How to transfer photos from Google Photos to Xiaomi Gallery: the complete guide

Transferring photos from Google Photos to the standard Xiaomi smartphone gallery is a challenge many users face. Despite the convenience of cloud storage, sometimes you need to have copies of the images directly on the device: For offline editing, fast access without the Internet, or freeing up space in the cloud, in this article, we'll look at all the current ways, from standard app downloads to automated synchronization with the Internet. MIUI.

The feature of Xiaomi phones is their corporate shell MIUI, It can interact with Google Photos in different ways depending on the firmware version. MIUI 14+ We've got a built-in feature for importing media from cloud services, and older models will have to use workarounds, and we'll take all the nuances into account and provide solutions for scenarios ranging from single photos to mass transfer of thousands of images.

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

Many users mistakenly believe that after uploading photos to Google Photos, they automatically appear in the standard Xiaomi gallery.

• 📁 Google Photos is a cloud service whose files are stored on Google servers and displayed in the application of the same name.
• 📱 Xiaomi Gallery – Local Storage that scans only files in the phone’s memory (internal or microSD card).

To get the images to be in the gallery, you have to physically download them to the device, and you have to consider:

• 🔄 Photos taken with Xiaomi’s camera are automatically saved to the cloud (if sync is enabled) and locally.
• ⬇️ Downloaded from the Internet or manually uploaded to Google Photos, files remain in the cloud only.
• 🗃️ V MIUI There is a hidden folder.thumbnails, where previews are stored - it should not be confused with the originals.

⚠️ Note: If you delete a photo from Google Photos before it is downloaded to your phone, it will not be possible to restore it. The cloud is not a backup unless the files are duplicated locally.

Method 1: Manual download through the Google Photos app

The easiest method is to download the images directly from the app, which is suitable for transferring individual photos or small albums.

Instructions:

1. Open the Google Photos app on your Xiaomi.
2. Find the photo or album you want. To select a few files, hold your finger on the first picture, then tap on the rest.
3. Click on the icon "Three dots»** (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Save to the device.

After downloading, photos will be available in the standard Xiaomi gallery in 1-2 minutes (time depends on the number of files).

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📂 Check the Download folder through any file manager (e.g. File Manager by Xiaomi).
• 🔍 In the gallery, click on the search icon and enter the file name.

Check the Download folder in the file manager

Reboot the phone.

Update the Gallery app on Google Play

Clear the Gallery cache (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse)

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This is convenient for one-off operations, but not for mass transfer, for example, if you have to download 500 photos from a trip, manual saving will take too long.

Method 2: Automatic sync with Google Photos MIUI

Starting with MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi has a built-in feature to import media files from cloud services, including Google Photos, which allows you to set up automatic download of new photos to the device.

Algorithm of settings:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Make sure that the Google Photo Backup option is enabled.
3. Go back to the basic settings and go to the Apps → gallery → Settings.
4. Select Import from the Cloud → Google Photo.
5. Sign in to your Google account (if required) and allow access to photos.
6. Please specify the folder to save (recommended) DCIM/Camera convenienceally).
7. Turn on the autoimport option so that new photos are downloaded automatically.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 Sync works in the background even when the Google Photos app is closed.

⚠️ Attention: Autoimport can quickly fill up your phone’s memory if there are many files stored in Google Photos. → Warehouse.

Once a week.

Once a month

Just before the trip.

Never do.

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If the option Import from the cloud is not in the gallery settings, then your version MIUI In this case, use alternative methods from the following sections.

Method 3: Move over Google Drive (for large volumes)

If you have to transfer hundreds or thousands of photos, manually downloading Google Photos will be ineffective, and it’s more convenient to use Google Drive, which allows you to archive and download files in bundles.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the web version of Google Photos on your computer or mobile browser (Chrome is recommended).
2. Select the photos you want (to select all the images for the period, click on the date and select Allow them).
3. Click on the icon "Three dots»** (⋮) → Download.

For convenience, you can use Google Drive as an intermediate storage:

• 📁 Upload the archive with photos from Google Photos to Google Drive.
• 📱 Open the Google Drive app on Xiaomi and download the archive directly to your phone.
• 🗃️ Unpack it with any archiver (e.g, RAR or ZArchiver).

* With enough space on the phone.

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If the archive of photos is not unpacked on your phone, try using a computer. Some archivers on Android have limitations on file sizes (for example, they do not work with the computer). ZIP > 4GB).

Method 4: Transfer over a computer (most reliable)

For users who want to have full control of the process, the best option is to use a computer, which is especially true if:

• 📦 You need to transfer all photos from Google Photos (thousands of files).

Instructions for Windows/macOS:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB-cable (original cable is recommended).
2. On the phone, select File Transfer (MTP) connection mode (notification will appear in the curtain).
3. Open Google Photos in your browser on your computer.
4. Select all the photos you need (use date or album filters to speed up).
5. Click Download and wait for the archive to form.
6. Unpack the archive on your computer (for example, in a folder). D:\Xiaomi_Photos).
7. Open the Explorer (this PC is on Windows or Finder on macOS), find a connected Xiaomi and go to the Internal Storage folder. → DCIM → Camera.
8. Copy photos from the unpacked folder on your computer into the Camera folder on your phone.
9. Securely remove the device and check the display of files in the gallery.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔍 Complete control of the process: you can sort files before the perenosom.
• 📊 There are no limits on size (unlike mobile apps).
• 🛠️ Ability to convert formats (e.g, HEIC into JPG) before copying.

⚠️ Note: When connecting Xiaomi to Windows 11 computers, there are sometimes problems with displaying internal memory. PC Suite from the official Xiaomi website or use the mode PTP instead MTP.

Method 5: Using Third-Party Applications

If standard methods don't work, you can use third-party utilities that offer additional features such as:

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization on schedule.
• 📂 Sorting by folder (for example, by year or album).
• 🗑️ Removal of duplicates after transfer.

Top.-3 photo-transfer:

Example of Sync for Google Photos:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Log in to your Google account.
3. Select Source: Google Photos and Destination: Device Folder.
4. Specify the target folder (for example, Pictures/Google_Photos).
5. Turn on the Auto-sync option and set up a schedule (e.g. once a day).
6. Press Start Sync and wait until it is completed.

Third-party apps are useful if you need to regularly sync or transfer photos between multiple devices, but note that they can:

• 🔋 Expend battery power due to background work.
• 📶 Use mobile traffic if you do not have a Wi-Fi restriction.

💡

Third-party apps are convenient for automation, but require careful setting of access rights.Before using, check reviews and rankings on Google Play to avoid programs with ads or hidden payments.

How to avoid duplicates during transfer?

One of the most common problems with photo transfer is the appearance of duplicates, which occurs when:

• 🔄 You have previously downloaded the same files manually.
• 📁 Google Photos and Xiaomi Gallery already have copies of the same photos.
• 🤖 Synchronization applications do not check files for uniqueness.

Ways to prevent duplication:

1. Check before penosom: Use a file manager (such as Solid Explorer) to compare folder contents DCIM/Camera And the pictures with what you're going to download.
2. Use of specialized utilities: 🧹 Duplicate Files Fixer – Finds and Deletes Repetitive Files. 🔍 Files by Google – has a built-in function of cleaning duplicates.

Manual sorting:

Important: When removing duplicates, always check which of the files is the original (usually it has a higher resolution or the correct metadata).

If duplicates have already appeared, use the following algorithm:

1. Open the Xiaomi Gallery and go to the album All photos.
2. Click on the icon "Three dots»** (⋮) → Management → Find duplicates.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo transfer