How to transfer photos from Xiaomi phone to your computer: a detailed guide for kettles

You just got back from vacation, took hundreds of cool photos on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or more. POCO X5, Do you want to save it to your computer? Or do you just need to free up your phone's memory by transferring old photos to your hard drive? Don't worry, in this article, we'll look at all the ways you can transfer photos from Xiaomi to your PC, even if you've never done it before.

Many users get lost when they see a bunch of incomprehensible settings when they connect their phone to their computer; some people try to send photos by mail, but they face limitations on file size; others try cloud services but don't know how to use them. We have collected 7 proven methods - from the simplest (through the most popular method) USB-cable to advanced (local network or Mi Drop) You will find the right one for you!

Important: All instructions are relevant to Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO base MIUI 12/13/14 If you have an older version of the firmware (for example, MIUI 11 Some menu items may be slightly different, but the general principle remains the same. At the end of this article, we will answer frequent questions and explain how to avoid common errors in file transfers.

1. The easiest way: transfer the photo through USB-cable

It’s a classic method that works on any Xiaomi phone and doesn’t require internet. USB-cable (or high-quality analogue) and computer with Windows operating system 7/10/11 macOS.

Connect your phone to your PC with a cable. On the screen of your smartphone, you'll see a notification, "Charge through" USB" — In the menu that opens, select File Transfer (or File Manager on older versions). MIUI). If this item is not, go to Settings. → Connection and sharing → USB and enable the "File Transfer" mode (MTP)".

• 📱 On the phone: unlock the screen and confirm a trusted connection (if a request appears).
• 💻 On your computer: Open "This Computer" ("My Computer" in Windows 7) - your Xiaomi will appear as a removable drive.
• 📁 Double-click on the device, then go to the folder DCIM → Camera (all photos taken with the main camera are stored here).
• 🖱️ Select the files you need and copy them to your computer (drag by mouse or use Ctrl).+C → Ctrl+V).

If your computer can’t see your phone, try:

1. Disconnect and reconnect the cable.
2. Reboot the phone.
3. Try another one. USB-port on PC (preferably) USB 3.0 - usually blue).
4. Install Mi drivers PC Suite (you can download from the official website of Xiaomi).

Is the cable connected to the port? USB on the motherboard (not through the hub)?

Is File Transfer on the phone enabled?

Is the smartphone screen unlocked?

Have you tried another cable (sometimes cheap cables only support charging)?

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⚠️ Warning: Do not remove the cable while copying files! This can damage the photos. Wait until the process is complete - the copy indicator in the conductor should disappear.

2. Transfer of photos over Wi-Fi without cable (via Mi Drop)

If you don’t have a cable on hand or want to transfer photos wirelessly, use Mi Drop, a proprietary service that is pre-installed on all Xiaomi phones and allows you to send files between devices over a local network.

How it works:

1. Make sure your phone and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. On your phone, open the Mi Drop app (or Quick Transfer in newer versions). MIUI).
3. Select the "Send" tab and tick the desired photos.
4. At the bottom of the screen, click "Send" and select "Computer".
5. On PC, open your browser and go to the address that will appear on your phone screen (e.g. http://192.168.1.100:1234).
6. Confirm receipt of files on the computer - download will begin automatically.

Mi Drop supports file transfers of size 10 GB at a time, which is enough for thousands of high-resolution photos. The speed depends on your router — on modern models with Wi-Fi. 6 she can reach 50-70 MB/s.

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If Mi Drop can't find your computer, check to see if your antivirus or Windows firewall is blocking file transfers.

3.Use of cloud services: Google Photos and Mi Cloud

Cloud storage is convenient because your photos will be available on any device — not only on your computer, but also on a tablet or other phone. Consider two popular options: Google Photos and Xiaomi's proprietary cloud.

Method 1: Google Photos (recommended for large libraries)

Google Photos automatically backs up all your images to the cloud to transfer them to your computer:

1. Install Google Photos from Play Market (if not already installed).
2. Launch the app and log in to your Google account.
3. Enable "Backup and Synchronization" in the settings.
4. Wait until all photos are uploaded to the cloud (you can track the progress in notifications).
5. On your computer, open your browser and go to photos.google.com.
6. Select the desired photos and click "Download" (cloud icon with a down arrow).

Google offers 15 GB of free space, which is enough for ~5000 high quality photos. If you need more, you can buy extra space or compress the photo to "High quality" (unlimited storage, but with a slight loss of detail).

