How to throw a photo from the phone Xiaomi on the laptop through USB-cable: step-by-step instruction 2026

Transfer photos from Xiaomi to laptop via USB-cable seems like a simple task – until you encounter typical problems: the phone is not defined as a drive, Windows asks for drivers, and in the folder DCIM Instead of a photo, you can see strange files with the extension.thumb. This guide will help you avoid all the pitfalls and transfer the pictures quickly, even if you are doing it for the first time.

Many users mistakenly think that it is enough to simply connect the smartphone to the laptop and the files will immediately be available. In practice, Xiaomi (especially the models on MIUI 14/15) require additional settings: selecting the data mode, unlocking the screen during connection and sometimes even installing special drivers, we will analyze all the steps from preparing the phone to verifying the integrity of copied files.

If you use a MacBook or a Linux laptop, the process will be slightly different — we’ll talk about this separately, too. And for owners of older Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 5 or Mi A2), we’ll give you solutions for typical connection errors that are not found on new devices.

1. Preparing Xiaomi phone for connection

Before you connect devices with a cable, do a few mandatory steps on your smartphone, which will save 80% of the problems with defining your phone as a drive.

Step 1. Unlock the screen. MIUI blocks file access if the phone is locked with a password or fingerprint while you connect. Even if you unlock it later, the system may not recognize the device correctly.

Step 2. Check the cable. Use the original Xiaomi USB cable or a certified USB-Type C/Micro-USB (depending on the model). Cheap cables often only support charging, not data transfer. How to check:

• 🔌 Connect the cable to the charger – if the phone is charging, it doesn’t guarantee data support.
• 📱 Try connecting the cable to another device (e.g. Power Bank with a power bank). USB-If files are not displayed, the cable is “charging only».

Step 3. Update MIUI. Older firmware versions (below MIUI 12) often encountered bugs with MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) mode to check the version:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → version of MIUI.
2. If the version is older than 2021, update via Settings → System Update.

2. Selection of data transfer mode on Xiaomi

When you connect your phone to your laptop, a USB Charge message will appear in the notification curtain. Click on it and the mode selection menu will open.

Available options (depending on the model and version of MIUI):

• 📁 File transfer (MTP) — The main mode for copying photos, videos and documents.
• 🖥️ Image transmission (PTP) — used if MTP It does not work (for example, on a Mac).
• 🔌 Charging only – blocks access to files.
• 📡 USB-modem - for distribution of the Internet (not suitable for transferring photos).
• 🔧 Mid is a rare mode for debugging (don’t choose it!).

Select File Transfer (MTP) if this option is not available:

1. Open Settings → Connection and Sharing → USB.
2. Enable the option of file transfer by default.

Connect the original USB-cable|Unlock the Xiaomi screen|Select a regime MTP notice-curtain|Check the connection to the laptop (must appear the sound of device recognition)

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3. Set up a laptop to work with Xiaomi

If the phone is defined as a drive, but folders don't open or errors appear, the problem is on the laptop side. Let's look at the solutions for different operating systems.

For Windows 10/11:

1. If the device is not recognized, open Device Manager (click Win + X → Device Manager).
2. Find your Xiaomi’s Portable Devices or Other Devices (may appear as MTP or with an exclamation point) in the list.
3. Right-click → Update the driver → Automatic search.

For macOS:

• 🍎 Install Android File Transfer (official software from Google) from the site android.com/filetransfer.
• 🔄 If the program doesn’t see the phone, restart both devices and select mode. PTP instead MTP.

For Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt install mtp-tools libmtp-common libmtp-runtime

After installing the packages, reconnect the phone.

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If your laptop doesn’t see Xiaomi even after all the manipulations, try connecting your phone to another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 blue. Sometimes ports USB 2.0 does not provide sufficient speed for the mode MTP.

4. Search and copy photos to a laptop

Once successfully connected, open This Computer (Windows) or Android File Transfer (macOS) and the phone will appear as a removable drive called Xiaomi or Redmi.

Where to look for photos:

To copy the photo:

1. Open the folder with the files you want (for example, DCIM → Camera).
2. Select the photo (to highlight all, click Ctrl + A).
3. Copy (Ctrl + C) and paste (Ctrl + V) into the folder on the laptop.

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Don't copy files directly from the.thumbnails folder, which are low-quality thumbnails. Look for originals in DCIM/Camera or Pictures.

5. Solving typical transmission problems

Even with the right settings, errors can occur, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

Problem 1: The phone is plugged in, but the folders are empty or won’t open.

• ⚡ Check if the Xiaomi screen is unlocked (on some models, access is blocked after 1-2 minutes of inactivity).
• 🔄 Reconnect the cable by selecting the mode PTP instead MTP.
• 🛠️ On your laptop, disable the antivirus (sometimes it blocks access to Android files).

Problem 2: The device is not recognized (Windows) error.

⚠️ Note: If the laptop produces an error code 43 in the Device Manager, this means that the driver fails. MTP. Solution: Turn off your phone. In Device Manager, remove all devices called Xiaomi or MTP. Connect the phone again – the driver will install automatically.

Problem 3: On a Mac, Android File Transfer does not see files.

• 🍎 Update the program to the latest version.
• 🔌 Use a data-enabled cable (not all) USB-C MacBook cables are suitable).
• 📱 Reboot your phone and select the mode PTP.

6. Alternative ways to transfer photos (if USB does not work)

If you cannot connect via cable, use one of these methods:

Method 1. via Wi-Fi (MIUI + Windows/macOS)

1. On your phone, open Settings → Connection and Sharing → File Transfer over Wi-Fi.
2. Click Start and scan. QR-laptop-screen.
3. In the laptop browser, a web interface will open for downloading files.

Method 2. Through the Mi Cloud

Method 3. Transfer applications (e.g. Send Anywhere)

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It is better to use a large number of photos (more than 1000) USB-cable – Wi-Fi and cloud services may limit download speed or volume.

7. Process optimization: how to transfer photos faster

If you regularly have to copy photos from Xiaomi to your laptop, these tips will save you time:

Tip 1: Use USB 3.0

• 🔵 Connect the cable to the blue port USB 3.0 on a laptop – the transfer speed will increase 5-10 times.
• 📊 For comparison: USB 2.0 transmits data at speed ~40 Mb/s, and USB 3.0 - up to 400 Mb/s.

Advice 2: Archive photos before copying

• 📦 On the phone, select a folder with a photo → More. → Squeeze (created) ZIP-archive).
• 🚀 Copy one archive instead of thousands of small files, it will speed up the process.

Advice 3: Set up automatic sorting

⚠️ Note: If you copy a photo to a folder on a laptop with the "Sort by Date" option enabled (e.g., in Google Photos or Windows Photos), the files may be duplicated. Before copying, disable automatic sorting in the target folder settings.

Tip 4: Check the integrity of files

After copying, compare the folder size on your phone and laptop, if they differ by more than 5%, then some of the files have not been copied, and use TeraCopy (Windows) to check check the checksums.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos from Xiaomi