How to upload photos from Xiaomi phone to your computer: all working ways in 2026

Transferring photos from Xiaomi’s smartphone to your computer seems like a simple task — until you encounter connection errors, slow transfers or sudden crashes. Users of Redmi, POCO and other brands often face nuances, from the lack of drivers to blocking MIUI file transfer over USB. In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to transfer photos, including rare methods for older models and solving typical problems.

Xiaomi phones feature a proprietary MIUI shell that can restrict access to files through standard protocols. For example, when connecting over USB, the system sometimes offers only charging, not data transfer. We will show you how to circumvent these restrictions, compare the speed of each method and tell you which one to choose depending on the amount of photos (from 10 pictures to 50+ GB).

Important: If you use Xiaomi with an unlocked bootloader or custom firmware, some methods (such as Mi Share) may not work properly.

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

The most reliable and quick way is to connect your phone to your PC via cable, but even here, Xiaomi users often face problems: the computer can't see the device, a driver error appears, or MIUI blocks access to files.

To start, check the cable type: Xiaomi’s original wires (especially those from the Redmi Note 10/11 or POCO F3/F4) support USB 2.0/3.0 and provide speeds of up to 480 Mbps. Cheap non-original cables can limit speeds to 12 Mbps or cause connection breaks.

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable (preferably from the kit).
• 📱 On the phone screen will appear a notification "Charging through" USB" — tap him.
• 🔄 Select the "File Transfer" mode (or "MTP" old-model).
• 🖥️ On your computer, open "This Computer" - the phone will appear as a removable disk.

Use the original cable|Unlock the phone screen|Activate the Developer Mode (if necessary)|Update the drivers ADB PC-only-->

If the computer can't see the phone:

1. Check Device Manager on PC: if there is an exclamation point next to Xiaomi, update the driver manually (download from the official MIUI website).
2. On your phone, go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap 7 times to activate Developer Mode. Then to Settings → Additional → For developers, turn on “Debugging by USB”.
3. Try another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0, usually blue).

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi models 12/13 and POCO F5 When you first connect to a PC, you may need to confirm access via MIUI Optimization. If the notification doesn't appear, restart the phone.

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

Mi Share is Xiaomi’s proprietary file sharing solution for devices without internet, which is convenient if you don’t have a cable or need to transfer photos to a laptop without a computer. USB-But there are nuances:

• 📶 It only works between devices with MIUI 10+ Windows 10/11 (You need to install the desktop version of Mi Share).
• 🔗 Speed depends on the Wi-Fi standard: on Xiaomi 13 Ultra with Wi-Fi 6E up to 90MB/s, on Redmi 9A with Wi-Fi 4 - up to 10 MB / s.
• 📂 File size limit – 2 GB (for batch photo transfer it is not critical).

Instructions for transmission to PC:

1. Install Mi Share for Windows from the official website.
2. On your phone, open the Mi Share app (or Quick Transfer in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Select photos and click "Send" → "Computer".
4. On the PC, confirm the receipt of files in the desktop application.

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If Mi Share doesn't find a computer, check that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (even if the transmission is on a direct connection). On some POCO models, you need to turn on "Visibility for all" in the application settings.

⚠️ Note: On custom firmware phones (like LineageOS), Mi Share may not work, and use alternatives like Snapdrop or LocalSend.

3. Cloud services: Google Photos vs Mi Cloud

If you have a lot of photos (like 1000+ photos) and you don’t have a cable, cloud services will be a lifesaver. Xiaomi offers two options: the Mi Cloud proprietary cloud and the integrated Google Photos.

How to transfer photos via Google Photos:

1. Install the app on your phone and log in to your Google account.
2. Enable "Backup and Synchronization" in the application settings.
3. Wait for photos to load (you can speed up by connecting to 5 GHz Wi-Fi).
4. On your computer, open photos.google.com and download the desired albums.

