Why doesn't Mi PC Suite see your Xiaomi smartphone?

Sometimes Mi PC Suite does not recognize the connected Xiaomi phone. This article will tell you why this happens and how to fix it.

, a downloadable version was released in July 2015. Therefore, it can only work with devices released before this date: Xiaomi Mi 1, 1S, 2, 2A, 2S, 3, 4, 4i, Mi Note, Mi Pad, Redmi 1, 1S, 2, Redmi Note.

For newer phone models, the My Phone Explorer program is suitable.

No electrical contact

There are 3 elements to blame for this: the USB cable and ports on the smartphone and computer. To check the wire operation you need:

1. Inspect. There should be no cuts or puncture ruptures on it.
2. Connect the phone to the charger using the cord being tested. If charging has started, the cable is intact.
3. Move the plug in the microUSB port of the device. If charging starts/stops, the connector is faulty.
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After checking the serviceability of the cable and charging connector, it is recommended to connect the phone to different USB ports located on the back of the system unit.

What is the program for and what can it do?

Mi PC Suite is a kind of file manager with advanced functionality that performs a number of useful actions for the user. First of all, you get access to the external and internal memory of the phone. Music, videos, archives, APK files are sorted and automatically located in separate thematic folders.

By installing MiPhoneAssistant (new name), you get all the contents of the device on the main screen of the application. The program can also perform important system procedures:

• Data backup (a more advanced option compared to the one built into MIUI).
• File recovery.
• Installing a new firmware version for your smartphone via Recovery (built-in Mi Recovery only).

Much attention is paid to notes. You can easily create to-do lists , keep track of your schedule, and change color blocks. And all this in one application - Mi PC Suite!

Complex solutions

If it is not possible to cope with connecting a smartphone to a computer using standard methods, users will have to use auxiliary programs. In this case, phone owners are able to install:

• official applications and emulators;
• unofficial programs for setting up the gadget;
• special services that automatically set optimal operating parameters.

Special attention should be paid to the update of the Chinese operating system MIUI (present on every phone in parallel with Android) to eliminate possible hardware incompatibility.

Android Terminal Emulator

Terminal Emulator is the official application mentioned above and can be downloaded from Google Play. To use the program you will need:

1. install it on your phone;
2. start the service and enter the SU command in the window that opens;
3. then write setprop persist.sys.usb.config mass_storage, adb;
4. The last step is to use the reboot command.

After that, all that remains is to reconnect the smartphone to the computer and check if the problem goes away. If Mi PC Suite does not see your Xiaomi phone, you should use alternative solutions. MIUI update is preferable.

If you have any questions or complaints, please let us know

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QCustomShortcut

QCustomShortcut is an example of an unofficial application that allows you to connect your device to a PC. It will have to be downloaded from third-party resources; the smartest thing to do to find the file is to visit specialized forums where there are verified links. When the utility is downloaded, you will be left with:

1. install the service on a smartphone;
2. find the package section and enter com.android.settings in the window that opens;
3. then open the class section and enter com.android.settings.USbsettings in it;
4. The last step is to click the “create shortcut” button.
5. The manipulations performed will help you connect the gadget to a PC or laptop.

Mi account login error: reasons, what to do, how to remove the notification

Driver Installation Application

The third way to bypass existing restrictions and connect a smartphone is to download special programs designed to search and install drivers. There are many similar programs, so choosing the right one will not be difficult. To choose the best option, it is recommended to read reviews in advance and study the main features of each application. As a result, the likelihood of making a mistake will be minimal.

Update MIUI

If all of the above methods do not resolve the problem, and the user is unable to understand why the connection cannot be established, it is worth updating MIUI. For this you will need:

1. go to PC Suite settings;
2. check the box with the word Internet;
3. wait a little until a large upward-pointing arrow appears below;
4. click on it and wait until the new software is downloaded and installed;
5. reboot the device.

The listed actions are sufficient to bring the software up to date.

Where to download Mi PC Suite

Below are links to download different versions of the utility. I recommend watching our video review (at the end of the article) before starting work.

Mi Phone Assistant 3.0

English stable version (translation by TomHenson):

Mi PC Suite ver.4.2

Russian beta version (translation by TomHenson):

Mi PC Suite ver.3.0 Beta

Download the archive using the button above, unpack it and run the .exe installation file!

Mi Phone Assistant 2.0

Russian version (works 50/50):

MiPCSuite 2.0 RU

English version (link to repository from the official website):

MiPCSuite 2.0 EN

The English version was released in 2015; it has never been updated on the official website (pcsuite.mi.com).

Reinstalling drivers

Few users know that a Xiaomi smartphone in most cases still connects to a personal computer, but the PC does not display any notifications about this. In this case, the usual window prompting you to open the smartphone folders does not appear, and the internal contents are not displayed in the “My Computer” folder.

Here it is important to find out whether the device is recognized by the computer itself when it refuses to work. You can do this as follows:

1. Go to device manager on your personal computer. To do this, you can open the Start menu and enter “Device Manager” in the search bar.

2. Open the “Portable devices” item in the device manager. It should include the name of the Xiaomi smartphone model.
3. Hover the cursor over the name of the smartphone and right-click on it.

4. Click "Update Drivers".

5. Activate "Automatic search for updated drivers".

If the driver update procedure fails, you will need to download them yourself. You can do this using these links:

• for Xiaomi models on MediaTek processors https://files.migid.ru/tools/mtk_usb_driver_v5.1453.03.zip;
• for Xiaomi models on Qualcomm processors https://files.migid.ru/tools/qualcomm_usb_driver.zip.

Next, you will need to return to the page for choosing how to install drivers and this time click on the “Search for drivers on this computer” item. What remains to be done:

• click the “Browse” button opposite the input line and indicate the folder into which the drivers were downloaded;
• Click “Next” and then o to install them.

The current method will most likely fix all bugs with establishing a connection between a PC and a smartphone.

Instructions on how to connect a Xiaomi phone to Mi PC Suite

1. Download the archive with the program (or installation file, version 2.0 only). Unpack it with any archiver.
2. Find the file with the permission MiPhoneAssistant.exe and double-click on it. We perform all the necessary steps for installation on a PC.
3. After installation, launch the program and log into your Mi account. This is a must.
4. Connect your Xiaomi or Redmi phone to your computer via a USB cable.
5. Enable USB debugging by clicking 5 times on the MIUI version (in the phone details). Then in the advanced settings, find the “For Developers” item. Enable debugging and confirm your consent.
6. Now the program will try to connect to the device again, if it doesn’t work, click “Repeat”.
7. Ready. There should be a MiPCSuite workspace in front of you.
8. Now you can make a full backup of the system and choose what you want to save.

9. You can also restore a previously created backup. That is, if you saved your data, flashed the devices, for example, and then decided to return all the information to its place. That's what this section is for.

10. And in the last section you can flash the firmware even with a locked bootloader. If you don't know how to do this, watch the corresponding instructions on YouTube!

Please note: the list of functions may differ in different versions of the program. The screenshots show version 3.0.

Checking the cable and connectors

First you need to check the connectors and the cable itself. These are often the reason why Xiaomi does not see the computer and cannot connect to it. If you are using a non-standard cable, this is most likely the problem. Nests may also be the culprit.

To check the functionality of all connectors and components, first try switching the USB connector to other sockets on the computer. If a USB modem or flash card is connected to the PC, then you need to remove them and connect your smartphone to this place.

Another reason why the PC does not recognize Xiaomi is a faulty cable or socket. It’s easy to check the smartphone socket: just insert the charging unit into the socket and connect it to the phone. If it starts to gain charge, then everything is fine.

Cable testing is much more difficult. The main problem is the use of non-original wires. Their function ends when the device is charged, and there is no possibility of data transfer. To find out whether the reason lies in the cable, you will need to replace it with an original production analogue.

Possible causes of problems

Below is a list of possible causes of problems connecting the phone to the computer:

• Non-original components (specifically USB);
• Lack of drivers;
• Incorrect connection method;
• System problems with the device, etc.

Of course, the above is not a complete list; in fact, it is much longer. Next, we will try to describe all the ways we know to solve the problem and try to figure out not only how to connect your device to a computer, but also tell you how to make this process easier. These tips should help even if your laptop or computer does not see your phone.

Connecting to a computer: installing drivers

Drivers are software that helps the computer understand how the connected gadget/device works and how to “communicate” with it.

All devices have their own drivers: phones, printers, scanners, etc.

It happens that even when you connect the phone for the first time, the drivers are installed themselves and subsequently updated when necessary. However, if this does not happen, you can complete the installation procedure yourself.

Attention! If you are the owner of a computer running Windows 8/Windows 10, before installing, disable the digital signature of the program, i.e., virus protection, otherwise some processes will be inaccessible to you.

How to install drivers on a computer:

• Conduct a search of software sites on the Internet and select the most reliable ones (for example, w3bsit3-dns.com);

how to connect xiaomi to computer

1. In the section with your smartphone model, find two archives: “MediaTek program” and “Qualcomm program” and download them;
2. Unzip these files in the usual way and place what you get on the system drive (usually drive C) so as not to lose it or accidentally delete it;
3. Restart your computer (by yourself, if you haven’t received a notification about the need from the PC itself);

Ready!

Now try to connect your phone. If it still doesn’t see the computer or you have already installed the drivers, we’ll try to update them.