How to transfer a photo from Xiaomi phone to a flash drive: all ways of 2026

Transferring photos from Xiaomi phone to flash drive is a challenge that every user faces: someone wants to free up the memory of the smartphone, someone wants to back up, and someone just shares pictures with friends, but not everyone knows that there are at least five ways to perform this operation: from the classical connection through OTG-Adapter to sync via Mi Cloud or Google Photos.

In this article, we will analyze all current methods, including the nuances for different Xiaomi models (from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Mi 13 Ultra (JPEG, RAW, HEIC) If you've never connected a flash drive to your phone or you're afraid of losing files, don't worry, there are instructions for beginners.

🔹 Important: All methods work on phones with MIUI 12/13/14 HyperOS: If you have outdated firmware (for example, MIUI 11), Some features may not be available – update the system in Settings → The phone. → Update of the PO.

1. Method: Connecting the flash drive through OTG-adapter

The most direct method is to use OTG-The on-the-go adapter that allows you to connect USB-Most modern Xiaomi (starting with the Redmi 9 and Mi 10) support this feature out of the box, but there are nuances.

You'll need:

• 🔌 OTG-Adapter (Type-C or Micro-USB depending on the phone model) The original adapters from Xiaomi are priced ~300₽, But any certified one will do.
• 💾 USB-flash-drive FAT32 exFAT (NTFS It may not be readable! Volume is not important, but for RAW-Photos are better taken from 64 GB.
• 📱 Phone with a charge of at least 30% – when transferring large amounts of data, the battery sits down faster.

📌 Step-by-step instruction:

1. Connect. OTG-The adapter to the phone, and the flash drive to the adapter "USB-plug-in".
2. Open Explorer (Folder icon on the desktop) → Go to section "USB-accumulator".
3. Find a folder with a photo (usually) DCIM → Camera) → Select files (long press) → press "Copy".
4. Go back to the root USB-storage → Create a folder (for example, “Photos with Xiaomi") → press "Insert".

The flash drive is formatted in FAT32/exFAT|

OTG-The adapter is compatible with your Xiaomi model.|

There is enough free memory on the phone for a buffer (minimum 1 GB)|

Photos not protected DRM (For example, screenshots from banking applications)

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⚠️ Note: If the flash drive is not determined, try it:

• 🔄 Reconnect it (sometimes it helps to change the port to the port). OTG-adapter).
• 🔧 Format the flash drive on the PC in exFAT (via Right Click) → Format).
• 📵 Reboot the phone with a connected flash drive.

💡

If you copy. RAW-Photo (.dng format), use exFAT — FAT32 Does not support files larger than 4GB.

2. Method: Transfer via computer (Windows/macOS/Linux)

If you have a PC or laptop on hand, this method may be faster. OTG — Especially when you're transferring tens of gigabytes, the speed is limited only by the connection interface: USB 2.0 (up to 480 Mbps) or USB 3.0 (up to 5 Gbps).

🔹 Pros of the method:

• ⚡ Hurry up. OTG (30-50% when using USB 3.0).
• 🖥️ You can immediately edit the photo on PC.
• 🔒 No restrictions on file formats.

📌 Instructions for Windows:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via cable (preferably the original one from Xiaomi).
2. On the phone, select the "File Transfer" mode (will appear in the notification curtain).
3. On PC, open this computer. → Find a Xiaomi device (e.g., Redmi Note 12 Pro").
4. Go to Internal Storage → DCIM → Camera → copy the files to the flash drive.

⚠️ Note: MacOS may need to install Android File Transfer (download from [official website](https://www.android.com/filetransfer/)). On Linux (Ubuntu, Mint) it is enough to connect the phone in mode. MTP — files are automatically displayed.

3. Method: Wireless transmission via Mi Share (formerly Mi Drop)

If you don't. OTG You can use Mi Share, which is a kind of Apple-like AirDrop, but for the Xiaomi ecosystem, and it works on all phones with a laptop. MIUI 12+ Supports file transfers of up to 10GB at a time.

🔹 Limitations:

• 📶 You need to connect to a single Wi-Fi network (or an access point on your phone).
• ⏳ Speed depends on the network (average 5-10 MB/s).
• 📱 The receiving device must also have the Mi Share application installed.

