How to copy photos from the Xiaomi gallery: all ways with pictures

Copying photos from Xiaomi phone to a computer, flash drive or other gadget seems like an easy task — until you encounter the nuances of MIUI. The system often hides folders, blocks access to files or offers non-obvious export routes. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to copy photos from the standard Xiaomi gallery, including bypassing restrictions for models with MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS.

Redmi, Poco and Black Shark have a feature that duplicates photos in the Mi Cloud and local memory, and if you just drag files through the Explorer, you can skip hidden folders (such as.thumbnails or DCIM/.camera), and we'll show you how to find all the originals, including screenshots downloaded from instant messengers and edited images.

Important: instructions are relevant for Android 12-14 devices with a MIUI shell or HyperOS. If you have old firmware (up to MIUI 12), some menu items may differ - check the version in Settings → About phone.

1. Copying through USB-cable (the most reliable method)

Connecting a phone to a computer via cable remains the fastest method if you set up the data mode correctly, and many users face the problem when Xiaomi is defined as a “charger” instead of a drive.

To avoid this:

• 🔌 Use the original cable (cheap analogues may not support data transfer).
• 📱 When you first connect, unlock your phone screen and select File Transfer mode (MTP) notice.
• 🖥️ On a Windows PC 10/11 You may need to install the Mi Phone Manager driver (download from the official website).
• 🔄 If the phone doesn’t show up, reboot both devices and reconnect.

After successful connection:

1. Open this computer (My computer in Windows 7).
2. Find the Xiaomi device in the Devices and Disks section.
3. Go to Internal storage → DCIM → Camera (there are photos taken by the camera).
4. Copy files to the desired directory on the PC (for example, to the desktop).

Connected the original cable |Unlocked the screen Xiaomi | Selected MTP mode in the notification | Checked the display of the phone in "This computer" | Copyed files from the DCIM-->

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) folder DCIM To see it, in Windows Explorer, turn on the hidden file display: View → Hidden elements.

2. Transfer of photos via Mi Drop (without cable)

Mi Drop is a built-in application on Xiaomi that allows you to transfer files between devices over Wi-Fi Direct. This is convenient if you need to copy a photo to another phone or tablet of the same brand.

How to use:

1. Open the Mi Drop app (if not, download from the Mi App Store).
2. Click Send and select a photo from the gallery (you can note a few).
3. On the second device (Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco), open Mi Drop and click Receive.
4. Confirm the transmission on both gadgets.

The speed of transfer depends on the model of the Wi-Fi module in the phone. For example, on Xiaomi 12S Ultra with Wi-Fi 6,100 HEIF photos will be transmitted in ~2 minutes, and on Redmi 9A with Wi-Fi 4 - up to 10 minutes.

⚠️ Warning: If the transmission is interrupted, check if the phone is power-saving. Turn it off in Settings. → Battery → Energy saving regime.

Po Po Po USB-cable|Through Mi Drop|Cloud storage (Google Drive, Mi Cloud)|Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)|Another way.-->

3.Exporting photos to the Mi Cloud

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud that automatically syncs photos when Autoupload is enabled, a method that is suitable for backing up or accessing snapshots from any device.

How to set up autoload:

1. Open your Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud
2. Sign in to your Xiaomi account (if not registered, create one).
3. Go to Mi Cloud → Gallery and turn on Autoboot.
4. Select the download quality: Original (retains original resolution) or High (compression up to 16 MP).

To download photos from Mi Cloud to your computer:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Open the Gallery section.
3. Select the desired photos and click Download (files will be packed in the.zip archive).

Mi Cloud provides 5GB for free, but photos in original quality take up space quickly. For example, 100 shots with Xiaomi 13 Pro (50 MP) weigh ~2-3GB.

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If you want to free up space in the cloud, turn on the option "Storage Optimization" in the Mi Cloud settings, which will replace the originals with previews, leaving full-size copies only on the phone.

4. Use of third-party applications (e.g. Google Photos)

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t suit you, you can use third-party services. Google Photos is one of the most convenient solutions for automatic synchronization and backup.

Benefits of Google Photos:

• 📸 Free storage of photos in “high quality” (compression up to 16 MP).
• 🔍 Powerful search by objects, places and dates.
• 📱 Automatic download over Wi-Fi or mobile network.
• 🖥️ Access to any device via photos.google.com.

How to set up:

1. Install Google Photos from the Play Market.
2. Open the app and log in to your Google account.
3. Click on profile avatar → Photo settings → Backup and synchronization.
4. Turn on the switch and select quality (Original or High).

To download the photo on PC:

1. Open photos.google.com in your browser.
2. Select the photos you want (you can choose the whole album).
3. Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Download.

⚠️ Attention: When choosing quality, Google High compresses photos up to 16 MP, which can be critical for professional shots with Xiaomi 12S Ultra (108 MP) or Redmi Note 12 Pro+ (200 MP).

5. copying to microSD or OTG-flash-drive

If your Xiaomi supports microSD cards (like Redmi Note 12 or Poco) X5), You can copy the photo directly to the drive. OTG-adapter.

Step-by-step:

1. Insert the microSD into the slot (or plug the flash drive through the OTG).
2. Open the Files (or Explorer) application.
3. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera.
4. Select a photo, click Copy (or Cut).
5. Go to the SD-map USB-drive and insert files.

On some models (Xiaomi) 11T, Poco F4) first-connection OTG-The flash drive will be a notification with a suggestion to format the drive. Don't agree, if there is important data on the flash drive - it is better to copy it pre-on the PC.

6. Alternative methods: Telegram, WhatsApp, email

If you want to transfer a few photos quickly, you can use messengers or email, which is suitable for 10 to 20 shots, but is inconvenient for large volumes.

Comparison of methods:

How to send a photo via Telegram without loss of quality:

1. Open a chat with yourself (Saved Messages).
2. Press the paper clip. → File.
3. Select a photo in the DCIM/Camera folder.
4. Send as a file (not as a photo) to avoid compression.

For WhatsApp and Viber, compression is inevitable, so these services are only suitable for previews or uncritical shots.

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To transfer photos in the original quality, use Telegram (mode "File") or cloud services (Google Photos, Mi Cloud in the "Original" mode).

FAQ: Frequent questions about copying photos from Xiaomi