How to upload a file to a Xiaomi TV: everything from USB to cloud services

Transferring files to a Xiaomi TV is a challenge that every Smart TV owner from this brand faces. Whether you want to show photos from a vacation on a big screen, run a high-resolution movie or listen to music through powerful TV speakers, there are several options for data transfer. However, they are not all equally convenient: somewhere you will need additional equipment, and somewhere the transfer speed leaves much to be desired.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways to throw files on TVs Mi TV, Redmi TV and devices on Android TV Box from Xiaomi – from the classic USB- drive to modern wireless technologies like Mi Share or DLNA. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances: why the TV does not see the flash drive, how to speed up the transfer over Wi-Fi and what file formats are supported without convertibility – if you look for the most universal method and you are compared here.

1: Transferring files via USB-: a simple, but not always reliable way to do this.

Using a USB- flash drive or external hard drive is the most obvious method that works on all Xiaomi TV models, including older versions without Wi-Fi Direct support. Just copy files to the drive, connect it to the TV and open it through the built-in file manager.

But there are pitfalls here:

• 🔌 File System Format: Xiaomi TVs typically support FAT32 and exFAT, but may not recognize NTFS (especially on models up to 2020). If the flash drive is formatted to NTFS, it will have to be reformatted.
• 📁 File size restrictions: FAT32 cannot write files heavier than 4GB. For movies in 4K or disc images, this is critical.
• ⚡ Nutrition USB-port: Outer ports HDD (especially 2.5" without additional power) may not be determined due to insufficient port capacity. USB-feed-in.

To avoid problems, check before connecting:

If the TV can’t see the flash drive, try:

1. Reboot the TV (remove the plug for 30 seconds).
2. Connect the drive to another USB- port (on some models, one port is for maintenance only).
3. Check the drive on another device (computer, laptop).

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If your Xiaomi TV doesn’t open a video from a flash drive, try renaming the file by removing the Cyrillic alphabet and characters (!, @, #).

2. Wireless transmission via Mi Share (formerly Mi Drop)

Mi Share is Xiaomi’s proprietary technology for fast file sharing between ecosystem devices (smartphones, TVs, laptops) and uses Wi-Fi Direct, which allows data to be transmitted at up to 20MB/s (under ideal conditions) without connecting to a router, with the main advantage of no file size restrictions and support for all popular formats.

To download the file via Mi Share:

1. Make sure your TV and smartphone (or other sender device) have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
2. On your TV, open Settings → Connection and Sharing → Mi Share and activate the feature.
3. On a smartphone (such as the Redmi Note 12 or Xiaomi 13) open the Mi Share app (or File Transfer in the Quick Settings menu).
4. Select files to transfer and click "Send." Your TV will appear in the list of devices, confirm the connection.

Important nuances:

• 📱 Device compatibility: Mi Share only works between Xiaomi gadgets (including POCO and Black Shark).
• 🔄 Connection stability: If the TV and smartphone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, the transmission speed will be higher than over Wi-Fi Direct.
• 📂 File Type Restrictions: Some Xiaomi TV models do not support folder transfers — only individual files.

⚠️ Warning: When you transfer large files (e.g., a 10+GB movie in 4K) through Mi Share, you may have connection breaks, in which case you may break the file apart using an archiver (e.g., 7-Zip) or use an alternative method.

3.Using DLNA/UPnP: streaming without copying

DLNA (or UPnP) technology allows you not to copy files to your TV, but to broadcast them directly from your computer, smartphone or NAS- server. This is convenient for watching movies or listening to music without taking up TV memory. All Xiaomi TVs on Android TV support DLNA out of the box.

To set up streaming:

1. Make sure that the TV and the source device (such as a PC) are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. On a Windows computer, enable media sharing: Control Panel → Network & Internet → Network Management Center → Change additional sharing options → Media streaming Select the option “Allow all devices to play my media.”
3. On the TV, open the Media Player (or Local Media) app and select the source – your computer will appear in the list.

The pros of DLNA:

• 🎬 No need to copy files, saves space on the TV.
• 📶 Works on any device (including iPhones via apps like VLC or BubbleUPnP).
• 🔄 Supports playlists and folders (unlike Mi Share).

Cons:

• 🐢 Speed depends on the power of the router, and if the signal is weak, you can slow down the video.
• 🔌 The TV and the source must be on the same network, so you can't stream files from the mobile Internet.
• 📂 Not all formats are on-the-fly supported. For example,.mkv with rare codecs may not play.

4.Cloud Services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud and Alternatives

If you don’t have a flash drive or Xiaomi device on hand, you can upload files to the cloud and open them directly on your TV. Xiaomi TVs on Android TV have Google Drive apps pre-installed, Mi Cloud (on some models) and support the installation of other services (for example, Yandex Disk or Dropbox).

Instructions for Google Drive:

1. Upload files to Google Drive from your computer or smartphone.
2. On your TV, open the Google Drive app (if not, install it from Google Play).
3. Sign in with the same Google account as your sender.
4. Find the file you want and select Open with → select a player (such as MX Player for video).

Comparison of cloud services for Xiaomi TV:

Warnings:

⚠️ Warning: When viewing high-resolution video (1080p and higher) through the cloud, artifacts and hangs are possible if the Internet speed is below 20 Mbps. For stable playback 4K requires at least 50 Mbps.

⚠️ Warning: Some Xiaomi TVs block the installation of APK- files from unknown sources. To install an alternative cloud storage (e.g., Mega), first enable Settings → Security and Restrictions → Unknown Sources.

5. Transmission over a local area network (SMB/FTP)

For advanced users, a method of transferring files via the SMB (Windows) or FTP (universally) protocol is suitable, which allows you to connect the TV to a shared folder on your computer or the NAS as a network disk, which requires initial configuration, but then gives you full control over the files.

SMB settings (for Windows):

1. On your computer, open Control Panel → Administration → Computer Management → Shared folders.
2. Create a new shared folder and assign it read/write rights.
3. On your TV, install a file manager with SMB support (such as FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
4. Enter the connection data: Address: \\IP_ of your computer\name folder Login: Windows Username Password: password from the account (if any)

Advantages of the method:

• 💾 There are no limits on file size or number.
• 🔄 You can not only download, but also download files from the TV to the PC.
• 🛠 Flexible setting of access rights (e.g., read-only).

Disadvantages:

• ⚙ Requires knowledge of network protocols (e.g., configuring ports on a router).
• 🐌 Speed depends on the power of the router and the network load.
• 🔒 Some Xiaomi TV models may require manual installation APK to support SMB.

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SMB/FTP is the best choice for large data transfers (such as movie collections), but requires a single setup. Mi Share or USB is easier for one-time tasks.

6. Alternative methods: from AirDroid to HDMI cable

If standard methods don’t work, consider the less obvious options:

• 📲 AirDroid: The app allows you to transfer files from your Android smartphone to your TV via a web interface. Install AirDroid on your phone and open your browser on TV by entering web.airdroid.com.
• 🔌 HDMI- Cable with MHL: For older TV models (until 2018), you can connect your smartphone over HDMI via an adapter MHL and broadcast the screen. Minus — you need support MHL on your phone.
• 📡 Local Web Server: You can deploy a simple HTTP- server on your computer (e.g., through Python: python -m http.server 8000) and download files to your TV through your browser.
• 📦 OTG- Cable: If the TV supports USB OTG, you can connect an external SSD or card reader directly.

These methods are relevant in specific scenarios:

• There is no Wi-Fi, but there is a mobile Internet (AirDroid).
• You need to show the screen of the smartphone on TV without delay (MHL).
• You need to transfer files from Linux or Mac (local web server).

Comparison of all methods: which one to choose?

To make the choice easier, we will summarize the pros and cons of each method in a table:

Selection recommendations:

• 🏆 For most users: Mi Share (if you have a Xiaomi smartphone) or USB- flash drive (if you need to transfer a lot of data one-time).
• 🎥 For streaming movies: DLNA or the cloud (if the internet is fast).
• 💻 For advanced users: SMB (for permanent access to files from NAS or PC).

FAQ: Frequent questions about file transfers to Xiaomi TV