How to move a photo from one Xiaomi phone to another: all the ways of 2026

Transferring photos between Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that every user faces when buying a new device or sharing snapshots. Unlike iPhones, which have AirDrop, Android device owners have a variety of options available from built-in MIUI features to third-party apps. But what way to choose to avoid losing quality, saving time and avoiding errors?

In this article, we will discuss 7 current methods of transferring photos between Xiaomi phones (including Redmi models, POCO And Black Shark, we'll compare them in terms of speed, reliability and convenience, and we'll focus on the hidden settings. MIUI, You will also learn how to avoid common problems, such as connection failure when transferring large files or loss of connection. EXIF-data (meta-information about images).

1. Mi Share (Quick Share) – Xiaomi’s built-in instant transfer tool

Mi Share (formerly Xiaomi Quick Share) is Xiaomi’s proprietary technology, similar to Apple’s AirDrop, which uses a combination of Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth to transfer files at speeds up to 10-15 MB/s (depending on the model), the main advantage being that there is no need for the Internet or additional applications.

To use Mi Share, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Open the Gallery on the original phone, select a photo and click Share → Mi Share.
• 🔍 On the target device, enable Mi Share via the notification panel or in Settings → Connections and sharing → Mi Share.
• 🤝 Wait for the devices to detect each other and confirm the connection.
• ✅ On the target phone will appear a notification about the incoming file – click Accept.

Important: Mi Share only works between Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices based on MIUI 12 and later. If you have an older version of the firmware, update it through Settings → About Phone → System Update.

Turn Bluetooth on both devices |

Activate Wi-Fi (not to connect to the network)|

Allow access to files in the Mi Share| settings

Disable power saving mode (may interrupt transmission)-->

⚠️ Note: If the transfer is interrupted on large files (e.g., photos in format.ARW or.RAW), Try to reduce the batch size - send no more than 50 photos at a time, and check if Antivirus or Battery Optimizer is blocking the transmission in the security settings.

2. Transfer via Xiaomi Cloud (cloud storage)

Xiaomi Cloud is Xiaomi’s official cloud storage service, which provides 5GB of free storage (for Mi Account accounts), which is convenient if you want to transfer photos without physical contact of devices (for example, if the phones are in different rooms) or save a backup.

Instructions for downloading and downloading:

• ☁️ On the original phone, open the Gallery, select a photo → Share. → Xiaomi Cloud → Download.
• 📁 The files will appear in the Cloud Photos folder in your account. To download them to another phone, log in to the same Mi Account and go to Xiaomi Cloud. → Photo Photo.
• 🔄 To speed up the process, enable Autosynchronization in the cloud settings (but note that this will require a stable Internet connection).

Xiaomi Cloud also allows you to create shared albums where you can invite other users (for example, to share photos from an event), but remember: when uploading to the cloud, photos are compressed to a resolution of 2048×2048 pixels, if the option is enabled Save traffic.

Mi Share (Quick Share)|

Xiaomi Cloud|

OTG/USB| cable

Third-party applications (SHAREit, Xender)|

Another option-->

3.Using an OTG or USB-Type-C cable

If you need to transfer a large amount of photos (for example, a few gigabytes), the most reliable way is to connect directly via cable.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (If you have a microUSB connector on one of the phones).
• 🔗 Type-C Cable – Type-C (for modern Xiaomi models) 12/13/14, Redmi Note 11/12 newer).
• 📱 File Manager (e.g., embedded Files or Solid Explorer).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phones with a cable. One of them will have a notification on the screen. USB-Connection – Select File Transfer.
2. Open the file manager on the receiving phone and go to the section USB-device (or external storage device).
3. Copy photos from the DCIM → Camera folder on the original phone into the desired directory on the target device.

Cable transmission speeds reach 40–60 MB/s (for USB 3.0), which is 3-4 times faster than Wi-Fi. However, note: some Xiaomi models (for example, the POCO X3 or Redmi 9A) support only USB 2.0, so the speed will be limited to 5–10 MB/s.

