How to transfer data from Xiaomi to PC: a complete guide with photos and videos

Transferring data from Xiaomi to your computer is a challenge that every smartphone owner of this brand faces. Whether you want to free up the device’s memory, back up important files or just work with photos on the big screen, there are many options for transferring data, but not all of them are equally convenient: somewhere you will need a cable, somewhere you will need a stable Internet connection, and in some cases you will have to figure out the settings of the phone.

In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of data transfer – from the classical connection to the Internet. USB We're going to go to cloud services and wireless protocols, and we're going to focus on the hidden settings. MIUI, You will also learn which file formats are supported by different methods, and how to avoid typical copying errors.

1. Data transfer through USB-cable: step-by-step instruction

The fastest and most reliable way is to connect your phone to your computer using the original cable. USB Type-C (or Micro-USB for older models), but even here, Xiaomi users often face a problem: the PC does not see the phone or displays it as a boot device. MIUI, which by default block access to memory.

To avoid errors, follow the algorithm:

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable (cheap analogues may not support data transfer).
• 📱 On the screen Xiaomi will appear notification “Charge through” USB". Slip on it and select File Transfer (MTP).
• 🖥️ On your computer, open This computer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). The phone should appear as a removable disk.
• 📁 Copy the files you want to file into any folder on your PC. Use the Ctrl hotkeys to speed up the process.+C / Ctrl+V.

☑️ What to check if your PC can’t see Xiaomi

0

If the phone is still undetectable, try:

1. Reboot both devices.
2. Connect the cable to another USB-port (preferably on the back of the system unit).
3. Enable debugging on USB in the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).

⚠️ Note: On MacOS to work with Xiaomi through MTP You will need to install additional software, such as Android File Transfer, and you can download it from the official Google website](https://www.android.com/filetransfer/).

2 Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi: no cables and restrictions

If you don't have a cable on hand or want to transfer files regularly, Wi-Fi is a great alternative. MIUI, So, third-party applications. Let's look at both.

Method 1: Built-in File Transfer (MIUI 12+)

Starting with MIUI 12, Xiaomi has a tool for wireless data transfer to the PC:

1. Open the Files app on your phone.
2. Select the files you want to transfer and click Share.
3. In the list of options, tap File Transfer (computer icon).
4. On PC, open your browser and enter the address that will appear on your phone screen (e.g. ftp://192.168.1.100:8888).
5. Download files through the web interface.

The maximum transfer speed depends on your router's Wi-Fi standard. on Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) It can reach 500-700 Mbps, and on outdated Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) — not more than 150 Mbps.

Method 2: Applications for wireless transmission

If the built-in function does not work or is missing, use third-party utilities:

For maximum speed:

• 📶 Connect both devices to the same 5GHz network (if the router supports it).
• 🔋 Close background apps on your phone that consume traffic (such as YouTube or TikTok).
• 🛡️ Turn it off. VPN on PC, it can reduce the speed of transmission.

3.Cloud Transfer: Mi Cloud and Alternatives

If you want to migrate not just files, but contacts, messages, notes, the best option is cloud services. Xiaomi offers its own solution, Mi Cloud, but it has limitations. Let's figure out how to use it and what alternatives exist.

Mi Cloud: pros and cons

Mi Cloud is integrated into MIUI and allows synchronization of:

• 📱 Contacts, SMS, call-up
• 📷 Photos and videos up to 5GB free)
• 📝 Notes, calendar
• 🎵 Recorder tapes.

To upload data to the cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired categories.
3. On PC, open [the web version of Mi Cloud](https://i.mi.com/) and log in to your account.
4. Download files manually or use the Export function (available for contacts and notes).

⚠️ Note: Mi Cloud stores files in compressed format. Photos and videos are automatically converted to JPEG and MP4 Use other services for original files, which may degrade quality.

Alternative clouds: Google Drive, Yandex Disk, Mega

If 5GB in Mi Cloud isn’t enough, consider other services:

To automatically upload photos to Google Photos:

1. Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
2. Log in to your Google account.
3. Enable Backup and Synchronization in the settings.
4. On the PC, open up. [photos.google.com](https://photos.google.com) and download the files.

💡

To save space in the cloud, convert video to format before downloading HEVC (H.265) This will reduce the file size by 40 to 60 percent without any noticeable loss of quality.

4. Transfer of contacts and SMS: export and backup

Contacts and messages are the data that is most often lost when changing phones. MIUI There are built-in tools to save them, but they're not always intuitive.

Exporting contacts to VCF file

The.vcf (vCard) format is a universal standard for storing contacts.

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Tap Import/Export contacts → Export to file.
4. Select an account (such as Phone or Google) and confirm the export.
5. The contacts.vcf file will be saved in the Download folder. Move it to your PC in any convenient way.

Backup SMS assisted MIUI

MIUI preserve SMS You can then open it to a.xml file on a PC:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and restoration.
3. Click Backup and select a folder to save (e.g. Internal Storage) → Backup).
4. The file will have a name. SMS_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.xml. Copy it on a PC.

To read SMS On the computer, use programs like SMS Backup & Restore (there is a PC version) or online converters XML → TXT.

