Smartphone owners often face a lack of free space in the cloud or want to keep their data private without uploading it to third-party servers, and for this reason, MIUI and HyperOS have local backup features, a powerful tool that allows you to create a full copy of your settings, applications and media directly in your device’s internal memory.
This is especially true before complex system manipulations, such as factory resets or flashing. Unlike synchronization with Mi Cloud, local copy is created instantly and does not require an active Internet connection, making the process independent of network speed and tariff plans.
Despite the obvious benefits, however, many users ignore this section, relying solely on automatic contact synchronization, which can result in the loss of important data such as call history, desktop icon placement, and Wi-Fi passwords, which are not always stored in the cloud by default.
⚠️ Attention: The local copy is stored in the phone's internal memory. If the device is lost, stolen or physically damaged, it will be impossible to recover data from the local backup without a previously copied file to the computer.
What is hidden by the local reservation function
The local backup function is an embedded shell mechanism that archives the data you select into a special secure partition of the file system, and unlike simple file copying, it can store the structure of installed applications along with their data, which is critical for games and banking programs.
When you create a copy, the system offers you to choose the categories of information to save, you can flexibly adjust the settings, eliminating heavy media files, if your goal is to save only system settings and a list of programs, and this allows you to create lightweight archives of several megabytes in size that take up minimal space.
📊 What you most often lose when changing your phone?
Contacts and numbers
Photographs and videos
Application settings
Wi-Fi passwords
It is important to understand the difference between full and selective backups: A full copy includes all the available data, which can take up a significant amount of memory, especially if you have a lot of heavy games installed. Selective copying allows you to focus on the most valuable, for example, save only the system settings and SMS/MMS message.
- 📱 Maintaining the list of installed applications and their current versions.
- ⚙️ Archiving system settings, including alarm clocks, alarm clocks and network settings.
- 💬 Backup of Call and Text Message History.
- 📷 Opportunity to select specific gallery albums for preservation.
Step-by-step: how to create a backup copy
The process of creating a local copy in Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones is standardized and does not require root rights. First, you need to go to the device settings menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same for all current models.
Open Settings, then find the About Phone section, and in this menu, you have to quickly click on MIUI or HyperOS to activate the hidden menu of advanced settings, and then a new item will appear in the list, which will lead you to the tool you want.
An alternative and faster way for power users is to search by settings, type "backup" or "backup" into the search box, and the system will suggest you go to the desired section, which saves time and avoids errors when navigating a complex menu.
Once you log in to the local reservation menu, click the "Create a backup" button, and the system will ask you to set a password that will be used to encrypt your data, remember this password or write it down, because without it it it will be impossible to recover information.
Settings → About Phone → (Tap according to MIUI) → Advanced settings → Reservation and recovery
Setting parameters and selecting data
The interface for selecting data to copy is divided into logical blocks. At the top of the screen are usually switches for system data such as contacts, messages and call logs. Below is a list of all installed applications where you can individually select which programs need saving.
The system data section is a special focus, and it's not just the obvious stuff, but the widgets on desktops, the alarm settings, even the passwords you save from Wi-Fi networks, and ignoring that section can cause your phone to go back to a boxy state after it's reset, and you have to reset each connection.
Secret encryption parameter
When you set a password to the backup, the AES encryption algorithm is used. If you forget the password, even Xiaomi service centers will not be able to decrypt your archive, since the key is stored only on the user's device.> For multimedia files such as photos and videos, the system offers a selection of specific albums. This is convenient if you want to save only important documents or work pictures, leaving entertainment content in the cloud or on your computer. The volume of the archive is dynamically displayed on the screen, which helps to plan a free space. Data Category What is saved Recommended volume Settings system, alarm clocks, Wi-Fi, wallpaper ~50-100 MB Contacts and calls Phone book, call history, SMS ~10-50 MBT Annexes APK-Data and files of programs Depends on the size of the Gallery Photos and videos from selected albums GB or tens of GB Data recovery after reset The recovery process (restore) is a mirror image of the creation of a copy, but requires increased care. If you've just reset to factory settings, you need to first set up your language and network connection, and then you can start returning data when you have the desktop. if you restore data from a local copy created on a newer version of Android, or MIUI, On a device with an older version, compatibility errors may occur. The system will warn you about this, but it is better to update the firmware first, and then perform a recovery. When you restore applications, the system will automatically try to download their current versions from the Google Play Store or Mi GetApps, even if the old version is saved in the local backup. This ensures the security and stability of the software, but it can take time and traffic, and once the process is complete, the phone can restart, which is a normal system response needed to apply system settings and integrate the recovered data into the current session. Do not interrupt the process if you see a boot bar. ⚠️ Attention: Recovery from a local copy can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours depending on the amount of information stored and the speed of the drive. Where backup files are stored Local backup files are stored in a hidden system directory, accessed through a file manager: MIUI/backup/AllBackup. Knowing this path, you can manually copy the creation date folder to your computer or external drive, each copy being a set of.bak files and associated configuration files. The file name usually contains the date and time of creation, which makes it easier to navigate if you have accumulated multiple archives over different time periods. 💡Regular copying of the AllBackup folder to an external medium is the only guarantee of data safety in case of a complete breakage of the smartphone. To access hidden folders in the standard Files Explorer, you may need to enable the display of hidden files in the settings of the conductor itself. In third-party file managers, such as Total Commander or Solid Explorer, system directories are often open by default with the appropriate permissions. If you plan to flash your phone with full data clearing (Wipe All Data), be sure to transfer the AllBackup folder to your computer before starting the procedure. Once you install a clean system and initially set up, you can return the folder back and restore the data through the standard menu. One of the most common errors and ways to solve them is the “No space” error even when there is free space. This is due to the fact that the process of creating a temporary buffer requires a 2-3 hour of the recovery process, which can be an additional problem of the interruption of the application. This often happens when the phone screen goes out and the power saving mode is triggered, it is recommended to temporarily turn off the screen autolock or connect the device to charge during a long procedure. 🔋 Error "Terminated": Check the stability of the charger connection. 💾 Write error: File system may have errors, try clearing the conductor cache. 🔒 Password Forgotten: Without a password, it is impossible to recover data from the local backup. 📉 Lack of space: Delete the messenger cache before creating a new copy. Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the applications are restored, but there is no data inside them (for example, an empty history of correspondence in messengers). This happens if the backup was not selected to access the application data or if the application uses its own cloud synchronization that has not yet been activated. Can I transfer the local backup to a phone of another Xiaomi model? Yes, local backups are compatible between different models Xiaomi, Redmi and other models? POCO, If they are running similar versions MIUI However, when switching between very different versions of Android (for example, with Android). 11 Android 14) Some system settings may not be applied correctly. How long does it take to create a full copy? The time depends on the amount of data and the speed of the processor. 64 The GB of memory filled process takes from 5 before 15 Only system settings and contacts are copied almost instantly. 10-20 Is the local copy removed when reset to factory settings? Yes, when you do a full reset (Wipe All Data), the phone's internal memory is cleared completely, including the folder. MIUI/backup. Therefore, it is critically important to copy the backup file to your computer or to the cloud before resetting.