The modern smartphone is becoming a storehouse of our digital lives, where thousands of photos, important documents and correspondence are concentrated. Losing a device or its sudden failure can be a real disaster if you do not take care of the safety of information in advance, which is why creating a backup is the first and most important step before any serious manipulation of the system.
Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices have several ways to protect their data, but the most reliable of them is to save files to an external medium. Local backup to your computer hard drive ensures that your data will remain available even in the absence of the Internet or disruptions in the company’s cloud services.
In this guide, we will cover all the current methods of copying information, from standard system tools to advanced tools for power users, you will learn how to properly prepare the device, what programs to use and how to avoid common mistakes when transferring large amounts of data.
Preparing the device and computer for backup
Before starting the process, you need to make sure that the equipment is ready for stable operation. The quality of the USB cable directly affects the speed of data transfer and the likelihood of errors in the archiving process. Cheap cables that come with some accessories often only support charging, but do not transmit data, which will lead to a connection error.
Free up space on your computer’s hard drive in advance. A full copy of the system with all media files can take 20 to 100 GB or more, depending on the fullness of your Xiaomi. It is recommended to have a free space of at least 1.5 times the amount of data occupied on the phone.
⚠️ Warning: Do not interrupt the connection USB Abruptly shutting down the cable can damage the phone's file system or damage the backup file that is being created, which becomes unreadable.
It is also worth checking the version of the operating system MIUI or HyperOS. On different versions of shells, the location of some menu items may differ slightly, but the overall algorithm of actions remains the same for all models of the brand.
Using the built-in MIUI tool for local backup
The easiest and most effective way to create a complete copy of the system is to use the built-in MIUI function. This method allows you to save not only files, but also application settings, icon location, Wi-Fi passwords and system preferences. To get started, go to the Settings menu → About Phone → Reserve and Restore.
In the window that opens, select the option “Backup” and the system will prompt you to select the type of data to save, and it is recommended to mark all items, including “System Data” and “Applications”, to restore an exact copy of the previous state of the device.
- 📱 System settings: saves wallpaper, alarm clocks, Wi-Fi access points and interface settings.
- 📸 Multimedia: photos, videos, audio recordings and files from a voice recorder.
- 💬 Messages and Calls: History SMS, MMS and call log, which is critical when changing the number or device.
After selecting categories, click the Start Backup button. The process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Upon completion, the backup file will be saved along the Internal Memory path → MIUI → Backup → AllBackup.
💡
To speed up the process, close all working applications before you start backing up through your system settings.
Now you need to transfer this file to your computer. Connect your phone with a cable to your PC, select file transfer mode (MTP) in the notification on your smartphone screen, and copy the AllBackup folder to your hard drive.
Transfer of files through USB-cable
If you don't need a full copy of the system, but only important documents, photos and videos, the easiest way to use a direct connection is to work on any computer running Windows, macOS or Linux without installing additional software.
Connect your smartphone to your computer. You'll see a request for permission to access your data on your phone screen. Be sure to click "Allow" or the computer will see the device as a charger and not display files.
| Type of data | Location in memory | The importance of copying |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | DCIM / Camera | Critical |
| Downloads. | Download | Tall. |
| Documents | Documents | Tall. |
| Messengers | Android/media (limited to Android 11+) | Medium |
Note that newer versions of Android may restrict access to the Android folder by security policies, and copying messengers like WhatsApp or Telegram sometimes requires their built-in export or root rights.
It's better to do big data in batches, like moving the photo archive first, then the video, and then the documents, and that's to avoid the hanging up of the transmission process if the cable isn't of perfect quality.
Work with Mi PC Suite and analogues
The official Mi PC Suite program for global firmware versions is hardly developing, but for users of the Chinese versions of MIUI it remains the main tool. For most users of the Western market, universal solutions such as XiaomiTool V2 or standard Windows Explorer are more relevant.
If you do use the official utility or its modifications, the process is as follows: install the program on your PC, connect your phone and wait for the device to be determined.
However, it is worth considering the limitations of third-party software. Often such programs can not create a complete copy of the system with the preservation of the folder structure, limited to media files.
⚠️ Note: Download Xiaomi software only from official sites or trusted forums (e.g., download it from the website, 4PDA or XDA). Files called "Mi" PC Suite on dubious resources often contain viruses or miners.
An alternative is the use of ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a more complex but powerful tool that allows you to unload absolutely all data from the device, including hidden system partitions, if you have root rights.
Backup through ADB for advanced users
The Android Debug Bridge method gives you maximum control over the process, allowing you to create a backup of even those applications that normally prohibit copying data, and you will need to install the Platform Tools package on your computer to work.
First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings. → About the phone and quickly click on the build number seven times. Then in the advanced settings, turn on "Debugging by" USB».
adb backup -all -apk -shared -system -f backup.abThis command will create a full backup of all applications, system data and internal memory contents in the backup.ab file. The phone screen will see a request for confirmation and a suggestion to set an encryption password. Remember this password, without it, data recovery will be impossible.
- 🔧 -all: Reserves all installed user applications.
- 📦 -apk: saves application installation files so as not to download them again.
- 🔒 -system: Includes system applications (requires caution).
After the process is complete, the file will be saved to the folder from which ADB was launched. The adb restore backup.ab command is used to restore the file.
Recovery of data from backup
The recovery process depends on the method you choose. If you used the built-in MIUI, copy the AllBackup folder from your computer back to your phone's memory along the same path. Then go to the reservation settings, select the desired date and click Restore.
When restoring through USB-Just drag and drop files from the saved folders on your computer to the corresponding directories on your smartphone. DCIM, a Documents in Documents.
☑️ Recovery checklist
Recovery through ADB requires connecting the phone in debugging mode. Run the recovery command and wait until the process is complete. The phone can restart automatically after the procedure is completed.
💡
Regularity of backups is more important than volume. Make copies once a month or before each system update.
It is important to understand that restoring system settings to another phone model can lead to conflicts, as hardware and firmware versions may differ.