📌 How to transfer photos:

1. On the phone, open the gallery. → highlight the photo → press "Share".
2. Select "Mi Share" (the icon with two phones).
3. On the second device (where the flash drive is connected), open Mi Share → press "Accept".
4. After transfer, save the files to the flash drive.

⚠️ Note: When sending a large number of photos (e.g. 500)+ Mi Share can freeze. In this case, break the files into batches of 100-200 pieces.

Through OTG-adapter|

Through the computer|

By Wi-Fi (Mi Share, Google Photos)|

Through the Cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Drive)|

Another option

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4. Method: Synchronize with Mi Cloud or Google Photos

Cloud services are ideal if you need to not only transfer photos to a flash drive, but also save them backup. Xiaomi offers its own cloud (Mi Cloud), and Google Photos is suitable for cross-platform synchronization.

🔹 Comparison of services:

📌 Instructions for Mi Cloud:

1. On the phone, open Settings. → Mi Cloud → Sign in to your Xiaomi account.
2. Turn on the gallery sync.
3. On the PC, open up. [i.mi.com](https://i.mi.com) → download the photo to the folder → transfer it to the flash drive.

📌 Instructions for Google Photos:

1. Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
2. Enable autoboot in the application settings.
3. On the PC, open up. [photos.google.com](https://photos.google.com) → highlight the photo → "Download".

⚠️ Note: When uploading to Mi Cloud, photos are compressed to 16MP (if the original is larger).To maintain full quality, use Google Photos in Original Quality mode (but this eats up space on Google Drive).

5. Method: Use of third-party applications (e.g. X-Plore)

If standard methods don't work, you can use file managers with advanced features, and one of the best solutions is X-Plore File Manager, which supports:

• 🔗 FTP-server (transfer over a local network without a cloud).
• 🔐 Encrypting files before copying.
• 📂 Package renaming of the photo (useful for sorting).

📌 How to transfer photos through X-Plore:

1. Install X-Plore from the Play Market.
2. Connect. OTG-phone-drive.
3. In the app, go to /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera.
4. Select the photo → press "Copy" → choose USB-target-driven.

🔹 The Benefits of the X-Plore:

• 🛠️ Works with ROOT-rights (if they are on the phone).
• 📊 Shows hash amounts of files (useful for integrity checks).
• 🌐 Supports cloud storage (Yandex Drive, Dropbox, etc.).

💡

X-Plore is the only application on this list that allows you to copy files from hidden folders (such as.thumbnails or.nomedia).

Method: Transfer through SD-card (for models with support)

Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO X3 Pro) supports microSD cards. If you have one, you can use it temporarily. SD-map»:

📌 Step-by-step algorithm:

1. Insert microSD into your phone (in the slot or via an adapter).
2. In the guide, copy the photo to SD-map.
3. Remove the card and paste it into the card reader connected to the PC.
4. Copy files from SD flash-drive.

⚠️ Note: If the phone supports a hybrid slot (SD + second-second SIM), When using a memory card, the second SIM-Check this in the model specifications on the official website](https://www.mi.com/global/).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with the seemingly easy transfer of photos, users often face problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

🔸 The flash drive is not defined through OTG:

• 🔌 Check if your model supports Xiaomi OTG (List of compatible devices [here](https://en.miui.com/thread-234567-1-1.html)).
• 🔋 Try another one. OTG-Adapter (Cheap Chinese Adapters May Not Work).
• 📵 Reboot your phone with a connected flash drive.

🔸 Photos are not copied (file damaged error"):

• 🖼️ Check the photos on your phone – they may be broken (for example, after interrupted shooting).
• 📁 Try copying files one at a time (sometimes batch copying will fail).
• 🔄 Save the photo through the Gallery → Edit → Save as a copy.

🔸 Slow Wi-Fi Transfer (Mi Share):

• 📶 Switch to 5 GHz in router settings (if supported).
• 📱 Close the background apps on your phone (especially instant messengers and streaming services).
• 🔌 Connect your phone to charge – with a low battery charge, the speed is limited.

💡

If you need to transfer photos in original quality, but Mi Cloud compresses them, use a workaround: archive photos in the file. ZIP through the conductor → Upload the archive to the cloud → Download it to PC.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions