How to save data from Xiaomi to your computer: a complete guide to photos and videos

Switching to a new smartphone, resetting to factory settings, or trivial memory release all require prior data backup. Xiaomi device owners (including Redmi, POCO And Mi, they're faced with the question, how do you quickly and safely transfer photos, videos, contacts and documents to your computer? USB-Cable to cloud services like Mi Cloud, but each has nuances.

In this article, we'll break down 5 working methods with step-by-step instructions, compare them in speed and reliability, and also warn against typical errors. MTP-Windows protocol may not display files from folder DCIM, If the phone is in developer mode, or if Xiaomi is hiding the system folders by default when you connect to a PC, we'll explore these and other pitfalls.

Most users limit themselves to copying only photos and videos, forgetting about messages, notes and app settings. Meanwhile, full backup takes no more than 15-20 minutes if you know the correct algorithm, and if you plan to sell or rent a phone for repair, you can not do without saving data, it will be impossible to restore it later.

Classic method: connection by USB-cable

The most obvious and universal way is to connect Xiaomi to a computer through a computer. USB-But even here, there are pitfalls, like the new Redmi Note 12 or the new model. POCO X5 By default, Charging mode may be enabled instead of File Transfer. To avoid problems, follow the instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC using the original cable (cheap analogues may not support data transfer).

2. A notification will appear on the phone screen - tap it and select File Transfer (MTP).

3. Open this computer (Windows) or Finder (macOS) on your computer - the device will appear as a removable disk.

If the folders DCIM (Photo/video) or Download (downloads) not visible, check:

• 🔌 Cable and port USB: Try another connector on the PC (preferably) USB 3.0 for speed).
• 📱 Developer mode: if previously included debugging USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI 7 times), turn it off - it can block MTP.
• 🔄 Rebooting: Sometimes restarting your phone or computer helps.

⚠️

Note: If you connect Xiaomi to a Mac, you may need to install Android File Transfer – standard macOS tools don’t support MTP-protocol.

Disable Developer Mode (if enabled)

Use the original cable

Select "File transfer (MTP)" notice

Check the visibility of folders DCIM download

Copy data into a separate folder on your PC (not on desktop!)

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2. Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi (Mi Drop, FTP, LocalSend)

If you don’t have a cable on hand or prefer wireless technology, you can transfer files over Wi-Fi. Xiaomi offers several built-in tools:

Method 1: Mi Drop for Xiaomi phones → Xiaomi)

It's a proprietary solution from Xiaomi, but it only works between devices of the same brand. To transfer to the PC you will need an Android emulator (like BlueStacks), which is inconvenient. So you better use alternatives.

Method 2: FTP-server (for experienced users)

A more flexible method is to run FTP-server on your phone and connect to it from your PC via Explorer or FileZilla:

1. Install the FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer app from Google Play.
2. Run it in. FTP-server (usually in the Network menu) → FTP).
3. Remember the address of the species ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx.
4. On the PC, open the explorer, enter the address in the address bar and log in.

Method 3: LocalSend (Apparent to AirDrop for Android) → PC)

LocalSend (available on Google Play and as a desktop version) allows you to transfer files without size restrictions over a local network. The speed depends on the router, but usually reaches 10-15 MB / s.

📌 LocalSend does not require registration and encrypts traffic, unlike cloud services.

3. Cloud Storage: Mi Cloud vs Google Drive

Cloud services are convenient for automatic backup, but have limitations in volume and speed.

🔹 Mi Cloud is suitable for full backup (including: SMS and settings MIUI), But 5GB is running out quickly to save data on the PC:

1. Upload files to Mi Cloud from your phone.
2. Open i.mi.com on PC.
3. Select the files you need and click Download.

🔹 Google Drive is more convenient for photos and documents, especially if you use Google Photos:

1. Enable autoload in Google Photos (Settings → Backup and Sync).
2. On PC, open photos.google.com and download the archive.

⚠️

Warning: If you delete files from your phone before they are uploaded to the cloud, they will be gone forever. Check the sync status in the notification bar!

4. Maintaining contacts, SMS and notes (export to file)

Photos and videos are just a bit of data, and it's equally important to save:

• 📇 Contacts (in format) VCF or CSV).
• 💬 SMS/MMS (format XML or TXT).
• 📝 Notes (from the Notes app or Mi Notes).

Export of contacts:

1. Open the Contacts app.

2.Slip on. ⋮ (menu) → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Export to file.

3. Select the format.vcf (for importing into Outlook, Gmail) or.csv (for Excel).

4. Save the file to internal memory and copy it to the PC.

Exports SMS:

This will require a third-party application, for example. SMS Backup & Restore:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Start backup (Backup)
3. Save the.xml file to the Download folder and transfer it to the PC.

Export of notes:

If you use the standard Notes app from Xiaomi:

1. Open the note → ⋮ → Exports.

2. Select the format TXT or HTML.

3. The application will create a file in the folder MiNotes/Export.

💡

To avoid losing data when resetting your phone, export your contacts and SMS Google Contacts or Mi Cloud before local saving on PC.

5. Backup of the entire phone (full backup)

If you need to save all the data, including app settings and system files, use full backup. Xiaomi has two options:

Method 1: Built-in MIUI function

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.

2. Click Backup and select the data to save (contacts, SMS, applications, etc.).

3. The backup file (.mbk) will be saved in the folder MIUI/backup/AllBackup.

⚠️

Note:.mbk files can only be restored on Xiaomi devices! to extract individual data (such as photos) will require conversion via Mi PC Suite.

Method 2: Via Mi PC Suite (for Windows)

Official Mi utility PC Suite lets you create a full backup and restore it on another Xiaomi device:

1. Download Mi PC Suite from the official website.
2. Connect your phone via USB (in MTP mode).
3. In the program, select Backup → Full Backup.
4. Specify the folder on the PC for saving (file size can reach GB).

🔹 Advantage: Even application data is saved (e.g., game progress).

🔹 Disadvantage: Backup is tied to Mi Account and cannot be read without Mi PC Suite.

💡

Complete backup through MIUI or Mi PC Suite is the only way to save system application settings (such as Themes or Calendar).

Alternative methods: ADB, OTG and external storage

For advanced users, there are three other ways:

Method 1: ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

Allows you to copy any files, including hidden system files. USB:

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 taps according to MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb pull /sdcard/ path

Method 2: OTG-cable + flash drive/disc

If you do not have a computer at hand, you can copy the data to an external drive through the OTG-adapter:

• 🔗 Connect the flash drive or SSD through OTG.
• 📂 Open a file manager (such as Files by Google) and move files.
• 💾 Speed depends on the class of the drive (UHS-I It's up to 100MB/s).

Method 3: Direct connection to router (Samba)

Some routers (such as Xiaomi Mi Router) support a Samba server, which can be connected to an external drive and copied files over a local network.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

The choice of method depends on the amount of data, the availability of the cable and the purpose of copying:

💡 Recommendation: Combine methods for a full backup:

1. Copy photo/video by USB.
2. Synchronize contacts and SMS via Mi Cloud.
3. Save notes and documents in Google Drive.

FAQ: Frequent questions