How to transfer photos from Xiaomi to your computer: all working ways

Transferring photos from Xiaomi’s smartphone to your computer seems like a simple task — until you encounter connection errors, slow transfers, or sudden crashes, POCO Mi sometimes takes hours to copy thousands of pictures, especially when it comes to the subject of a computer. RAW-file 4K. In this article, we will analyze all current methods of transmission - from the classical USB-cables to cloud services, as well as reveal hidden settings that speed up the process 2-3 times.

It is important to note that the methods differ not only in speed, but also in compatibility with different versions. MIUI. For example, in MIUI 14 the algorithm of the protocol has changed MTP, The instructions are no longer valid on new models like Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13 Pro.+. We tested each method on devices with MIUI 12-15 and identified the only method that is guaranteed to work even if broken USB-port or absence of the Internet.

Transfer through USB-Why the cable doesn’t work sometimes

The most obvious way to connect your smartphone to your PC via cable is often a source of problems, not because of the curved cord (although that happens too), but because of the data protocol settings, Xiaomi’s default mode is Charging, which blocks access to files.

To activate the transmission:

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your computer with the original cable (cheap analogues may not support data transfer).
• 📱 On the screen of the smartphone will appear a notification Charging through USB — tap him.
• 🔄 Select File Transfer Mode (MTP) Photo (PTP) (The latter is suitable only for images).
• 🖥️ On PC, open This computer - the phone will appear as a removable disk.

If the device is not determined:

⚠️ Attention: On Windows 10/11 Check if you have MediaTek or Qualcomm drivers installed for your model, and their absence is the main reason why your PC doesn't see Xiaomi even when you set up the right settings. MIUI Download (Driver section).

Hidden Acceleration Setting: MIUI 13+ adds USB Debugging, which increases the transfer speed by 15-20% when activated.

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to unlock Developer Mode.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Activate Debugging over USB and confirm the resolution when connecting to the PC.

2. Mi Share (Mi Drop): Unlimited wireless transmission

Mi Share (formerly Mi Drop) is Xiaomi’s proprietary Wi-Fi Direct file sharing service. Unlike AirDrop, it works on Windows if you install official software. The main advantage is that there are no restrictions on file sizes (unlike Telegram or mail).

Instructions for transmission to PC:

• 📲 On your phone, open the Mi Share app (or Mi Drop on older versions). MIUI).
• 🖥️ Download the Mi utility on your computer PC Suite and install it.
• 🔗 In Mi Share on your phone, select Send, then Computer.
• 📂 Select photos and confirm the transfer. On the PC, the files will be saved to the folder. Downloads\MiShare.

Important nuance: If the PC and the phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, Mi Share uses it for transmission, which is 2 times faster than Wi-Fi Direct. However, with a large amount of data (for example, 10+ GB), the connection can be interrupted.

⚠️ Warning: Before transferring, turn off the mode on the phone Traffic Saving (Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic savings. It artificially limits the speed of Wi-Fi, causing Mi Share to "slow down" or give an error.

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If Mi Share does not find the computer, check if the PC is enabled detection mode in the Mi PC Suite settings (the icon in the tray next to the clock).

3. Cloud services: when USB and Wi-Fi are not available

If the physical connection is not possible (for example, broken) USB-The port, the cloud storage, Xiaomi has its own solution, Mi Cloud, but it's limited to 5GB of free space:

• ☁️ Google Photos: Automatic synchronization of all images (in-app settings). On PC, photos are available via the web version.
• 📁 Google Drive: Manually download folder DCIM/Camera via mobile app.
• 💬 Telegram: Send files to yourself in Save Messages (limit 2 GB per file).
• 🌐 Yandex Drive: Autoload photos when connecting to Wi-Fi (set up in the application).

Comparison of download speed (test on 1 GB of photos):

To speed up the loading to the cloud:

1. Connect your phone to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network (speeds higher than 2.4GHz).
2. In the cloud service application settings, disable Traffic Savings.
3. Close the background apps that consume the Internet (such as TikTok or YouTube).

MicroSD Memory Card: An Alternative for Supported Models

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro or POCO X5 Pro), it’s easier to transfer photos:

1. Transfer your photo from internal memory to microSD through Files → Categories → Images (select files → Copy → Memory Map).
2. Remove the card from the phone and insert it into the computer card reader.
3. Copy files from the card to the PC.

Advantages of the method:

• 🚀 Read/write speed on microSD class UHS-I reaches 90 MB / s (2-3 times faster) USB).
• 🔄 No risk of interrupting the transmission due to battery discharge.
• 📁 You can transfer files in packs of 10+ GB without hanging.

Important warning:

⚠️ Note: Do not remove the memory card from your phone while recording files (for example, when shooting videos or transferring data).This may damage the exFAT file system, and the card will have to be formatted. Always use the Safe Retrieval function in the notification curtain.

5. ADB-Teams: for experienced users

If standard methods don’t work (e.g., a broken screen but the phone turns on), you can extract photos via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires command-line skills, but is guaranteed to work even on a locked device.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Connect your phone to your computer and activate Debugging over USB (see Section 1).
3. Open the command line (Win + R → cmd) and type:

adb devices

(Your device should be displayed.)

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera C:\Xiaomi_Photos

This command will copy all the photos from the Camera folder to the folder Xiaomi_Photos disk-C:.

Advanced ADB capabilities:

• 🔍 View the list of folders with photos: adb shell ls /sdcard/DCIM/
• 📁 Copying specific formats (e.g., only RAW): adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/*.DNG C:\Xiaomi_RAW
• 🔄 Backup of the entire gallery: adb backup -f C:\backup.ab -shared

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ADB is the only way to extract data from a phone that doesn’t have a screen but has USB debugging enabled.

Specialized programs: when standard methods do not help

If none of these things work, third-party tools will come to the rescue, and they're useful in three ways:

1. The phone is not defined as a drive (MTP does not work).
2. You need to transfer the photo from the damaged file system.
3. Selective copying by date or format is required.

Top.-3 Xiaomi:

How to use Syncios (Step-by-step):

1. Install the program and connect the phone via USB.
2. In the main menu, select Photos.
3. Mark the desired pictures and click Export.
4. Specify the folder on the PC for saving.

When to pay for Dr.Fone:

• 🔧 Restore deleted photos (even after resetting your settings).
• 🔒 Phone locked, but data retrieval required.
• 📱 File system is corrupted (reading error is impossible).

Comparison of all methods: which to choose

In order not to waste time on trying out methods, use our table:

For regular photo transfer (for example, if you are a photographer), it is optimal to combine:

1. USB (MTP) for fast transfer of large volumes.
2. Google Photos for Automatic Backup.
3. MicroSD as an emergency option in case of breakdown USB-port.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions