How to upload photos from Xiaomi to your computer: all ways of 2026

Transfer photos from Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO It seems like a simple task to get to a computer – until you encounter connection errors, slow transmission speeds, or unexpected limitations. MIUI. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods: from the classical USB-We will pay special attention to the nuances that the manufacturer does not keep silent - for example, why the phone is not defined as a drive or how to circumvent the transmission restriction. RAW-file.

Important: instructions adapted to the latest versions MIUI 14/15 Android 12/13/14, But most of the methods work on older models (for example, Redmi Note). 8 Pro or Mi 9T). If you have a phone with a blocked bootloader, some methods may require additional actions – we will warn you about this separately.

Transfer through USB-cable: step-by-step instruction

The most reliable, but often problematic method, is the main difficulty of setting the connection mode correctly, because MIUI By default, it blocks access to files through MTP (Media Transfer Protocol).

What you need:

• 🔌 Original. USB-cable (cheap analogues may not transmit data)
• 💻 Windows computer 10/11 macOS (Linux may require the installation of mtp-tools)
• 📱 Phone with unlocked screen (in some models, the transfer is blocked when the screen is locked)

How to connect:

1. Connect the cable to your phone and PC. On the Xiaomi screen, a notification will appear "Charge through" USB" — tap him.
2. Select File Transfer Mode (or File Manager on older versions) MIUI). If this item is not available, go to Settings. → Connection and sharing → USB and turn on MTP manually.
3. On your computer, open "This Computer" (Windows) or Finder (macOS) - the phone should appear as a removable disk.
4. Go to the Internal Storage folder → DCIM → Camera (photos are stored here) or Pictures (screenshots and downloads).

Original cable connected|Regime. MTP activated in settings|Phone screen unlocked|Drivers are installed on PC (for Windows)

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If the telephone is not identified:

• 🔄 Try another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 - blue).
• 🔧 On Windows, update drivers through Device Manager (Section "Portable Devices").
• 📵 Turn on "Debugging by" USB" In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times according to version, then return to Additional settings → For developers).

2. Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi (without cable)

If you don't have a cable on hand or it's damaged, you can upload a photo over the local network. USB, but convenient for a large number of files.

Transmission options:

Mi Drop (the easiest way for Xiaomi owners):

1. Open the Mi Drop app on your phone (if not, download it from Google Play).
2. Select "Send" → tag → press "Next".
3. In the list of devices, select your computer (it must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network).
4. On PC, open your browser and go to the address that will appear on your phone (for example, http://192.168.1.100:8080).
5. Download files through the web interface.

💡

If Mi Drop doesn't find the computer, check if the Windows firewall blocks incoming connections. Add an exception for port 8080 in the security settings.

3. Cloud services: Google Photos vs Mi Cloud

Cloud is convenient for backup, but not always for fast transfer — especially if you have slow internet or limited traffic.

Google Photos:

• ✅ Automatic uploading of photos in original quality (up to 15 GB free of charge).
• ✅ Access to any device via photos.google.com.
• ❌ Compresses the photo when the limit is exceeded (if you do not pay for the tariff).

Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud):

• ✅ 5GB free of charge, integration with MIUI.
• ✅ Quick synchronization on Xiaomi devices.
• ❌ Low Limit for Free Users.
• ❌ Interface in Chinese/English (not fully Russified).

How to upload photos via Google Photos:

1. Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
2. Go to the settings. → "Backup and synchronization" → turn on.
3. Choose quality ("Original" or "High").
4. Wait for the download (time depends on the speed of the Internet).
5. On your computer, open photos.google.com, select a photo and click "Download".

Google Photo|Mi Cloud|Yandex Disc.|iCloud|Other|I don't use clouds.-->

The important point: if you took pictures in the format RAW (on models Xiaomi 12 Pro, Redmi K50 Pro et al., Google Photos may not download them in their original quality, in which case use Mi Cloud or USB-cable.

4. Transfer via instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)

Suitable for urgent shipment 10-20 The main advantage is that you don't have to configure anything, the disadvantage is compression of quality and limitations on file size.

Comparison of messengers:

Instructions for Telegram (best option):

1. Open the Save Messages chat (or any other chat with you).
2. Press the paper clip. → "File" → Choose a photo.
3. On your computer, open a web version or desktop application.
4. Find the files sent. → press three points → "Save how".

💡

Telegram is the only messenger that doesn't compress a photo when you send it through the Files section. RAW or high-resolution images.

5. Use of a memory card (if there is a slot)

If your Xiaomi supports microSD (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro)+ or POCO X3 Pro, you can put a photo on a map and then paste it into a computer through a card reader, which is the fastest way to do a lot of data (e.g. 500).+ photo).

How to transfer a photo to a memory card:

1. Open the "Files" (the application "File Manager" in the MIUI).
2. Move to the DCIM → Camera (or other folder with a photo).
3. Select the files → Click "Copy" or "Cut".
4. Go to the SD-card section → Create a folder (for example, "Photo Backup") → insert.
5. Remove the card from the phone and insert it into the computer card reader.

💡

If your computer can't see the memory card, check its file system. Xiaomi formats the microSD in exFAT or FAT32. For files. >4 GB needs exFAT (Windows/macOS It is supported by default, and Linux may require the installation of exfat-utils).

Advantages of the method:

• 🚀 The transfer speed is limited only by the card class (for example, the card class, UHS-I It's 90 MB/s).
• 🔄 You can use the card as a backup copy.
• 📁 No dependence on the Internet or drivers.

Disadvantages:

• 💳 Not all Xiaomi models support memory cards (for example, Xiaomi 13 or Mix 4 are deprived of them).
• 🔄 With frequent extraction, the contacts of the card may wear out.

Alternative methods: ADB, Email, Bluetooth

These methods will work in emergency situations where basic options are not available.

ADB (Android Debug Bridge):

Power users: Allows you to pull files directly through the command line even if the phone screen is not working.

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/ C:\Photos\

How to turn on:

1. Activate Debugging on USB (see section USB).
2. Download ADB Tools on PC.
3. Connect your phone and execute the command above in cmd (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux).

Email or cloud-based email services:

Suitable for 1-2 Attach files to the letter and send them to yourself:

• 📧 Gmail: Up to 25MB per email.
• 📧 Mail.ru: up to 50MB.
• 📧 Yandex: Up to 30MB.

Bluetooth:

Slow and uncomfortable, but sometimes the only way available (for example, if broken) USB-port. Speed — ~1-2 Mbps.

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and PC.
2. Match the devices.
3. On the phone, highlight a photo. → "Share" → "Bluetooth" → Choose a computer.
4. On the PC, confirm the file acceptance.

7. Solving common problems

Even with the right settings, you can get errors.

Problem 1: The phone only connects as a "charger"

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10) MTP It's reset after it's restarted. USB In the Settings section → Connection and sharing → USB → File transfer.

Decision:

• Try another cable (original from Xiaomi).
• Update MIUI to the latest version.
• Turn on "Debugging by" USB" and execute the command: adb shell setprop persist.sys.usb.config mtp,adb

Problem 2: The computer can't see the folder DCIM

Decision:

• Check if files are hidden. In the File Manager on your phone, turn on the hidden folder display.
• If photos are taken in Google Camera or third-party apps, they can be stored in the same file. Pictures/{annex}.
• Use the DiskUsage app from Play Market to find large folders with media.

Problem 3: Slow transmission by USB

Decision:

• Connect the cable to the port USB 3.0 (blue).
• Disable the antivirus for the duration of the transfer (it can scan every file).
• Archive photos in.zip directly on your phone (via Files" → highlight → "Squeeze").

💡

If the speed of transmission is USB It's less than 5MB/s, the problem is probably cable. Cheap cables often only have 2 wires (to charge), whereas data transfer requires 4 wires.

8.How to Automate Photo Backup

To avoid manually transferring photos, set up automatic synchronization.

1. Google Photo. + PC:

• On the phone: Enable autoload in Google Photos.
• On PC: Install Google’s Backup and Sync.
• Select a folder for downloading – the photos will be automatically copied to the computer.

2. Syncthing (for advanced):

Free open source software for synchronizing files between devices over a local network.

• Install Syncthing on your phone and PC.
• Add the folder. DCIM/Camera c synchronization settings.
• Photos will be copied to your computer each time you connect to a single Wi-Fi network.

3. The planned task on Windows:

If the phone is always connected to the PC USB (For example, on the desktop, you can configure automatic copying through the Task Planner:

1. Open the Start. → Task planner → Create a task.
2. Specify the trigger (for example, "When logging in").
3. In action, add the command: xcopy E:\DCIM\Camera\ C:\Backup\Photos\ /E /C /I /Y (Replace E with the letter of your phone).

FAQ: Frequent questions