How to link Xiaomi smartphone with a laptop: all the ways of 2026

Connecting a Xiaomi smartphone to a laptop opens up a lot of possibilities, from simply transferring photos to using the phone as a webcam or even managing Android applications from a large screen. However, many users face problems — devices can not see each other, files are not copied, and the phone screen is not displayed on a PC. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of connecting, including hidden MIUI settings, which the manufacturer does not advertise.

Xiaomi’s technology is characterized by proprietary protocols like Mi Share and firmware-level restrictions, such as the latest MIUI 14/15, which block USB debugging by default for security, and file transfers over MTP can be unstable, and we’ve tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5 and Xiaomi 13 Ultra models, and are ready to provide working solutions even for older devices on MIUI 12.

1. Connection through USB-cable: the basic method and its pitfalls

The most obvious way is to connect your phone and laptop with a USB-TypeC cable (or MicroUSB for older models), but there are a few pitfalls:

  • 🔌 The cable has to support data transmission -- charging cables often don't fit. Check the labeling: look for the labels. USB 2.0 Data or USB 3.1 Gen1.
  • 📱 The default connection mode can be set as “Charging” rather than “File Transfer" (MTP).
  • 🖥️ On Windows laptops 10/11 Sometimes you need to install the Mi Phone Manager driver, even if you don’t plan to use it.

Step instructions:

  1. Connect your phone to your laptop with the original cable (or USB-IF certified cable).
  2. On the screen of the smartphone will appear USB notification for... – tap on it.
  3. Select File Transfer Mode (MTP). If there is no such item, go to Settings → Connection and sharing → USB-plug in and plug in MTP manually.
  4. On your laptop, open this computer - the phone should appear as a removable disk.

Use the original cable|Set the regimen on MTP phone-on|Check drivers on PC|Reboot both devices in case of errors-->

If the telephone is not identified:

  • 🔄 Try another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 3.0 blue).
  • 🔧 On Windows, update the driver through Device Manager (Portable Devices section).
  • 📵 Turn on the phone Developer Mode and activate Debugging by USB (Path: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).

💡

If your laptop can't see Xiaomi via USB, try connecting your phone to another computer, and if the problem recurs, the connector or cable is faulty.

2. Wireless file transfer: Mi Share vs. standard Wi-Fi Direct

If the cable is not on hand or damaged, wireless technology comes to the rescue. Xiaomi offers its proprietary Mi Share protocol (formerly Mi Drop), which runs faster than standard Wi-Fi Direct, but has limitations:

CharacteristicsMi ShareWi-Fi DirectBluetooth
Transmission speedUp to 20MB/sUp to 10MB/sUp to 1 MB/s
Max. File size.Not limited.Limited memory capacityUp to 50MB
Support for PCOnly with Mi PC SuiteAny laptopAny laptop
Energy consumptionAverage.High.Low.

How to use Mi Share:

  1. On your phone, open the Mi Share app (or Quick Transfer in newer versions of MIUI).
  2. Select files to send and click Send.
  3. On your laptop, install Mi PC Suite and enable Mi Share in the program settings.
  4. Confirm the connection on both devices.

For Wi-Fi Direct (without additional software):

  1. On the phone: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Wi-Fi Direct.
  2. On your laptop: Enable Wi-Fi Direct through Settings → Devices → Bluetooth and other devices (in Windows 10/11).
  3. Select your phone from the list of available devices and confirm the connection.
Why doesn't Mi Share find the laptop?
If the Mi PC Suite does not detect the phone, check: 1. Antivirus does not block network connections (add the program in exceptions). 2. The phone is enabled modem (sometimes conflicts with Mi Share). 3. Laptop and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (even for Mi Share this is critical in recent versions).

3. Use of the phone as a webcam or second screen

Xiaomi smartphone can be turned into a full-fledged webcam for Zoom/Teams Or use it as an extra monitor, and you'll need special applications to do that:

  • 🎥 Webcam: DroidCam (free) or Iriun Webcam (paid version without watermarks).
  • 🖥️ Second screen: ApowerMirror or TeamViewer QuickSupport (for remote control).
  • 🎮 Game streaming: Scrcpy (to display the phone screen on a PC with mouse/keyboard control).

Instructions for DroidCam:

  1. Install DroidCam on your phone (Google Play) and on your laptop (official website).
  2. Connect devices to a single Wi-Fi network or via USB.
  3. Launch the app on your phone and record it. IP-port.
  4. In the program on PC, enter this data and press Start.
  5. In your video calling settings (e.g., in Zoom), select DroidCam Source as your camera.

Video calls (Zoom/Teams)| Streaming (Twitch/YouTube)| Video lessons | Photography (instead of DSLR) | Do not use-->

To display the phone screen on PC via Scrcpy:

1. Download Scrcpy from GitHub: https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy


2. Connect your phone over USB and enable debugging (see Section 1).




3. Run the command line in the Scrcpy folder and type:




scrcpy --bit-rate 8M --max-fps 60




For wireless connection:




adb tcpip 5555




adb connect IP_TELEphone:5555




scrcpy -w

Important: When using Scrcpy over Wi-Fi, image delay can reach 100-150 ms, which is critical for gaming, but suitable for working with documents.

4.The solution to the problems: why the laptop does not see Xiaomi

If the connection is not established, check the following points:

💡

In 90% of cases, the problem lies in drivers, cable or settings. USB-phone-only.

  • 🔌 Cable: try another cable (preferably original) cheap cables often don't transmit data.
  • 📱 Regime. USB: The phone should be selected MTP (Media Transfer Protocol, not the PTP or Charging.
  • 🖥️ Drivers: On Windows, remove old drivers through Device Manager (Portable Devices) and reconnect your phone.
  • 🛡️ Antivirus: temporarily disable protection – some programs (for example, Kaspersky) block ADB-linkage.

If the phone is defined as an unknown device:

  1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
  2. Find the device with the exclamation point, right-click → Update the driver → Search for drivers on this computer.
  3. Select Install from the specified location and specify the path to the folder with the Mi PC Suite drivers (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Xiaomi\MiPhone\Driver).

⚠️ Note: If you connect Xiaomi to a laptop on macOS, install Android File Transfer (official site). Linux may require manual installation of mtp-tools and gvfs-mtp packages.

5. Alternative methods: cloud services and FTP-server

If direct file transfer does not work, use cloud services or built-in FTP-server-side MIUI:

  • ☁️ Cloud: Upload files to Mi Cloud, Google Drive, or Yandex Disk, then download them to your laptop.
  • 🌐 FTP-server MIUI built-in FTP-server for transferring files over a local network.
  • 📤 Email/Messengers: send files to your mail or via Telegram (limit — 2 GB per file).

How to set up FTP-server:

  1. Connect your phone and laptop to the same Wi-Fi network.
  2. On the phone, open Files → FTP (on the menu on the right).
  3. Click Launch and the address of the view ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx appears.
  4. On the laptop, open Explorer, enter the address in the address bar and press Enter.
  5. For authentication, use the anonymous login and any password (or enter data from the phone).

Advantages of FTP:

  • 🚀 Transfer speed is higher than Bluetooth.
  • 📁 You can transfer entire folders without archiving.
  • 🔒 There are no limits on file sizes (unlike messengers).

⚠️ Attention: do not use FTP To transmit sensitive data on public networks (e.g., in a cafe) Traffic is not encrypted!

6. Laptop phone control: ADB and Mi Remote

For advanced users: ADB (Android Debug Bridge) allows you to fully control your phone from a PC – install apps, make backups, and even unlock hidden MIUI features.

Instructions for setting up ADB:

  1. Download Platform Tools from Google: link.
  2. Unpack the archive in the folder C:\adb.
  3. Enable USB debugging on your phone (see section 1).
  4. Connect your phone to your laptop and open the command line in the adb folder.
  5. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is displayed – the connection is established.

Examples of useful ADB-team:

  • Install APK: adb install path to file.apk
  • Backup creation: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab
  • Unlocking hidden settings MIUI: adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1

For remote screen control without Scrcpy, you can use Mi Remote (part of the Mi PC Suite), but the functionality there is limited.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

Can I connect Xiaomi to a laptop without a cable?
There are several ways to do this: Mi Share (requires Mi). PC Suite. via Wi-Fi Direct (built into Windows) 10/11). Through FTP-The server is in the Files app, using Google Drive, Mi Cloud, and the fastest method is Mi Share. 20 MB/s), but it works only with Xiaomi proprietary software.
Why does a USB phone only charge but not transfer files?
Causes and solutions: 🔌 Cable does not support data transfer – use the original cable from Xiaomi. 📱 Not selected regime MTP — Swipe down the notification panel and select File Transfer. 🖥️ There are no drivers – install Mi PC Suite or update the driver manually through Device Manager. 🛡️ Blocking with antivirus – temporarily disable protection or add an exception for adb.exe.
How to transfer files from Xiaomi to a laptop via Bluetooth?
Instructions: On your phone: Settings → Bluetooth → turn on visibility. On your laptop: Settings → Devices → Bluetooth → add a new device. Confirm pairing on both devices. On your phone, select files → Share → Bluetooth → Select a laptop. On your laptop, confirm file acceptance. Limits: Speed up to 1MB/s. Maximum file size is usually up to 50MB.
Can Xiaomi be used as a laptop microphone?
Yes, for that: Install WO Mic on your phone and PC (official site). Connect your devices to the same Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth. On your phone, launch WO Mic and select Transport → Wi-Fi (or Bluetooth). On your laptop, in your audio settings, select Microphone (WO Mic Device) as your input device. Wi-Fi audio delay is about 100–200 ms, which is noticeable when recording voice messages, but is tolerant for calls.
How to connect Xiaomi to a laptop on MacOS?
On macOS, the algorithm is: Install Android File Transfer. Connect your phone with a cable and select MTP mode. Run Android File Transfer, the phone should show up in the program. If the phone is not determined: Check the cable (you need the original or certified USB-IF). Reboot the phone and Mac. In the Terminal, type: killall AppleMobileDeviceHelper then disconnect and reconnect the phone.