The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting process, accompanied by the desire to quickly customize the device to suit yourself and access all the accumulated information. However, one of the most unpleasant surprises for many users is the loss of important records that have been stored for years in the standard Notes app on the old Android.
Fortunately, Xiaomi engineers have identified several effective ways to do this, ranging from proprietary utilities to proven cloud services. You don’t have to manually rewrite hundreds of text files or take screenshots if you know the right algorithm. In this article, we will take a detailed look at each method available, evaluate their reliability and help you choose the best option for your situation.
Before you start the active phase of the transfer, it is worth understanding that the success of the operation depends on the version of the operating system on both devices and the stability of the connection. MIUI and HyperOS interfaces have their own features that can affect the operation of standard synchronization tools. We will look at the nuances of working with Google Drive, specialized software from Xiaomi and third-party cross-platform solutions so that you can guarantee your data.
Using the Mi Mover app for direct migration
The most obvious and often the most efficient way to migrate data is to use the official Mi Mover tool, which is designed specifically to migrate users to Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, allowing you to transfer contacts, photos, music and, importantly for us, system notes, the process begins with installing the application on an old device, if it is not there, and launching on a new phone.
Once launched, the receiver (Xiaomi) must select the status “I am the receiver” and the transmitter “I am the sender”; the Wi-Fi hotspot is automatically created, and the devices connect to each other without the router, which ensures high speed. In the data selection menu, be sure to tick the box opposite to “Notes” or “Notes” so that the system knows what to clone.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure that both devices have a battery charge level above 40%, as the active transfer of large amounts of data can quickly drain batteries.
It's worth noting that Mi Mover sometimes misrepresents attachments inside notes if they're too large. If you find that text is saved and images are missing after transfer, you'll have to use an alternative method, but for text and to-do lists, this is the fastest and most native solution that doesn't require the Internet.
An important advantage of this method is to keep the folder and tag structure, if you've used it, and the algorithm does not just copy text, but metadata, so you can see the notes on the new device in the same way they were on the old one, which is especially true for those who have a complex accounting or planning system.
Sync with Google Keep and Google Notes
If your old Android device used standard sync with Google, the transition to Xiaomi will be as smooth as possible. Many users do not even suspect that their records are already stored in the cloud. To check, you need to log into your Google account on a new smartphone and make sure that the sync settings activate the item “Notes” or “Keep”.
In case you’ve used the Google Keep app, just install it from the Play Market to the new Xiaomi and log in.All your records, shopping lists and voice notes will appear instantly. It’s a cross-platform solution that works regardless of the manufacturer’s shell, whether it’s pure Android or MIUI.
- 📲 Open the settings on the new Xiaomi and go to Accounts and Sync».
- 🔄 Click on your Google account and make sure the “Keep” or “Notes” switch is active.
- ☁️ Wait for the background synchronization to complete, which can take a few minutes depending on the amount of data.
This is complicated if the old phone had a third-party note-taking app that was not associated with the Google ecosystem, in which case it is recommended to export the data to a format Google understands before changing the device, or use an intermediate link. Google Drive can also serve as storage if you backed up files manually.
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Before selling or dumping your old phone, be sure to check the keep.google.com website from your computer – so you’ll make sure all the records are actually uploaded to the cloud.
The feature of this method is versatility: even if you decide to switch Xiaomi to Samsung or iPhone in the future, your data will remain accessible. Cloud synchronization is an insurance against physical loss of the device or its breakdown, making this approach the preferred long-term storage of information.
Export and import through file manager
For users who prefer complete control over their data or don’t trust cloud services, there is a manual export method. The standard Notes app on many Android smartphones allows you to save individual records or entire categories as.txt or.xml files. This method takes longer, but ensures that the file is physically in your hands.
The process is as follows: you open the desired note on the old device, select the option “Share” or “Export” and save the file to internal memory. then this file must be transferred to the new Xiaomi via Bluetooth, USB cable or messenger. On the Xiaomi device, files can be opened by any text editor or imported back into the application notes, if the format allows.
⚠️ Note: When exported to text format (.txt), formatting, bold and nested images may be lost.
If you’re using a file manager called MI File Manager or similar on a new device, look for transferred files in the Download or Bluetooth folder.Some advanced note-taking apps allow you to back up the entire database with a single file, which you can then deploy to a new device by installing the same app from Google Play.
What file formats are supported?
The good thing about this is that it doesn't depend on the speed of the Internet or the limitations of cloud storage, you can transfer gigabytes of text information in seconds using a direct cable, but for large archives of thousands of small records, manual processing of each file will be tedious.
Transfers with Third-Party Synchronizer Applications
When standard tools fail, specialized aggregator applications like AnyDroid, MobileTrans, or Copy My Data come to the rescue, building a bridge between two devices, analyzing the data structure and translating it into a way that the target phone can understand, and are especially useful when switching between different brands, like Samsung to Xiaomi.
Most of these applications require you to install the client part on both smartphones and connect them to the same Wi-Fi network. The algorithm is usually simple: scanning, selecting the type of data (Notes), running the transfer. The software itself converts databases, trying to preserve the readability of the text and structure.
Below is a table comparing popular transfer methods so you can choose the right one:
| Method | Speed. | Preserving formatting | We need the Internet. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Mover | Tall. | Complete. | No. |
| Google Synchronization | Medium | Full (for Keep) | Yes. |
| Manual export | Low. | Partial | No. |
| Third-party software | Tall. | Depends on the program. | Preferably. |
Using third-party software is often paid or limited in the free version. However, if it is critical data that cannot be lost, the purchase of a license can be justified.
☑️ Check before starting the synchronizer
Working with Samsung Notes on Xiaomi
Special attention should be paid to the situation when a user switches from a Samsung device to Xiaomi. the Samsung Notes application is closed format, and notes from it do not appear automatically in standard Xiaomi applications. Direct synchronization is impossible here without using the Samsung cloud, access to which is limited from non-Samsung devices.
To solve this problem, Samsung owners must prepare the data in advance, and the most reliable way is to use the export function in.txt or.docx format inside the Samsung Notes app itself before switching, and you can use the official Samsung Notes app on your PC (if possible) and sync data through Microsoft OneNote, which works well on Android.
⚠️ Note: Trying to simply copy a folder with Samsung Notes data through the file manager to a new phone will not work, since Xiaomi’s system will not be able to read Samsung’s proprietary database.
If you’ve already bought Xiaomi and can’t go back to Samsung, try finding Samsung Notes backup files in your old phone’s memory (usually in the SamsungNotes folder) and try importing them through the OneNote web version.It’s a tricky path, but it’s often the only chance to save data.
Galaxy device owners are encouraged to pre-installe Microsoft’s new OneNote app and set up a login to the same account as Samsung, creating an intermediate layer through which text can be easily accessed.
Problem Solving and Frequently Errors
Even following the instructions, users may experience technical failures, such as the transfer process may be interrupted in the middle, or notes may appear as an unreadable character set, often due to text encoding or a lack of RAM at the time of converting large files.
If Mi Mover makes a mistake, try restarting both devices and disabling VPNs or proxy servers that may interfere with local connectivity, and check if one phone is running a power-saving mode that aggressively restricts background and Wi-Fi module operation.
- 🔍 Make sure that geolocation is enabled on both devices (GPS), Some versions of Android require this to run Wi-Fi Direct.
- 📶 Break the connection to your home router while Mi Mover is running so that the phones connect directly to each other.
- 🗑️ Clear the Notes app cache on your new device before importing to avoid database version conflict.
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In 90% of cases, portability problems are solved by simply restarting both smartphones and re-attempting to connect via Mi Mover.
In rare cases, when nothing helps, you can use USB debugging (ADB), but this requires a computer and certain technical skills. For the average user, the best solution is a combination of methods: first try Mi Mover, and for the remaining files use cloud synchronization or manual export.