Transferring photos from the Xiaomi smartphone to a USB stick – Here's how it works
You want to copy your photos and videos from your Xiaomi Android smartphone to a USB stick? No problem - Android, whether with MIUI or the new HyperOS, makes this quite easy nowadays. Many current smartphones, including numerous Xiaomi models, are equipped with a USB-C port. Therefore, we recommend a USB stick with a USB-C connector – this can be used directly on the device, without any adapter. If you still want to use a classic USB stick with a Type-A connector, you will need a suitable OTG adapter for that. We have linked some articles at the bottom of the post.
For a long-term archiving of your images and videos, however, a USB stick is not the best choice. The integrated flash storage in inexpensive models is often not designed for long-term storage. If you want to securely and permanently preserve your memories, we recommend an external hard drive or, even better, an SSD. These are now very affordable and offer significantly higher quality – ideally, you should choose a product from a reputable manufacturer.
Renick Büttner
Senior Software Engineer & Certified IT-Expert · Working in IT since 2014.
How do I transfer photos from a Xiaomi Android smartphone to a USB stick?
Copying photos to an external USB stick is not difficult. Whether you want to print photos at Rossmann, view your images on the TV in large, or simply create a backup – our guide will help!
With an Android smartphone, whether it has Xiaomi MIUI or the new Xiaomi HyperOS, transferring your photos and videos to a USB stick is quick and easy. The file manager app looks different with other manufacturers, but the general steps remain the same.
The following steps are necessary:
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Open File Manager: Tap on the File Manager on the home screen or in the app launcher of your Xiaomi device to access your files. Then, connect your USB stick.
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Overview of Your Files: After opening, an overview will appear. Here you can see directly if your USB stick has been recognized. Convenient shortcuts will take you to your pictures, videos, or other files.
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Select Images and Videos: In the "Pictures" section, select the desired photos or videos. You can mark multiple files at once using small selection points on the images.
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Copy Images: Tap on the "More" menu and then on "Copy" to start the copying process.
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Select Destination Medium: Now select the USB stick as the destination medium. It should appear as an external drive in the overview.
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Select Destination Folder: Navigate to the folder on the USB stick where you want to save your files. Then tap on "Paste" to begin the copying process.
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Start Copying: Depending on the number of selected files, copying may take a few minutes. Place your Xiaomi smartphone calmly on a table during this time to avoid accidentally disconnecting the USB stick.
Practical tips
- 🔋 Battery condition: Make sure your smartphone has enough battery to ensure a smooth transfer process.
- 🔍 Check USB stick storage capacity: Ensure there is enough storage space on the USB stick before transferring large amounts of photos.
- ⚠️ Data security: A USB stick is not a secure medium for permanent storage. For archiving your images, we recommend an external hard drive, as high-quality storage chips are used here.
