Xiaomi smartphones today have a huge internal memory, but sooner or later, every user is faced with the question of whether to back up or vacate space. Transferring data to a PC becomes a mandatory procedure for creating backups, editing videos or simply archiving important documents. There are many ways to perform this operation, from classic cables to modern wireless technologies.
Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO Often face the nuances of the interface MIUI It's called HyperOS, which can make it difficult to connect to Windows or macOS in the first place. In this article, we'll go through all the current synchronization methods. USB-Debugging and what applications are best for wireless transfer.
The choice of the specific method depends on the amount of information and the speed of your Internet connection. Cloud storage is suitable for several photos, whereas for hundreds of gigabytes of video, you should use a direct cable. Let's look at each option in detail so that you can choose the best one for your situation.
Connection through USB-cable: the classical method
The fastest and most reliable way to copy files is to use them. USB-When physically connected, the maximum data rate is achieved, which is critical when dealing with large amounts of information, for example, when transferring data. 4K-You will need an original or quality certified cable, as cheap analogues can only support charging without data transfer.
After connecting the smartphone to the computer, the Android system defaults to charging mode. To the PC to see the device, you need to manually change the mode of operation. USB-Lower the notification curtain on your smartphone screen and find the message “Charge through” USB». Click on it to open the menu and select the option “File Transfer” or «MTP».
The computer will open a My Computer window, where your phone will appear as a removable disk or media device, and inside you will see folders with system data and user content. The main files are usually located in the DCIM directories (camera photos and videos), MIUI (screenshots and voice recorder) and Download (browser downloads).
⚠️ Note: If your computer can’t see your phone after connecting the cable, try using another one. USB-port, preferably located directly on the motherboard (back of the system unit), and not through the front panel or USB-hub.
☑️ Verification USB-connection
When working with a file system, it is important not to delete system folders whose names you do not know. Accidental deletion of files from the root directory can lead to malfunctioning of the operating system or individual applications. Copy only user content into pre-prepared folders on the hard drive.
Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi and FTP
If you don’t have a cable at hand, a great solution is to transfer data over a local Wi-Fi network. This method allows you to transfer information without unnecessary wires using the standard FTP protocol or specialized applications. The transfer speed in this case depends on the quality of your router and the supported Wi-Fi standard (5 GHz is much faster than 2.4 GHz).
In the standard app “Conductor” on Xiaomi smartphones has a built-in function FTP-To activate it, open the app, go to the menu and select Remote Management or PC Access. Once the server is up, it will appear on the screen. IP-The address to enter in the address bar "My computer" on the PC.
Once you enter the address, all of your smartphone folders will be viewable and copied as if they were on a local drive, a convenient way to quickly retrieve multiple files without installing additional software, but for large archives to be permanently synchronized, this method may be less stable than a wired connection.
- 📡 For maximum speed, make sure that both your computer and smartphone are connected to the same 5GHz Wi-Fi network.
- 🔒 Do not use public Wi-Fi networks in cafes to transmit sensitive data, as traffic may be intercepted.
- 📂 Working through FTP The folder structure may be displayed differently than when connecting to USB.
What to do if FTP is not connected?
Use of Mi Cloud and Google Drive cloud services
Cloud technology automates data storage from any device anywhere in the world. Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud ecosystem offers a service that is deeply integrated into the MIUI/HyperOS shell. It synchronizes contacts, notes, gallery and voice recordings in the background.
To set up, open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud. Here you can select data types to sync and enable the Clean Device Memory feature, which will delete the original photos from your phone after they have successfully uploaded to the cloud. This frees up space without risking loss of information.
The alternative is Google Photos or Google Drive, which is often more convenient for users who plan to switch to another Android smartphone brand in the future, with free space on Google typically 15GB, which is enough for documents but not enough for high-resolution video archives.
| Service | Free volume | Integration with MIUI | Speed of operation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Cloud | 5GB | Native (systemic) | Tall. |
| Google Drive | 15GB | Through the app | Medium |
| Yandex Disk | 10GB | Through the app | High (in Russian Federation) |
| Telegram Saved | limitless | Through the app | Depends on the server. |
When using the mobile Internet, synchronizing large video files can quickly exhaust your data plan.
Specialized software: Mi PC Suite and alternatives
For those who prefer to have full control of the device, there are special software managers.The official Mi PC Suite was once the standard, but it is now outdated and does not work well with newer versions of Android. However, for older models (released before 2018), it can still be useful for creating full backups of the system.
A modern and more functional alternative is AirDroid or MyPhoneExplorer, which provides advanced functionality: managing SMS, contacts, phone screen and file system directly from the desktop, both on cable and Wi-Fi.
Installing such software requires pre-prepared phone, and in some cases, you need to activate the USB debugging mode and issue special permissions via ADB. This may seem difficult for a beginner, but it provides powerful tools for administration.
- 💻 AirDroid allows you to control your phone through the web browser interface without installing a client on a PC.
- 📱 MyPhoneExplorer creates full backups of contacts and calendar in Outlook-readable format.
- ⚡ Specialized software often can convert media files during transfer to save space.
⚠️ Warning: Download the software to manage the phone only from official sites of developers. PC Suite from unverified resources may contain viruses or spyware.
Advanced level: working with ADB and Fastboot
For users who are not afraid of the command line, the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool opens access to the file system at a deep level. This method allows you to copy files from protected system partitions that are not accessible through regular Explorer. ADB is part of the Android SDK Platform Tools package.
To start, you need to turn on Developer Mode on your phone. Go to Settings → About your phone and quickly press 7 times on the MIUI Version (or OS Version) item. Then activate Debugging on USB in advanced settings. When you connect to your PC, confirm debugging permission in the pop-up window on your smartphone screen.
The commands for copying files are as follows: To copy a file from phone to computer, an adb pull command is used. For example, to pull out an SMS database, the command will look like this:
adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db C:/Backup/This is ideal for making exact copies of app settings or extracting data before flashing the device, but a mistake in the way to the file can lead to the fact that you simply do not find the desired document, since the file structure in Android is strictly hierarchical.
💡
Using ADB gives you access to all the system files, but requires careful command entry and an understanding of the structure of Android directories.
Solving Connection Problems
Even with all the instructions, there can be technical difficulties, and most often, users are faced with a situation where the phone is only charging, but not defined as a drive, this is solved by replacing the cable or cleaning the USB Type-C connector from dust, which often is stamped inside and interferes with contact.
Another common problem is the lack of drivers in the Windows operating system. If an unknown device with a yellow exclamation point appears in Device Manager, you need to install universal Google USB Driver drivers or Xiaomi proprietary drivers, which are usually installed automatically when you have the Internet, but sometimes you need to manually install.
It is also worth checking the energy saving settings. USB-The system can turn off ports to save power, which causes a connection to break when large files are transferred. USB-the root hub in the device manager uncheck the tick "Allow disabling this device».