How to move photos to the second space Xiaomi: all ways with nuances

The second space feature on Xiaomi smartphones allows you to separate personal and work data, create a separate profile for children or test apps without risking the main account. But many users face the problem of how to transfer photos between these isolated environments? Unlike standard file copying, there are nuances due to the limitations of MIUI on access to other people's partitions.

In this article, we will discuss all the working methods for moving photos into the second space, from simple built-in tools to workarounds for power users. You will learn what methods work on the Redmi Note 12, POCO F5, Xiaomi 13T and other models with MIUI 14/15, as well as how to avoid synchronization errors.

What is the second space on Xiaomi and why you can not just copy a photo

Second Space is an isolated environment in MIUI that works as a separate user profile in Android.

• 📁 Storage section (files not visible from the main space)
• 🔑 Application set (you can set duplicate messengers)
• 🔒 Access Level (limitations on system functions)

Because of this isolation, standard copying methods (Settings → Memory → Internal Drive) don’t work — the system just doesn’t show files from another space. Even if you connect your smartphone to a PC, you’ll only see files from your current active profile.

💡

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 13 for Redmi Note 10), the second space appears as a separate user in the Settings menu → System → Multiplayer. This makes it easier to transfer data over ADB

Another trap: when you move through the cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud), you can lose your photo creation dates or your albums, because apps perceive downloading to the second space as a new session.

Method 1: Transfer over Mi Cloud (official method)

The safest, but not the fastest, way is to use Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud, which is suitable for Mi Account holders and requires a stable Internet connection.

1. 📱 Open the Gallery in the main space, select a photo and click "Share».
2. ☁️ In the app selection menu, tap Mi Cloud (if not, install it from Google Play).
3. 📤 Upload files to the cloud (you can create a separate folder, for example, For a second space»).
4. 🔄 Switch to the second space via notification panel or Settings → Second space.
5. ☁️ In the new profile, open Mi Cloud, find uploaded photos and download them to the gallery.

⚠️ Note: If you have Photo Optimization enabled in Mi Cloud, images will be compressed to resolution 2048×2048. To avoid loss of quality, disable it in the cloud settings before downloading: Mi Cloud → Photo Photo → Quality of loading → Original.

Turn off photo optimization in Mi Cloud| settings

Check free space in the cloud (minimum 5 GB for 1000 photos) |

Connect to Wi-Fi (mobile traffic may not be able to handle large files)|

Create a separate folder in the cloud for convenience-->

🔹 Pros of the method: does not require root rights, works on all models Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO, Maintains the structure of the albums (if you do not compress the photo).

🔸 Cons: long with a large volume, takes place in the cloud, synchronization errors on a weak Internet are possible.

Method 2: Use a file manager with root rights (for advanced ones)

If you have root access or an unlocked uploader, you can transfer the photo directly through a file manager with superuser rights (for example, Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer), which is the fastest method, but requires caution - an error can lead to space failure.

Instructions:

1. 🛠️ Install a file manager with root support (e.g., Root Explorer).
2. 📂 Cross the path: /data/media/0/ The main space files are stored here (folder) DCIM photo).
3. 🔍 For the second space, the path will be: /data/media/{USER_ID}/ where {USER_ID} — Unique profile identifier (you can find it through the ADB or the User Switcher application).
4. ⤴️ Copy the desired files from one folder to another (long press). → «Copy»).

⚠️ Note: Do not move files through the mv command to ADB — Always use copying (cp) and manually delete the originals after checking.

🔹 Advantages: instant transfer without the Internet, all metadata is saved, works for any files (not only photos).

🔸 Risks: requires root, if you miss the error, you can lose data from both spaces, on new firmware (MIUI 15) may activate SELinux protection.

Through Mi Cloud|

Through the file manager with root|

Through Google Photo|

Through the computer (USB) |

Another option-->

Method 3: A workaround through Google Photos (with quality preservation)

If Mi Cloud is not comfortable with compression and root rights are not, you can use Google Photos with the “Original Quality” setting, which is suitable for owners of Google accounts with sufficient space in the cloud (or a Google One subscription).

Step-by-step:

1. 📸 In the main space, open Google Photos, click on the avatar. → «Photo library» → «Settings» → «Backup and synchronization».
2. ☁️ Select “Original Quality” (important! otherwise, the photos will shrink to 16 MP).
3. 📤 Upload the photos to the cloud (you can select specific albums).
4. 🔄 Switch to the second space and log in to Google Photos under the same account.
5. 📥 In the backup settings, turn off autosynchronization, then manually download the photo to the device (long press). → «Save it to the device»).

💡 Lifehack: To speed up the process, create a shared album in Google Photos before you upload it, and invite a second account (if you have one), so you don't have to switch between spaces, because the photos will be immediately available for download.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos in High Quality mode, the photo creation date in the metadata may be lost on the download date. To avoid this, export the metadata through the Exif Viewer app before transferring and restore it after downloading it.

Method 4: Transfer through a computer (USB-cable + ADB)

For users who don’t want to upload photos to the cloud, but also don’t have root rights, there’s a workaround through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a computer and enabled USB debugging, but doesn’t violate the warranty.

What you need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB (download).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB in both spaces (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap → Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC in the main space and allow debugging.
2. 🖱️ Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Mac/Linux) file ADB.
3. 📋 Enter the command to copy the photo to the computer: adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/ C:\Xiaomi_Photos\ (substitute C:\Xiaomi_Photos\ way).
4. 🔄 Switch to the second space and connect the smartphone to the PC again.
5. 📤 Take the photo back to the adb push C:\Xiaomi_Photos\ /sdcard/DCIM/

1. whether drivers are installed correctly (use Mi PC Suite for automatic installation).

2. whether debugging is enabled in the current space (when switching permissions are reset).

3. Does the antivirus block the connection (addb.exe to exceptions).-->

🔹 Pros: does not require root, saves all metadata, works on any firmware.

🔸 Cons: you need to connect the smartphone twice, requires a computer, with a large volume of photos, the process can take hours.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you move photos between spaces, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to solve them:

⚠️ Note: If photos in the gallery are shown as "damaged" after transfer, check their extension. ADB files get the wrong extension (e.g..jpg.jpg.

Another common problem is photo duplication, which happens if you first copy files through ADB and then sync them over the cloud, to avoid taking duplicates before transferring them.

• 🗑️ Remove the gallery cache in both spaces.
• 🔍 Check the folder. DCIM/.thumbnails — Sometimes the thumbnails are treated as separate files.
• 📊 Use the Duplicate Files Fixer app to find post-transfer duplicates.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

The choice of transfer method depends on your priorities: speed, safety or quality preservation. Below is a comparison table with recommendations for different scenarios.

🔹 Recommendations for selection:

• 📱 For 10–100 photos: Mi Cloud (if not critical) or Google Photos (if metadata is important).
• 🖥️ For 1000.+ photo: ADB (If you have a computer, or a root manager (if you have a license).
• 🔒 For confidential photos: only ADB Root Manager (Clouds are not secure).
• ⚡ For maximum speed: root manager or ADB s USB 3.0.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions