How to Install Music on Xiaomi: All Ways to 2026

Xiaomi smartphones are among the most popular devices on the market due to the combination of price, performance and functionality. However, many users are faced with the question: how to properly download music to the phone so that it is played smoothly, does not take up excess space and is available offline? In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to install music on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices, from classic USB transfer to synchronization with cloud services.

It’s important to understand that the choice of method depends on your goals: whether you need music offline or enough streaming, whether you want to save space on your phone or are willing to store files locally. We will also look at the typical errors that lead to tracks not being displayed in the player, and give recommendations for optimizing the storage of audio files.

This article will be useful for both beginners and advanced users, and here you will find both basic instructions and advanced life hacks. For example, did you know that on some Xiaomi models, music can be downloaded directly through the File Manager without connecting to a PC? Or that the Mi Cloud service allows you to synchronize playlists between devices?

Preparation of the phone: checking memory and formats

Before you download music, make sure your Xiaomi has enough free space. Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. It’s optimal to have at least 1-2 GB of free space if you plan to store a local library.

Also check which audio formats your phone supports. Most Xiaomi models play:

• 🎵 MP3 — Universal format, suitable for most tracks;
• 🎵 AAC — It compresses sound better without loss of quality;
• 🎵 FLAC — Audiophiles (takes up a lot of space);
• 🎵 WAV — Not compressed, high quality, but large file size.

If your tracks are in a rare format (like ALAC or OGG), you'll have to convert them, and you can use programs like Audacity or online services like Online-Convert.

⚠️ Attention: Some users have a problem when the music is not displayed in the standard Mi Music player, most often because the files are saved in a folder that the player does not scan. /Storage/emulated/0/Music/ Or use third-party players like Poweramp.

💡

If you often listen to music in your car via Bluetooth, save tracks in MP3 format with a bitrate of 192-320 kbps. This will provide a balance between quality and compatibility with car radios.

2. Method 1: Transfer of music through USB-cable

The most reliable and quickest method is to connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB, which requires a cable (preferably original or certified) and a few minutes of time.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC. A notification will appear on the Xiaomi screen — select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On your computer, open This computer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). Your phone will appear as a removable drive.
3. Go to the Music folder (if you don’t have one, create one).
4. Copy audio files from the PC into this folder.
5. Securely remove the device and check the music in the player.

If the Music folder isn't automatically created, you can make it manually through the File Manager on your phone. SD-card (if formatted as portable storage), otherwise the player may not see the files.

Is the original used? USB-cable|Is the regime on? MTP phone-on|Is there enough space in memory?|Files have a supported format-->

Method 2: Download music through cloud services

If you don't have access to your computer, you can download music through the cloud. Xiaomi supports several services:

• 🌥️ Mi Cloud – built-in cloud from Xiaomi (5 GB for free);
• 🌥️ Google Drive – 15GB free, convenient for syncing;
• 🌥️ Yandex.Disk – 10 GB free, popular in Russia;
• 🌥️ Dropbox – 2GB free, but user-friendly.

Instructions for Google Drive:

1. Download music to Google Drive from your computer or other device.
2. On your phone, open the Drive app and find the downloaded files.
3. Click on the track → Three dots → Download.
4. The file will be saved to the Download folder. Move it to Music.

The Mi Cloud algorithm is similar, but you need to log in to your Mi Account first (if not done earlier), and the advantage of this method is that it allows you to automatically sync between Xiaomi devices.

Google Drive|Yandex.Disk.|Mi Cloud|Dropbox|Other-->

Method 3: Streaming services (offline mode)

If you don't want to store music locally, you can use streaming platforms with offline listening.

• 🎧 Spotify - directory at 80+ Million tracks, offline mode for premium users;
• 🎧 Yandex Music is free offline for some playlists;
• 🎧 Apple Music – High Sound Quality, Integration with Ecosystem;
• 🎧 VK Music is free offline for tracks from My Music".

How to save music offline in Spotify:

1. Install the Spotify app from Google Play.
2. Subscribe to Premium (free of charge – streaming only).
3. Add tracks to the playlist.
4. Open the playlist → press Download (the arrow icon down).

Note that downloaded tracks take up space in the phone’s memory, but they are protected by DRM and cannot be copied to other devices, and offline cache is reset when you log out or expire your subscription.

5. Method 4: Download music through file manager (without PC)

Few people know, but music can be downloaded directly to your phone via a browser and File Manager, which is suitable if you have links to audio files (for example, from Telegram or cloud storage).

Instructions:

1. Open a browser (like Chrome) and go to a music site (or open a file in the cloud).
2. Download the track - it will remain in the downloads.
3. Open the file manager → find the downloaded file.
4. Click on the file → Move → select the Music folder.

If you download music from Telegram:

1. Open the dialogue with the audio file.
2. Click on the track → Save to the Gallery (the file will get to Download).
3. Through the File Manager, transfer it to Music.

⚠️ Warning: When downloading music from unverified sources (torrents, pirated sites) there is a risk of downloading viral files (.mp3,.aac) and file size (too small a size may indicate malware).

Method 5: Use of SD-map

If your Xiaomi has a microSD slot, you can store music on a memory card, which is true for devices with a small amount of internal memory (for example, Redmi 9A with 32 GB).

How to transfer music to SD-map:

1. Insert the card into your phone and format it as Portable Storage (not as internal memory!).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and copy the music to your Music folder. SD-map.
3. Or transfer files through the File Manager from the internal memory to the card.

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) when formatting SD-The music may not be displayed in the player, in which case only reformatting the map to portable mode (with loss of data) will help!).

7. Problem Solving: Why is music not played?

If the music is not played after download, check the following points:

• 🔍 Storage folder: files should be in /Music/ or /Downloads/;
• 🔍 File format: The player may not support rare formats (.flac on budget models);
• 🔍 Access rights: if music is available SD-Check that the card is not blocked;
• 🔍 Cash player: clear the cache of the Mi Music app in the settings.

If the problem persists, try:

1. Reboot the phone.
2. Install a third-party player (Poweramp, VLC).
3. Check files on another device (maybe they are corrupted).

💡

If the music isn’t displayed in the player but the files are on your phone, try manually updating your media library. To do this, open Settings → Apps → Music → Storage → Clear the data (Warning: This will delete all playlists!).

FAQ: Frequent questions about music on Xiaomi