How to transfer photos from Honor to Xiaomi: a complete guide with step-by-step instructions

The transition from Honor to Xiaomi is not only about changing interfaces and functions, but also the need to transfer personal data. Photos tend to occupy the lion’s share of smartphone memory, and their loss can be a real tragedy. Fortunately, there are several reliable ways to transfer images between devices of these brands, from classic wired connections to cloud services and specialized applications.

In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of 2026, compare them in speed, security and convenience, and give recommendations on choosing the best option depending on the amount of data and technical capabilities of your devices. We will pay special attention to the transfer of photos without loss of quality and metadata (EXIF), What is critical for professional photographers and just connoisseurs of high-detailed images.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start the transfer, follow a few mandatory steps that will save time and prevent data loss.

First, check the space available on Xiaomi. If the photo volume exceeds the available memory, make room in advance or prepare a microSD card (if the model supports extension); Second, update the software on both devices, this will eliminate possible compatibility errors. For example, MIUI 14+ and Magic UI 7+ optimized data protocols.

• 🔋 Make sure both phones are at least 50% charged – long-term Wi-Fi or Bluetooth transmissions drain the battery.
• 📡 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (for cloud and on-premises methods).
• 🔒 Turn off screen lock or add both devices to Trusted (in security settings) to avoid interruptions.
• 📁 Sort your photos by folder (for example, “Vacation 2023”, “Documents”) – this will make it easier to choose when transferring your photos.

⚠️ Note: If memory encryption is enabled on Honor (in security settings), some methods (e.g., cable transmission in mode) MTP) In this case, use cloud services or temporarily disable encryption.

Method 1: Transfer of the USB-cable (the fastest and most reliable cable)

Wired connectivity remains the most stable way, especially when it comes to large amounts of data (10+ GB), which requires a USB-C cable – USB-C (or adapter if the ports are different) and a computer (optionally, but simplifies the process).

Algorithm of action:

1. Connect Honor to your computer and select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification curtain.
2. Copy the DCIM/Camera folder (and other photo folders) to your computer.
3. Disable Honor, connect Xiaomi and transfer files to a similar folder.

If there is no computer, you can connect the phones directly through the OTG-adapter:

• 📱 On Honor, set the mode. USB-drive in settings for developers (Developer settings) → Configuration USB).
• 🔌 Connect Xiaomi to Honor via OTG Select “File Transfer” on both devices.
• 📂 In the Xiaomi file manager, find the Honor folder and copy the photo.

Connect a USB-C cable to USB-C (or adapter)

Enable MTP mode on Honor

Copy the DCIM folder to your computer or directly to Xiaomi

Check the integrity of files after transfer-->

Method 2: Cloud services (Google Photos, Mi Cloud, Huawei Cloud)

Cloud storage is convenient if you have a stable Internet and non-critical data volume (up to 15 GB), the main advantage is automatic synchronization and access to photos from any device.

Google Photos:

• 📤 Install the app on both phones and sign in to one account.
• 🔄 On Honor, enable autoboot (Settings) → Backup and synchronization).
• 📥 On Xiaomi wait for synchronization and download photos to the gallery.

Mi Cloud (only for Xiaomi):

• 📱 On Xiaomi, activate backup in Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud.
• 📎 Upload photos from Honor via your browser on i.mi.com.

Huawei Cloud (if you have an account with Honor):

• 🔗 Export your photo from Huawei Cloud to your computer, then upload it to Mi Cloud or Google Photos.

⚠️ Note: When uploading photos to Google in the “High Quality” mode (free) photos are compressed to 16 MP. To maintain the original quality, use the “Original Quality” option (requires payment over 15 GB).

Method 3: Local area network (Wi-Fi Direct, FTP-server)

If you don't have a cable, but you have access to one Wi-Fi network, you can use local transmission, which is faster than cloud services and doesn't require Internet.

Method 1: Wi-Fi Direct

1. On Honor, turn on Wi-Fi Direct in your Wi-Fi settings.
2. On Xiaomi, in the same settings, find the Honor device and connect.
3. Use a file manager (e.g., Files by Google) to transfer.

Method 2: FTP-server

• 📡 Install the app on Honor FTP Server (e.g. WiFi) FTP Server).
• 🔗 Start the server and write down the address (for example, ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
• 📱 On Xiaomi, connect to this address via the file manager (enter in the address bar).

Wi-Fi Direct transmission speeds reach 10-15 MB/s (depending on the Wi-Fi standard), which is 2-3 times slower than USB, but much faster than Bluetooth.

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If photos are not transmitted over Wi-Fi Direct, check if the firewall (in the security settings) blocks file transfer. Some MIUI firmware requires that the file manager allow access to the local network.

5. Method 4: Special Applications (Send Anywhere, Xender, SHAREit)

File transfer applications are convenient when you need to transfer photos without a computer or cables, they create a temporary network between devices and provide speeds of up to 20 MB / s.

Top-3 applications for transfer:

• 📲 Send Anywhere: 6-digit code generation for pairing, support for large files.
• 🔄 Xender: transfer without volume restrictions, built-in viewing photos.
• 🌐 SHAREit: High speed, but advertising in the free version.

Instructions for Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On Honor, select a photo and click “Send” → “Create a key”.
3. On Xiaomi, enter the received 6-digit code.

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Send Anywhere is ideal for small, one-time transfers (up to 5GB), and for larger archives, USB or cloud are better.

Method 5: Transfer through a memory card (microSD)

If both phones support microSD, this method is the easiest one to use.

1. Insert the card in Honor and copy the photo (DCIM folder).
2. Remove the card and paste it into Xiaomi.
3. Use the file manager to transfer the photo to internal memory.

Advantages:

• 🔄 No dependence on the internet or cables.
• 📁 Folder structure and metadata are preserved.
• 🔋 It does not drain the battery (unlike the battery). Wi-Fi/Bluetooth).

⚠️ Note: If Xiaomi doesn't see files on the map, check the file system format. Honor can format the card in exFAT (supported) MIUI), The old Xiaomi models only work with FAT32 (4GB limit per file).

7. Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

The choice of method depends on three factors: the amount of data, the availability of tools (cable, memory card) and the quality requirements.

For professional photographs (RAW, High resolution) recommended USB-If you want to move a few gigabytes without wires, Wi-Fi Direct or FTP-Send Anywhere is a good way to transfer 100-200 photos fast.

8. Frequent problems and their solutions

When you move a photo, you can get errors, and here are the most common ways to fix it:

• 🚫 Xiaomi doesn’t see Honor USB: Check the connection mode (MTP), Update your drivers on your PC or use another cable.
• 🔄 Photos are transmitted but not displayed in the gallery: Reboot Xiaomi or manually update the media base through the Files app (Settings) → Fresh out).
• ⏳ Slow Wi-Fi Transfer: Switch to 5GHz in router settings or reduce device spacing.
• 📛 “Not enough space” error: Clear the gallery cache (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Memory) or transfer the photo to the memory card.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions