How to transfer data from Xiaomi phone to laptop: all ways in 2026

Shifting data from Xiaomi to a laptop seems like a simple task — until you encounter connection errors, slow copy speeds or suddenly “disappeared” files. In 2026, users have at least 5 working ways to transfer files, but each of them has nuances: from limitations to limitations. MIUI This article will help you choose the best method depending on the amount of data, the type of files and your operating system.

We have analyzed official Xiaomi recommendations, user reviews on forums (including: 4PDA And Mi Community, and the transmission speed tests to make a good guide, and there are no universal magic buttons, just specific instructions for typical errors, like why a laptop doesn't see Xiaomi through a computer. USB, How to circumvent restrictions MTP-Why Google Photos Cuts Down Video Quality When Downloading.

1. Preparing Xiaomi phone for data transfer

You have to configure your smartphone before you connect to your laptop, otherwise the system can block access to files. MIUI, which by default limits interaction with external devices.

Check the developer mode first (if you plan to use it) ADB ordeal):

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
2. Tap on the item "Version" MIUI» 7 times in a row until the notice “You became a developer” appears».
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate “Debugging by USB”.

Next set up USB-connection:

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your laptop with a cable (preferably original or certified). USB-C).
• 📱 Xiaomi will have a notification on the screen «USB To transfer files – tap on it.
• 🔄 Select File Transfer Mode (MTP) (not "Charging»!).
• 🔒 If your laptop can’t see your device, try another port or cable – cheap accessories often don’t support data transfer.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi models 13/14 series and Redmi Note 12 s MIUI 14+ You may need to confirm access to folders via the notification “Allow data access?” without this, the laptop will see only empty directories.

To speed up the process, turn off battery optimization for applications that work with files (such as Explorer or Google Photos):

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the right application → «Battery limitations» → Choose "No restrictions».

Data transmission by USB: step-by-step instructions for Windows and Mac

The most reliable and fastest way is to connect directly via cable, but there are pitfalls: Windows may not recognize Xiaomi as a drive, and macOS requires additional software to work with. MTP.

For Windows 10/11:

1. Connect your phone to your laptop and select mode MTP (see section 1).
2. Open This computer – the device should appear as “Xiaomi” or “Redmi”.
3. Double-click on the phone icon and go to the Internal Storage folder or SD card (if you have a memory card).
4. Copy the files you need (for example, a folder) DCIM photo-on-laptop.

If the phone is not displayed:

• 🔧 Install Mi drivers PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi) from pcsuite.mi.com.
• 🔄 Reboot both devices and reconnect.
• 🛠️ In Device Manager (Win) + X → Device Manager, check if there is an exclamation mark near Xiaomi. If there is, update the driver manually.

For macOS (Catalina and newer):

Mac doesn't support MTP «Out of the box, so you will need an Android File Transfer utility:

1. Download the program from the official website: android.com/filetransfer.
2. Connect Xiaomi in MTP mode.
3. Start Android File Transfer – a window with your phone files should open.
4. Drag files to a folder on a Mac (for example, to a desktop).

⚠️ Note: on macOS Ventura and newer Android File Transfer may not work with Xiaomi on the Internet MIUI 14.The alternative is to use OpenMTP (a free utility with support for new protocols).

Transmission speed USB depending on the port version:

Critical information: On models with USB 2.0 (e.g. Redmi) 9A) 100GB photo transfer can take up to 3 hours. Use a microSD card to speed up. UHS-I (Read speed up to 100 MB/s) and laptop adapter.

Connect the original USB-C cable

Select MTP mode on your phone

Install drivers (for Windows) or Android File Transfer (for Mac)

Disable battery optimization for the Conductor

Check the free space on the laptop-->

3. Wireless transmission: Wi-Fi, FTP and specialized applications

If you don't have a cable on hand or it's damaged, you can transfer data wirelessly. USB, But it's convenient for small files (up to 5GB:

Method 1: Built-in FTP-server MIUI

MIUI hidden-function FTP-server that allows you to access files through a browser or Windows Explorer:

1. Connect your phone and laptop to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. On Xiaomi, open a Explorer → Three dots (menu) → FTP.
3. Click "Run" - the address of the view will appear ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx.
4. Enter this address in the address bar of Windows Explorer (or use FileZilla for Mac).

Limitations of the method:

• 🐢 Speed depends on the router (maximum) ~10 MB/s on Wi-Fi 5).
• 🔒 FTP No encryption – do not use it on public networks!
• ⏱️ The server automatically shuts down after 10 minutes without activity.

Method 2: Transfer applications (AirDroid, Snapdrop)

Popular utilities for wireless exchange:

• 📱 AirDroid creates a local network between devices, speeds up to 20 MB/s, but requires registration for files. >100MB.
• 🌐 Snapdrop – works via a browser (no need to install an application) Ideal for transferring 10-20 photos.
• 🔗 LocalSend is an open-source analogue of AirDrop with support for Xiaomi and Windows/Mac.

For AirDroid:

1. Install the app on Xiaomi from Google Play.
2. Sign up (or log in via Google).
3. On your laptop, open web.airdroid.com and scan. QR-phonecode.
4. Drag files into the browser window.

Method 3: Google Photos (for media files)

If you only need to transfer photos and videos:

1. On Xiaomi, set up Google Photos and log in to your account.
2. Enable Backup in the application settings.
3. On your laptop, open photos.google.com and download the files.

⚠️ Google Photos Compress Videos to Resolution 1080p, If you have a free rate, use Google Drive to maintain the original quality (but there is a limit of 15 GB per account).

💡

If Wi-Fi transmission is permanently interrupted, try connecting your laptop to your phone via the access point (set it to Settings). → Access point and modem. This stabilizes the connection for large files.

4.Use of microSD memory card

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ POCO X5 Pro, this method can be the fastest. You can extract the card and paste it into your laptop through an adapter or card reader.

Instructions:

1. Transfer the necessary files to the memory card through Explorer MIUI.
2. Remove the card from the phone (pre-mount it in the settings).
3. Insert the card into the microSD adapter → USB card reader.
4. Copy the files to the hard drive.

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Read speed up to 100 MB/s (on maps) UHS-I).
• 🔄 No dependency on drivers or protocols (even Linux).
• 📁 You can transfer system files that are not available through MTP.

Disadvantages:

• 💳 Not all Xiaomi models support memory cards (for example, Xiaomi 13 Lite does not have them).
• 🔧 Adapter required (cost starting from 200) ₽).

5. Cloud services: pros and cons

Cloud storage is convenient for backup, but has limitations in volume and speed. Consider popular options for Xiaomi:

1.Mi Cloud (Official Xiaomi Cloud)

Advantages:

• 🔐 Automatic synchronization of contacts, notes and photos.
• 🆓 5GB free (can be expanded to 100GB for 149) ₽/month).

How to transfer data:

1. On the phone: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
2. Select data types (such as “Gallery”) and enable synchronization.
3. On your laptop, open i.mi.com and download the files.

2. Google Drive / OneDrive / Yandex Drive

Comparison of services:

For Google Drive:

1. Install the app on Xiaomi.
2. Upload files to the cloud via the Add menu → Download».
3. On your laptop, open drive.google.com and download the data.

⚠️ Note: When downloaded via mobile network, Google Drive may block file transfer >2GB Use Wi-Fi or break up the archive into pieces.

3. Telegram (for small files)

An unexpected but working way:

1. Create a chat “Saved messages” in Telegram.
2. Send files there (maximum 2GB at a time).
3. On your laptop, open web.telegram.org and download them.

Pros: There are no traffic restrictions, files are not compressed.

Cons: Inconvenient for a lot of data.

💡

Cloud services are optimal for backup, but not for one-time transfer of large volumes. For example, uploading 50 GB of photos to Google Drive over Wi-Fi will take ~14 hours at speed of 1 MB/s).

6. Problems and errors in data transfer

Even when following instructions, users encounter common mistakes, and we'll look at the most common ones.

1.The laptop doesn't see Xiaomi through USB

Causes and solutions:

• 🔌 Cable problem: 80% of cases are related to unoriginal cables. USB-C from Xiaomi or certified USB-IF.
• 🖥️ No drivers: Install Mi for Windows PC Suite or drivers manually through Device Manager.
• 📱 Lockdown MIUI: On some firmware you need to manually allow access to data in the notification «USB-debugging».
• 🔄 Protocol failure MTP: Switch the connection mode from MTP on PTP back and forth.

2. Slow transmission speed

If files are copied at a speed of 1-2 MB / s:

• 🔌 Connect the cable to the port USB 3.0 (blue connector) on a laptop.
• 📁 Transfer files with archives (.zip or.rar) – this reduces the number of I/O operations.
• 🛠️ Disable antivirus (such as Avast or Kaspersky) – they scan every file when you copy.

3. Files are not copied (the error "Insufficient memory")

Frequent problem with transfer to FAT32-disk:

• 💾 Limitation FAT32: Doesn't support files. >4GB. Format the flash drive in exFAT or NTFS.
• 📂 Long paths: Windows does not copy files if the full path is more than 260 characters.

4. Proprietary files MIUI copyless

Some system files (for example, from a folder) /MIUI/) Protected, to copy them:

1. Get root access (not recommended for beginners).
2. Use it. ADB (debugging):

adb pull /sdcard/MIUI/ C:\Xiaomi_Backup\

Where C:\Xiaomi_Backup\ — laptop.

7. Alternative methods: for experienced users

If standard methods don’t work, consider advanced options.

1. Transfer via ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

Allows you to copy files directly, bypassing restrictions MTP:

1. Install. ADB Download Platform Tools from Google).
2. Connect Xiaomi in debugging mode (see spoiler above).
3. Open the command line in the adb folder and type:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/ C:\Photos\

Where /sdcard/DCIM/ — the way to the folder on the phone, C:\Photos\ — laptop.

2. Synchronization through Syncthing

Syncthing is an open source software for synchronizing files over a local network:

• 🔄 It works without the cloud, data is transferred directly between devices.
• 🔒 Encrypting traffic (more secure) FTP).
• ⚡ Supports delta synchronization (only changes to files are copied).

Instructions:

1. Install Syncthing on your laptop and phone (available on Google Play).
2. Add the devices to the list of trusted.
3. Select folders for synchronization (for example, DCIM photo).

3. the use of Termux and SSH

For users Linux/Mac Or those who prefer the terminal:

1. Install Termux from F-Droid (not from Google Play, it’s an outdated version).
2. In Termux, type:

pkg install openssh


sshd

1. Find out. IP-Phone address in the local network (ifconfig in Termux).
2. On your laptop, connect to SSH:

scp -r user@192.168.x.x:/sdcard/DCIM/~/Downloads/

⚠️ Attention: Methods with ADB or SSH Incorrect commands can lead to data loss or system failure.We recommend that you first test on unimportant files.

FAQ: Frequent questions