How to quickly and safely transfer photos from Xiaomi to your computer

Transferring photos from Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO to your computer seems like a simple task — until you encounter unexpected errors: the phone is not defined as a drive, MIUI asks for unlocking, and the cloud does not sync all files. In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer photos, including hidden MIUI settings, which speed up the process by 2-3 times.

We will focus on the problems that are specific to Xiaomi: why the PC does not see the DCIM folder through USB, how to circumvent the limitations of the Mi Cloud on boot capacity and what to do if.heic photos do not open on Windows.

If you’re using Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12 or older models like Mi 11, the instructions below are universal. The only difference is the layout of menu items in newer versions of MIUI 14/15, but we’ll show you the current ways.

Transfer through USB-cable: step-by-step instructions with nuances

The most reliable way is to connect your phone to your PC via cable, but even here, Xiaomi users often face problems. Consider the process with MIUI firmware in mind.

The first thing you need to do is choose the right connection mode. Xiaomi only offers charging by default, and access to files requires manual switching.

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable (cheap analogues may not transmit data).
• 📱 Xiaomi will have a notification on the screen «USB To transfer files – tap on it.
• 🔄 Select File Transfer Mode (MTP) Photo (PTP). For Windows, better. MTP.
• 🖥️ Open This Computer – The Phone Should Show as a Removable Disc.

If the device is not determined:

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi models 12T newer MIUI 14+ By default, access to internal memory is disabled through USB. To enable it, go to Settings. → Additionally. → Special facilities → USB-Installator and activate the option.

The transfer speed over USB 3.0 (blue connector) reaches 40-60 MB / s, but in practice depends on the phone model. For example, the Redmi Note 10 Pro transmits photos at ~30 MB / s, and the flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra – up to 80 MB / s when using cable from the kit.

2. Wireless transmission over Mi Cloud: pros and cons

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi's proprietary cloud storage that automatically syncs photos, a method that is convenient if you need to transfer pictures to multiple devices or save a backup.

• ☁️ Free available only 5 GB (for comparison: Google Photos gives 15 GB).
• 📶 Download speed depends on the Internet connection (in practice). ~5-10 MB/s).
• 🔒 Photos in original quality take up space in the cloud, and compressed loses details.

How to set up synchronization:

1. Open the Gallery app on your phone.
2. Put it on your avatar. → Cloud settings.
3. Enable Autoupload photos and select Original quality (if it is important to save details).
4. On PC, go to i.mi.com, log in and download the archive.

Important: if you delete photos from your phone before sync, they won't get to the cloud. Mi Cloud only syncs new files, not existing ones.

3. Wi-Fi Transmission: Bypassing MIUI Restrictions

If you don't have a cable and the cloud isn't suitable due to a space limit, you can use a local Wi-Fi network. Xiaomi offers two options: through the built-in File Transfer feature or third-party apps like Send Anywhere.

Method 1: Built-in MIUI function

• 📲 Open the Settings. → Connections and sharing → File transfer.
• 🔗 Select Send, enter photos and click Next.
• 💻 On a PC, open your browser and enter the address that will appear on the phone screen (for example, ftp://192.168.1.100:8888).
• 📥 Download files through the web interface.

Method 2: Send Anywhere (Recommended)

This application bypasses the MIUI file size constraints and is more stable than the built-in solution, with Wi-Fi 5 transmission speeds of 15-20 MB/s.

⚠️ Note: When transferring over Wi-Fi, Xiaomi can automatically block the connection after 5-10 minutes of inactivity. To avoid this, turn off the power saving mode for the application File Transfer in the battery settings.

4.Bluetooth and other alternative methods

Bluetooth is suitable for transferring 1-2 photos, but is not suitable for large volumes due to the low speed (~1-2 MB / s).

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and PC (on Windows: Start → Settings → Devices → Bluetooth).
2. Connect the devices (confirm the code on the phone).
3. In the gallery Xiaomi, select a photo → Share → Bluetooth.
4. Select your PC from the list and confirm the transfer.

Other alternative methods:

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If.heic photos don’t open on Windows, install the HEIF Image Extensions extension from the Microsoft Store or convert them to JPG through the Gallery app on your phone (open photo → More → Save as).

5. Solving problems: phone not detected, photos not copied

Even with the right settings, Xiaomi users face common mistakes, and we will examine the most common and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: PCs can’t see Xiaomi via USB

Causes and solutions:

• 🔌 Non-original cable: Use a complete or certified cable USB-C 3.1.
• 🖥️ No drivers: Download Mi PC Suite or Qualcomm drivers for your model.
• 📱 Lockdown MIUI: Go to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers and disable debugging by USB (prohibiting) if it has been activated.

Problem 2: DCIM folder is empty or not open

It's because of:

• 🔍 Hidden Files: Enable the Display of Hidden Folders in Windows Explorer (View) → Hidden elements).
• 📁 Transfer of photos to another storage: MIUI The pictures may lie in /storage/emulated/0/Pictures or /MIUI/Gallery/cloud.
• 🔒 Protections MIUI: On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) folder DCIM Solution: copy the photo to another folder right on your phone, and then transfer it to your PC.

Problem 3: Device not recognized error (Code 43)

This error occurs on Windows when drivers conflict.

1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
2. Find Xiaomi under Portable Devices or Other Devices (with an exclamation point).
3. Right-click → Update the driver → Search on this computer.
4. Select Install from the list of available drivers and specify MTP-device.

Process Optimization: How to Speed Up Transmission and Maintain Quality

It can take hours to transfer thousands of photos if you don't optimize the process, and here are 4 proven ways to speed up the transfer and avoid quality loss:

• ⚡ Use it. USB 3.0: Connect your phone to the blue port on your PC (speeds 5-10 times faster than your PC’s) USB 2.0).
• 🗃️ Archive before transfer: On the phone create ZIP-Archive with photo (Mi File Manager app) → highlight files → The speed of transferring one large file is faster than thousands of small ones.
• 📸 Convert.heic to JPG In the gallery Xiaomi highlight the photo → More. → Save how → choose JPEG. This will save you time to convert later.
• 🔌 Turn off energy saving: In Settings → Battery → Power saving mode add File transfer to exceptions.

For professional photographers who shoot in RAW on Xiaomi 13 Pro or 12S Ultra, we recommend:

• 🖥️ Use Lightroom Mobile to sync originals to Adobe’s cloud (20GB free).
• 💾 Connect your phone to your PC through PTP-regime (in notification) USB Choose Photos (PTP)) — Some programs (such as Capture One) work better with it.

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On Xiaomi models with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra), the transfer speed over USB 3.2 reaches 1 Gbps (~120 MB/s), but only when using the original cable from the kit. Cheap cables limit the speed to USB 2.0 (~40 MB/s).

Comparison of all methods: which one to choose?

The choice of method depends on the number of photos, the availability of cable and Internet speed. Below is a table with a comparison:

For most users, the best option — USB-If you don't have a cable, use Send Anywhere over Wi-Fi. Mi Cloud is only suitable for backups due to space constraints.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions