How to transfer photos from your Xiaomi phone to your computer USB-cable: 3 proven methods

Transferring photos from Xiaomi to your computer via cable seems like a simple task — until you encounter the typical problems: the phone is not detected, files are not displayed or transmission is interrupted. USB, including settings for different versions MIUI, Error Solutions and Alternatives if the Cable Stops Working.

Xiaomi's smartphone features aggressive optimization of background activity, which can block access to files when you connect to a PC, and we'll take this into account in the instructions. RAW-files (if you shoot professionally), photos from hidden folders and how to avoid quality loss when copying.

Importantly, if you're using a Mac, some of the steps will be different -- we've highlighted these nuances separately. 4X, Mi A1) Added a section with solutions for outdated versions MIUI.

1. Preparing Xiaomi phone for connection

Before you connect devices with a cable, make the necessary settings on your smartphone, which will save 80% of the problems with determining the phone by the computer.

Check the regimen first. USB-By default, Xiaomi often sets up Charging mode, which does not allow you to transfer files:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via the original cable (or certified cable) USB-C/USB-A).
2. Swipe down the notification bar on Xiaomi.
3. Tap on the notification. USB To transfer files (or Charge through USB).
4. Select File Transfer (MTP) Photo (PTP) — The latter is needed if the computer does not see files in mode MTP.

If no notice appears:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Connection and sharing → USB and manually select the mode MTP.
• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes it resets background activity blockages.
• 🛠️ Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (in older versions, bugs with definition) USB).

Set the regimen on MTP/PTP noticeably|

Use the original cable |

Disable battery optimization for Media Storage"|

Update MIUI Update version (if available)|

Reboot your phone before connecting-->

For models with an unlocked bootloader (for example, after firmware custom software) may require additional configuration adb. If the computer still can not see the files, do in the terminal:

adb shell setprop persist.sys.usb.config mtp,adb

2. Connection to Windows: step-by-step instructions

After you set up your phone, connect it to your computer. 10/11 The next steps depend on whether the system recognizes the device automatically.

If it went well,

1. Open this computer (My computer in Windows 7).
2. In the Devices and Disks section, a Xiaomi sign (e.g., Redmi Note 12) will appear.
3. Double-click on the device and the Internal Storage folder will open or SD card.
4. Move to the DCIM → Camera – This is where all the photos taken with a standard camera are stored.

If the telephone is not identified:

• 🖥️ Install Mi drivers PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi) from pcsuite.mi.com.
• 🔌 Try another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 - blue).
• 🔄 Device Manager (called via Win) + X) find Xiaomi with an exclamation point, right-click and select Update driver.

A critical detail for Windows 11: If photos are not copied due to the “Device is not working correctly” error, turn off the “Rapid Start” function in power settings. This option blocks full access to the Xiaomi file system.

⚠️ Warning: Do not remove the cable while copying! MIUI 14+ This can damage the media index and the gallery will stop displaying photos before rebooting.

3. Portal of photos to Mac: features and solutions

MacBook or iMac owners often find that Xiaomi doesn’t show up in Finder even after choosing a mode. MTP. The reason is that macOS does not support MTP «out of the box. Solutions:

Method 1: Use Android File Transfer

1. Download the official software from Google website: android.com/filetransfer.
2. Connect Xiaomi in MTP mode.
3. Run Android File Transfer – the program will show the file system of the phone.
4. Move to the DCIM → Camera and copy photos to a folder on your Mac.

Method 2: Alternative file managers

• 📁 Commander One - Supports the MTP and dual-pane mode for easy copying.
• 🖥️ HandShaker – optimized for transferring media files from Android to Mac.

Method 3: Cloud Bridge (if you have a cloud bridge) USB doesn't work)

If none of the methods worked, temporarily upload photos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud and then download them to your Mac via your browser. RAW-file).

⚠️ Attention: On a Mac with a chip M1/M2 You may need to disable System Integrity for Android File Transfer.Do this only if you are sure of the security of the software!

4. Solving typical connection errors

Even after you've set it up properly, you can have problems, and we'll look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Error 1: Phone Charges, but Not Defined as a Drive

• 🔌 Check the cable – cheap uncertified cords often only support charging.
• 🔧 In the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap it 7 times) turn on the debugging by USB.
• 🖥️ On PC, update drivers through Device Manager (Portable Devices section).

Error 2: DCIM folder is empty or not open

• 📁 Check if files are hidden. In Windows, enable the display of hidden folders in the folder settings → species.
• 🔍 Photos can be stored in another folder: Pictures, Download or MIUI → Camera.
• 🛠️ If the folder is damaged, use DiskDigger (Android) to restore the photo directly on your phone.

Error 3: Copying is interrupted in the middle

• 🔋 Connect your phone to a power source – with a low charge MIUI It can block the transmission of data.
• 📶 Turn off mobile internet and Wi-Fi on your phone – background activity interferes with copying.
• 💾 Copy files in small batches (by 50-100 photo).

5. Alternative methods of transferring the photo (if USB doesn't work)

If you can’t connect via cable (the port is broken, there are no drivers), use one of these methods:

1. Over a local area network (Wi-Fi)

• 🌐 Put it on the phone. FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer.
• 🔗 Enable in the application settings FTP-server.
• 🖥️ On PC, open your browser and enter the address specified in the application (for example, ftp://192.168.1.10:2221).
• 📁 Copy photos from the folder DCIM.

2. Through cloud services

• ☁️ Google Photos – automatically syncs all images (but compresses originals without a subscription).
• 📦 Mi Cloud – 5GB free, but slow download.
• 💾 Yandex Drive or Mega – Gives more room for new users.

3. With a memory card

If your Xiaomi supports microSD,

1. Transfer the photos to the map through the File Manager.
2. Remove the card and insert it into the computer through the card reader.
3. Copy the files to the PC.

💡

If you only need to transfer selected photos, use the Send function in the Xiaomi Gallery. → Share. → Bluetooth (if PC with Bluetooth 4.0)+) or mail (to send to yourself by email).

6. Process optimization: how to transfer photos faster

Copying thousands of photos can take hours, and these techniques can help speed up the process.

1. Archiving before the penos

• 📦 Put it on the phone. RAR ZArchiver.
• 🗃️ Archive the folder. DCIM/Camera format ZIP (passwordless!).
• 🚀 Copy one archive instead of thousands of small files, which will speed up the transfer of files to the Internet. 5-10 once.

2.Use of ADB batch-copy

If you are familiar with the command line, this method is the fastest:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/ D:\Xiaomi_Photos\

Where D:\Xiaomi_Photos\ — It's a folder on your PC. It's speeding up. 20-30 MB/s (against) 2-5 MB/s in normal copying).

3. set up MIUI for maximum speed

• 🔋 Disable Battery Optimization for Media Storage Application (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Three points. → Special access → Optimizing the battery).
• 📵 Turn on Airplane Mode for copying time - background processes slow down transmission.
• 🔄 Use it. USB 3.0 port (blue connector) and cable with support for high speed.

💡

The fastest way is to archive a folder with a photo on your phone and copy one ZIP-This reduces the time of transfer from hours to minutes, especially when slow. USB 2.0.

7.Transfer RAW-files and hidden photos

If you're shooting in format RAW (Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra etc.), or you have hidden shots (folder.thumbnails,.nomedia), standard copying may skip them.

For RAW-file:

• 📷 Files are stored in DCIM/Camera with the extension.dng or.arw.
• 🖥️ In Windows, they may not appear in Explorer – use FastStone Image Viewer or Darktable to view them.
• ☁️ When uploading to the cloud (Google Photos) RAW transmuted JPG — Copy only through cable!

For hidden photos:

• 🔍 Enable the display of hidden files in the phone’s file manager (e.g., Solid Explorer).
• 📁 Folders with hidden photos:.thumbnails (miniatures), MIUI → ScreenShot (screenshots),.nomedia (hidden by the user).
• 🛡️ To copy.nomedia files, temporarily rename the folder (remove the dot at the beginning of the name).

For dual camera models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra):

Files from the main and telephoto module can be saved in separate folders:

• DCIM/Camera — main chamber;
• DCIM/CameraUltra — telephoto;
• DCIM/CameraPro — professionalization.

8.Security: How not to lose a photo when transferring

File transfers always come with risks, from accidental deletion to a drive failure.

1. Checking the integrity of files

• 📊 Use the Beyond Compare tool to check check checksums (MD5).

2. Backup before deletion

• ☁️ Upload photos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud before deleting from your phone.
• 💾 Create a local copy on an external drive (if the photos are valuable).
• 📱 V MIUI Enable Automatic Backup (Settings) → Google → Backup).

3. Protection against viruses

• 🛡️ Before connecting to someone else's PC, disable the Installation from unknown sources (Settings) → Annexes → Special access).
• 🔒 After copying, scan the folder on your PC with an antivirus (for example, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool).
• 📵 Don’t connect your phone to a public one. USB-Ports (airports, cafes) – risk of malware infection.

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 14+ When connecting to the PC through USB folder is automatically created MIUI → USB You can clean it regularly through Settings. → Warehouse → Cleaning up so you don't lose your place.

FAQ: Frequent questions