Mi Cloud automatically compresses photos when uploading if they are larger than 30MB. To avoid loss of quality, use Google Photos in Original Quality mode (but this eats up space on the Drive).

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

4. FTP transmission over Wi-Fi (for advanced users)

If you need to send a large amount of photos (for example, 50+ HB) without loss of quality and without clouds, setting FTP-The best solution for a server on a phone is the method works on all Xiaomi models, including Redmi. 7 old Mis A1/A2.

This will require:

• 📱 Root-rights phone (optional, but simplifies setting up).
• 🖥️ Client-program FTP on PC (for example, FileZilla or WinSCP).
• 🌐 One Wi-Fi connection for phone and computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Install an FTP Server application (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer) on your phone.
2. Launch it. FTP-server in the application and write down the address (for example, ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
3. On PC, open FileZilla and enter the connection details: Host: 192.168.1.100 Port: 2221 Username: anonymous Password: Leave Empty (or Specify if Configured)
4. Go to /DCIM/Camera on your phone and copy the files to your PC.

⚠️ Attention: On phones with MIUI 14+ built-in FTP-The server can be blocked by security, in which case use the Termux app with the python command. -m pyftpdlib to run the server.

5. Use of third-party applications (Snapdrop, LocalSend)

If Xiaomi’s proprietary solutions don’t work, look for cross-platform file transfer services that don’t require registration, run on a local network, and support any model, including the POCO M3 or Redmi 10C.

Top.-3 wireless:

• 🌐 Snapdrop is a web service that works through a browser. Open snapdrop.net on your phone and PC, and drag and drop files.
• 📲 LocalSend is open source, encrypted, available for Android, Windows, macOS and Linux.
• 🔗 Send Anywhere – supports the transfer by link or QR-code (comfortable for large files).

The benefits of Snapdrop:

• ⚡ There are no restrictions on file sizes.
• 🔒 Transfer is direct (without download to the server).
• 📱 It even works on phones with MIUI 9 and older.

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Snapdrop and LocalSend don't require internet, they create a local network between devices, which makes them safer than cloud services, but the speed depends on your Wi-Fi router.

6.Massage over a memory card (for models with slot microSD)

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ or POCO X3 Pro), the easiest way is to copy photos on a microSD and then paste them into your computer via a card reader.

• 📸 You have thousands of photos (transfer to the USB or Wi-Fi will take hours).
• 🔋 The phone battery is drained and you can’t use wireless methods.
• 🛠️ USB-port on the phone damaged.

How to transfer the photo to the map:

1. Insert microSD into your phone (if you haven’t already).
2. Open the Files app and go to DCIM → Camera.
3. Select photos, click “Copy” and select the memory card as your destination.
4. Remove the card and paste it into the PC card reader.

⚠️ Attention: On phones with MIUI 13+ When you first connect a memory card, the system might suggest formatting it as internal memory!

The speed of copying to the card depends on its class:

• Class 10 or UHS-I: Up to 90MB/s.
• UHS-II: up to 300MB/s (but only flagships like Xiaomi 13 Ultra support such cards).

7.Alternative methods: ADB, Bluetooth and email

If none of these methods work, consider rare but workable options, which are less convenient but can help in emergencies.

1. Transfer via ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

Suitable for users familiar with the command line, allowing you to copy files even if the phone screen is broken (when USB debugging is enabled).

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

Where C:\Photos\ is the folder on the computer to save.

2. Bluetooth

Slow but versatile. Suitable for transferring 1-2 photos (e.g. screenshot error). On Xiaomi, turn Bluetooth on in Settings → Connections → Bluetooth, then submit the file through the context menu.

3. Email or messengers

You can send photos to your own mail (e.g. via Gmail) or to Telegram (no size restrictions), which is inconvenient for a large number of files, but it will be useful in a pinch.

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ADB is the only way to pull photos from a phone that doesn’t have a screen but has USB debugging enabled. Connect the device to a PC and use the adb pull command.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos from Xiaomi