I can't transfer photos from Xiaomi to PC: what do I do?

Xiaomi mobile phones are very popular all over the world, not only because of their innovative features, but also because of their competitive prices. However, sometimes problems like this can arise: “I can’t transfer photos from Xiaomi to PC: what should I do?” Here are some solutions for you.

First, it is necessary to highlight the virtues of Xiaomi mobile devices. They offer one of the best value for money on the market, including a good range of advanced features and their own operating system (MIUI, based on Android).

Transfer photos from a Xiaomi mobile to PC

Focusing on the purpose of this post, let's first look at the methods we have at our disposal to connect a Xiaomi mobile device to a PC, in order to transfer data and files. These are our options:

Via USB cable

1. We connect the Xiaomi mobile to the PC through a USB Cable.
2. On the mobile, within the connection menu, we select the option Transfer files (MTP).
3. On the PC, we open the File Browser and we look for the connection.
4. Finally, we select the photos or files in the mobile folders, copy and paste.

Via Bluetooth

• To begin with, We activate the Bluetooth both on mobile and PC.
• On the mobile, we select the photos we want to transfer, we choose the option Share and we select Bluetooth.
• Lastly, We select the PC as the target device and we start the data transfer.

Using Mi Drop (Near Share)

1. First we must activate My Drop / Nearby Share on our mobile (this is a genuine Xiaomi solution).
2. On the PC, we install the application My Drop for Windows.
3. Then, on the mobile, we select the files we want to transfer and click on the option My Drop.
4. Finally, just follow the instructions that appear on the screen to send the files to your PC.

Through the Windows Photos app

1. As before, we connect our Xiaomi mobile to the PC using a USB cable.
2. On mobile, select the option Transfer photos (PTP).
3. On your PC, we open the application Photos.
4. There we select "To import" and we choose «From a USB device».

Beyond these methods, which are the most common, we have other less sophisticated but equally effective options to transfer photos from a Xiaomi mobile to a PC:

• Through one or more messages email.
• Using file transfer websites eg WeTransfer.
• Through one MicroSD card (if our mobile has a slot for it).
• Through Google Drive or any other cloud storage service.
• With external data transfer applicationssuch as AirDroid o SHAREit.

Most common problems and their solutions

Despite having so many options, there are often times when transferring photos from a Xiaomi mobile to a PC, problems can arise. Below we review some of the most common problems and their solutions so that the data transfer can be carried out successfully:

The PC does not recognize the device

Solutions:

• Try a different USB cable (some cables are charging only and do not allow transfers).
• Check the USB connection on the mobile.
• Use a different USB port.
• Restart both devices.

The option to transfer files on the mobile is not displayed

Solutions:

1. Activate USB debugging, a tool used to connect a mobile phone to a PC and correct connection errors.
2. Reset USB connection preferences from the phone's Settings menu.

Photos not showing up in File Explorer

Solutions:

• Confirm the actual location of your photos. They may not be in the folders most apps use by default, such as DCIM or Pictures.
• Refresh File Explorer as folders often don't load immediately.

Photo transfer is too slow or interrupted

Solutions:

• Check the number of files, as the more there are, the longer the transfer will take.
• Try a different USB port. Preferably a USB 3.0 port, which is faster.
• Disable the USB selective suspend option in Windows, generally used for power saving.
• Update the USB drivers on your PC.

There is not enough storage space on the PC

Solutions:

• Free up space on your computer by deleting unnecessary files.
• Use a cloud storage service as an alternative.

Photos appear as “corrupted files” on PC

Solutions:

• Check the actual condition of the photos on your phone to ensure that they are not damaged at source.
• Use photo recovery software, such as DiskDigger.

In theory, in this long list of solutions we have to find the one that will solve the problem we face in each case. In any case, The best alternative is to use the cloud or wireless applications like MiDropWith them we will avoid most of the most common problems.