How to Pull a Broken Screen Photo from Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

The situation when the screen of Xiaomi smartphone is broken, but the device itself continues to work, is familiar to many users. Vibration when calling, the sounds of notifications and the glowing indicator indicate that the internal components are intact, and the problem lies solely in the display module. The worst thing at this moment is not the cost of repair, but the risk of losing invaluable pictures, documents and contacts stored in memory.

Fortunately, the MIUI ecosystem and Android provide several effective methods for backing up data even when the touchscreen is completely broken. You don't have to take the device to the service center right away; you can try to extract files yourself using a computer, cloud services or special adapters. Below we will discuss working algorithms of actions.

It should be understood that the success of the operation depends on whether certain functions were pre-enabled in the settings of the phone. USB-The debugging has been activated, your chances of saving data are as high as 100 percent, but even without it, there are workarounds that you should try before deciding to replace the matrix.

Using Mi Cloud Cloud Storage

The easiest and often forgotten way is to check cloud storage. Xiaomi smartphones by default offer synchronization of the gallery with the Mi Account. If you had the Internet (Wi-Fi or mobile network) on at the time of shooting, the photos could automatically be uploaded to the server.

To check, go from your computer to the official website of the cloud service. You will need to enter the username and password from your Mi Account. The site interface completely duplicates the folder structure in the phone, allowing you to view and download images in their original quality.

If you don't remember if sync was enabled, check the download status. Go to the Gallery section on the site. If your latest photos are there, you're lucky and the problem is solved. If the partition is empty, the automatic upload has been disabled, and you'll have to use more sophisticated hardware methods.

• 📸 Visit i.mi.com from any PC or tablet.
• 🔑 Sign in using the same Mi Account as on the broken phone.
• 📂 Go to the Gallery section and check for your photos.
• 💾 Select the desired files and click the “Download” button to save to your computer.

⚠️ Note: Background sync often turns off if the battery power drops below 15-20%. If the phone was dead, the last photos might not have time to fly to the cloud.

Connection through USB-cable and file transfer mode

This method only works in one particular case: if you have previously connected that smartphone to a particular computer and selected file transfer (MTP) mode, and you may have also ticked the Always Allow box, in which case, when you connect the cable, the phone will be identified as an external drive.

Connect the device to your PC via the original cable. If you can see at least a portion of the image on the screen despite the cracks, try to blindly unlock the screen and swipe open the notification curtain. There may be a hidden USB mode selection menu. If you're lucky enough to click on the right area, the computer will see the DCIM and Pictures folders.

However, if previously the mode was set as “Charge Only”, the Android security system will block access to files, in which case simply connecting the cable will not help, since the user’s permission is required to confirm access, which cannot be given without a working touchscreen.

There is a nuance with drivers. Sometimes Windows 10 or 11 can not automatically install the driver for a damaged device, in the Device Manager may appear unknown hardware, in which case it is worth trying to install universal drivers Google USB Driver or specialized software Mi PC Suite, although support for the latter program in new versions of MIUI is limited.

USB OTG: Controlling a mouse instead of a finger

One of the most effective ways to do this is if the touchscreen doesn't respond, but the image on the matrix is present (or you're acting at random). USB On-The-Go technology allows you to connect peripherals, such as a computer mouse, directly to a smartphone.

You'll need a USB-OTG adapter (often included or inexpensive) and a regular wired USB mouse. When you connect, a cursor should appear on the screen. Even if the touchscreen is shattered, but at least partially illuminates the image, you can grope the desired icons with the cursor and unlock the phone.

After unlocking the mouse, you can:

• 🖱️ Go to the settings and turn on USB-Debugging for further work with PC.
• ☁️ Activate sync with Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 📤 Send important files to yourself in Telegram ("Favorites") or by mail.
• 📱 Install a remote control app if you need to see a screen on a PC.

If the screen doesn't show anything (black), but the phone vibrates and makes sounds, you can try plugging the mouse in and blindly pressing the center of the screen (where the pattern lock or unlock button is usually located), and then holding the left mouse button to try to draw the key. This is difficult, but sometimes it works.

Setting up USB-debugging and working with ADB

For advanced users who have been pre-enabled USB-Debugging (Developer Options -> USB Debugging, which opens the file system through the command line, is the most powerful tool to ignore the lock screen.

To work, you'll need the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) toolkit. Download the platform tools from Google's official website and unpack them on your computer. Connect your phone with a cable to your PC. Open the command line in the ADB folder and enter a command to check the connection.

adb devices

If you have a device that has been listed, you're in luck. If you're unauthorized, you've got a permission request window on your phone, and you can't confirm it without a touchscreen or an OTG mouse, and if you're authorized, you can copy the entire photo folder with one command:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/ C:/Xiaomi_Photos_Backup/

This command will copy all the photos from the standard camera folder to the folder on your computer's C disk, which can take time depending on the amount of data and the speed of the cable, and it's important not to interrupt the connection until the process is over so as not to damage the file structure.

💡

If the adb pull command gives an error, try copying files in smaller portions first or using the adb pull /sdcard/ command for a full backup of internal memory.

Specialized software for data recovery

There are many third-party software that promises to pull it all out of a broken screen, like Dr.Fone, Tenorshare UltData, MobiKin, which works on the principle of scanning memory through debugging.

It’s worth noting that free versions of these programs usually only show which files can be recovered theoretically. Direct extraction will require a license. In addition, on modern versions of Android with disk encryption, these programs are often powerless without first unlocking.

Table of comparison of recovery methods:

Using third-party software makes sense if the built-in Android methods don't work, but be careful: download programs only from official developer sites so that you don't infect your computer with virus software.

Radical measures: Replacing the display or using HDMI

If data is critical and software methods don't work (debugging is off, the cloud is empty, the OTG can't see the mouse), then there's hardware intervention, and the most reliable way is to temporarily plug in a screen that's known to be working.

In service centers, the wizards often meet the challenge: they don't have to change the screen completely, but simply plug in a new matrix plume to do the copying procedure, which costs less than a full replacement, since you only pay for work and rent the screen for 15 minutes.

Some flagship Xiaomi models (Mi and Xiaomi series with numbers) support image output via USB-C port using a USB-C to HDMI adapter. If your smartphone supports video output (Desktop mode or just mirroring), you will be able to see the phone screen on your TV or monitor.

⚠️ Note: Support for video output through USB-C Not all Xiaomi models are available.Budget Redmi series and POCO Most often deprived of this function, transmitting only charging current and data, but not a video signal.

If the adapter HDMI It works, you'll see the image of the phone on the big screen, and you can't control the phone if you don't connect it at the same time. USB-It's a power hub and a mouse port, and it turns the smartphone into a computer, allowing you to have full control of the device and transfer files.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)