How to view the contents of the flash drive on Xiaomi devices: smartphone, TV Box and Smart TV

External connection USB-Xiaomi devices seem to be a simple task, but in practice users face a lot of nuances: from the lack of system response to errors in reading files. MIUI, Mi TVs TV, Mi Box and even Mi Notebooks work with flash drives in different ways. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to connect, configure display and solve common errors.

Xiaomi devices are characterized by non-standard file managers and external media restrictions, such as MIUI 14+ smartphones that hide system folders on a flash drive by default, and Mi TVs may not show files with “unsupported” extensions, and we tested all methods on current firmware in 2026 and put together working solutions, from basic connection to data recovery from a damaged drive.

1. Ways to connect a flash drive to a Xiaomi smartphone

Modern Xiaomi smartphones (Redmi Note 12 series, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13 and newer support connectivity USB-storage OTG-But there's a nuance: not all adapters are firmware compatible. MIUI, And some flash drives require extra power:

• 🔌 Direct connection via OTG: Suitable for plug-in flash drives USB-C or Micro-USB (depending on the smartphone model). Use the original Xiaomi adapter or certified counterpart.
• 📱 Wireless Connection: If your USB flash drive supports Wi-Fi Direct (such as SanDisk Connect), connect it as a network drive through the Files app.
• ☁️ Cloud Sharing: Copy files from a flash drive to a PC, then upload them to Mi Cloud or Google Drive to access from a smartphone.

Important: Xiaomi smartphones based on Android 13+ can block access to flash drives with the NTFS file system. In this case, format the drive in exFAT or FAT32 (but consider the 4 GB file size limit for FAT32).

⚠️ Warning: If after connecting the flash drive, the smartphone begins to overheat or discharge quickly, turn it off and check the adapter for short circuit. OTG-cables can damage the port USB-C.

2.Configure the display of the flash drive in MIUI

Even if the USB drive is successfully connected, its contents may not appear in the standard file manager, which is due to the MIUI settings, which by default hide "unsafe" files, to see all the data:

1. Open the Files app (the folder icon on the desktop).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Activate the option to show hidden files.
4. In the Categories section, include the display USB-accumulator.

If the flash drive doesn’t appear in the list of devices, try:

• 🔄 Reconnect the drive (remove and insert again).
• 📱 Reboot your smartphone with a connected flash drive.
• 🛠️ Update firmware MIUI Up to the latest version (in Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).

For root-enabled devices, you can use the FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer app, which shows all the connected drives, including the system drives, but remember that rooting is not warranty.

3. Connecting a flash drive to a TV or Xiaomi console

Mi TVs TV (series Q2, P1, A2) And the Mi Box. S/Mi Box 4 support USB-storage, but with limitations:

To open the flash drive on Mi TV:

1. Connect the drive to a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port on the back of the TV.
2. On the remote, press the Home button → Applications → Explorer.
3. Choose. USB-device-list.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi TVs do not support auto-mounting flash drives with multiple partitions. If the drive has two logical disks (for example, D: and E:), the TV will only see the first one.

Use the built-in Video Player to play your flash drive video, or install Kodi via Google Play. Kodi supports more formats, including.iso and.flac.

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If the TV can’t see the flash drive, try connecting it through USB-External powered hub. Some Mi models TV Not providing sufficient current for drives larger than 128 GB.

4. Solving flash drive reading errors

If the flash drive is connected, but the files do not open or an error appears "USB-Device not recognized, follow the following steps:

• 🛠️ Virus check: Connect the flash drive to your PC and scan it with Avast or Dr.Web CureIt. Viruses like Autorun.inf block access to files.
• 🔧 Change the Drive Letter: On Windows, assign a different letter to the USB drive (e.g., G: instead of F:) through Disk Management.
• 📛 File System Check: In the Windows Command Line, do: chkdsk G: /f (Replace G with the letter of your flash drive).
• 🔄 Formatting: If the data is not critical, format the flash drive to exFAT via Windows Explorer (right click) → Format).

Critical information: Hardware-encrypted flash drives (such as SanDisk SecureAccess) won’t be recognized by Xiaomi devices without first unlocking on your PC. If you’ve used BitLocker To Go on Windows, your Xiaomi smartphone or TV won’t be able to read the data.

To recover deleted files, use Recuva (Windows) or DiskDigger (Android) programs. Importantly, do not write new data to a flash drive until you recover it!

5. Alternative ways to access files

If standard methods don’t work, consider alternatives:

• 🌐 FTP-Server: Install on the smartphone Xiaomi application FX File Explorer and activate it FTP-Connect the flash drive to the PC via the local network.
• 📡 Local network: Connect the flash drive to the router with USB-port (for example, Xiaomi Router) AX6000) and set up access by Samba.
• 📱 Wi-Fi Transfer: Use Send Anywhere or Xender apps to wirelessly transfer files from flash drive to smartphone.

For Mi TVs, TV alternative DLNA-Install Serviio or Plex on your PC, add a flash drive folder to the library, and connect to the server via the Media Player app on your TV.

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If the flash drive is not readable on any device, the problem is the hardware breakdown of the controller, in which case only professional data recovery in the laboratory (cost from 3 000 USD) will help. ₽).

6. Optimization of work with flash drives on Xiaomi

To avoid problems in the future, follow these guidelines:

• 🔋 Use high-quality adapters: The original Xiaomi OTG adapter Anker/Baseus supportive USB 3.0.
• 📁 Structure files: Avoid nested folders more than 3 levels deep – this slows down indexing on Mi TV.
• 🔄 Safe extraction: Always use the extract function MIUI (In notifications or file manager to avoid data corruption.
• 🛡️ Backup: Regularly copy important files from a flash drive to Mi Cloud or hard drive.

To speed up your work with large files (such as 4K movies) on your Mi TV:

1. Format the flash drive in exFAT with a cluster size of 32 KB.
2. Break files larger than 10GB into pieces (e.g. using FFmpeg).
3. Turn off USB power saving in your TV settings (Settings → Additional → USB Mode).

7. Frequent questions and answers