ShareMi on Xiaomi Redmi: A Complete Guide to Setup and Use

ShareMi (or Mi Share) is Xiaomi’s proprietary technology for fast file sharing between the brand’s ecosystem devices, and works on the Wi-Fi Direct principle, but with unique improvements: transfer speeds of up to 20 MB/s, no file size restrictions, and support for simultaneous sending to multiple recipients. If you own a Redmi Note 12, Redmi 10 or another model of the series, this feature will be an indispensable alternative to Bluetooth or instant messengers.

However, ShareMi has nuances: it requires authorization in Mi Account, correctly works only on devices with a mobile phone. MIUI 12+, In this article, we will discuss how to enable and configure the function, what files can be transferred, and also look at common errors and their solutions.

If you share photos, videos or documents frequently between Xiaomi smartphones, ShareMi will save you time and traffic, but before you use the feature, it is important to understand its capabilities and limitations – this will help to avoid disappointment. Not everyone knows what to do with the transfer of files between Redmi and POCO It is necessary to include a special compatibility mode.

What is ShareMi and how does it work?

ShareMi (formerly known as Mi Drop) is a proprietary data exchange protocol developed by Xiaomi for devices based on the same name. MIUI. Unlike classic Wi-Fi Direct, the technology is optimized to work within the brand ecosystem: it automatically detects nearby Xiaomi, Redmi or other devices. POCO, supports transmission without an Internet connection and encrypts data in the process.

Technically, ShareMi uses a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE):

• 🔍 Search for devices is carried out through BLE — It saves battery power.
• 📶 File transfer goes over Wi-Fi Direct at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz (depending on the smartphone model).
• 🔒 Data encryption is done by protocol WPA2-PSK, shield.
• 📱 Cross-platform: works not only between smartphones, but also with Xiaomi laptops (when installing Mi) PC Suite).

Transfer speed depends on the device model and version MIUI. For example, on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ s MIUI 14 average speed is 15-18 MB / s, whereas on older models like Redmi 9A It can drop to 8-10 MB/s. It is important to note that ShareMi does not consume mobile traffic – data is exchanged directly between devices.

A critical nuance: if one of the devices is disabled Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, ShareMi will not work, even if the function is enabled in the settings, this is a common cause of connection errors.

What devices support ShareMi

ShareMi is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, steerable MIUI 12 and later, but there are important exceptions:

• ❌ Devices with MIUI 11 and older (e.g. Redmi 8 on stock firmware) do not support the function.
• ⚠️ In some models, POCO (for example, POCO X3 NFC) manual renewal required MIUI last-minute.
• 🖥️ Xiaomi laptops and tablets (such as Mi Pad 5) support ShareMi only when installing proprietary software.

Below is a compatibility table for popular Redmi models:

If your model is not listed in the table, check for the function along the way: Settings → Connections and sharing → ShareMi. If there is no item, update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

⚠️ Note: On custom firmware devices (such as LineageOS), ShareMi may not work due to the lack of branded Xiaomi drivers.

How to Enable and Configure ShareMi on Redmi

Activation of the function takes less than a minute, but requires several mandatory steps.

1. Sign in to Mi Account on both devices. Without that, ShareMi won't work.

For convenience, you can configure the device name (to make it easier to find) and a folder to save the received files. 11 default — /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/ShareMi, But it can be changed in the settings of the function.

Sign in to Mi Account on both devices|Enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth|Update MIUI last-minute|Set the visibility of the device on "For all" (at the first connection)|Check the free space on the receiving device-->

If ShareMi does not find the device, try the following:

• 🔄 Reboot both smartphones – it resets the cache of network connections.
• 📱 Turn off the power saving mode – it can block the background work of Wi-Fi Direct.
• 🛠️ Reset network settings in Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting Wi-Fi, Mobile Network and Bluetooth.

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If file transfer is interrupted, try reducing the distance between devices to 1-2 meters or disable it. VPN — It can block local connection.

What files can be transferred through ShareMi

ShareMi supports transfer of almost any type of file, but there are limitations in size and format:

• 📸 Photos and videos: JPG, PNG, HEIC, MP4, MOV (Maximum size – up to 2 GB on most devices).
• 📄 Documents: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX (No size limits, but the speed of transferring large files is reduced).
• 🎵 Audio: MP3, FLAC, WAV (Playlists are supported in format M3U).
• 📁 Archives and APK: ZIP, RAR, APK (transmission APK It can be blocked by security settings).

ShareMi does not support the transfer:

• 🚫 Protected. DRM-Files (such as movies from Netflix or Disney)+).

When transferring multiple files simultaneously, ShareMi packages them into a file. ZIP-If you need to submit a folder that saves the structure, pre-archive it manually (for example, through Google Files or ZArchiver).

Typical ShareMi Problems and Solutions

Despite the convenience, Redmi users often encounter errors when using ShareMi. Let’s consider the most common of them and how to fix them:

1.The device is not on the list

• 🔹 Make sure both smartphones include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ShareMi.
• 🔹 Make sure that the devices are no more than 5 meters apart.
• 🔹 Restart your router if you’re connected to the same network – sometimes it blocks Wi-Fi Direct.

2. the transmission is interrupted or is too slow

• 🔹 Turn it off. VPN Firewalls (e.g. Avast or 360 Security).
• 🔹 Switch from 5 GHz to 2.4 GHz in Wi-Fi settings (on some Redmi 5 GHz models, it is unstable).
• 🔹 Clear the ShareMi app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management → ShareMi → Warehouse → Clear the cache.

3. "Unable to connect" error

• 🔹 Remove saved devices from the ShareMi list and try to connect again.
• 🔹 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version – in old builds there are bugs with Wi-Fi Direct.
• 🔹 Reset your network settings (see instructions in the previous section).

⚠️ Note: If ShareMi still doesn’t work after all the manipulations, check if the antivirus or battery optimizer is blocking the function. Some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU) require manual resolution activation for Wi-Fi Direct in Settings → Special facilities → Applicants' authorizations.

ShareMi compared to Nearby Share and Quick Share

ShareMi is not the only fast file sharing technology, but let’s look at how it compares to Google and Samsung.

ShareMi beats competitors in speed and no restrictions on file types, but loses in cross-platform. If you need to transfer files between Xiaomi and Samsung, you better use Nearby Share or classic Bluetooth.

Nearby Share is versatile but runs slower and requires Google Play Services, which don't always function consistently on Xiaomi with custom firmware. Samsung's Quick Share is convenient for owners of galaxy devices, but useless in the Xiaomi ecosystem.

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If you only use Xiaomi devices, ShareMi is the best choice, and Nearby Share or cloud services are better suited for cross-platform sharing.

ShareMi Alternatives for Redmi Owners

If ShareMi is not suitable for some reason, consider the following alternatives:

1. Nearby Share (Google)

• ✅ It works on any Android device.
• ✅ Supports Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth and Hotspot transmission.
• ❌ Slower than ShareMi by 30-40%.

How to turn on: Settings → Google → Devices and sharing → Nearby Share.

2. Snapdrop (web service)

• ✅ It works through the browser, does not require installation.
• ✅ Supports transfer between Android, iOS and PC.
• ❌ Requires a connection to a single Wi-Fi network.

Reference: https://snapdrop.net.

3.Local. FTP-server, FX File Explorer)

• ✅ Suitable for transferring large files (more than 2 GB).
• ✅ You can set up access by password.
• ❌ Requires manual adjustment IP-address.

4. Telegram/WhatsApp

• ✅ Convenient for small files (up to 2 GB in Telegram).
• ❌ Requires Internet and compresses video/photo.

For maximum speed and no restrictions, we recommend combining methods, for example, for the transfer of photos, it is convenient to use ShareMi, and for large videos — FTP-server.

FAQ: Frequent questions about ShareMi on Redmi