How to sync your Xiaomi computer and phone: 5 proven ways

Why do you need synchronization between PC and Xiaomi?

Synchronizing Xiaomi devices with your computer saves time and makes it easier to work with files. Imagine if you take a picture of a document on your smartphone, and it's available on your desktop a second later. Or you start writing on your phone and end up on your laptop, without any unnecessary forwarding. It's not fantastic, it's standard MIUI ecosystem capabilities.

But what you don't know is that there are 4 ways to sync, other than the Mi Cloud cloud storage, over cable, over the LAN, through third-party apps, even through built-in Windows. Each method has its advantages: speed is important, security is important, and automatic synchronization in the background is needed somewhere, and we'll look at all the options, including the hidden MIUI 14/15 settings that allow you to bypass the restrictions on transferring large files.

Method 1: Sync with Mi Account (Cloud)

The most universal method is to use a Xiaomi account, which works on all the brand’s devices, including smartphones, tablets and even smartwatches, the main advantage is that data is available from any device, even if your phone is dead or lost.

How to set up:

• 📱 On the phone: go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and enable synchronization for the desired data (contacts, notes, photos).
• 💻 On PC: Open your browser and log in to i.mi.com under your account. Here you will see all the synchronized data.
• 📁 For files: install the official Mi Cloud app for Windows from Mi PC Suite.

Limitations of the method:

• ⚠️ Free tariff – only 5 GB (that is about 1000 photos in average quality).
• ⏳ Downloading large files (>500MB can take hours with slow internet.
• 🔒 Some data (e.g., some data, SMS) It only syncs between Xiaomi phones.

Method 2: Direct transmission by USB-cable

If you want to transfer a large amount of data (for example, video to video) 4K backup), USB-cable is the most reliable option. The transmission speed reaches 480 Mbit/s (USB 2.0) or 5 Gbps (USB 3.0), what 10-100 faster than Wi-Fi.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable (cheap analogues may not support data transfer).
2. On your phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the connection notification.
3. On PC, open This computer – your Xiaomi will appear as a removable drive.
4. Drag files like a flash drive. Use the Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V hotkeys to speed up.

Use the original Xiaomi cable

Enable MTP mode on the phone

Disable screen locking during transmission

Check the free space on the PC

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Important nuances:

⚠️ Attention: On phones with MIUI 14+ When you first connect to a new PC, you need to unlock access in the Security settings → Permits USB. Without it, the computer won’t see the files.

Method 3: Local synchronization over Wi-Fi (without cloud)

If you have a shared Wi-Fi network at home or in your office, you can set up sync without the Internet, a method that is suitable for regular file sharing between Xiaomi and PC without unnecessary action.

Implementation options:

• 📂 Through Mi Drop (built-in in the MIUI attachment):
• 🖥️ Through FTP-server (for advanced users):
• 🔄 Through Syncthing (cross-platform encryption software):

The advantages of Wi-Fi synchronization:

• ⚡ Speed up to 300 Mbps (depending on the router).
• 🔒 Data doesn’t go to the cloud, just to your local network.
• 🔄 You can set up automatic synchronization on a schedule.

💡

For maximum speed, connect your PC to your router via cable (Ethernet), and leave your phone on 5GHz Wi-Fi. This will reduce delays and speed up transfers.

Method 4: Third-Party Synchronization Applications

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t suit you, there are alternatives with advanced features, such as automatic photo backup, notification synchronization, or remote file access.

Top.-3 tested applications:

How do you choose?

• 📎 For backup – AirDroid or Syncthing.
• 🔔 For notifications - Pushbullet.
• 🔒 For privacy – LocalSend or Syncthing.

💡

Third-party applications are convenient but require a constant background process, which increases battery consumption by 5-15%.To save energy, use them only when necessary.

Method 5: Built-in tools for Windows 10/11

Few people know, but modern versions of Windows can sync with Android devices without additional software.

Setting:

1. On PC: Install your phone app from the Microsoft Store.
2. On your phone: install the Companion App from Google Play.
3. Sign in with the same Microsoft account on both devices.
4. In the application settings, enable synchronization of notifications, photos and messages.

What can be synchronized:

• 📷 The last 25 photos are automatically copied to the PC.
• 📩 Notifications from messengers are displayed on the desktop.
• 💬 SMS Calls (only for selected contacts).

⚠️ Note: The function of copying the screen of the phone on the PC works only on phones with MIUI 12.5+ and requires the developer mode enabled (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — press 7 times).

Solving synchronization problems

Even with the right setup, sometimes you fail, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions.

1. The phone is not detected by USB:

• 🔌 Check the cable and port (try another one) USB-PC-connector).
• 🔄 Reboot both devices.
• 🛠️ Update Xiaomi drivers via Mi PC Suite.

2.Mi Cloud does not sync files:

• 🌐 Check your internet connection (synchronization only works with a stable connection).
• 📥 Free up space in the cloud (remove unnecessary backups).
• ⏳ Wait. 10-15 Minutes – sometimes synchronization occurs with a delay.

3.Apps like AirDroid don't connect:

• 🔒 Allow access to the local network in the settings of the Windows firewall.
• 📶 Connect your phone and PC to the same Wi-Fi network (not to different bands) 2.4/5 GHz!).
• 🔄 Reinstall the app on both devices.

FAQ: Frequent questions on synchronization Xiaomi and PC