How to view the contents of the flash drive on the Xiaomi phone: a complete guide with a photo

Connecting a flash drive to a Xiaomi smartphone is easier than it seems — but only if you know the nuances. Many users are faced with the fact that the phone does not see the drive through a standard connector. USB-C It's a micro USB, although it's been around a long time, and it's often not because of a breakdown, but because of the wrong settings or the lack of drivers. OTG-cable to cloud services that will help you open files from a flash drive even without a physical connection.

Modern Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Mi 13) support OTG (On-The-Go) technology, but it needs to be activated manually. And if you have an old model without OTG, it's no problem: there are workarounds. The main thing is to take your time and follow the instructions Step-by-step.

1. Compatibility Check: Does your Xiaomi support flash drives?

Before you buy adapters, make sure your phone is physically capable of working with external drives.Most Xiaomi models after 2018 release support USB OTG, but there are exceptions.

How to check compatibility:

• 🔍 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Complete specification and find the item "USB OTG". If there is one, your smartphone supports the connection of flash drives.
• 📱 Use the app. USB OTG Checker (available on Google Play) will show if the phone recognizes external devices.
• 🔌 Connect the flash drive through the adapter - if a notification appears "USB-The device is connected, so everything is fine.

If your Xiaomi doesn’t support OTG (like the Redmi 4A or Mi A1), don’t worry. In the cloud services section, we’ll show you how to get around this limitation.

2. Method 1: Connecting through OTG-cable (most reliable)

This is the main method that works on 90% of Xiaomi smartphones.

• 🔌 OTG-adapter (for USB-C Micro-USB, depending on the phone’s connector).
• 💾 A flash drive. FAT32 exFAT (NTFS most often not supported!).
• 📱 Phone with function enabled OTG (see section above).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect. OTG-Adapter to the phone, and to the adapter – flash drive.
2. A notification will appear on the screen "USB-It's connected. Put it on.
3. Select Open File Manager (usually Mi File Manager or Google Files).
4. Go to section. USB-drive - here will display all files from the flash drive.

Check the format of the flash drive (must be FAT32/exFAT)

Reboot your phone with an OTG connected

Try another one. OTG-Adapters (cheap adapters often don’t work)

Update your phone to the latest version-->

⚠️ Note: If the flash drive is formatted in NTFS, Xiaomi won't see it. Use it. SD Formatter or standard Windows tools for exFAT reformatting.

3. Method 2: Use of USB-hub (for multiple devices)

If you need to connect not only a flash drive, but also a mouse, keyboard or external hard drive, use USB-hub OTG. This is true for owners of Xiaomi Pad 6 or those who work with tablets.

How to connect:

1. Buy a hub with a USB-C/Micro-USB port (depending on your phone) and additional USB connectors.
2. Connect the hub to the phone, and to the hub – a flash drive and other devices.
3. In the file manager, select USB-drive – the flash drive will appear as a separate device.

The advantage of the hub is that it allows you to connect several USB-For example, you can copy files from a flash drive to an external one. SSD, non-switch off.

4. Method 3: wireless (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth)

If you don't. OTG-The adapter or the phone doesn't support flash drives, you can transfer files over the air, you need a computer or another smartphone.

Instructions for transmission over Wi-Fi:

1. Connect the flash drive to the computer.
2. Download the Send Anywhere app on your phone and PC.
3. In the application on PC, select files from the flash drive and generate a 6-digit code.
4. Enter this code on the phone and the files will start to load.

Alternative applications for wireless transmission:

• 📤 Xender – fast transfer with no size restrictions.
• 🌐 LocalSend – Open analogue of AirDrop for Android.
• ☁️ Google Files – Built-in feature “Send files without the Internet".

💡

If the flash drive is large (100+GB), use LocalSend – it does not compress files and works without registration.

5. Method 4: Cloud services (if the flash drive is not connected)

If the physical connection is not possible (for example, broken) OTG-Port, upload files from the flash drive to the cloud, and then download them to your phone. It'll take longer, but it's guaranteed to work.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the flash drive to the computer.
2. Upload files to Google Drive, Mi Cloud or Yandex Disk.
3. On your phone, open the cloud service application and download files.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ It works on any Xiaomi model, even without it. OTG.
• ✅ You can choose which files to download (saves space).
• ✅ Files are available on all devices (PC, tablet, other phone).

⚠️ Note: Free accounts on Google Drive and Yandex Disk have a volume limit (15 GB and 10 GB respectively.

6. Method 5: Connecting via card reader (for MicroSD)

If your flash drive is a MicroSD card, you can do without OTG. Many Xiaomi phones (like the Redmi Note 11 or POCO M5) have a memory card slot.

How to transfer files:

1. Insert the microSD into the card reader.
2. Connect the card reader to the phone through OTG-adapter.
3. Open the file manager and copy the files to internal memory.

Important: Some phones (e.g., Mi) 10T) They do not support the simultaneous use of two SIM-So you have to choose between the cards and the microSD. SIM, memory-card.

7. Problem Solving: Why Xiaomi doesn't see the flash drive?

If you did everything according to the instructions, but the phone stubbornly does not recognize the drive, check:

If none of these methods worked, try:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone with a connected flash drive.
• 📱 Update the firmware to the latest version (in Settings) → Updating the system).
• 🛠️ Reset your phone settings (pre-reverse backup!).

💡

90% of problems with connecting a flash drive to Xiaomi are solved by replacement OTG-adapter or converting the drive to exFAT.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions