How to transfer photos from Google Photos to Xiaomi phone gallery: all ways 2026

Why are photos from Google Photos not displayed in the Xiaomi Gallery?

Many owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO And they have a problem: photos uploaded to Google don't show up in a standard phone gallery, because it's a cloud service, because Google Photos doesn't save the originals to the device by default, it just shows the previews, saving space in the smartphone's memory. This means that for a full transfer, you need to manually download files to an internal drive or SD-map.

The second common reason is sync settings: MIUI 14/15 may default to turning off the automatic display of cloud photos in the gallery, and after system updates, the permissions for the com.miui.gallery application sometimes get lost, which leads to the disappearance of thumbnails. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer photos from Google Photos to the Xiaomi gallery, including hidden MIUI functions and workarounds for large archives.

Method 1: Save through the Google Photos app (the easiest one)

This method is suitable for transferring individual photos or small packages (up to 50 shots at a time), its main advantage is the preservation of original quality and quality. EXIF-Data (dates of survey, geotagged) Here's a step-by-step instruction:

1. Open the Google Photos app on your Xiaomi.
2. Find the album you want or go to the Photos section (camera icon at the bottom).
3. Select the photo: 📷 For one shot: tap it and hold it for 2 seconds. 📁 For several: click the selection icon (circle with tick) → mark out. 📂 For the album: Open the album → press three dots → Choose all.

Save it to the device.

After saving, the files will appear in the DCIM/Google Photos folder or Pictures/Google Photos. If they are not in the gallery, update it by pulling the screen down (swipe down gesture).

Make sure that the files are in the folder DCIM|Update the gallery with a down gesture|Check the free space on the device (minimum 10% of the photo volume)|Turn off traffic savings in Google Photos settings-->

⚠️ Note: If you have a "Insufficient Memory" error when saving, try to transfer files to the server. SD-Save to... (available in new versions of Google Photos). MIUI 15 may also require permission to write to external storage – it must be given manually in the application settings.

Method 2: Automatic sync via Google Drive (for large archives)

If you have to move thousands of photos (e.g., an entire archive over a few years), manual saving takes hours, and then you can use Google Drive as an intermediate storage.

1. On your computer, open photos.google.com and log in.
2. Select all the necessary photos (Ctrl+A for Windows or Cmd+A for Mac).
3. Press three dots. → Download. → wait for the creation ZIP-archive (can take up to 30 minutes for 10 minutes)+ GB).
4. Unpack the archives on the computer.
5. Upload files to Google Drive (drag-and-drop in folder).
6. On Xiaomi phone, open the Google Drive app → find a folder with a photo → highlight files → tap three dots → Save to the device.

Up to 500 photos | 500 to 5000 photos | More than 5,000 photos | Don't know-->

Method 3: Using Xiaomi File Manager (for power users)

MIUI has a built-in File Explorer that allows you to manage cloud and local storage, which is suitable if you want to transfer photos without loss of quality and with the preservation of folder structure.

1. Open the Files app (yellow folder icon).
2. Go to Cloud → select Google Drive (if there is none, click Add Cloud and log in).
3. Find a folder with a photo from Google Photos (usually called Google Photos or Photos).
4. Select files → click Copy (or Cut if you want to delete the originals).
5. Go back to the root directory → go to Internal Memory → DCIM → Camera (or create a new folder).
6. Click Insert and wait for the copy to be completed.

The advantage of this method is the possibility of selective transfer (for example, only photos for 2023) and control over the place of preservation.

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If you want to move a photo to save your date, use the EXIF Editor app from Google Play, which allows you to manually correct the metadata after copying.

Method 4: Transfer through USB-cable and computer (the most reliable)

This is the most versatile method that works even on older Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 5 or Mi A1), it guarantees 100% data security and is suitable for transferring terrabyte archives.

• 🖥️ Computer (Windows, Mac or Linux).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original from Xiaomi).
• 📁 Access to a Google account on your computer.

Step-by-step:

1. On your computer, open Google Takeout (a service for data export).
2. Uncheck all services except Google Photos.
3. Click Next → select the archive format (.zip or.tgz) and the maximum size (up to 50 GB).
4. Specify the delivery method: Add to Google Drive or Send a link by email.
5. Wait for the archive to be created (it can take from a few hours to a day).
6. Download the archive to your computer and unpack it.
7. Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB by selecting File Transfer (MTP) mode.
8. Copy the photo to the DCIM/Camera or Pictures folder on your phone.

Important: When using Google Takeout, photos will be grouped by albums and dates, rather than in chronological order, to avoid confusion, before transferring:

• 📅 Sort the photo on your computer by date of shooting (in Windows Explorer or Finder on Mac).
• 🗑️ Remove duplicates with Duplicate Cleaner or CCleaner.
• 🔍 Check the integrity of the files (open a few random photos).

Method 5: Synchronization through third-party applications (alternative)

If standard methods don’t work (for example, due to corporate policy restrictions or blockages), you can use third-party applications.

Example of Sync for Google Photos:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and log in to your Google account.
3. Go to Settings → folders for synchronization.
4. Select Google Photos as the source and DCIM/Camera as the target.
5. Press Sync now.

These apps are especially useful if you:

• 🔄 Transfer photos between devices regularly.
• 📱 Use multiple Google accounts.
• 🛠️ You want to automate the process (e.g. night copying).

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The side of the app is convenient for automation, but requires access to your photos. Before installing, check the permissions in Google Play and user reviews (ranking should be higher than 4.2).

Problem Solving: Photos moved but not displayed in the gallery

Sometimes, after the transfer, photos do not appear in the standard Xiaomi gallery. Here are 7 reasons and solutions:

1. Cash Gallery: Clear the cache in Settings → Apps → Gallery → Storage → Clear the cache.
2. Hidden files: If the photo is copied to a folder with a dot at the beginning (for example,.nomedia), rename it through the Explorer.
3. File format: The MIUI Gallery does not support.HEIC (iPhone format). Use HEIC to JPG Converter to convert.
4. Permits: Check if the gallery has access to the storage: Settings → Privacy → Permits → Gallery.
5. MIUI Update: On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 12.5 for Redmi Note 9), the gallery doesn't scan new files.Reboot the phone.
6. SD-card: If the photo is on the memory card, check its format (should be FAT32 exFAT).
7. Damaged files: Open the photo through Files → Images. If it doesn't open, download it again.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14+ There is a bug that prevents the gallery from showing photos copied through Total Commander or FX File Explorer. Use only the built-in conductor or Solid Explorer.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos to Xiaomi