How to Transfer Photos and Videos from One Xiaomi to Another: A Complete 2026 Guide

Why do you need to transfer files between Xiaomi?

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but transferring personal photos and videos can be a headache if you approach the process unprepared. Even between devices of the same brand, transferring media files has nuances, from the limitations of MIUI to the peculiarities of working with cloud services. For example, trying to copy 20 GB photos via Bluetooth will take more than 5 hours, and using unverified applications can lead to loss of quality or even loss of files.

In this article, we will discuss the 5 of current transfer methods – from standard MIUI functions to professional tools that will speed up the process in 10 times. You will learn how to avoid typical errors (for example, interruption of transmission due to battery discharge), which formats are supported without conversion, and how to maintain the original quality of HEIF/HEVC files. Particular attention will be paid to the transfer of large video files (4K/60fps) – their weight often exceeds the limits of cloud services.

Important: if you migrate files from Xiaomi to a model with another version of MIUI (for example, from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14), some system limitations may differ.

Method 1: Using the built-in function of “Mi Mover”

The most obvious and frequently advertised way is Mi Mover, Xiaomi’s built-in data migration solution, which is available on all smartphones with MIUI 9 and later, but has a number of hidden limitations, such as not supporting transferring files with a volume of more than 50 GB per session, and the transfer speed depends on the firmware version.

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

• 📱 On both smartphones, go to Settings → About Phone → Data Cloning (or Settings → Additional → Mi Mover on older versions).
• 🔄 Select a role: on the old phone - "Sender", on the new - "Recipient».
• 📶 Connect devices to a single Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on a new smartphone).
• 📁 In the data transfer list, tick the “Photo” and “Video” boxes, then click “Start.”

The average transmission speed via Mi Mover is 10-15 MB/s, but it can drop to 2-3 MB/s with a weak Wi-Fi signal.

• 🔌 Connect both phones to charge (the transfer consumes up to 20% of the battery per hour).
• 📡 Switch to 5GHz Wi-Fi (if the router supports).
• 🚫 Disable VPN and application background synchronization.

⚠️ Warning: Mi Mover doesn't save folder structure. All photos and videos will be shared in the DCIM/MiMover folder on the new device. If you're interested in sorting by album (e.g. WhatsApp Images, Screenshots), use alternative methods.

Charge of both phones > 50%| Unique Wi-Fi network (2.4 or 5 GHz) | VPN and power saving modes Disabled | Free space on new phone > portable file volume | Compatibility of MIUI--> versions | Verified

Method 2: USB OTG cable transmission (fastest method)

If you need to move tens of gigabytes of media files in minutes, the USB OTG- cable method is the best choice, with transfer speeds of 40–60 MB/s (4–5 times faster than Wi-Fi), and the risk of data loss is minimal, the main condition is the availability of a OTG- adapter (or cable USB-C → USB-C for new models).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the OTG- adapter to the new smartphone and the old phone to the adapter via cable.
2. The new device will display a notification saying “USB- Device Connected” and tap it and select “File Transfer” (or “File Manager”).
3. Open File Manager (Files app from Xiaomi) and go to the section "USB- device".
4. Copy DCIM, Pictures, and Movies folders from your old phone into similar folders on your new one.

Advantages of the method:

• 🚀 Speed: 100 GB of data can be transferred in 30-40 minutes.
• 🔒 No loss of quality: Files are copied in the original resolution (including RAW and ProRes).
• 📂 Folder structure and metadata (date of shooting, geotagged) are preserved).

⚠️ Warning: Some Xiaomi models (e.g., Redmi Note 10 Pro) may require unlocking Developer Mode and enabling the Debugging by USB option when connecting via OTG. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI (tap 7 times), then to Settings → Additional → For Developers.

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If there are too many files, use the "Select All" function in the file manager, and then filter by type (e.g., only.jpg and.mp4).

Method 3: Cloud Services – When Are They Valid?

Cloud storage is convenient if you have a slow USB OTG or no cable at hand, but it has critical drawbacks: volume limitations, file compression, and Internet speed dependency. Consider two popular options: Xiaomi Cloud and Google Photos.

Xiaomi Cloud (built-in cloud MIUI):

• 📁 Free rate – 5 GB (expands to 10 GB after the binding of the Mi Account).
• 🔄 The download speed depends on Xiaomi servers (in Russia and CIS it is often slowed down).
• 📌 The maximum size of a single file is 2 GB (video problems 4K/60fps).

Google Photos:

• 📁 Free storage – 15 GB (shared with Gmail and Google Drive).
• 🔍 When you select Original Quality, files are not compressed, but take up space in the cloud.
• 📅 Automatic sorting by date and person (searchable).

How to transfer via Google Photos:

1. On your old phone, open the Google Photos app and log in to your account.
2. Go to Settings → Backup and Sync and turn on the option.
3. Select “Original Quality” (if it is important to keep the resolution).
4. Wait for the download to complete, then on the new phone log in to the same account and download files.

⚠️ Warning: If you use Google Photos in High Quality mode, videos above 1080p will automatically be compressed to Full HD and photos up to 16 MP. This is critical for owners of Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+, who shoot in 8K.

Xiaomi Cloud|Google Photo|Yandex Disc.|iCloud|Other|I don't use it.-->

Method 4: Local area network (FTP- server or Send Anywhere)

If Mi Mover is unstable and there is no cable available, you can organize transmission over the local network, such as Send Anywhere or the built-in FTP- server in MIUI. The main advantage is that there are no limits on volume and maintain original quality.

Method 1: Send Anywhere (Cross-Platform)

• 📲 Install the app on both phones from Google Play.
• 📤 On an old phone, select files and click "Send" - a 6-digit code is generated.
• 📥 On a new phone, type this code in the Get section.
• ⚡ Transfer speeds up to 20 MB/s on a single Wi-Fi network.

Method 2: FTP- server in MIUI (without third-party applications):

1. On your old phone, open File Manager → Network Disk → FTP- Server.
2. Start the server and write down the address (e.g. ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
3. On a new phone, enter this address in the file manager address bar or through the ES Explorer app.
4. Copy the required folders (DCIM, Pictures) to the new device.

Advantages of local network:

• 🌐 No dependence on the Internet provider (works even with the mobile Internet turned off).
• 🔒 Data is not uploaded to third-party servers (privacy).
• 📦 Files of any size are supported (unlike cloud services).

Method 5: MicroSD card is a simple, but not always reliable option

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (like the Redmi Note 11 or Poco X4 Pro), you can temporarily use microSD as an intermediate storage.

• 🐢 The write/read speed on budget cards (class U1) is only 10 MB/s.
• 🔄 Risk of data loss when retrieving a card during transmission.
• 📏 Volume limit (maximum 1TB, but most Xiaomi supports up to 512GB).

How to transfer files over microSD:

1. Insert the card into an old phone and copy the folders with the photo / video to it.
2. Remove the card (pre-mounted in the settings) and paste into the new phone.
3. Copy files from the card into internal memory (recommended in the DCIM/Camera folder for correct display in the gallery).

⚠️ Warning: If you use an exFAT card (for files >4GB), make sure both phones support it. Some older Xiaomi models (like the Redmi 5) may require formatting to FAT32, which will limit the file size to 4GB.

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A memory card is a good option for carrying a small amount of data (up to 64 GB), but is not suitable for regular use due to the risk of damage to the slot contacts.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with proven methods, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to solve them:

1. Interrupt transmission via Mi Mover

Reason: weak Wi-Fi signal or battery drain.

• Connect both phones to charge.
• Go to the router settings and fix the MAC- device addresses behind one channel.
• If an access point is used, disable traffic savings in your mobile network settings.

2. Files are not displayed in the gallery after the transfer

Reason: Wrong destination folder or no.nomedia file.

• Move your files to the DCIM/Camera or Pictures folder.
• Restart the Gallery app or clear its cache in the settings.
• Check if there is a hidden.nomedia file in the folder (delete it through the file manager).

3. 4K video played with artifacts

The reason: codec incompatibility or compression when transmitted over the cloud.

• Use USB OTG or FTP to transfer without loss.
• Install a third-party player (such as VLC or MX Player) with HEVC support.
• Check if the “Hardware Acceleration” option is enabled in the player settings.

4.There's not enough space on the new phone

Reason: duplicate files or application cache.

• Before transferring, clear the Download folder and app cache through Settings → Storage.
• Use Google Files to find and remove duplicates.
• Move some of the files to the memory card (if the slot is available).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions