windows): 🖥️ TeraCopy copy files faster than standard conductor and resumes transfer after failures.

Transfer photos at night

• 🌙 If you are copying large volumes (100)+ GB), do it outside of working hours – Windows background processes can slow down transmission.

For maximum speed, combine these methods, such as archiving photos, connecting via USB 3.0, and using TeraCopy.

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The fastest way is to archive photos in ZIP + USB 3.0, for example, 10,000 photos (50 GB) are copied in 20-30 minutes instead of 2-3 hours.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos from Xiaomi to PC