How to quickly transfer photos from your computer to your Xiaomi phone: a detailed guide

Transferring photos from your computer to your Xiaomi smartphone is a challenge that every user faces. Whether you want to make room on your PC, share fresh snapshots, or just back up, choosing the right transfer method will save time and nerves. Modern Xiaomi devices (from budget Redmi to flagship Mi and other devices) POCO) Supports several ways to share files, each of which has its own pros and limitations.

In this article, we will analyze 5 current ways to transfer photos: from the classical connection to the USB You'll learn which method is the fastest, which is the most reliable, and which is the best if you don't have a cable at hand. MIUI, which speed up the process, and typical errors that may cause the transmission to be interrupted.

If you often work with large volumes of photos (for example, transfer archives from the Internet) RAW-It's important to consider the speed of transmission and the safety of data, for example, wireless methods are convenient but can slow down when transferring hundreds of files, and cloud services sometimes compress images. We tested each method on Xiaomi 13 Ultra devices, Redmi Note 12 Pro devices.+ and POCO F5 — The results of the comparison are given in the table below.

Before you start, check:

• 🔋 Charge level of the phone (when transferring via cable it is better to have a ≥30% battery).
• 📂 Free space on the smartphone (photo in format.ARW or.CR2 They occupy up to 50 MB each!).
• 🔄 Version MIUI (In the new versions, the connection interface has changed USB).

1. Transfer of the photo through USB-cable: classics with nuances

Connecting your phone to your computer via cable is the most reliable and fastest way to connect to your computer, especially if you're looking at dozens of gigabytes of photos. MIUI (starting MIUI 12) the logic of the connection has changed, causing confusion among users.

First, prepare:

• 🔌 Original. USB-cable (cheap analogues may not support data transfer!).
• 🖥️ Windows computer 10/11 Mac OS (Mac will require Android File Transfer installation).
• 📱 Xiaomi phone with unlocked screen (in some models, the lock interrupts the connection).

Connect your phone to your PC. The smartphone screen will display a notification, "Charge through" USB" — Put it on the menu. USB for" select "File Transfer" (or "FTP", If you want to transmit over a local network, on older versions. MIUI this paragraph may be called "MTP".

If the computer can't see the phone:

1. Check if the "Debugging by" mode is enabled USB" In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers).
2. Update Xiaomi drivers via Mi PC Suite (official software for Windows).
3. Try another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 - it's blue).

The transfer speed depends on the USB version:

• 🚀 USB 3.0/3.1 (blue connector: up to 5 Gbps (photos are transferred almost instantly).
• 🐢 USB 2.0 (black connector): up to 480 Mbps (more than 10 times longer!).

⚠️ Note: On a MacBook with ports USB-C If you connect the phone to the device, it starts charging, but it doesn't show up as a drive, restart both devices.

2 Wireless Wi-Fi transmission: When the cable is not at hand

If you’ve forgotten the cable or want to avoid unnecessary wires, Wi-Fi transmission is a great alternative. Xiaomi offers two built-in tools: Mi Drop (formerly Xiaomi Share) and FTP-The first is easier to use, the second is more versatile (even works with Linux computers).

For transmission via Mi Drop:

1. Open the “Mi Drop” app on your phone (if not, download it from Google Play).
2. Select "Send files" → "Images and mark the desired photos.
3. Click "Send" and select "Computer".
4. On PC, open your browser and go to the address that will appear on your phone screen (e.g. http://192.168.1.100:8080).
5. Download files to your computer (or vice versa – download from PC to phone).

For FTP-server (more flexible version):

1. Put it on your phone. FTP-server through settings → Connections and sharing → FTP-server.
2. Remember the server address (e.g. ftp://192.168.1.100:2221) and the login details.
3. On your computer, open "Windows" or "Finder" (Mac) and enter the server address in the address bar.
4. Drag files to the desired folder (usually this is the case) /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera).

The benefits of Wi-Fi:

• 🌐 No need for cable.
• 📱 You can transfer files between multiple devices at the same time.

Cons:

• 🐌 The speed depends on the router (on average 10–50 Mbps – 5–10 times slower). USB 3.0).
• 🔋 Battery consumption (Wi-Fi and FTP The server is actively consuming energy).

⚠️ Note: If the router is running at 5GHz and the phone only supports 2.4GHz (relevant to older Redmi models), the connection may be interrupted.

3. Cloud services: Google Photos, Mi Cloud and others

Cloud storage is convenient for backing up and accessing photos from any device. Xiaomi offers its own Mi Cloud service, but it has limitations: only 5 GB is available for free, and download speed depends on the Internet connection. Alternatives are Google Photos (15 GB free) and Yandex Drive (10 GB).

