How to Install a Xiaomi MTP Driver in Windows

When a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO phone charges over USB but never shows up in File Explorer, Windows usually has no working MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) driver for it. On Windows 10 64-bit you normally don't need a separate download. MTP support is built into Windows, and the fix is usually to make the phone offer file transfer and then point Windows at its own driver.

Before you start

Everything here runs locally on your PC and phone. MTP file transfer happens directly over the USB cable and doesn't need an account or an online service. Windows Update may offer driver updates, but you can install the standard MTP driver without it.

• Confirm your Windows edition and architecture under Settings > System > About. The System type line shows whether you are on a 64-bit operating system.
• Use a USB cable that carries data. Some cables only charge, and the phone will never appear on any computer with them.
• Connect directly to a USB port on the PC rather than through a hub or monitor port while troubleshooting.
• Unlock the phone. Android generally doesn't expose its storage to a computer while the screen is locked.
• Know that Xiaomi's own USB drivers are mainly for ADB and fastboot, as used by flashing and debugging tools. File transfer relies on the Windows MTP driver. If you download any driver package, get it from a source you can verify, not from a random driver site.

Step-by-step instructions

Work through these steps in order and stop as soon as the phone appears in File Explorer. Each step can be undone.

• 1. Connect the phone to the PC and unlock it.
• 2. On the phone, pull down the notification shade and tap the USB notification. Choose the option for file transfer, which is usually labelled File transfer or MTP. Avoid Charging only or Photos (PTP). Exact labels vary between MIUI and HyperOS versions.
• 3. Wait a few seconds. If Windows installs the device automatically, open File Explorer and look for the phone under This PC. If it is there, you are done.
• 4. If not, right-click Start and open Device Manager. Look for the phone under Portable Devices, Other devices or Universal Serial Bus devices. A yellow warning icon or a generic name such as MTP means the driver didn't install.
• 5. Right-click that entry and choose Update driver, then Browse my computer for drivers (older builds say driver software).
• 6. Choose Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer. If a device type list appears, select Portable Devices.
• 7. Select Standard MTP Device as the manufacturer, or the entry shown in brackets, and MTP USB Device as the model. Confirm any warning and finish the wizard.
• 8. Unplug the phone, reconnect it, unlock it and select file transfer again.

If MTP USB Device isn't in the list at all, check your Windows edition. Windows 10 N editions ship without the Media Feature Pack, which includes the components MTP depends on. Install the Media Feature Pack that matches your Windows 10 version, restart, and repeat the steps above.

To undo a driver change, open the device's Properties in Device Manager and use Roll Back Driver on the Driver tab if it is available. You can also uninstall the device and reconnect the phone so Windows detects it again. Leave the option to delete driver software unchecked unless you mean to remove it.

Check the output

• In Device Manager, the phone should appear under Portable Devices with no warning icon.
• In File Explorer, the phone should appear under This PC by its model name. Opening it should show internal storage and folders such as DCIM.
• Copy one small test file from the phone to the PC and one from the PC to the phone, then open each copy to confirm it is intact.

MTP behaves differently from a USB flash drive. The phone doesn't get a drive letter, and some desktop apps can't open or edit files directly on the device. Copy files to a local folder first when you need to work with them. Large folders, such as a camera roll with many photos and videos, can take a while to list.

Common problems and next steps

• The phone charges but Windows shows nothing: try another cable and port first, then confirm the USB mode is set to file transfer.
• The phone appears but its storage is empty: unlock the phone, reselect file transfer, and reopen the device in File Explorer.
• The USB mode keeps resetting to charging: select file transfer again after each connection. Whether a default can be saved depends on the phone's software version.
• Device Manager shows an error code after the update: uninstall the device, unplug the phone, restart Windows and reconnect.
• You searched for a Xiaomi MTP driver download: file transfer normally needs only the built-in Windows driver. Install Xiaomi's USB driver only if you specifically need ADB or fastboot.

If the phone still isn't recognized after these steps, test it on another computer. If it works there, the problem is the original PC's USB ports or drivers. If it fails everywhere with several known data cables, the phone's USB port or software may need attention.