4. Transfer via Google Photos (alternative to Xiaomi Cloud)

Google Photos is a universal solution for backup and transfer of images. Unlike Xiaomi Cloud, it works on any Android device and offers 15 GB of free storage (common with Gmail and Google Drive), however, since June 1, 2021, Google has limited free storage of photos in high quality, now new images take up space in the cloud.

How to transfer photos via Google Photos:

1. Install Google Photos on both phones and sign in to one Google account.
2. On the original device, enable Backup and Synchronization in the application settings.
3. Wait for the photo to be uploaded to the cloud (you can speed up the process by connecting to Wi-Fi).
4. On the target phone, open Google Photos and download the desired albums through Photos → Select → Save to the device.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Automatic Sorting by Date and Person (Tanks to Google) AI).
• ✅ The ability to edit photos directly in the cloud (tools Magic Eraser, Color correction).
• ✅ Access from any device (including PC and iPad).

⚠️ Attention: When uploading to Google Photos in High Quality (free) mode, photos are compressed to 16 MP, and videos are compressed to 16 MP. 1080p. To avoid quality loss, choose Original Quality, but then the files will take up space in your storage.

5 Third-party applications: SHAREit, Xender, Send Anywhere

If Xiaomi's built-in tools don't suit you, you can use third-party apps.

• 📲 SHAREit – speeds up to 20 MB/s, supports transfer between Android, iOS and PC.
• 🔄 Xender – does not require Internet, there is a function of Group transmission (up to 5 devices at a time).
• 🌍 Send Anywhere – generates a 6-digit code or QR-fast-sending.

Example of transfer via Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On the source device, select a photo and click Send → generate a code or QR.
3. On the target phone, enter the code or scan the QR in the Get section.

Comparison of annexes:

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Before using third-party applications, check permissions in Settings → Apps → Permissions. Some programs (such as SHAREit) request access to Contacts and Locations, which is not always necessary for file transfers.

6. Transmission via computer (PC or Mac)

If you have a laptop or a PC on hand, you can use it as an intermediary, which is suitable for transferring large numbers of photos (for example, the entire gallery) or if you need to sort the pictures before copying.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Connect your first phone to your computer via USB and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Open This Computer → Find a Xiaomi device and go to the Internal Storage → DCIM → Camera folder.
3. Copy the photo to your desktop or in a separate folder.
4. Disable the first phone, connect the second and paste files into the DCIM folder.

MacOS requires Android File Transfer (the official software from Google), and you can use Termux or ADB for advanced users:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/ ~/Desktop/xiaomi_photos


adb push ~/Desktop/xiaomi_photos /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/

⚠️ Note: When copying through MacOS, there are sometimes errors in encoding file names (e.g., Cyrillic characters are displayed as????.jpg). To avoid this, rename files to Latin before transfer or use an archiver (e.g., Zip).

7. Transfer via instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)

You can use instant messengers to transfer a small number of photos (up to 50 pieces), Telegram is best suited for this, since it does not compress files when sending via the File option (unlike WhatsApp, where the quality is reduced to 960×1280 pixels).

How to send a photo without loss of quality:

• 📎 In Telegram, create a chat Save Messages (or any other chat with yourself).
• 🖼️ Press the paperclip. → File and select a photo (do not use Photos, as this will lead to compression!).
• 📥 On the second phone, download files from chat to gallery.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ The maximum size of one file in Telegram is 2 GB (enough even for the user). RAW-photo).
• ❌ WhatsApp and Viber photos are compressed to 1-2 MB, which is unacceptable for professional photos.
• ❌ Slow speed with a large number of files (depends on the Internet).

💡

Messengers are convenient for transferring multiple images, but not for mass transfer. For large volumes, use Mi Share, cable or cloud.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos between Xiaomi phones