How to save contacts on Xiaomi phone: all ways with step-by-step instructions

Keeping contacts on Xiaomi is a task that seems easy only at first glance. In practice, users face problems: numbers disappear after resetting, duplicate when synchronized or stored in the wrong place. This is especially relevant for owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi-series, where MIUI offers several alternative ways to store contacts, from a classic phone book to cloud services Mi Account and Google.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of saving contacts on Xiaomi, including their pros and cons, as well as give recommendations for backup. You will learn how to avoid losing numbers when replacing your phone or reinstalling the system, which formats are supported (vCard, CSV), Why some contacts may “disappear” after an update MIUI. We will pay special attention to the nuances of working with SIM-Maps, cloud accounts and local storage.

1. Save contacts in the Xiaomi phone book (local storage)

Local saving is the easiest way, but it's also the most unreliable way, and the contacts are stored directly in the phone's memory and tied to the device, which is suitable if you're not planning to change your smartphone or reset your settings, but if you reset to factory settings or break your phone, all the numbers will be lost without recovery.

To keep contact in the local phone book:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Click on the + icon in the lower right corner.
3. Select Local Contact (or Device in newer versions of MIUI).
4. Fill in the fields: name, phone number, additional information (if necessary).
5. Press Save.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ It does not require an internet connection.
• ✅ Quick addition without authorization.
• ✅ Contacts are not synced to the cloud (suitable for sensitive numbers).

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 14 and later, the default local contacts are hidden in the list. To see them, open Settings. → Display contacts and enable the Device option.

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If you often add contacts manually, turn on the Quick Add option in the Contacts settings of the application – this will allow you to create numbers directly from the call log with one click.

2. synchronize contacts with the Mi Account (Xiaomi Cloud)

Cloud storage Mi Account is the best option for Xiaomi users, as it is closely integrated into MIUI. Contacts are automatically backed up and available on any device with your account, the main condition is the presence of a Xiaomi account and a stable Internet connection.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi account.
2. Choose Mi Cloud (or Xiaomi Cloud).
3. Activate the slider opposite Contact.
4. Click Sync (if contacts are already in place, they will be uploaded to the cloud).

Synchronization with Mi Cloud:

• 🔄 Automatic update when adding/deleting contacts.
• 📱 Access numbers from any Xiaomi device (including tablets and smartwatches).
• 🔒 Possibility of restoring contacts when resetting the phone.
• ⚠️ Restriction: 5GB of cloud storage is available for free (contacts take up little space, but if you also store photos, you may need a paid tariff).

3. Export and import contacts via file (vCard, CSV)

Exporting contacts to a file is a universal backup method that is suitable for switching to another device (including non-Xiaomi) or creating an archive. MIUI supports.vcf (vCard) and.csv formats. The file can be saved to a memory card, to the cloud or sent to email.

Export instructions:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙️) → Contact management.
2. Choose Export/Import Contacts.
3. Click Export in the file and specify the location of the save (internal memory or storage). SD-map).
4. Select contacts for export (you can note everything) and confirm.

For import:

1. In the same menu, select Import from the file.
2. Specify the path to the.vcf or.csv file.
3. Confirm the import (duplicates will be combined or ignored).

Advantages of the method:

• 📄 Compatible with any device (Android, iOS, PC).
• 🔄 The ability to edit contacts in Excel (for the purpose of CSV).
• 💾 Reliable backup (file can be stored on multiple media).

⚠️ Note: When exporting to CSV Cyrillic characters may not display correctly. To avoid this, open the file in Excel before importing and save with encoding UTF-8.

4. Maintaining contacts on SIM-map: pros and cons

SIM-A card is an outdated but still relevant way of storing contacts, and it is suitable for quickly transferring numbers to another phone (for example, when changing devices temporarily:

• 📵 Limited number of contacts (usually up to 250-500, depending on the operator).
• 📛 Only name and number are stored (without photos, email, addresses).
• ⚠️ Slow work with a large number of records.
• 🔒 No backup – if you lose SIM Contacts are lost forever.

How to keep contacts on SIM:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙️) → Contact management.
2. Choose Copy Contacts.
3. Specify the source (e.g., Device or Google).
4. Choose a target — SIM-map.
5. Mark the necessary contacts and confirm the copy.

Important: Before copying, check the free space on the SIM-map in the menu Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → [yours SIM] → Memory. SIM. If there is not enough space, delete the old numbers.

Make sure that SIM-Card supports the storage of contacts|Check the vacant space for SIM|Create a backup of contacts in the file|Check the correctness of the names after copying (characters may be cut off)-->

5. Sync with Google Account: Reliability and Cross-platform

If you use Google services (Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive), synchronizing your contacts with your Google Account is one of the most reliable options.

• 🌐 Access to contacts from any device (Android, iOS, PC via contacts.google.com).
• 🔄 Automatic backup.
• 📊 Ability to edit contacts via web interface.
• 🔍 Powerful search across all fields (including notes).

How to set up synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select Google and log in to your account (if not logged in).
3. Activate the Contact Slider.
4. Press Sync (manually or wait for automatic sync).

If the contacts are not synchronized:

• Check your Internet connection.
• Make sure that the Autosynchronization option is enabled in Google settings.
• Update the Google Contacts app in the Play Market.
• Reboot your phone (sometimes helps with MIUI crashes).

⚠️ Note: If you previously saved contacts in Mi Cloud and now switch to Google, there may be duplication.To avoid this, export contacts from Mi Cloud to a file before syncing, clear the list in Google Contacts, and then import the data.

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Sync with a Google Account is the best choice if you’re using multiple Android devices or plan to upgrade to an iPhone.Contacts will be available even after you change your phone.

6. Backup of contacts via MIUI Backup

MIUI offers a built-in backup tool that saves not only contacts but other data (messages, settings, apps) – a method that is useful before resetting your phone or updating your firmware.

How to create a backup copy:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Local Backup.
3. Check Contacts (you can add other data).
4. Click Backup and wait until it is completed.
5. The copy file will be stored in internal memory along the /MIUI/backup/AllBackup path.

To restore contact:

1. In the same menu, select Restore.
2. Specify the required backup file.
3. Mark Contacts and confirm recovery.

The benefits of MIUI Backup:

• 📦 Stores all contact data (photos, groups, notes).
• 🔄 Only contacts can be selectively restored.
• 💾 Copy files can be copied to PC or cloud for additional security.

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Backup is tied to the phone model (not always compatible with other devices).
• 🕒 The process can take a long time with a large amount of data.

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If you plan to reset your phone to factory settings, back up in advance and copy the AllBackup file to a memory card or PC. After reset, transfer the file back to /MIUI/backup/ and recover the data.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Xiaomi users often face typical contact issues, and let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Contacts are not listed.

Decision:

• Check if the desired account is displayed in Settings → Display contacts.
• Update the Contacts app in Play Market.
• Clear the app cache: Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clear the cache.

Problem 2: Duplicate contacts after synchronization.

Decision:

• Open Contacts → Settings → Combine Contacts.
• Use the web version of Google Contacts to manually combine duplicates.
• Before synchronization, export contacts to the file, clear the list and import again.

Problem 3: Contacts are not synced to Mi Cloud.

Decision:

• Check if you are logged in to Xiaomi.
• Make sure Auto Sync is enabled in the Mi Cloud settings.
• Restart your phone and check your internet connection.
• Update MIUI to the latest version (old firmwares have synchronization bugs).

Problem 4: When importing from the file, empty contacts appear.

Decision:

• Open the.vcf or.csv file in the text editor and remove the empty lines.
• Use the web version of Google Contacts to import – it handles errors better.
• Check the file encoding (should be UTF-8).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions