How to drop photos from shaomi: full ways of transfer

Owning a modern Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone involves taking dozens of high-quality shots every day. Sooner or later, the device’s internal memory fills up, and the user is faced with the question of saving important moments to an external medium. Many gadget owners still use outdated methods or simply do not know about the built-in features that speed up this process at times.

There are many scenarios that require image transfer: freeing up space for new applications, backing up before flashing, or simply wanting to print pictures. In this article, we will take a look at all the current methods, from classic cable to wireless technology, so you can choose the most convenient option for you.

The efficiency of data transfer depends on the tool and the size of the files. If you need to flip a couple of pictures, a messenger or a cloud will do, but gigabytes of archives will require a more stable connection. Below we will consider each method with its pros, cons and technical nuances.

Use of the USB-fast-transmission

The most reliable and time-tested way is to connect your smartphone to your computer through USB-This method provides maximum copy speed, which is critical when working with large amounts of data, for example, when transferring videos to the Internet. 4K. You don’t need the internet, and the connection remains stable even when the network crashes.

First, connect your device to your PC using the original cable or high-quality data-enabled analogue. Once connected, a charging mode notification will appear on your smartphone screen, you click on it and select File Transfer (MTP) mode so that your computer sees the internal memory as an external drive.

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC with a cable and unlock the screen.
• 💻 In the notification menu, select the mode of operation USB «File transfer».
• 📂 Open “My Computer” and find the device in the disk list.
• 📁 Go to the folder. DCIM/Camera photo-search.

Once you select MTP mode, Windows Explorer or macOS will display the phone's file system. Find the DCIM folder, then the Camera, which is where the images taken on the main camera are stored. Select the files you want, copy them (Ctrl+C) and paste them into the folder on your computer's hard drive.

⚠️ If your computer can’t see your phone, try replacing it. USB-Cheap cables often only support charging and don't have any contacts to transmit data.

When you copy large archives, the system can warn you of a long operation time, so don't interrupt the process of removing the cable until the recording is complete, otherwise the file may get corrupted, and this method is ideal for creating full backups before resetting settings.

Wireless transmission via Mi Drop (ShareMe)

Owners of the Xiaomi ecosystem have a huge advantage in the form of the built-in ShareMe app (formerly known as Mi Drop), a proprietary development of the company that allows you to transfer files between devices at high speeds without using Internet traffic.

To send a photo to another Xiaomi or Redmi phone, open the gallery, select images and click the "Send" button. The system will prompt you to use ShareMe. The receiving device must also run this application or the reception function must be activated in the notification curtain.

If you're planning to upload a photo to your computer, use the web version of the service. Run ShareMe on your phone, click on the menu icon and select "Connect to your computer." Follow the instructions on the screen: type in IP-address to the address bar of any browser on the PC (for example, http://192.168.1.55:2121).

• 📲 Open the ShareMe app on your smartphone.
• 🖥️ Select the “Connect to your computer” option in the menu.
• 🌐 Enter the displayed FTP-address in Windows Explorer.
• 📥 Copy files into the desired directory on the PC.

The main advantage of this method is the lack of binding to physical ports and the ability to transfer files even to devices of other brands (Android, iOS), if they have the appropriate client installed or open a browser. FTP-Protocol is one of the most universal solutions.

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When transferring over Wi-Fi, try to be closer to the router or use the 5GHz band to avoid speed drops when transferring gigabytes of data.

Cloud Storage: Google Photos and Mi Cloud

Automation of data storage is a trend of recent years. Google Photos is pre-installed on all Xiaomi certified smartphones, allowing you not only to store, but also to intelligently sort pictures. When synchronization is enabled, all new photos are automatically uploaded to the cloud, freeing up space on the device.

To access the archive, you can go to photos.google.com from any computer under the same account, and you can select thousands of photos at once and download them through Google Takeout or just drag and drop in your browser, which is ideal for those who are afraid of losing data when their phone breaks.

The alternative is the native Mi Cloud, which is deeply integrated into the MIUI shell, which allows you to synchronize not only photos, but also contacts, notes and voice recorders, but free space there is only 5 GB, which quickly ends with active use of the camera.

⚠️ Warning: When using cloud services for free, monitor the download quality. Often the default mode is "Save space", which compresses photos, depriving them of detail when printing.

To upload a lot of data from the cloud to the hard drive, it is better to use desktop clients or official service sites, which will save the folder structure and shooting dates, which is important for archiving a family photo album.

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Cloud services are the best way to protect against data loss, but require a stable and fast internet connection for initial downloads.

Transfer via messengers and social networks

When you want to quickly upload a few pictures to a friend or to another device, the easiest way to use instant messengers is to use Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber, but there is an important nuance: standard sending compresses the image, losing metadata and quality.

To send a photo to Telegram without loss of quality, you need to choose the file as a File, not as a Photo or Gallery, in which case the image will leave the original file with full resolution «HD» or also available through the Document menu».

This is a great way to be instant and cross-platform, so you can start downloading on your phone and finish downloading on your desktop via the web version of the messenger, but for hundreds of photos, it's not a good way to do it because of file size limits and sorting inconvenientities.

• 💬 Open a chat with you ("Favorites" in Telegram) or a person.
• 📎 Click on the paperclip and select "File" or "Document».
• 🖼️ Select the right photos from the gallery.
• 🚀 Send and download on another device.

Remember that messengers are not archived, that your correspondence history can be cleaned, and media files are deleted over time to save space, and use this method only for fast transmission.

Specialized applications for PC (Mi PC Suite)

For advanced users who want full control of the file system, there is software to manage a smartphone from a computer.The official Mi PC Suite was once the standard, but it often doesn't update and doesn't work well with newer versions of Android.

Alternatively, many experts recommend third-party solutions such as Android File Transfer for macOS or universal managers like MyPhoneExplorer. These programs allow you to see the structure of folders, make backup contacts and messages, and massively copy media files.

When using third-party software, it is important to allow debugging over USB in the Developer Menu, which gives the program deep access to the system, which is necessary for creating full backups, but also requires caution.

Frequent problems and their solution

Even if you follow all the instructions, you can have technical difficulties, and one of the most common problems is that the phone charges, but it's not detected by the computer. USB-Type-C connector or damage to contacts inside the port.

Another frequent failure is Wi-Fi interruption. This can occur if the smartphone screen goes out and the system puts the Wi-Fi module in energy-saving mode. To avoid this, in the Wi-Fi settings, find the item “Do not turn off Wi-Fi in sleep mode” and set the value “Always”.

If files are copied with the “Not enough space” error, check not only the free disk space, but also the file system.The disk should be formatted in NTFS or exFAT, since the FAT32 file system does not support writing files larger than 4 GB, which is important for long videos.