Comparison of cloud services for Xiaomi:

* - when using Saved Messages in Telegram Premium

Instructions for Google Photos:

1. On your computer, open photos.google.com and log in.
2. Press "Download" → Choose a photo → wait until the loading is complete.
3. On your phone, open the Google Photos app and sync the data.

For Mi Cloud:

1. On the phone go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on "Gallery Synchronization."
3. On PC, go to i.mi.com and download the files.

💡

If you want to transfer photos in original quality, in Google Photos, select the option "Source quality" (but it takes up space in the cloud). To save space, use "High quality" - photos are compressed to 16 MP, but visually there is almost no difference.

4.Messaging and social media: a fast, but not perfect way

If you need to send a few pictures urgently, you can use messengers such as Telegram, WhatsApp or Viber, but this method has critical shortcomings:

• 📉 Image compression (in WhatsApp photos are reduced to 2 MP!).
• 🚫 File size restriction (in Telegram – up to 2 GB, in Viber – up to 200 MB).
• 🔒 Risk of data leakage (photos are stored on messenger servers).

How to transfer photos via Telegram:

1. Open the chat "Saved Messages".
2. Press "Attach" → "File" and select a photo from your computer.
3. On the phone, open the same chat and download the files.

For WhatsApp Web:

1. Open web.whatsapp.com and scan it. QR-phonecode.
2. Drag the photo into the chat window (for example, yourself).
3. On the phone save the received images.

⚠️ Attention: B VK Instagram photos are even more compressed (up to the current level) 1080px If it is important to maintain quality, use this method only for previews.

5 Specialized programs: AirDroid, Snapdrop and others

For advanced users, there are third-party applications that make it easier to transfer files, such as:

• 🤖 AirDroid – allows you to control your phone from a PC and transfer files without cable.
• 🌍 Snapdrop is a web-based file sharing service over a local network (works like Apple AirDrop, but for all devices).
• 🔗 Pushbullet – synchronizes notifications and files between devices.

Instructions for Snapdrop:

1. On your computer and phone, open the site snapdrop.net in the browser.
2. Make sure that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. On PC, drag the photo into the browser window to the phone icon.
4. Confirm the receipt of files on the smartphone.

For AirDroid:

1. Install the app on your phone from Google Play.
2. Sign up and log in to your PC account via web.airdroid.com.
3. In the "Files" section, select the folder with the photo and click "Download".

6. Hidden functions MIUI photojob

In the firmware MIUI There are little-known features that make it easier to manage photos:

• 🔍 Search by content: In the Gallery app, you can search for photos by object (for example, "dog" or "sea").
• 📁 Automatic Sorting: Include in Gallery Settings → Albums. → Self-sorting so that photos are grouped according to the location of the shooting.
• 🔄 Quick backup: In Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Gallery can be set up to automatically upload photos when connected to Wi-Fi.

If you often transfer photos from your computer, set up the sync folder:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB.
2. In "Conductor" Windows right-click on the folder with a photo → "Properties" → "Public access".
3. Select "Allow access to this folder" and specify the user name.
4. On the phone through ES Explorer or Mi File Manager connect to the network storage at \\IP_computer/folder name.

💡

For maximum transmission speed, use USB 3.0 + The original cable. If you don't have the cable, choose. FTP Wi-Fi (faster than the cloud) is suitable for backup Mi Cloud or Google Photos.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When you move photos, you're faced with typical problems, and here's how to solve them:

Problem 1: The computer cannot see the phone USB.

Decision:

• Check if the File Transfer mode on the phone is enabled.
• Update drivers via Mi PC Suite.
• Try another cable (maybe yours only supports charging).

Problem 2: Photos are not copied, and there is an error called “Not enough space.”

Decision:

• Delete unnecessary files on your phone (use Settings) → Warehouse → Cleanup).
• Move the photo to SD-card (if supported).
• Use the cloud for temporary storage.

Problem 3: When transferring over Wi-Fi, the speed is very low.

Decision:

• Reconnect to the router at 5 GHz.
• Close the background applications that consume traffic.
• Use it. FTP-server instead of Mi Drop (it is faster).

Problem 4: In the cloud, photos are loaded in low quality.

Decision:

• In Google Photos, select “Source Quality” (but it takes up space in the cloud).
• In Mi Cloud, turn off the option “Optimize Storage”.

Critical information: On Xiaomi phones with MIUI 14 and newer when connecting to USB may need to be unlocked "OEM-Unlocking" in the developer settings. without it, some folders (for example, DCIM) They may not be displayed on the PC.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions