Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 4X budget smartphone often face a shortage of internal memory after months of active use of the device. Built-in 32 gigabytes, of which the system occupies a significant part, fill up very quickly, especially if you like to shoot high-resolution video or take a lot of photos. To make room for new photos and applications, you need to periodically move media files to an external medium, such as a hard drive or laptop.
There are several proven ways to solve this problem, each of which has its own advantages depending on your situation. USB-cable for fast transmission of large amounts of data, use cloud services for automatic synchronization or apply wireless methods over a local Wi-Fi network. The choice of a particular method depends on the speed of the Internet, the availability of the cable and the amount of information transmitted.
In this article, we will analyze in detail all available options for copying media files, paying special attention to the settings of the Android operating system and the proprietary shell MIUI. We will consider not only standard methods, but also the specific nuances of working with the file system of this smartphone, so that the process goes without errors and loss of image quality.
Preparation of a smartphone and computer for data transmission
Before you start taking active action on file copying, you need to make sure that both devices are ready to interact. USB-Cheap cables coming bundled with Power Bank or cheap accessories are often just for charging and don't have internal contacts to transfer data.
On the computer side, you should also free up space on the hard drive where photos and videos will move, and it is recommended to create a separate folder with a clear name, such as "Redmi 4X Photos 2026", in order not to search for files throughout the disk later, which will simplify navigation and allow you to organize the archive faster.
⚠️ Warning: Before connecting your phone to your computer, make sure the screen is unlocked.If the device is locked with a password or pattern lock at the time of connection, the computer may not see the smartphone's internal memory for security reasons.
An important step is to check drivers on the PC. In modern operating systems such as Windows 10 or Windows 11, drivers for Xiaomi are installed automatically on the first connection. However, if the computer makes a sound of the device connection, but nothing appears in My Computer, you may need to install official Mi PC Suite software or update drivers through Device Manager.
☑️ Checking before connection
Classical method: Connecting through USB-cable
The fastest and most reliable way to copy a large amount of data is by direct wire connection. First, connect your smartphone to your computer via a USB port. By default, the phone will go into charging mode, as indicated by the corresponding battery icon in the status bar. To see the files, you need to change the port mode.
Lower the notification curtain with the swipe from top to bottom and find the message "Charge via USB." Click on it to open the menu, and select "File Transfer (MTP)." Then a new removable device will appear on the computer screen. Now you can open "My computer", find your Redmi 4X there and go to internal memory.
Photos taken with a standard camera are usually stored in the DCIM → Camera folder. Screenshots and images from instant messengers are often in the Pictures folder or in separate application directories, such as Telegram or WhatsApp. Select the desired files, click the right mouse button and select Copy, and then paste them into the prepared folder on your computer.
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Use a USB 3.0 blue cable if your computer and phone adapter support this standard, although Redmi 4X has a USB 2.0 port, a quality cable will provide a stable connection without breaks when transferring heavy video files.
If the copying process is interrupted or files are corrupted, try it. USB-port on the computer, preferably connecting it directly to the motherboard behind the system unit, rather than through the front panel or USB-This often solves problems with a lack of power or an unstable signal.
Using Mi Cloud Cloud and Google Photos
For those who prefer wireless and automation, cloud services will be a great option. Xiaomi smartphones have a deep integrated Mi Cloud service. To use it, log into your Mi Account through your phone settings. In the "Mi Cloud" section, activate sync for Gallery.
Once synced, all new photos and videos will automatically upload to the cloud, so you can log into i.mi.com, log in to your account, and download all files through your browser from your computer, conveniently because you don't need a cable and can access the archive from any device in the world.
The alternative is Google Photos, which is pre-installed on all Android smartphones. It offers unlimited storage (albeit with quality compression) or storage in original quality within your Google account quota. The app automatically backs up and you can find them on your computer by going to photos.google.com.
| Service | Volume free | Quality. | Speed. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Cloud | 5GB | Original | Depends on the network. |
| Google Photo | 15 GB (total) | Savings/Original | Tall. |
| Yandex.Disk. | 10GB | Original | Medium |
Wireless FTP transmission via MIUI Explorer
Unique shell function MIUI, which is often overlooked by users, is the built-in FTP-Server in the standard Explorer application. This method allows you to transfer files over Wi-Fi without installing additional programs on your computer using only a browser or Windows Explorer.
To start the function, open the Explorer app on your phone, go to the Tools tab or click on the menu (three dots) and select Remote Control (or "FTP"). Press Launch. On the smartphone screen, an address that starts with ftp:///, such as ftp://192.168.1.5:2121.
Enter this address in the address bar of any conductor on your computer (not in the browser, but in the folder window, where the path to disk C is usually displayed). The computer and phone should be on the same Wi-Fi network. Once you enter the address, you will have full access to the phone's file system and can copy photos and videos as easily as from a regular flash drive.
⚠️ Attention: Transmission speed by FTP It depends on the power of your Wi-Fi router. For large video files, this method can be slower than the cable, but it is ideal for quickly transferring a dozen or two photos without finding wires.
This method is especially convenient if you don’t have a cable on hand, or if the phone’s charging connector is loose and you want to avoid unnecessary mechanical stress.FTP protocol is stable and allows you to interrupt the transmission and then resume it without losing data.
Third-party sync apps: AirDroid and Send Anywhere
If standard tools aren't enough, specialized applications come to the rescue, one of the most popular is AirDroid, which allows you to control your phone from your computer through a browser, transfer files, respond to SMS and see notifications, and you need to install the application on Redmi 4X and register with the service.
Another great solution is Send Anywhere, which is a six-digit code generation app, so you pick a photo on your phone, you click "Send," you see the code, you type it into the service's website from your computer, and you start sending the file directly, and you don't need to log in and configure complex network settings.
The advantage of these programs is that they're cross-platform and user-friendly, and they often show progress bars, transfer speeds, and let you sort files by type, but it's worth remembering that they require an active Internet connection on both devices, which can be a waste of traffic if you're not connected to Wi-Fi.
Why can AirDroid not work?
Using third-party software also allows you to transfer files between your phone and your computer, located in different cities, via the mobile Internet, which is impossible with the use of standard software. USB-connection or local FTP.
Solution: Computer can't see phone
One of the most common problems when trying to transfer data is when the computer makes a connection sound, but the folders with the files do not appear. Most often it is in USB mode. As mentioned, the default phone is only charging. Check the notification curtain again and make sure that MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) mode is selected.
If you have selected mode but no response, the problem may be the drivers. Go to Device Manager on Windows, find a device with a yellow exclamation point or an unknown device. Right-click, select Update Driver and try to find it automatically. Sometimes it helps to remove the device from the list and reconnect the cable.
It’s also worth checking the USB debugging settings, although they’re not usually required to transfer photos easily. If you’ve turned on Developer Mode, try turning it off or enabling USB Debugging. In rare cases, resetting your network settings on your smartphone through the Settings menu → Connect and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile network, and Bluetooth helps.
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In 90% of cases, the problem is solved by replacement. USB-cable to a qualitative analogue or switching the mode of operation USB In the notification curtain from "Charge Only" to "Transfer of files".
Archives and memory cleaning
When you successfully transfer files to your computer, it's important to organize them properly so you don't lose them. Don't leave files in the Download folder. Create a folder structure by year or month, for example,"2026/01_January","2026/02_February". This will help you find the right pictures in the future.
Once you’ve made sure that files on your computer are open and weigh as much as on your phone, you can delete them from your smartphone. Use the built-in Security or Cleanup app in MIUI, which will prompt you to delete similar photos, screenshots and large files.
Regular memory cleaning not only frees up space, but also speeds up the Android system. When free space on the system partition drops below 10%, the smartphone can start to work slower and applications can fly out. So transferring photos to your PC is an important maintenance procedure for your Redmi 4X.