Xiaomi phone crashed: how to transfer data to your computer without loss

Introduction: Why Standard Methods Don't Work

A broken Xiaomi screen is not just a nuisance, it’s a real headache if the device has stored important data, such as photos, work documents, correspondence or contacts. The main problem is that when the display or sensor is damaged, the standard file transfer methods (via the MIUI File Explorer or the cloud) become unavailable. Even if the phone turns on, but the screen does not respond to touch or displays artifacts, you will not be able to unlock it or confirm your connection to the PC.

The situation becomes more complicated if:

• 🔒 The device was enabled lock pattern lock/PIN-a fingerprint or facial recognition is not working due to damage.
• 🔌 The phone is not defined by the computer as MTP-device (for example, due to a broken device) USB-port-driver).
• ☁️ Sync with Mi Cloud was disabled and backups were not automatically created.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to extract data from a broken Xiaomi (including the Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4, Mi 11/12, etc.), even if the screen is completely black or the phone does not respond to the connection. Importantly, some methods require pre-tuning (for example, debugging over USB), so their effectiveness depends on whether these options were activated before breaking.

Method 1: Connect via USB in MTP mode (if the screen is partially running)

If Xiaomi displays an image (even with artifacts) but the sensor doesn’t react, try connecting the phone to your PC via a USB-Type C cable (or Micro-USB for older models). The main condition is that the device must be enabled to debug via USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap → Additional → For developers → USB debugging).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your computer with the original cable (don’t use cheap ones, they may not be transmitting data).
2. Xiaomi should display a notification on the screen, "Allow access to data?" If the screen is partially working, try confirming the resolution with the mouse connected via the device. OTG-Adapter (works on most models) Redmi/POCO s MIUI 12+).
3. On PC, open This computer – the phone should be defined as a removable drive (for example, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10).
4. Copy the necessary files from the DCIM folders (photo / video), Downloads (downloads), Pictures (images from instant messengers).

The original Xiaomi cable is connected

On the PC installed drivers Mi PC Suite

The phone screen responds a little to the lighting.

Debugging by USB was turned on before the breakage-->

⚠️ Note: If the phone is defined as a “memory device” but the folders are empty, try reconnecting the cable or using another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0) On some models POCO You need to unlock the bootloader, otherwise access to files will be limited.

Method 2: Using Mi PC Suite (Official Software from Xiaomi)

Mi PC Suite is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi that allows you to manage phone data through a computer even if the screen is not working. The program supports backup of contacts, messages, photos and applications. You can download it from the official website (version for Windows 7/10/11).

How to transfer data:

1. Install Mi PC Suite on your PC and connect your phone with a cable.
2. If the Xiaomi screen is turned on but does not respond to touch, wait until the program itself determines the device (it may take 1-2 minutes).
3. In the main menu of utilities, select the "Backup" section.
4. Check the data types to save (e.g., Contacts, Gallery, Messages) and click Create a Backup.
5. After the process is complete, the files will be saved in the C:\Users\[Your name]\MiPhoneBackup folder.

⚠️ Attention: Mi PC Suite does not work with phones that do not unlock the bootloader. If the program gives an error when connecting, "Device is not supported", then you will need to unlock through the Mi Unlock Tool (instruction below).

Manual copying on PC|Mi PC Suite|Mi Cloud|Google Drive|Other-->

Method 3: Retrieving data via ADB (for advanced users)

If debugging is on USB (USB Debugging was enabled on the phone before it broke, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) — This is a tool that can control the device through the command line, and it's a method that can be used to extract files even if the screen is completely black, but the phone is turned on and determined by the PC.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools (platform-tools package from Google).
2. Connect Xiaomi to your computer and open the command line (Win + R → enter cmd).
3. Check if the PC sees the device by entering the command: adb devices If in response you see the serial number of the phone – the connection is successful.
4. Copy the desired files on the PC command (example for photos): adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/ C:\Xiaomi_Backup\Photos

List of key folders to retrieve:

• 📷 /sdcard/DCIM/ — photo and video.
• 📥 /sdcard/Downloads/ — file-load.
• 💬 /sdcard/Android/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db — database SMS (requires conversion).
• 📞 /sdcard/Android/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db — contact.

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If the adb pull command doesn’t work, try root accessing through the adb shell su first (requires an unlocked bootloader).

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB extract contacts2.db or mmssms.db requires additional actions: these files can not just be copied - they must be opened using special utilities (for example, SQLite Browser). PC Suite.

Method 4: Recovery via Mi Cloud (if synchronized)

If your Xiaomi has been enabled to sync with Mi Cloud, you can recover some of the data even without physically accessing your phone.

• ☁️ You have access to your Mi Account (login and password).
• 🔄 Synchronization was enabled in settings (Settings) → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization).
• 📅 The latest changes were saved to the cloud (check the date of the last backup).

How to recover data:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. In the Cloud section, select Gallery, Contacts or Notes.
3. Click Export to download files to your PC (photos are saved in.zip format).

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Files from internal memory (such as documents or music) are not automatically synced – only if you manually uploaded them to Mi Cloud.
• 📂 Applications and their data (e.g. saved in games) are not restored.
• 🔒 If the phone has enabled data encryption, access to files through the cloud may be restricted.

Method 5: Unlock the bootloader and TWRP firmware (extreme method)

If all previous methods failed, the radical solution is to unlock the bootloader and install custom recovery (TWRP), which allows full access to the phone's file system even if the screen is not working, and is only suitable for advanced users, as it carries the risk of total data loss if errors occur.

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (requires to link the Mi Account to the device in advance!).
2. Download TWRP for your Xiaomi model from twrp.me.
3. Install TWRP via Fastboot command: fastboot flash recovery twrp.img fastboot boot twrp.img
4. In TWRP, connect your phone to your PC and copy files via MTP or ADB.

⚠️ Attention:

⚠️ Unlocking the bootloader erases all data on the phone if a backup was not made through TWRP This method is only useful if: The encryption on the phone is disabled (otherwise, the encryption is disabled). TWRP You're prepared to risk building up your device (if the firmware goes wrong) and there was no important data in your apps (e.g., banking or work).

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Unlocking the bootloader will void Xiaomi’s warranty and may result in data loss. Use this method only as a last resort if other methods have not worked.

What do you do if nothing helps?

If neither method works, there are two options:

1. Repair of the screen or sensor in the service center. The cost of replacing the display on Xiaomi varies from 3,000 to 10,000 rubles depending on the model. After repair, you can unlock the phone and copy the data in standard ways.
2. Call the data recovery lab, and they can extract information directly from the memory chip (eMMC/UFS), But it's expensive. 15 000 ruble and does not guarantee 100% result.

Before you carry your phone for repair, check:

• 🔧 Is there physical damage to the board (for example, after a fall or water hit) in which case data recovery may not be possible.
• 🔒 Was BitLocker enabled or encryption enabled? MIUI. If yes, then without a password to decrypt the data will not work.
• ☁️ Whether there were cloud backups in Google Drive or Mi Cloud, sometimes users forget that sync was set up automatically.

Yes, it worked | Yes, but unsuccessful | No, just looking for a way | Contacted the service center-->

FAQ: Frequent questions on data transfer from broken Xiaomi