Method 2: Mi Cloud (branded cloud Xiaomi)

Mi Cloud integrated into firmware MIUI And it offers 5GB of free space to use:

1. On the phone go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on the gallery sync.
3. Wait until the download is complete.
4. On your computer, open i.mi.com and log in to the same Xiaomi account.
5. Go to the section "Gallery", highlight the photo and click "Download".

⚠️ Warning: If you delete photos from your phone before they load into the Mi Cloud, they will be lost).

Google Photo

Mi Cloud

Yandex Disc.

Mail.ru Cloud

Other service

I don't use clouds.-->

4. Transfer via email or messengers (for a small number of photos)

If you need to send a few photos immediately, for example, 5-10 It's the easiest way to use email or messenger, and it's not suitable for large volumes because of the investment constraints, but it doesn't require any settings.

Emailing (Gmail, Mail.ru, etc.)

Do the following:

1. Open the Mail or Gmail app on your phone.
2. Create a new email and enter your email in the “To Who” field.
3. Click on the icon "Clip" (attachment) and select a photo from the gallery.
4. Send the letter.
5. Open your email and download the attachments.

Limitations:

• 📧 Gmail: Up to 25MB per email (you can send multiple emails).
• 📧 Mail.ru: up to 30MB.
• 📧 Yandex: Up to 30MB.

Sending via Telegram or WhatsApp

Messengers are convenient because you can send a photo directly to yourself in the "Saved messages" (in Telegram) or to your computer via WhatsApp Web.

For Telegram:

1. Open the Save Messages chat.
2. Click on the paperclip and select a photo.
3. Send them (up to 2 GB per file!).
4. On your computer, open web.telegram.org and download the photo.

For WhatsApp:

1. Open any chat (or create a group with you).
2. Press the paper clip. → "Gallery" and select a photo.
3. Send them.
4. On your computer, open web.whatsapp.com, scan QR-code and download the photo.

5. transfer the photo through the memory card (if it is in the phone)

If your Xiaomi supports microSD cards (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or the Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO M4 Pro, you can transfer the photo to it, and then you can insert the card into the computer through the card reader, which is one of the most reliable ways, because it eliminates data loss during transmission.

How to do this:

1. Open the Files app on your phone.
2. Move to the DCIM → Camera (or other folder with a photo).
3. Select the files you need, click "Copy".
4. Go to the memory card (usually displayed as a "SD-map" or "External drive").
5. Press "Put in."
6. Wait for the copy to be completed and retrieve the map.
7. Insert the microSD into the card reader and connect it to the computer.
8. Copy the photo from the card to the hard drive.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 There is no risk of interruption of transmission (as in the case of USB or wifi).
• 📥 You can carry tens of gigabytes at a time.
• 🔋 Does not drain the phone battery.

⚠️ Warning: Before removing the memory card, be sure to click "Safe Retrieval" in the phone's notifications! otherwise the files may get corrupted.

Advanced method: transmission by FTP (power-user)

If you want to configure permanent access to photos on your phone from a computer (for example, for automatic backup), you can use the same method. FTP-This is a technique that requires some technical knowledge, but it gives you the most flexibility.

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Install an app from the Play Market FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer.
2. Open the app and find the "Remote Access" section or "FTP-server".
3. Launch it. FTP-server (usually the "Start" button").
4. Remember the address, login and password (for example, ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
5. On the computer, open the "Conductor" (Win)+E) and enter in the address line ftp://phone address.
6. Enter the login/password (usually anonymous by default without a password or data from the application).
7. Now you can copy photos like from a regular network drive!

Transmission speed FTP It depends on your router, but it usually does. 10-30 This method is convenient if you need to regularly sync photos between devices.

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FTP-The server on your phone only works when you have Wi-Fi on and the screen unlocked. Use applications like Servers Ultimate Pro that can run in the background to access it all the time.

7. Automatic synchronization with computer (for Windows)

If you often transfer photos from Xiaomi to your PC, you can set up automatic synchronization using the Mi program. PC Suite. It allows you not only to copy files, but also to manage contacts, messages and even install applications.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Mi PC Suite from the official website.
2. Connect your phone to your computer through USB (file transfer mode").
3. Launch Mi. PC Suite – The program will automatically identify your device.
4. Go to the "Files" section" → "gallery".
5. Select folders with photos (for example, Camera or Screenshots).
6. Click Export and select the folder on your computer.
7. Enable the option “Sync automatically when connected” (if you need regular sync).

Advantages of Mi PC Suite:

• 🔄 Automatic copying of new photos when connecting the phone.
• 📂 Ability to selectively synchronize folders.
• 🔋 Support for backup of contacts and SMS.

Disadvantages:

• ⚠ The program sometimes slows down with a large number of files.
• 🖥️ It only works on Windows (no version for macOS).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions