How to transfer files between Xiaomi phones: all the ways from the fastest to the most reliable

Introduction: Why Standard Methods Don't Always Work

Transferring files between two Xiaomi smartphones seems like a simple task — until you face restrictions. Users often complain that Mi Share (built-in sharing) suddenly shuts down, Bluetooth transfers files at turtle speed, and cloud services require stable Internet. The reason lies in the features of the MIUI firmware: the manufacturer optimizes power consumption, which can interrupt background processes (including data transfer).

Another trap is different versions of MIUI. For example, on Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 14 and Redmi Note 10 with MIUI 12.5, the same method can work differently. We tested all the current transmission methods (from cable connection to hidden MIUI features) and found which ones retain speed even when transferring files weighing 10+ GB. In this article, only working solutions with the latest updates in 2026.

Spoiler: The fastest way (up to 40MB/s) is to use an OTG cable with a Type-C to Type-C adapter, but it requires additional accessories. Wireless methods (Wi-Fi Direct, Mi Share) lose in speed but win in convenience.

1.Mi Share: Xiaomi's built-in tool

Mi Share (formerly Xiaomi File Transfer) is a proprietary solution for file sharing between Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices. Works on the Wi-Fi Direct protocol, which theoretically should provide speeds up to 10-15 MB / s. In practice, everything depends on the version of MIUI and the smartphone model.

How to turn on:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Connection and sharing → Mi Share.
• 🔄 Activate the slider and select visibility (Contacts only or All devices).
• 📤 On the sending phone, select the files → Send. → select the target device.
• 📥 On the receiving phone confirm receipt.

Limitations of the method:

• ⚠️ Communications break when transferring large files (>2 GB) due to background optimization in MIUI.
• 🐢 Speed drops to 2-5 MB/s if one of the phones is power saving mode.
• 🔒 Does not work between Xiaomi and other brands (such as Samsung or iPhone).

⚠️ Note: If Mi Share does not find the second device, check if the antivirus (e.g. Mi Security) blocks access to the local network.

Turn off the power saving mode on both phones

Make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled

Close background applications (especially messengers)

Select the visibility of "All devices" in the Mi Share settings-->

2. Wi-Fi Direct: Unlimited Mi Share alternative

Wi-Fi Direct is a universal protocol that works not only between Xiaomi but also with other Android devices. Unlike Mi Share, it is independent of the MIUI version and often shows more stable speeds.

Step-by-step:

1. On the sending phone: Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Wi-Fi Direct Turn on visibility and wait for the second device to appear.
2. On the receiving phone: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Wi-Fi Direct Select the sending phone and confirm the connection.
3. Open any file manager (such as Files by Google or the built-in Mi File Manager), select files, and select Send via Wi-Fi Direct.

Comparison with Mi Share:

⚠️ Note: If Wi-Fi Direct is not enabled, check if it is blocked in Settings → Special facilities → Application permissions. Some firmware. MIUI (For example, for Xiaomi 12T) Manually unlock this protocol.

Mi Share

Wi-Fi Direct

Bluetooth

OTG cable

Cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud)-->

Bluetooth 3: Slowly but reliably

Bluetooth is the most versatile, but also the slowest way, rarely faster than 1-2 MB/s, but it works even without the Internet and does not require additional settings, suitable for transferring small files (for example, contacts or documents up to 50 MB).

How to transfer files:

• 🔵 Turn on Bluetooth on both phones (Settings) → Bluetooth).
• 📱 On the sending phone, select the files → Share. → Bluetooth.
• 🔍 Select the target device from the list and confirm pairing (you will need to enter the code 0000 or 1234 when you first connect).
• 📥 On the receiving phone, confirm the receipt of the file.

Features:

• ✅ It works even on older models (Redmi). 4A, Mi A1).
• ❌ Not suitable for video in 4K or RAW-Photos – the transfer can take hours.
• 🔋 Minimum power consumption (can be used with low battery charge).

💡

If Bluetooth is permanently breaking the connection, try turning off adaptive brightness in the screen settings. In some MIUI firmware, this solves the background process problem.

OTG cable: maximum speed (up to 40 MB/s)

If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes (for example, a backup or a video collection), cable is the only reasonable option.

• 🔌 adapter OTG (Type-C to Type-C or Type-C to Micro-USB, depending on the port of the phone).
• 📱 Both phones should be supported OTG (Check in the settings → The phone. → Specifications).
• 💾 File Manager with Support OTG (for example, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).

Instructions:

1. Connect your phones with a cable through the OTG adapter.
2. On the receiving phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the connection notification.
3. Open the file manager on the sending phone – the second phone will show up as an external drive.
4. Copy the files as if they were a regular flash drive.

Advantages:

• ⚡ Speed up to 40 MB/s (10-20 times faster than wireless methods).
• 🔒 No risk of communication breakdown.
• 📁 All size files are supported (including.iso disk images).

⚠️ Note: On some models (Xiaomi Mi 11, Redmi) K40) plug-in OTG There may be a "Device is not recognized" error, so you can restart both phones and reconnect.

5. Cloud services: when phones are far apart

If the phones are in different places, all that remains is cloud sharing. Xiaomi has its own service, Mi Cloud, but it's limited to 5GB of free space.

• ☁️ Google Drive (15GB free) integration MIUI).
• 📦 Dropbox (2GB free but high download speeds).
• 🌐 Telegram (channels or saved messages for files up to 2 GB).

How to transfer via Mi Cloud:

1. On the sending phone: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup Select files and click Download.
2. On the receiving phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and download files from the cloud.

Warnings:

• ⏳ Downloading 10 GB on slow Internet (5 Mbps) will take ~5 hours.
• 🔒 Files in Mi Cloud are encrypted, but Xiaomi can theoretically access them (see Privacy Policy).
• 📶 At low signal (e.g, 2G) loading may be interrupted.

💡

Cloud services are the only way to transfer files between phones located in different cities or countries, but for large amounts of data, it is better to use specialized services like WeTransfer (up to 2 GB free) or Mega (50 GB free when registering).

6. Local area network (FTP/HTTP-server: for advanced users

If you want to go fast without cables or cloud limitations, you can deploy a local server directly on your phone.

• 🌍 FX File Explorer (built-in) FTP-server).
• 📡 Servers Ultimate Pro (Support) HTTP, FTP, SMB).
• 🔗 MiXplorer (lightweight version with minimalist interface).

Instructions for FX File Explorer:

1. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open the sending phone. FX, Go to the Web. → FTP-server and run it.
3. Copy the server address (e.g. ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
4. On the receiving phone, enter this address into any file manager (e.g. ES Explorer) and download the files.

Pros of the method:

• 🚀 Speed is limited only by the capabilities of the Wi-Fi router (up to 50 MB / s on Wi-Fi 6).
• 📂 You can transfer entire folders without compression.
• 🔒 No intermediate storage of data on third-party servers.

⚠️ Note: Do not use this method on public networks (for example, in a cafe or airport). FTP-The server can be accessed by other users of the same network if the password is not configured.

7.NFC: Small files only (up to 10MB)

Xiaomi’s NFC smartphones support not only payments but also file transfers, but due to protocol limitations (maximum 424 Kbps), this method is only suitable for:

• 📇 Business card (.vcf).
• 📄 Text documents (.txt,.pdf up to 5 MB).
• 🖼️ Miniature images (500×500 px).

How do I tell you?

1. Enable NFC on both phones (Settings → Connection & Sharing → NFC).
2. Open the file you want to submit and choose Share → Android Beam (or NFC).
3. Attach the phones with the back covers to each other (the NFC antenna is usually located at the top).
4. Wait for the beep - transmission is complete.

Limitations:

• ❌ It doesn't work on models without NFC (Like Redmi. 9A, POCO M3).
• ⏱️ Transfer of a 5 MB file takes ~2-3 minutes.
• 🔋 High energy consumption (NFC-chip actively consumes charge in transmission).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions