How to download an album from Xiaomi on your computer: full instructions

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones have powerful cameras that allow you to create high-resolution photos and videos, quickly filling up internal storage. Sooner or later, each user is faced with the question of how to efficiently and quickly transfer accumulated galleries to a more capacious computer hard drive to free up space or create a backup.

There are many ways to do this, from traditional cable connections to modern cloud technologies, and the choice of the particular method depends on your preferences and the tools available. In this article, we will discuss all the current options in detail so that you can choose the most convenient for yourself and not lose any valuable frame.

Whether you are using Windows, macOS or Linux, the process of data exchange between the Xiaomi and PC ecosystems has long been standardized and does not require deep technical knowledge. We will look at both wired and wireless solutions, evaluate their speed and reliability, so you can manage your media library as efficiently as possible.

Preparation of a smartphone and cable for a wired connection

The fastest and most reliable way to drop heavy albums without losing quality is to connect directly through the Internet. USB-First, make sure you use the original cord that came with the device, as cheap analogues can only support charging and do not transfer data. When connecting to a computer, the smartphone can be charged by default, so you need to manually change the mode of operation. USB.

Once the devices are connected, unlock the phone screen and lower the notification curtain from top to bottom. You will see a system message, “Charge via USB” or similar notification – click on it to expand the menu. In the list that opens, select File Transfer (MTP) mode, which will allow the computer to see the device’s file system as an external drive.

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Use a labeled cable SS (SuperSpeed for maximum speeds of copying large albums, as old cables USB 2.0 can significantly slow down the process.

If your computer is not responding to the connection, try another one. USB-port, preferably located directly on the motherboard behind the system unit, and not on the front panel or through USB-Xiaomi device drivers are usually installed automatically on Windows 10 and 11, but in rare cases, you may need to install proprietary software or update drivers. MTP via device manager.

Direct file transfer via Windows Explorer

After successfully switching to MTP mode, your smartphone will appear in My Computer as a separate drive or portable device. Open it, go to the DCIM folder, and then to Camera — this is where all the pictures and videos taken on the main camera are stored by default. Find the desired album, highlight the files and copy them to the computer hard drive in the usual drag and drop method or through the clipboard.

When working with large amounts of data, such as copying an entire annual archive, the process can take considerable time. At this point, it is not recommended to turn off the cable or interrupt the transmission, as this can lead to file corruption or read errors. To speed up the work, you can close heavy applications on the PC to free up the CPU resources for the I/O operation.

It’s worth noting that folder structure on Xiaomi may vary depending on the version of the MIUI shell or HyperOS, but the logic remains the same: look for folders with the names of the apps that created the content. For example, screenshots are usually in the Screenshots folder, and images downloaded from WhatsApp are in subfolders inside Android/media.

Using Xiaomi Cloud Cloud and Google Photos

The wireless method is ideal for those who prefer automation and do not want to depend on the availability of a cable at hand. Xiaomi Cloud service allows you to sync albums with a server, from where they can be downloaded through a browser on any computer.

The alternative is Google Photos, which is pre-installed on all certified Android devices, and offers unlimited storage in Save Space (with some compression) or in original quality, taking up your Google account quota. To download an album, just open photos.google.com on your PC, select the desired images and click the download button.

• 📸 Automatic unloading only occurs when connected to Wi-Fi, so as not to waste mobile traffic.
• ☁️ Cloud services allow you to free up space on your phone with a single “Clear Space” button».
• 🔒 Data in the cloud is protected by password and two-factor authentication, which is safer than losing physical media.

It is important to consider that wireless speeds are directly dependent on the bandwidth of your Internet channel. It can take hours to download several gigabytes of photos, so this method is best used for regular backup of small portions of data or at night.

Wireless transmission over a local area network (FTP and SMB)

For users who want to download the album without wires, but have a large amount of data and a good router, a great solution will be the creation of a new book. FTP-The standard Explorer app on Xiaomi has a built-in function: go to the Remote section or click on the menu, select Access. LAN or FTP and run the server.

Once launched, the smartphone screen will display an address such as ftp://192.168.1.5:2121. Enter this address in the address bar of any conductor on your computer (such as Total Commander or standard Windows Explorer) located on the same Wi-Fi network, you will get full access to the phone file system at a speed limited only by your router.

This method is particularly convenient because it does not require any additional software to be installed on a PC and works on any operating system, but if your router is old or has a weak signal in the room, the transfer speed may be unstable and the connection may periodically break.

Apps for fast transfer: Mi Share and Send Anywhere

Mi Share technology (formerly known as Mi Drop) allows you to transfer files between Xiaomi devices and Windows computers over Wi-Fi Direct protocol. To work on a PC, you need to install a special application or use the web version if it is supported by your version of the shell. This provides speed comparable to USB, but without physical restrictions.

Another popular option is the cross-platform Send Anywhere app or Portal by Pushbullet, which is simple: you open the app on your phone, you select an album, and you see it on the screen. QR-Enter the key on the service site via the computer browser, and the transfer begins instantly over the Internet or local network.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party apps to transfer, make sure you download them from official sources (Google Play, Mi GetApps) to avoid introducing malware that could access your personal photos.

These tools are especially useful when you need to quickly move a few dozen photos and look for a cable laziness, but for backups of hundreds of gigabytes, they are less convenient because you have to manually run the process each time and monitor the status of the connection.

Solving and optimizing the process

When transferring data, users often experience a “USB device not recognized” error or a sudden stop of copying. Most often, the problem lies in a damaged cable or a lack of power on the computer port. Try using a USB 3.0 port (blue), which provides high current and data exchange speed.

If files are copied with errors or broken sectors, check the integrity of the phone's file system, and it is also worth turning off antivirus for the transfer to a PC, which can scan each copy file in real time, significantly slowing down the process. For optimization, it is recommended to copy files in small groups. 500-1000 by the millions, not by the millions.

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Connection stability is more important than maximum speed: it is better to copy the album a little slower, but without errors and the need to restart the process.

⚠️ Attention: Don't pull out USB-Device Removal: Device through Windows system tray if copying is still in progress or phone indicator is flashing. Always use the Safe Device Removal command to avoid damaging the gallery database.

After successful transfer, it is recommended to check random files on the computer, opening them to verify the integrity of the data. Only after this check can you safely delete albums from your smartphone, freeing up precious space for new pictures.