1. Copy the.xml file to the memory of the new Xiaomi.

2. Open Messages → Settings → Additionally. → Backup and restoration.

3. Select the file and click Restore.

4. Confirm the action - messages will appear in the application.

5.Photo and video transfer: how to maintain quality

Photos and videos take up the lion's share of memory on a smartphone, and porting them to a PC is often accompanied by problems: loss of quality, incorrect formats or slow speed.

Problems with formats: HEIF/HEIC and RAW

Modern Xiaomi (e.g. Xiaomi) 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) save the photo format HEIF/HEIC, That's not supported by older versions of Windows:

• 🖼️ Set the extension HEIF from Microsoft (free of charge).
• 🔄 Convert the photo to JPEG directly on the phone with apps like HEIC to JPG Converter.
• 💾 Keep the photo straight to JPEG: open the camera. → Settings → Format of conservation → JPEG.

For files. RAW (For example, with Xiaomi. 12S Ultra) will require specialized software: Adobe Lightroom, Darktable or RawTherapee.

Optimizing video before transferring

Video in the video 4K or 8K They can weigh tens of gigabytes to speed up their transfer:

• 📹 Reduce resolution: Use the Video Compress or CapCut app to convert to Full HD (1080p).
• 🔀 Change the codec: video in H.265 (HEVC) They weigh 50% less than in H.264, equally.
• 🗑️ Break up large files into pieces with FFmpeg (command: ffmpeg) -i input.mp4 -c copy -map 0 -segment_time 00:10:00 -f segment -reset_timestamps 1 output_%03d.mp4).

💡

For professional video work, use ProRes or DNxHD – these formats support Xiaomi color profiles (for example, Dolby Vision on Xiaomi 13 Pro) without loss.

6. Transfer of applications and their data (including games)

It’s pointless to migrate the apps themselves (.apk) from Xiaomi to a PC — they won’t work on Windows or Mac. However, you can save the app data (such as game progress or settings) and then restore it to another device.

Save game data through accounts

Most mobile games (such as Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings link progress to accounts:

• 🎮 Google Play Games – for games with Google Sign-In support.
• 📱 Mi Account – for games from Xiaomi (for example, Mi Game Center).
• 🌍 Social Media – Many games allow you to connect to Facebook or VK.

To transfer the progress to the new phone:

1. Install the game on a new device.
2. Log in to the same account as on your old phone.
3. In the game settings, select Restore Data.

Backup of application data through ADB

For advanced users: with the help of ADB (Android Debug Bridge can create a full copy of any application's data:

1. Enable debugging over USB (see section 1).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac/Linux).
3. Enter the command to create a backup: adb backup -f C:\backup.ab -apk -obb -shared com.example.app (replace com.example.app with the batch name of the application).
4. On the phone, confirm the creation of a backup copy (password can not be set).
5. Backup.ab file will be saved to PC. Use the command to restore: adb restore C:\backup.ab

⚠️ Note: Not all applications support backup through ADB. Some (such as banks or banks) DRM-protection) blocking this function.

7. Transfer automation: synchronization programs

If you need to migrate data from Xiaomi to your PC on a regular basis, manual methods will become tedious, and automatic synchronization software will help.

Mi PC Suite: the official solution from Xiaomi

Mi PC Suite is a software from Xiaomi that allows you to:

• 📲 Manage files on your phone from a PC.
• 🔄 Synchronize contacts, SMS and multimedia.
• 📱 Install applications (.apk) from a computer.
• 🔄 Create backup copies of data.

To use the Mi PC Suite:

1. Download the program from the official website.
2. Connect your phone over USB and select File Transfer mode.
3. Follow the instructions of the connection wizard.

Cons of Mi PC Suite:

• ❌ No version for MacOS.
• ❌ Slow speed of synchronization of large files.
• ❌ Does not support Xiaomi based on HyperOS (new firmware for global models).

Alternatives: AirDroid, Snapdrop, Syncthing

For maximum automation, configure Syncthing:

1. Install the application on your phone and PC.
2. Add folders for synchronization (for example, DCIM/Camera on the phone and D:\Xiaomi Photos on PC).
3. Set up a schedule or enable real-time synchronization.

8. Frequent errors and their solutions

Even when you follow instructions, users face problems, and we'll look at some of the most common mistakes and how to fix them.

Mistake: "USB-Device not identified" (Windows)

If the PC makes this mistake:

• 🔌 Try another one. USB-cable.
• 🖥️ Update the driver: Open Device Manager → Controllers USB, Find an unidentified device and update the driver.
• 📱 On your phone, turn on Settings. → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB.
• 🔄 Reboot both devices.

Error: “Not enough disk space” when copying

If this message appears when transferring files:

• 📁 Check the space available on your PC (especially on the C system drive:).
• 🗑️ Break up large files into parts (for example, by using the 7-Zip WinRAR).
• 🔄 Use an external hard drive or flash drive as an intermediate storage.

Error: "File corrupted" after transfer

If the downloaded files are not opened:

• 🔄 Repeat transmission – there may have been a copying error.
• 📡 Check check the checksums (MD5 or SHA-1) Using utilities like HashMyFiles.
• 💾 Try another method of transmission (for example, use Wi-Fi instead of Wi-Fi). USB).

If the problem persists, the files may have been damaged on the phone.

1. Check your phone’s memory for errors using the app SD Maid.
2. Copy the files to another phone and try opening them there.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions