How to transfer photos from your Xiaomi phone to your computer USB-cable: full guide

Transfer photos from Xiaomi to your computer via USB-cable seems like a simple task, but in practice, users are faced with connection errors, lack of access to files or incorrect transmission protocols. MTP pre-debugging USB, We also solve typical problems: why the computer can not see the phone, how to enable file transfer and what settings MIUI influence.

Xiaomi’s smartphone features (including Redmi, POCO, Black Shark) are MIUI’s own shell, which can block PC connectivity due to security or power saving settings. We’ll take a closer look at how to set up your phone and computer for stable transfer, what drivers might be required for Windows 10/11, and what to do if the system identifies the device as “unidentified.”

Important: the instruction is relevant for all versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), as well as for Windows, macOS and Linux. If you use a Mac, pay attention to the section about Android File Transfer - without this application file transfer is impossible.

1. Preparing Xiaomi phone for connection

Before connecting the phone to the computer, you need to configure the parameters. USB-plug-in MIUI. By default, the smartphone can be configured to charge or transfer media files, but not all types of data:

  • 🔌 Check the cable: use the original USB-Xiaomi cable or certified USB-Type C. Cheap cables often do not support data transfer, only charging.
  • 🔋 Turn off the power saving mode: go to Settings → Battery → Power saving mode and deactivate it. Otherwise, the system may block USB-linkage.
  • 🔒 Unlock the screen: When connecting to a PC, the phone must be unlocked (PIN, a pattern lock or fingerprint, otherwise access to files will be restricted.
  • 📱 Update. MIUI: In older versions of the firmware may be bugs with USB-Check the updates in the settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

If you connect your phone to your computer for the first time, the system can request permission to access the data. On the Xiaomi screen, a notification will appear – click “Allow” (or “Always allow” for permanent access).

⚠️ WARNING: If you use Xiaomi with an unlocked bootloader or custom firmware, some modes USB (for example, PTP) It may work in an unstable way, and in this case, it is recommended to return the standard mode. MTP.

2. Selection of regime USB-connection

When you connect the cable to your phone, the notification curtain will show you the option "USB for file transfer." Click on it to select one of the modes:

  • 📁 File transfer (MTP) — It's the standard mode for sharing photos, videos and documents, and it's suitable for most tasks.
  • 📷 Transmission of photo (PTP) — Optimized for photo work (e.g., for import to Lightroom or Photos on Mac).
  • 🔌 Charging only – blocks data transfer, used if you just need to charge the phone.
  • 🖥️ USB-modem – distributes the Internet from phone to PC (not suitable for transferring files).
  • 🔧 Debugging by USB — need to work with ADB It's included separately in the developer settings.

To transfer photos, select MTP or PTP. If your computer can’t see files in MTP mode, try PTP – sometimes this solves the driver problem on Windows.

📊 What regime? USB You use it more often?
MTP (file transfer)
PTP (Photo only)
Just charging.
USB debugging

To change the default mode:

  1. Connect the phone to the PC.
  2. Swipe down the notification curtain and tap on the notification “USB for file transfer”.
  3. Select the desired mode and tick “Always use this mode” (if the option is available).

3. Set up a computer to transfer files

If the phone is correctly defined as a media device, but the files are not displayed, the problem may be on the PC side.

For Windows 10/11

Most often, Windows automatically installs drivers for Xiaomi, but sometimes manual configuration is required:

  1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
  2. Find your Xiaomi (may appear as MTP or ADB Interface) in the list of “Portable Devices” or “Other Devices”.
  3. If there is a yellow exclamation mark next to the device, right-click and select “Update driver” → “Automatic search”.

If the automatic update didn’t help, download the official Mi PC Suite drivers from Xiaomi’s website or use the universal Google USB Driver (for PTP mode).

For macOS

On a Mac, you need Android File Transfer to transfer files:

  1. Download the program from the official website: Android File Transfer.
  2. Connect your phone in MTP or PTP mode.
  3. Launch the utility – it will automatically display the Xiaomi file system.

⚠️ Note: On macOS Catalina and later, you may need to allow access to files in System Settings → Security and privacy: If Android File Transfer doesn't see the phone, reboot both devices.

For Linux.

On most Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora), Xiaomi is automatically determined via MTP.

  1. Install packages to support MTP: sudo apt install mtp-tools libmtp-common
  2. Connect the phone and check if it is in the file manager (like Nautilus or Dolphin).
  3. If the device is not visible, reboot the MTP service: sudo service mtp-server restart

4. Step-by-step instructions: how to transfer photos from Xiaomi to PC

Now, let's get to the transmission process itself. Follow the instructions to avoid errors.

☑️ Preparation for file transfer

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  1. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-On the Xiaomi screen, select the "File Transfer" mode (MTP)».
  2. Open Explorer on your computer: On Windows: Win + E → find the device under "This Computer." On Mac: run Android File Transfer.

Go to the photo folder.

Internal Memory → DCIM → Camera

or SD-map (if it is installed).

Copy the files.

  • Select the photos you want (you can use Ctrl + A to highlight everyone).
  • Press Ctrl + C (copy) and paste (Ctrl + V) into the folder on your computer.

Attention.