How to download photos from Xiaomi phone to your computer – the complete guide

Transferring photos from Xiaomi smartphone to computer is a task that users of the brand regularly face. Despite the apparent simplicity, the process can be complicated by the settings of MIUI, the features of the connection to USB or the limitations of the operating system Windows/macOS. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of transferring photos, including hidden nuances that the manufacturer does not always voice in the official instructions.

From classic cable connectivity to cloud services and wireless protocols, each method has its pros and pitfalls. For example, using USB- cable on Xiaomi models with MIUI 14+ may require additional screen unlock confirmation, even if the gadget is already unlocked. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra devices – the results are summarized in the comparison table below.

If you're looking for the fastest way to do this, or if you're facing errors like "Device not recognized," you'll find solutions here. For convenience, each section contains step-by-step instructions with screenshots (available by clicking on spoilers) and checklists to check settings.

1. Transfer of the photo through USB-cable: step-by-step instruction

The most reliable and fast method, but requiring a physical connection, on modern Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and newer, the algorithm has changed, now the system requests a choice of connection mode for each new connection to the PC.

You'll need:

• 🔌 Original USB- cable (preferably from the kit - cheap analogues may not support data transfer)
• 🖥️ Computer with Windows 7/10/11 or macOS (Mac may require Android File Transfer installation)
• 🔓 Unlocked smartphone screen (important: on some firmware, the screen lock interrupts the connection)

How to connect:

1. Connect your phone and PC with a cable. On the Xiaomi screen, a notification will appear "Charge via USB".
2. Swipe down the notification bar and tap on the message. Select File Transfer (or MTP on older versions of MIUI).
3. The PC will open a Explorer window with the Internal Storage folder, and the photos are stored in DCIM → Camera or Pictures.
4. Copy files to the desired directory on your computer (we recommend creating a separate folder, for example, Xiaomi_Photos_2026).

Cable supports data transfer (not just charging)|

Developer mode is enabled on the phone (if USB settings have been changed previously)|

On the PC, ADB drivers are installed (for Windows, check in Device Manager)|

VPN/ Firewalls that can block connection-->

If the computer can't see the phone:

• 🔄 Try another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 - blue).
• 🔧 On your phone, go to Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI and tap 7 times on the line to activate Developer Mode. Then to Settings → Additional → For Developers, turn on Debugging on USB.
• 🖱️ On PC, update drivers via the Mi PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi).

2.Moving over Mi Cloud: Pros and Limitations

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage integrated into MIUI firmware, which allows you to synchronize photos between devices without cables, but has strict limitations:

• 📦 Free fare is only 5 GB (that's ~1,500 high-resolution photos).
• 🔒 Photos are uploaded in compressed format (quality is reduced to 16 MP, even if the original is 108 MP).
• ⏳ Download speed depends on the internet connection (4G can take hours).

How to use Mi Cloud:

1. On the phone, open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable Photo Sync slider and select the folders to download (only Camera is the default).
3. Go to i.mi.com and log in under the same account.
4. In the Gallery section, select the photos you need and click Download (files are packed in the ZIP- archive).

💡

To keep the original quality of the photo, open Settings → Gallery → Cloud settings before uploading to Mi Cloud and enable the option “Download in original quality”.

Alternatively, Google Photos:

• ✅ Free up to 15 GB (total for all Google services).
• ✅ Keeps the original quality (if you select the option "High quality" without compression).
• ❌ Requires separate authorization and may not sync all folders.

Mi Cloud|

Google Photo |

Yandex Disc |

iCloud|

Other/not using-->

3 Wireless Wi-Fi Transfer: Faster than Bluetooth

If you don't have a cable and the cloud doesn't work, you can use a local Wi-Fi network, which is 3 to 5 times faster than Bluetooth and doesn't require Internet access, and the main condition is that the phone and the computer must be connected to the same network.

Implementation options:

1. Through the built-in FTP- MIUI server: On the phone, open Explorer → Network Disk → FTP. Start the server and write down the address of the form ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx. On the PC, enter this address in Windows Explorer (Win + R → ftp:// address) or use FileZilla.

Application "Send files to the computer"

• Install an app from the Play Market.
• Select a photo, generate the QR- code and scan it from your PC.
• Files will be downloaded through the browser without registration.

Wi-Fi transmission speed:

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For maximum speed over Wi-Fi, use a router that supports the 802.11ac standard (5 GHz). At 2.4 GHz, the speed drops by 2-3 times.

4.Bluetooth transmission: when justified

Bluetooth is inferior to other methods in speed, but indispensable in two cases:

• 🔋 The phone is running out of battery (Bluetooth consumes 5 times less power than Wi-Fi).
• 🚫 A USB- port is blocked or a connector is broken (for example, after a device falls).

How to transmit the photo:

1. On your phone, turn on Bluetooth in the notification panel.
2. On PC, activate device search (in Windows: Start → Settings → Devices → Bluetooth).
3. Confirm the pairing on both devices.
4. In the Xiaomi gallery, highlight a photo, click Share → Bluetooth and select a computer.

💡

To speed up the transfer, pre-archive the photo in ZIP. To do this, select files in the gallery → More → Compress → Send the archive via Bluetooth.

Limitations of the method:

• 🐢 Speed: ~1 MB/sec (100 photos of 3 MB = 5 minutes).
• 📏 File size limit: up to 50MB (photos in RAW will not be transmitted).
• 🔄 When the connection is cut, the process starts again.

5. Use of third-party applications: Snapdrop, AirDroid and others

If standard methods don't work, third-party tools come to the rescue, and they offer advanced features like no compression transfer, transfer history, and multi-device support, and we tested 5 popular apps, the results in the table below.

Top.-3 photo-transfer applications:

How to use Snapdrop (the easiest way):

1. On your phone and PC, open the site snapdrop.net in the browser.
2. Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.
3. On the phone, select a photo in the gallery → Share → Snapdrop.
4. On the PC, a notification about the incoming file will appear - confirm the download.

💡

To transfer RAW- photos or videos to 4K, use Send Anywhere with the "No Compression" option. This is the only application tested that does not reduce the quality of the originals.

Problems and Errors: How to Solve Them

Even with the right settings, Xiaomi users are faced with typical errors, and we have compiled solutions for the most common cases:

🔴 "Device not recognized" (Windows):

• 🔧 Install the Mi PC Suite driver and restart the PC.
• 🔄 In Device Manager, find an unidentified device, right-click → Update the driver → Search on that computer → Select from the list → MTP- device.

🔴 No access to DCIM folder (macOS):

• 🍎 Install Android File Transfer.
• 🔓 On your phone in Settings → Memory → USB- Connection, select PTP instead of MTP.

🔴 "Mi Cloud doesn't sync photos":

• ☁️ Check if the mobile data sync option is enabled (if you use 4G).
• 📶 In Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery Click Sync Now.
• 🔄 Reboot your phone — sometimes Mi Cloud cache reset helps (Settings → Apps → Application Management → Mi Cloud → Storage → Clear cache).

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If Xiaomi phone is not detected on PC after the MIUI update, reset the USB settings: go to Settings → System → Reset settings → Reset connection settings.

7. Process optimization: tips for regular transfer

If you often transfer photos from Xiaomi to your PC, these recommendations will save you time:

🔹 Automatic booting:

• Set up automatic sync over Wi-Fi in Google Photos or Mi Cloud. Photos will be copied to your PC without your participation.
• Use Dropbox or Yandex Drive with the option “Upload photos when connecting to Wi-Fi”.

🔹 File organization:

• In the Xiaomi Gallery, create separate albums for different events (e.g., Vacation 2026, Documents).
• On PC, use the FastStone Image Viewer program to batch rename a photo by shooting date.

🔹 Save space:

• After transferring, delete the photos from your phone, but pre-check them on your PC (sometimes files are corrupted when you copy them).
• Use external SSD- drives for backups, which are more reliable than clouds and faster than HDD.

💡

To avoid losing photos when resetting your phone, turn on the option “Photo and Video Backup” in Settings → Google → Backup. This will save thumbnails and metadata (date, geolocation) even if the originals are deleted.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions