How to transfer photos from Xiaomi phone to your computer: all working ways

Transfer photos from Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO It's a task that every user has to face, and it's a precious place in the memory of a smartphone, and it's much easier to edit it on a big PC screen, but how do you choose the best way out of the dozens of things that you've been looking at on the web? Some methods require cable, others work by air, and others depend on the model of the phone.

In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to transfer photos from Xiaomi to PC – from the classic connection to the Internet. USB little known pieces like passing through FTP-Special attention will be paid to the nuances that are often overlooked in standard instructions: why the computer does not see the phone, how to speed up the transfer of hundreds of photos and what to do if the smartphone freezes when connecting. And at the end you will find a comparative table of methods with the pros and cons of each.

1. Classical method: transfer through USB-cable

The most reliable and versatile method is to connect your phone to your computer using a cable, which works on all Xiaomi models, from the old Redmi. 4X It's up to Xiaomi 14 Ultra flagships, and it doesn't require internet, but there are pitfalls: not every cable will work, and the phone's settings can block data transmission.

Here's what you're gonna need:

• ⚡ Original. USB-cable (or high-quality analogue with data support) cheap charging cables often do not transfer files!
• 🖥️ Computer running Windows 7/10/11, macOS or Linux (Macs may require Android File Transfer).
• 🔧 Enabled Mode File Transfer (MTP) on the phone (more on this below).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC with a cable. Use the port. USB 3.0 (usually blue) for maximum speed.
2. The phone will have a notification on it, "Charge via USB."
3. Select the "File Transfer" mode (or MTP). If there is no such item, go to Settings → Connection and sharing → USB-plug in and plug in MTP manually.
4. The computer will open a conductor window with the phone's folders. DCIM → Camera or Pictures.
5. Copy the desired files to the hard drive of the PC (for example, in the folder "Downloads" or "Images").

Transfer speed depends on the version USB-port-and-cable:

• 🐢 USB 2.0: Up to 40MB/s (old phones and ports).
• ⚡ USB 3.0/3.1: before 600 MB / s (modern flagships Xiaomi) 13/14).

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If the transmission is too slow, archive the photos in the ZIP Directly on your phone (use File Manager or RAR), And then you can move one archive, and that speeds up the process. 3-5 once!

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) may require permission to access files when you first connect to a PC. If you don't give it, the folders will be empty!

2. Wireless transmission via Mi Share (Mi Drop)

If you don’t have a cable on hand or want to transfer photos wirelessly, use Mi Share (formerly Mi Drop) – an app pre-installed on all Xiaomi, Redmi and other phones. POCO, It allows you to transfer files between devices over Wi-Fi Direct.

Advantages of the method:

• 🚀 No need for cables or the Internet – just turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• 🔒 Data is transmitted directly, without uploading to the cloud.
• 📱 It works even on older models (Redmi 5, Mi). A1).

How to transfer photos through Mi Share:

1. Open the Mi Share app on your phone (find it through search or in the Tools folder).
2. Click "Send" and select photos in the gallery.
3. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a list of devices to receive, and if your PC doesn't show up, you'll have to set Mi on it. PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi).
4. Confirm the transfer on both devices. The files will be saved to the "MiShare" folder on the computer.

Limitations of the method:

• 🐢 Speed is lower than the speed. USB (near 5-10 MB/s).
• 🔋 Expends battery power (on large amounts of data, the phone can discharge on the phone). 10-15%).
• 🖥️ PC requires installation of Mi PC Suite (not working through browser).

3. Cloud services: Google Photos, Mi Cloud and others

If you need to not only transfer photos to your PC, but also save them backup, cloud services are ideal. Xiaomi offers its own Mi Cloud, but we will also look at universal solutions like Google Photos and Yandex Drive.

Comparison of cloud services for Xiaomi:

Instructions for Google Photos (recommended for most users):

1. Install Google Photos from Play Market (if not on your phone).
2. Open the app and log in to your Google account.
3. Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization and turn on the function.
4. Select boot quality: "Original" - without compression (takes up space in the cloud). "High" - compression to 16 MP (free, unlimited).

Wait for the download to be completed (you can monitor the progress in the notifications).

photos.google.com

"Download."

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Cloud on global firmware phones (such as Xiaomi 13 Global), you may need to link your Mi Account. If you didn’t when you first turned on, go to Settings → Mi Account and complete the registration. Without it, the cloud will not work!

4. Transfer of FTP: for advanced users

If you need to transfer a large amount of photos (for example, several gigabytes) and USB-The cable is running too slowly, you can adjust it. FTP-It's a method that requires minimal technical skills, but it gives you maximum speed over the local network.

What you need:

• 📶 Phone and computer connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
• 📱 Annex FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer (free versions available).
• 🖥️ On a PC, anyone FTP-FileZilla (WinSCP) or even a standard “Conductor” (enter the address) ftp://IP_address).

Step-by-step:

1. Put it on the phone. FX File Explorer and open it.
2. Go to the side menu and select Remote Manager" → "Start".
3. Remember (or copy) the address FTP-And it's going to be a server that's going to appear on the screen. ftp://192.168.x.x:port.
4. On your computer, open FileZilla (or “Conductor”) and enter this address into the connection bar.
5. Enter the login and password (by default, often anonymous without a password, but in the FX File Explorer can be used to set your own).
6. Once you're connected, you'll see the phone's file system. DCIM → Camera and copy photos to PC.

Pros of the method:

• ⚡ Transfer speed is limited only by your Wi-Fi network (up to the current level). 50-100 MB/s).
• 🔄 You can transfer files both ways (from PC to phone and back).
• 🛠️ No cables or cloud services required.

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FTP-transmission is ideal for transfer RAW-photo or video 4K, They're all weighing a few gigabytes. USB 2.0 will be unacceptably slow, and clouds will require you to pay for space.

5. Use of third-party applications (Send Anywhere, Xender)

If standard methods don't work, you can use universal file transfer applications. They work on a point-to-point basis" (P2P) And it doesn't require registration. Let's look at the two most popular options.

1. Send Anywhere

• 🌐 Works through a web interface or application on PC.
• 🔗 Generation of 6-digit code for pairing devices.
• 📎 Maximum file size – 10 GB (in the free version).

How to use:

1. Install Send Anywhere on your phone from Play Market.
2. Select photos and click "Send".
3. A 6-digit code is generated. Enter it at send-anywhere.com on PC.
4. Download the files to the computer.

2. Xender

• 🚀 Transmission speeds up to 40 MB/s.
• 🖥️ Works through the browser (no need to install software on the PC).
• 📱 Supports transfer between Android, iOS and PC.

Instructions:

1. Install Xender on your phone.
2. Open the application and click "Connect to PC".
3. Scan it. QR-code from the phone screen at web.xender.com.
4. Select photos and download them to PC.

⚠️ Note: When using Xender on Xiaomi phones with MIUI 12+ You may need permission to access files manually. → Annexes → Permits → Storage and enable access for Xender.

6. Transfer through a memory card (if the phone supports)

If your Xiaomi is equipped with a microSD slot (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ or POCO X5 Pro, you can significantly simplify the task:

• 📷 By default, the photos are stored in internal memory, but this can be changed. Open the camera, click on the ⚙️ "Settings" → "Place of Save" and select "Memory Map".
• 🔄 All new images will be saved to microSD.
• 💾 Remove the card from the phone (pre-mount it in the settings!) and paste it into the computer card reader.
• 📂 Copy files from the card to the PC.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 No need to connect your phone to the PC.
• 📱 Does not consume battery power.
• 💾 The memory card can be used as a backup copy.

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 Not all Xiaomi models support microSD (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro – no slot).
• 🐢 The speed of reading the card depends on its class (class 10 or the same). UHS-I preferably).

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If your Xiaomi doesn’t support microSD, but you have an old phone with a card, you can temporarily paste it in, transfer photos through Mi Share, and then extract the card and read it on your PC.

7 Automation: synchronization with PC via Mi PC Suite

For users who regularly transfer photos from Xiaomi to a computer, it is convenient to configure automatic synchronization through the official software - Mi. PC Suite.This app not only copies files, but also manages backups, updates and even messages.

How to set up automatic synchronization:

1. Download and install Mi PC Suite from the official website.
2. Connect your phone to your PC through USB (mode MTP).
3. In the main window of the program, go to the tab "Backup".
4. Select "Photos" and specify the folder on the PC to save.
5. Click "Sync." Now, every time you connect your phone, new photos will be automatically copied.

Additional features of the Mi PC Suite:

• 🔄 Backup of contacts, messages and applications.
• 📱 Managing files directly from the program (delete, rename, create folders).
• 🔄 Firmware update MIUI without using Recovery.

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Mi PC Suite is the only official solution for automatically syncing photos with Xiaomi on PC. There are no alternatives like Samsung Smart Switch or iTunes for Xiaomi!

Comparative table: which way to choose?

To make it easier to choose, we have collected all the methods in one table with their pros, cons and recommendations for use.

If you need to transfer photos from Xiaomi to Mac, use Android File Transfer (for example, to use the file). USB) Google Photos (for cloud sync) The standard Explorer on macOS doesn't support the protocol. MTP!

FAQ: Frequent Questions and Problems