How to transfer a photo to your computer from your phone Xiaomi: the full guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones regularly face the issue of freeing up the device’s internal memory. Modern cameras create high-resolution images that take up a significant amount of space, inevitably leading to a shortage of gigabytes to install new apps or games.

Transferring media files to a personal computer is the most reliable way to back up and clean your smartphone. There are many methods to do this, each with its own advantages depending on the speed of the Internet, the availability of a cable at hand and the amount of data transferred.

In this guide, we will take a detailed look at all the current ways to synchronize and transfer images, from the classic wired connection to cloud technologies, and learn how to optimize the process and avoid common errors when working with the Android file system.

Preparing the device and computer for data transmission

Before you start directly copying files, you need to make sure that both devices are ready to interact, and often users are faced with the fact that the computer does not see the phone, and the reason lies in the banal settings or faulty cable.

Make sure your PC has the right drivers installed, although Windows 10 and Windows 11 usually install them automatically. MacOS users may need to install a dedicated Android File Transfer app or OpenMTP analogue, as native support is limited.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice USB-Cheap cables bundled with various gadgets are often designed only for charging and have no internal contacts to transmit data.

⚠️ Note: If the computer makes a device connection sound, but nothing appears in My Computer, try replacing the cable with an original or certified analogue with data transmission support.

Also check the status. USB-Connect the phone to different connectors, preferably directly to the motherboard, bypassing the phone. USB-hubs that may not provide adequate nutrition or connection stability.

Method 1: Classical connection through USB-cable

The fastest and most time-tested method is to use a physical connection, which is ideal for carrying large amounts of data, like backing up an entire photo album in a year.

Once the smartphone is connected to the computer, the device screen will go out or remain active, but data transfer will not automatically start in full compatibility mode. Android by default selects Charge Only mode for security purposes.

To activate file visibility, unlock your smartphone screen and lower the notification curtain. Find the notification "Charge through" USB-port" (or similar) and click on it. In the menu that opens, select the mode. MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) or “File Transfer".

On your computer, open the explorer, find your device in the disk list, and go to internal memory. The photos you're looking for are usually in the DCIM folder, and then in the Camera subfolder.

For those who prefer to work with the command line or need precise paths, the directory structure is as follows:

Internal Storage/DCIM/Camera/


Internal Storage/Pictures/Screenshots/




Internal Storage/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/

The copying is done by Drag-and-Drop. Just drag and drop the selected files to the desired folder on the computer's hard drive. The speed of copying depends on the USB version (2.0, 3.0, 3.1) and the memory class of your smartphone.

Method 2: Using the Mi Cloud Service

Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers its own cloud service, which is deeply integrated into the shell of MIUI and HyperOS. It is a convenient way of synchronizing without the involvement of wires, requiring only a Mi Account account.

To activate the feature, go to your phone's settings, select "Mi Account", then "Mi Cloud". Make sure the Gallery slider is activated. After that, all new images will automatically upload to the cloud when you connect to Wi-Fi.

To access photos from your computer, open your browser and go to the official i.mi.com website. Sign in using the same account as your phone. From the web version, select the Gallery section.

You can browse albums, delete unwanted footage, and download selected images on your PC, but keep in mind the limits of free storage, which is 5GB.

Method 3: Google Photos and Other Cloud Storage

The alternative to Xiaomi’s own cloud is Google’s service, which is pre-installed on every certified Android smartphone, which is often more stable and versatile.

The Google Photos app allows you to set up automatic uploading of images in original quality (if there is space in the account) or in space saving mode. Access to the library is from any device through a browser or client application.

To upload a large archive, you can use Google Takeout, which allows you to request a complete archive of all your data, including photos, and get a download link. ZIP-e-mail.

In addition, there are third-party services such as Yandex.Disk, Dropbox or pCloud. The principle of their work is similar: install the application on your phone, enable the autoload of cameras, and then go to the web version of the service from your PC to download files.

⚠️ Note: When using cloud services, keep privacy in mind. Do not store personal data documents in public clouds without additional encryption or archive password.

Method 4: Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi (Mi Drop and FTP)

If the cable is lost and the internet is slow, local wireless technologies come to the rescue. Xiaomi smartphones have long used the Mi Drop app (thereum is integrated into ShareMe), which allows you to transfer files directly.

However, the most convenient way to communicate with a PC is the built-in file manager. Open the standard application "Conductor" or "Files", find the section "Deleted" or"FTP". By clicking on the "Start" button, you will receive the address of the view ftp://192.168.1.55:2121.

Type this address into the address bar of any conductor on a computer on the same Wi-Fi network, and the phone will turn into a network drive, and you can copy files at a high speed, limited only by the power of your router.

This method is especially convenient because it does not require additional software installation on the computer and works on any operating system, including Linux and macOS.

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For maximum Wi-Fi speed, make sure that both your phone and your computer are connected to a 5GHz network. 2.4GHz can significantly limit the speed of copying large video files.

Method 5: Transfer via Bluetooth for small volumes

Although this method is considered obsolete due to its low speed, it remains the only option when there is no cable, no internet access, or the ability to configure FTP.

To transfer a few photos, turn on Bluetooth on both devices. On your computer, select Add Bluetooth Device, and on your phone, search for available devices, find your PC name.

After pairing, select a photo in the gallery, click Send and select Bluetooth. The computer needs to confirm the file's reception. The speed is about 1-2 MB/s, which is acceptable for a dozen shots, but catastrophically low for gigabytes of video.

Problem Solving and Optimization

Users may encounter various technical difficulties in the process of transferring, often in the file format, and modern smartphones are shot in HEIF/HEIC format to save space that older versions of Windows may not open.

In this case, it is recommended to either install the codecs on the PC or change the settings of the camera on the smartphone, choosing the JPG format for maximum compatibility, and sometimes it helps to format the memory card, if the photos are stored on it, into the exFAT file system.

Another common problem is connection interruption, which can be due to energy-saving settings. USB-Windows ports. Check device manager properties USB-Controller and uncheck the box from the "Allow disconnection of this device to save energy".

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The fastest way to do large volumes is a USB 3.0 cable, and the most convenient way to use it every day is through cloud synchronization, and the choice depends on your priorities: speed or automation.