How to pull photos from the Xiaomi cloud: 5 working ways (2026)

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage automatically backs up your photos, freeing up space on your smartphone. But when you need to return your photos back — for example, to edit, print or move to another device — users often face difficulties. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to extract photos from the Xiaomi cloud, including hidden features and avoiding typical errors.

It’s important to understand that the process depends on where your photos are stored — in the standard Mi Cloud, synchronized with Google Photos, or in the local folder MIUI/Backup/AllBackup. We’ll look at options for smartphones on MIUI 12-14, as well as universal methods through the web interface and PC. If you lose access to your account or device, at the end of this article there is a section with solutions for emergencies.

1. Method: Download photos directly to the smartphone Xiaomi

The easiest method is to recover photos through the Gallery app on the device itself, which works if:

• 📱 You have the latest version MIUI installed (check Settings → About Phone)
• 🔄 Sync with Mi Cloud enabled (see Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Gallery)
• 📶 There is a stable Wi-Fi connection (big album downloads via mobile internet may be blocked)

Instructions:

1. Open the Gallery app on your Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO.
2. Go to the Albums → Cloud section (or Mi Cloud in older versions).
3. Select the photos you want (long press for multiple choices).
4. Click on the Download icon (down arrow) in the lower menu.
5. Wait until the download is complete – the photos will appear in the DCIM/Camera or Pictures folder.

Make sure there is enough space on the phone.|Turn it off. VPN (It can block access to the Mi Cloud)|Check that your Mi Account is not blocked.|Update the Gallery app in the Mi App Store-->

Method limitations:

• ⚠️ Photos are downloaded in compressed format (the original quality is lost if the original download was in the mode "Saving traffic").
• 🔄 If sync is disabled, the Cloud folder in the Gallery will be empty.
• 📱 On some models (e.g., POCO F5), the Mi Cloud section is hidden – you need to enable it in the album display settings.

💡

If the photos are not displayed in the cloud section, try updating the data: pull the screen down in the Gallery for forced synchronization.

2. Method: Export via the web version of Mi Cloud

If you don’t have access to a smartphone or need to download photos to your computer, use the web version of Mi Cloud, which is suitable for any device, including Mac and Linux.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Xiaomi account.
2. From the menu on the left, select the Gallery section (or Photos in English).
3. Check your photos or albums. Use Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to select all your photos.
4. Press the Download button (cloud icon with a down arrow).
5. Confirm the action – photos are archived in ZIP- file (maximum 2 GB per download).

Important: If you download photos to your computer, check them for viruses - in 2023 there were cases of ZIP- substituting files in Mi Cloud with malware. Use the official antivirus (for example, Kaspersky or Windows Defender) to scan.

Once a week | Once a month | Only when memory ends |Never-->

3. Method: Sync with Google Photos (for backups)

Many Xiaomi users are unaware that their photos can be duplicated in Google Photos. If your device is autosynchronized with Google services, there is a chance to recover pictures from there.

How to check:

1. Open the Google Photos app on your phone or go to photos.google.com.
2. Check the Photos section – if there are your pictures, they can be downloaded in original quality.
3. For mass export: On PC: select photos → click three dots → Download. On phone: use Backup and Sync in the app settings.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔍 Search by faces, places and objects (Google Photos search function).
• 📁 Automatic distribution by album (e.g. Screenshots, Selfie).
• 🌍 Access from any device, even without a Xiaomi account.

⚠️ Warning: If you deleted photos from Mi Cloud but they stayed in Google Photos, don't delete them for 60 days.

4. Method: Retrieval of photo through local MIUI backup

Xiaomi smartphones create local backups that can contain your photos, a method that is suitable if:

• 🔄 You have ever done a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
• 📱 You have access to the phone's file system (via Explorer or ADB).
• 💾 There is enough space on the phone or SD- card to unpack the backup.

Instructions for extraction:

1. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable (file transfer mode).
2. Go to the folder: Internal Storage → MIUI → Backup → AllBackup Here are stored backup archives with dates in the title (for example, backup_20260515).
3. Copy the latest archive to your computer and rename the extension from.bak to.zip.
4. Unclose the file with either 7-Zip or WinRAR.
5. The photos will be in the MIUI/Gallery or DCIM/Camera folder inside the archive.

💡

MIUI local backups contain not only photos, but also SMS, contacts, application settings, and this is the only way to recover deleted images if the cloud is disabled.

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to unpack the backup directly on your phone - this can cause the system to crash. Use only a computer with sufficient RAM (8+GB for >5GB archives is recommended).

5. Method: Use of Mi PC Suite (official software)

Mi PC Suite is Xiaomi’s official utility for controlling your smartphone from your computer, allowing you to download photos from the cloud even if they are not displayed in the web version.

How to use:

1. Download and install Mi PC Suite (available for Windows 7-11).
2. Connect your phone via USB (enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the version → For developers).
3. In the program, select the Gallery section → "Cloud".
4. Tag the desired photos and click "Export" (specify the folder on the PC).

Pros of the method:

• 🖥️ Works without the internet (if photos are already cached on your phone).
• 🔧 Supports older models (Redmi 4X, Mi A1, etc.).
• 📂 Stores folder structure (as opposed to ZIP- archives from the web version).

Cons:

• 🐢 Slower than direct downloading through the browser.
• 🔌 Requires original USB- cable (cheap cables may not transmit data).

6. Problem Solving: What to do if photos are not downloaded

If none of these methods worked, check out these typical causes:

If you see a message saying “This file is not available” when you try to download a photo through the web version, it can mean:

• 🔒 Photos removed from the cloud but still stored in the Recycle Bin (check the recently deleted Gallery section).
• 🛡️ Account blocked for suspicious activity (e.g., too many login attempts).
• 📅 Photos are older than 6 months and archived (requires a premium subscription to Mi Cloud for access).

7.Emergency: If you lose access to your account or phone

Situations where there is a photo in the cloud, but there is no access to a Xiaomi account or phone, require special measures.

Scenario 1: Forgot the password from Mi Cloud

1. Go to the recovery page.
2. Select Forgot Password? and specify the attached email or phone number.
3. If email/ number has changed: 📧 Try to restore access to old mail (via Gmail or Mail.ru). 📞 Contact Xiaomi with proof of account ownership (device purchase checks, IMEI).

Scenario 2: The phone is stolen or broken

• 📱 If the phone is lost, lock it through Mi Cloud (Find the device section).
• 🔧 If the screen crashes but the phone turns on: Connect it to the PC using USB and use the Mi PC Suite to extract the photo. Or plug the mouse in through the OTG- adapter and control the phone blindly.
• 💽 If the phone is not turned on, please contact the Xiaomi service center to extract data from internal memory (paid service, ~1500-3000 ₽).

⚠️ Warning: Don't use Mi Cloud hacking software (e.g. Mi Account Unlock Tool). In 2026, Xiaomi tightened its security: after 3 failed login attempts, the account is blocked for 72 hours, and the IP- address is blacklisted.

FAQ: Frequent questions about working with Mi Cloud