How to transfer all photos from your phone to your phone Xiaomi: the full guide 2026

Transferring photos between smartphones is a challenge that every Xiaomi user faces. Whether you bought a new Redmi Note 13 Pro+, switch from iPhone to POCO F6, or just want to share pictures with a friend, there are many options for transferring data. But not all of them are equally convenient: somewhere quality is lost, somewhere speed leaves much to be desired, and some methods require additional devices.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working ways to transfer photos to Xiaomi, from classic (via cable or memory card) to modern (via Wi-Fi Direct or Mi Cloud). You’ll also learn how to avoid common mistakes, such as why photos may not show up after copying or how to avoid losing them. EXIF-data (information about the place and time of shooting).

If you need to quickly transfer a few pictures, scroll to the section on fast transfer over Bluetooth. To transfer thousands of photos with the preservation of folder structure, the method is better through a computer or cloud storage. And owners of older Xiaomi models (until 2020) will need a spoiler with the nuances of compatibility.

Before you start, check:

• 🔋 Battery charge on both phones (minimum 30%, otherwise the transmission may be interrupted).
• 📶 Free space on the target device (photo in format.HEIC or.RAW They occupy 2-3 times more space than.JPG).
• 🔒 Permissions: on Android 13+ You may need to access files for transmitter applications.

1. Transmission via OTG or USB-Type-C cable

The most reliable way to transfer a lot of data is to connect phones directly with cable, suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the Redmi 12, POCO X6 Pro and flagships of the 14 series, transfer speeds up to 480 Mbps (USB 2.0) or 10 Gbps (USB 3.2), if both devices support the standard.

You'll need:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (if one of the phones has a Micro-USB connector) or USB-Type-C (for modern models).
• 📱 Adapter (e.g., adapter, USB-C to USB-C or lightning to USB iPhone).
• 🛠️ File Manager (embedded Files from Xiaomi or Solid Explorer).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phones with a cable. On the Xiaomi screen (target device), select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On the source phone, open the file manager and find the DCIM folder (there are photos from the camera) or Pictures.
3. Select the files you want, click Copy → Select the connected phone in the list of devices → specify the destination folder (for example, Internal Memory → DCIM).
4. Wait for the copy to be completed. On Xiaomi with MIUI 14, progress is displayed in the notification curtain.

⚠️ Note: If phones don't define each other, check out: Cable: Some cheap OTG-The cables only support charging, not data transfer. Connection mode: on Android 11+ You may need to manually select File Transfer in the notification curtain.Drivers: on older Xiaomi (e.g. Redmi 5) you sometimes need to install MTP-driver via Settings → Additionally. → For developers.

Check the type of connectors on both phones |Use the original cable or certified OTG|Activate File Transfer (MTP) mode on both devices |Close the background apps to speed up the process-->

2.Move over a microSD memory card

If both phones support memory cards (like the Redmi Note 12 Pro or the POCO M6 Pro), this method will be the easiest.

• ⚡ No dependence on the internet or cables.
• 🔄 You can use the card as an intermediate storage for multiple devices.
• 📁 The folder structure is saved (e.g. Camera, Screenshots).

How to transfer the photo:

1. Insert the microSD card into the original phone.
2. Open the file → the camera (or other folder with the photo).
3. Select the files → Copy → Select a memory card as your destination.
4. After copying, remove the map and paste it into Xiaomi.
5. In the file manager, find the folder with the photo on the map and move them to internal memory (Internal drive → DCIM).

The speed of copying depends on the class of the card:

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi with a hybrid slot (e.g. Redmi) 10C) memory card replaces the second SIM. If you need both SIM-Maps, use a different method.

Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi (Mi Share, Nearby Share)

For transferring photos without cables, the built-in Mi Share (on Xiaomi) or Nearby Share (on other Androids) function is suitable. Speeds reach 10-15 MB / s, but depends on the stability of the network. The main advantage is that there is no loss of quality, unlike Bluetooth.

How to use Mi Share:

1. On both phones, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
2. Open Settings → Connection and Sharing → Mi Share.
3. On the original phone, select a photo in the gallery → Share → Mi Share.
4. On Xiaomi receiver, confirm the receipt of files.

If Mi Share is not working, check:

• 📱 Version MIUI: on old firmware (below) MIUI 12: the function is called Mi Drop.
• 🔗 Compatibility: iPhone does not support Mi Share – use AirDrop or cloud.
• 🔒 Permits: c Settings → Annexes → Permissions give Mi Share access to storage and location.

Cable.|Through the memory card.|Wi-Fi (Mi Share, Nearby Share)|Through the Cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud)|Bluetooth|Other-->

4. Transfer via cloud services (Mi Cloud, Google Photos)

Cloud storage is convenient for backing up and transferring photos between devices, even if they are in different countries. minus the limitation on the volume (for example, Mi Cloud only gives 5 GB for free), and downloading a large number of photos can take hours.

Comparison of services for Xiaomi:

Instructions for Mi Cloud:

1. On the source phone, upload a photo to Mi Cloud: Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud. Enable Gallery Sync and select folders to download.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi

Mi Cloud

Download

⚠️ Note: If photos are not displayed in Mi Cloud: Check if sync is enabled in Settings → Account. → Mi Cloud → Gallery.Make sure there is enough space on the source phone for cloud cache (minimum 1GB free).Update Gallery app to the latest version on Google Play.

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To speed up your download to Mi Cloud, connect to 5GHz Wi-Fi and turn off background sync for other apps (like Google Photos or Dropbox).

5. Fast Bluetooth transmission (for a small number of photos)

Bluetooth is suitable for transferring 5-10 photos at a time, but is not recommended for large volumes due to low speed (1-2 MB/s) and possible loss of quality (some phones compress images when transferring).

How to transfer photos over Bluetooth:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones.
2. On Xiaomi receiver, click Device Search and select the original phone.
3. Confirm the pairing (code must match on both screens).
4. On the original phone, select a photo in the gallery → Share → Bluetooth → select Xiaomi from the list.
5. On Xiaomi, confirm the file acceptance.

Limitations of the method:

• 🐢 Slow speed: transfer of 1 GB photo will take 10-15 minutes.
• 📉 Compression: Some phones automatically reduce resolution to 1920×1080.
• 🔋 Battery discharge: Bluetooth actively consumes charge (up to 5% per hour).

💡

Bluetooth is convenient for sending 1-2 snapshots, but not for archives. For large volumes, use Wi-Fi or cable.

6. Transfer over computer (Windows, Mac, Linux)

If you have a laptop or PC on hand, this method will allow you to preserve the original quality and sort photos before the perenosom.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the source phone to your computer via cable and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy photos from the DCIM or Pictures folder to your PC hard drive.
3. Turn off the first phone and connect Xiaomi.
4. Move files from your PC to the DCIM folder on Xiaomi.
5. Turn off your phone and update the gallery (pull down in the Photos app).

Advantages of the method:

• 🖥️ Backup: Photos are saved to PC, which protects against data loss.
• 🔍 Viewing EXIF: Metadata can be checked on a computer (for example, via FastStone Image Viewer).
• 🗃️ Sorting: it is convenient to rename files or spread out by folders before the penosom.

⚠️ Note: If photos are not displayed in the Xiaomi gallery after copying: Check that the files have the.jpg,.png or.heic extension (for iPhone snapshots).Reboot your phone - sometimes the media scanner doesn't update the database right away. Use QuickPic or Simple Gallery app – they are better at scanning files.

7 Specialized applications (Send Anywhere, Xender)

If built-in methods don’t work, use third-party apps that offer high speeds (up to 20MB/s over Wi-Fi) and additional features such as overhead transmission. QR-code.

Top.-3 apps:

• 📲 Send Anywhere: Transfer without registration to 6-digit code. Supports files up to 10 GB at a time. EXIF-data.
• 🌐 Xender: It works without the Internet (creates a local network), the interface is in Russian, can transfer applications (.apk).
• 🔗 Snapdrop (web version): No installation required – works via browser. Perfect for transfer between iPhone and Xiaomi.

How to use Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both phones from Google Play.
2. On the source phone, select a photo → click Send → generate a 6-digit code.
3. On Xiaomi, enter this code in the Get field.
4. Confirm file acceptance.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos to Xiaomi