How to Reset a Photo from Xiaomi Phone to Your Computer: All Working Methods in 2026

Transferring photos from Xiaomi to your computer seems like a simple task – until you encounter connection errors, slow transfers, or sudden crashes. Even experienced users sometimes lose hours in search of a solution when the phone is not defined as a removable disk, and the cloud services refuse to sync. In this article, we will examine all the current ways of transferring photos - from the classic to the traditional one. USB-cable to advanced wireless technologies, as well as reveal the nuances about which the official instructions are silent.

We will focus on the problems specific to MIUI: why MTP-mode suddenly turns off, how to circumvent the restrictions on transferring large files through Mi Drop, and what to do if the computer sees the phone but does not open the DCIM folder. All methods are tested on the models of Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and POCO F5 with the latest firmware versions.

Transfer through USB-cable: classics with pitfalls

The most reliable, but also the most problematic, is to connect by cable, and on paper, it's simple: connect devices, choose a file transfer mode, copy photos, and in practice, users are faced with the fact that the computer can't see the folder with the photo, or give an error "Device not recognized," or asks you to format the drive, and let's take a step-by-step approach to avoid these problems.

First rule: use the original cable from the kit or a certified USB-C/USB-A with data support. Cheap cables often only work for charging! Connect your phone to your PC, unlock the screen, and select File Transfer (MTP) in the notification that appears. If this notification is not available, check the developer's settings.

• 🔌 Problem: The phone charges but is not defined as a drive.Solution: Go to Settings → About the phone, 7 times click on "Version" MIUI", To activate the developer mode. Then to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers, include "Debugging by USB" and select "Configuration" USB default: MTP".
• 📁 Problem: Folder DCIM Empty or not open Solution: Enable the display of hidden files on the PC (View) → On your phone, check if photos are hidden in the Xiaomi Gallery (Albums section) → Hidden").
• ⚡ Problem: Slow transmission (1-2 Solution: Connect the cable to the port USB 3.0 (Blue connector) on PC, turn off cloud sync on your phone while copying and close background apps.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone starts to warm and discharge after being connected, it's a sign of a faulty cable or port. 12T And more recently, when you're transmitting data, you can use overheating protection, limiting your speed.

Use the original cable | Activate MTP mode on your phone | Connect to USB 3.0 port on PC | Disable synchronization with Google Photo | Close background applications on your phone-->

2. Wireless transmission via Mi Drop: fast, but with limitations

Mi Drop is a proprietary solution from Xiaomi for file sharing between devices over Wi-Fi. The advantage of the method is the absence of wires and the ability to transfer at speeds up to 10-15 MB / s (in practice, usually 5-8 MB / s). However, there are nuances: the application often “loses” the connection when transferring a large number of files, and the PC requires the installation of additional software.

To reset a photo via Mi Drop, install the app on your phone (pre-installed on most models) and Mi PC Suite on your computer. Run Mi Drop on both devices, select Send on your phone and Receive on your PC. Mark the photos and confirm the transfer. Importantly, both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network!

Po Po Po USB-cable|Through Mi Drop|Cloud services (Google Photos, Mi Cloud)|Other wireless methods (Bluetooth, FTP)|I can't take the photo to PC.-->

On POCO X5 and later Mi Drop models, it can conflict with Google’s Quick Transfer feature, and if the app doesn’t start, clear the Mi Drop cache in your phone’s settings or use an alternative like Send Anywhere.

3. Cloud services: Google Photos vs Mi Cloud

Cloud storage is convenient for backups, but has limitations: Google Photos compresses images for free storage, and Mi Cloud offers just 5GB for free.However, it is one of the easiest ways to transfer a small amount of photos to a PC.

For Google Photos:

1. Install the app on your phone and log in to your Google account.
2. Enable autosynchronization in settings ("Backup and Synchronization").
3. On PC, open photos.google.com, select a photo and click "Download".

Important:

.zip

Google Backup and Sync

For Mi Cloud:

1. Register your Mi Account on your phone.
2. In Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud, enable the synchronization of the Gallery.
3. On PC, go to i.mi.com, log in and download files.

Mi Cloud

2-3 MB/s

⚠️ Warning: If you delete photos from your phone before you complete your sync with the cloud, they may be lost forever! On Redmi Note 11 and older models, Mi Cloud has a Recycle Bin feature where files are stored 30 days after deletion.

4. FTP-Server on the phone: for advanced users

If you need to transfer thousands of photos without compression and without dependence on clouds, setup FTP-The best solution for a server on a phone is the minimum technical skill, but it gives you complete control over the process. 20-30 MB/s (depends on the router).

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Install the FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer app from Google Play.
2. Launch it. FTP-server in the application (section "Network" → FTP-server").
3. Remember the address of the species ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx, login.
4. On PC, open "This computer", enter the address in the address bar and log in.
5. Copy files from /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera.

For sustainable work:

• 📶 Connect your phone and PC to your router via cable (if possible) or use the 5GHz band.
• 🔒 Turn off "Timer Sleep" in the phone settings (Settings) → Display. → Son).
• ⚡ Close all applications that use the Internet (torrents, streaming).

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If FTP-server is shut down through 5-10 In the Solid Explorer app settings, increase the inactivity timeout to a maximum. On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Mi). 11 Lite also needs to disable battery optimization for file manager.

5. Bluetooth Transfer: When Nothing Else

Bluetooth is the slowest and most inconvenient way, but it helps if you don't have a cable or Wi-Fi at hand. The transfer speed rarely exceeds 1-2 MB / s, and when you send a packet of photos, the connection can be interrupted. Use this method only for a few pictures!

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and PC (Win + A → Bluetooth in Windows).
2. Connect the devices (confirm the pairing code on the phone).
3. In the Xiaomi Gallery, select a photo, click "Share → Bluetooth".
4. Select your computer from the list and confirm the file acceptance on the PC.

Challenges and solutions:

• 🔄 Communication interrupted: Reduce the distance between devices to 1 meter, remove obstacles.
• 🚫 Photos not sent: Update Bluetooth drivers on PC (download from the laptop manufacturer's website).
• 🐢 Very slow transfer: Bluetooth 4.0 and below is limited to 1MB/s. Use Bluetooth 5.0+ (Available on Xiaomi 12 and newer).

⚠️ Note: On some models POCO When transmitted via Bluetooth, photos are automatically compressed to resolution. 1920×1080, Even if the original is bigger, to avoid loss of quality, use alternative methods.

6. Alternative methods: OTG, card reader and email

If standard methods don’t work, consider these options:

• 📱 OTG-adapter + flash drive: Connect USB-phone-storage OTG-adapter, copy the photo to a flash drive, then paste it into a PC. The speed is limited only to the class of the flash drive (up to 40 MB / s for the computer). USB On Xiaomi phones with MIUI 14 File systems are supported FAT32, exFAT and NTFS.
• 💾 Cardholder: Remove the memory card from your phone (if the photos are saved to it) and paste it into the card reader on your PC. This is the fastest way for microSD-enabled phones (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro).+).
• ✉️ Email or messengers: For 10-20 You can send them to your own mail or Telegram (without compression — 25 MB, in Telegram - up to 2 GB per file.

On Xiaomi phones with firmware MIUI Global Stable 14.0.5+ plug-in OTG-The adapter may have a "Device not supported" error. To fix it, go to Settings. → Connected devices → USB and enable the option "Allow access to" USB-accumulator".

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For maximum transfer speed, use a card reader (up to 90 MB/s) or FTP 5 GHz network (up to 30 MB/s). USB-cable and Mi Drop are suitable for medium volumes (up to 500 photos), and Bluetooth is only for emergencies.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos from Xiaomi to PC