How to transfer photos from your phone Xiaomi: the full guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the challenge of freeing up internal space or storing valuable footage on an external medium. Modern Redmi and Poco cameras create high-resolution files that quickly take up gigabytes of memory. The process of backing up or migrating data to a new device may seem complicated, but in the MIUI ecosystem it is as automated as possible.

There are several proven synchronization methods, each with its own advantages depending on your goals: you can use a wired connection to quickly transfer gigabytes of data or cloud services to automatically save pictures in the background.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to copy media files, including using standard Google tools, Xiaomi-branded utilities and third-party software. The proprietary HEIC format by default may not be compatible with older PCs, so it’s important to consider conversion settings when porting. Let’s take a closer look at each option so you can choose the most suitable one for your situation.

Use of the built-in Mi Mover application

The fastest way to transfer photos to Xiaomi’s new smartphone is to use the pre-installed Mi Mover utility, which is designed specifically to migrate data between devices running the MIUI shell and works even without an internet connection, creating a direct Wi-Fi hotspot. The transfer speed is much faster than Bluetooth, and allows you to flip the entire album in minutes.

To get started, you need to run the app on both devices, and on the old device, select the role "Sender" and on the new one, "Receiver." After scanning. QR-If you have code or manual network connectivity, you can choose data types to transfer. Mi Moover lets you filter content so you can only copy images, ignoring contacts or call history.

The process is highly stable, but requires both devices to be close together. If the connection is interrupted, progress is usually maintained and downloads can be continued from the stoppage, which is especially useful when carrying large amounts of data in the tens of gigabytes.

• 🚀 High data transfer speeds through the use of Wi-Fi Direct protocol.
• 📱 Compatible not only with Xiaomi, but also with other Android smartphones (installation required) APK).
• 🔒 Local data transfer provides a high level of confidentiality.
• ⚡ Ability to interrupt the process and resume it later without losing progress.

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Mover, make sure that the receiving device has enough free memory. Attempting to write data to a crowded disk will lead to an error and possible corruption of files.

Transfer through USB-computer-mount

The classic method that remains the most reliable for large archives is that USB cables allow you to access your smartphone’s file system directly, treating it like a flash drive, and you’ll need a quality cable, preferably original, that comes with the package, because cheap ones often only support charging, not data transfer.

After a physical connection to the PC, a USB mode notification will appear on the phone screen. You must click on it and select the File Transfer (or MTP) option. In some cases, you may need to confirm access to data on the lock screen. After that, a new device will appear in Windows Explorer or macOS, inside which you need to find the DCIM folder, and then the Camera.

Copying is done by standard Drag-and-Drop or clipboarding, and a wired connection ensures a stable speed that is independent of the quality of the wireless network, ideal for creating a full backup before selling the device or flashing it.

It is worth noting that when working with the file system of the computer, it is important to be careful when deleting files. Accidental deletion of system folders can disrupt the operation of some applications on the smartphone.

Sync with Google Photos and the Cloud

Google Photos is the de facto standard for Android users, allowing you to automatically upload all your photos to the cloud storage attached to your account, and activating the function is enough to open the application, click on the profile avatar and enable Autoboot and Sync.

The main advantage of this method is that data is available from any device, be it a computer, tablet or other phone. Just log in to your Google account. However, you should consider that free space is limited to 15 GB, which is shared between mail, disk and photos. For large archives, you will have to buy a subscription to Google One.

The quality of the images you save can be adjusted in parameters: the "Saving space" mode slightly compresses the photos, allowing you to store them without limiting the volume (within the old rules or if you have a subscription), while the "Original" mode maintains full quality, but quickly consumes the quota.

*Note: Terms may change depending on Google’s current policies and subscription type.

Using the Mi Cloud

Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers its own cloud service, Mi Cloud, which is deeply integrated into the system, which allows you to synchronize not only photos, but also system settings, contacts, notes and even the location of icons on the desktop.

The Gallery Sync feature automatically uploads new images to the Xiaomi cloud, which is convenient if you plan to upgrade to another smartphone of this brand in the future, since when you log in, all data will be restored automatically. Free user is provided with 5 GB of space, which is slightly less than the competition, but enough for important documents and key photos.

An important feature is the ability to hide private photos. Albums placed in Hidden can also be synchronized, but access to them is protected by an additional password or fingerprint, which provides an additional layer of security for personal data.

⚠️ Warning: When you reset your settings to factory without first logging out of your Mi Account and disabling Find Device, your phone may lock. Always turn off sync before selling your gadget.

Third-party applications and file managers

If you don't like standard tools, Google Play offers a variety of alternatives, with apps like Send Anywhere, SHAREit or Xender popular, which work on the principle of creating a local Wi-Fi network, allowing you to transfer files between any device, including iOS and PC, through a browser.

Another powerful tool is FTP or SMB file managers, like MI Explorer (embedded) or Solid Explorer, which lets you connect your phone as a network drive to your computer, so you can access all your smartphone folders right from the My Computer window wirelessly, all on the same Wi-Fi network.

These are great for their flexibility, and you can set up automatic uploads to your home server (NAS) or to another cloud like Dropbox or Yandex.Disk using automation, which is a creation storage system where your data is protected from a single device breaking down.

• 📡 Transfer files through the browser without installing programs on the PC.
• 🔐 Encrypting the connection when using FTPS protocol.
• 🔄 Automating backup to different cloud storages at the same time.
• 📂 Convenient file structure management without unnecessary copies.

💡

Use the Cleanup feature in the built-in Security after photo transfer app to remove the thumbnail cache of the gallery, which can take up to 1-2 GB of storage.

Problem Solving and Frequently Asked Questions

During the transfer process, users can face various difficulties, from slow speed to errors in reading files. USB-If the computer can't see the phone, try using another port. USB, preferably located on the back of the system unit directly in the motherboard.

Another common problem is file format: modern Xiaomi cameras can shoot in HEIF/HEIC format by default to save space. Older versions of Windows (below 10 with updates) may not display previews of such files. The solution is to change the camera settings to JPG format before mass copying or install codecs on a PC.

If the process is stuck on a particular file, this may indicate damage to the memory sector, in which case it is recommended to copy the data in small portions (folders) to identify and skip the broken file, saving the rest of the archive.

💡

Regularly backing up your external hard drive is the only way to ensure photos are safe in the long run, as cloud services can change storage conditions.