How to transfer files from your computer to your Xiaomi phone: the full guide 2026

Contents

• Transfer through USB-cable: step-by-step instruction
• Wireless Wi-Fi: Mi Drop and Alternatives
• Bluetooth: When to Use It:
• Cloud services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud and others
• FTP-Xiaomi server: for advanced users
• Typical errors and their solutions
• Frequent questions

Transferring files from your computer to your Xiaomi smartphone is a challenge that every user faces, and you can use instant messengers or mail, but for large volumes (high-resolution photos, videos, archives), these methods are ineffective. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of data transfer, from the classical to the traditional. USB-cable-to-advance FTP-solutions, taking into account the features of the firmware MIUI model Redmi/POCO.

It’s important to understand that the choice of method depends on several factors: file size, transfer speed, Internet availability, and even the Android version on your device. For example, on Xiaomi 13 Pro with Android 14, features are available that are not available on the Redmi Note 8 2019, we will take these nuances into account and give recommendations for each situation.

Transfer through USB-cable: step-by-step instruction

The fastest and most reliable method is to connect through USB-cable. Transmission speed reaches 480 Mbps (USB 2.0 or 5 Gbit/s (USB 3.0 on flagships like Xiaomi 12T). However, even here there are pitfalls: wrong settings MIUI They can block access to memory.

To avoid problems, follow the algorithm:

1. Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable (cheap analogues often don’t support data transfer).
2. On your smartphone screen, select File Transfer (MTP) mode. If this window is not available, unlock the screen.
3. On your computer, open this computer (Windows) or Finder (macOS). The phone will appear as a removable disk.
4. Drag files to the Internal Storage folder or to SD-card (if supported).

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14+ When you first connect, you may need to confirm access to files in the Security settings → Permits for USB. If the phone is not detected, try another port. USB or restart both devices.

Connect the original cable

Select MTP mode on your phone

Unlock the Xiaomi screen

Check the connection in "This Computer"

Deactivate "Debugging by" USB" (if not)

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The transfer speed depends on the USB version:

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USB 3.0+ speeds up transfers 10 times faster than USB 2.0, but requires high-quality cable and port on a PC.

2 Wireless Wi-Fi Transmission: Mi Drop and Alternatives

If you don’t have a cable, Wi-Fi is a great alternative. Xiaomi offers a proprietary solution – Mi Drop (formerly Mi Share), which works without the Internet and supports transmission at speeds up to 20 MB / s. However, this method has limitations: the maximum file size is 1 GB, and on older models (for example, Redmi 6) the application may not be available.

How to use Mi Drop:

1. Install the Mi Drop app from Google Play (if it is not by default).
2. Connect your phone and PC to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. On the phone, select Send, then Computer.
4. Scan it. QR-PC screen code (opens at the address) http://drop.mi.com).

Alternatives to Mi Drop:

• 🔹 AirDroid – a cross-platform solution with support for file transfer, SMS Speed up to 30MB/s, but the free version is limited to 200MB/day.
• 🔹 LocalSend is open source, encrypted, and it works through a browser or an application, without any file size restrictions.
• 🔹 Snapdrop is a web service for transferring between devices on the same network. It does not require installation, but the speed depends on the router.

⚠️ Note: When using public Wi-Fi networks (cafes, airports) turn on VPN Or avoid transferring sensitive files, and attackers can intercept traffic on unsecured networks.

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To speed up Wi-Fi transmission, connect your phone to a router in the 5GHz range – this reduces interference and increases speed by 30-50%.

3. Bluetooth: When to use it

Bluetooth is the most versatile, but also the slowest, and should only be used for transferring small files (up to 50MB): contacts, documents, small photos. The speed rarely exceeds 2-3MB / s, and on older versions of Bluetooth 4.0 (for example, on Redmi 4X) can drop to 1MB / s.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone (Settings → Connections → Bluetooth).
2. On PC, press Win + I → Devices → Bluetooth and add a new device.
3. Confirm the pairing on both devices.
4. Right-click on the file on the PC → Send → Bluetooth device.

The macOS algorithm is similar, but file submission is done via Finder → AirDrop (although Xiaomi does not support AirDrop directly, you can use third-party utilities like Bluetooth File Transfer).

Advantages and disadvantages of Bluetooth:

4. Cloud services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud and others

Cloud storage is convenient for backing up and transferring files between devices, but they require a stable Internet. Xiaomi offers its own service - Mi Cloud (5 GB for free), but it is less versatile than Google Drive or Yandex Disk. Consider the pros and cons of each option.

Mi Cloud:

• 🔹 Integration with MIUI: automatic synchronization of contacts, notes, photos.
• 🔹 Free only 5 GB (expands to 100 GB per 100 rubles / month).
• 🔹 File download limit: 2 GB at a time.

Google Drive:

• 🔹 15GB free (shared with Gmail and Photos).
• 🔹 Support for files up to 5TB (for paid accounts).
• 🔹 Built-in Quick Transfer for Large Files.

Yandex Disk / Mail.ru Cloud:

• 🔹 10 GB free on Yandex Disk (activity bonuses).
• 🔹 Mail.ru Cloud gives 8 GB for free + 32GB for card binding.
• 🔹 Download speed is limited by the provider (usually in Russia). 5-10 MB/s).

⚠️ Note: When downloading large files (>1 GB) on mobile Internet, monitor traffic. MIUI Turn off background synchronization in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Synchronize data to avoid unexpected costs.

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To speed up your cloud load, use the browser version of the service on your PC – it often runs faster than a mobile application.

5. FTP-Xiaomi server: for advanced users

If you want maximum speed and full control of the transmission, set up FTP-This method allows you to transfer files at a speed limited only by your Wi-Fi router (up to 100).+ MB/s on Wi-Fi 6, however, it requires some technical skills.

Instructions for MIUI:

1. Install the FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer app from Google Play.
2. Open the side menu. → Remote access → FTP-server.
3. Start the server and write down the address (e.g. ftp://192.168.1.10:2221).
4. On PC, open Explorer → enter the address in the address bar → enter the username / password (by default, often anonymous without a password).

To automate the process, you can use Total Commander on a PC or scripts in Python (ftplib library).

ftp -n 192.168.1.10 2221


user anonymous ""




binary




put "C:\Files\photo.jpg" /storage/emulated/0/Download/photo.jpg




quit

⚠️ Attention: FTP-The server on the phone drains the battery into 2-3 It's faster than that because of the Wi-Fi module's constant activity.

Typical errors and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, Xiaomi users often encounter problems, and we have collected the TOP-5 errors and ways to fix them:

If none of the methods work, check:

• 🔹 Developer Mode: Sometimes Enabling Debugging USB Solves Connection Problems.
• 🔹 Antivirus: Avast or Kaspersky can block file transfers.
• 🔹 Updates: on MIUI There may be no current protocols beyond 2021 (e.g., no new protocols, MTP Windows 11).

Frequent questions