Where to Import and Export Contacts: A Complete Guide to 2026

Shifting contacts between Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi and POCO) often raises questions among users — especially when it comes to switching from Android to iOS or vice versa, changing your Google account, or trivial backup before resetting. Unlike the iPhone, where everything is tied to iCloud, Xiaomi has several ways to export and import — and not all of them are obvious.

The main problem: features are hidden in different sections of the menu, and their names depend on the version of the MIUI shell (12, 13, 14 or HyperOS). In addition, Xiaomi is actively promoting its own MI Cloud, which confuses users accustomed to Google Contacts. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to transfer contacts to Xiaomi in 2026, including hidden settings and workarounds for older models.

Where in Xiaomi is the menu of import / export contacts

The main path to export/import functions depends on the MIUI version:

• 📱 MIUI 12/13/14 and HyperOS: Contacts → ⋮ (three-point) → Contact management → Imports/Exports
• 📱 Old versions (MIUI 10-11): Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports
• 📱 Redmi with "light" firmware: may be missing item - use Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Memory.

If there is no menu, check:

1. Is the firmware updated (in Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI).
2. Is the item hidden due to regional restrictions (for example, on firmware for India).
3. Does the third-party Contacts app (e.g. Google Contacts instead of the standard one) be used?

Ways to export contacts to Xiaomi

Xiaomi smartphones support exports in two main formats:

• 📄.vcf (vCard) – a universal format for all devices (Android, iOS, PC).
• 📄.csv is a table format that is easy to edit in Excel or Google Sheets.

Step-by-step instructions for export to.vcf:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press on. ⋮ (three-point) → Contact management → Exports.
3. Select an account (e.g. Local Contact Device or Google Synced).
4. Specify the folder to save (by default - Internal memory → Download).
5. Confirm the export - the file will be named contacts_YYYYMMDD.vcf.

All the necessary contacts are selected (not only from the SIM-map)

Enough space for internal memory

The file is saved in an accessible folder (not in system partitions)

2 copies made (on phone and on PC/cloud)

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Important: If you are exporting contacts with SIM-maps, take into account the limitations:

• 🚫 One on one. SIM No more than 250 contacts are available (depending on operator).
• 🚫 Names and numbers are trimmed to 14 characters (Latin) or 7 characters (Cyrillic).
• 🚫 Email addresses and additional fields are not saved.

Import contacts on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

Import contacts to Xiaomi can be from:

• 📱.vcf or.csv file (from PC, cloud, other) SIM-map).
• 📱 Google account or MI Cloud.
• 📱 SIM-cards (numbers and names only).

Import from.vcf file:

1. Place the file in the phone’s memory (e.g., Download).
2. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports.
3. Select Import from the file and specify the path to.vcf.
4. Confirm the import – contacts will appear in the Device (local) section or in the selected account.

Import from SIM-card:

1. Put the SIM in the phone.
2. Go to Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Import with SIM.
3. Select contacts (or click Select All).
4. Specify your target account (Device, Google or MI Cloud).

💡

If the contacts are duplicated when importing from.vcf, combine the duplicates into Contacts before the procedure. → ⋮ → Contact management → Connecting contacts.

Synchronize contacts with Google and MI Cloud

Xiaomi offers two cloud services for backup contacts:

• 🌐 Google Contacts is a universal solution that works on any Android device.
• ☁️ MI Cloud – proprietary service from Xiaomi, integrated into the MIUI.

How to enable synchronization with Google:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Turn on the Contact switch.
3. Press Sync now.

Contacts will be available at contacts.google.com and on all devices with this account.

How to set up MI Cloud:

1. Register for Mi Account (if not) in Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Enable Contacts in the synchronized data list.
3. To recover on a new device, log in to the same account and wait for automatic synchronization.

💡

Use Google Contacts if you plan to upgrade to iPhone or other brands. MI Cloud is only suitable for the Xiaomi ecosystem.

Transfer of contacts between Xiaomi and iPhone

When switching from Xiaomi to iPhone (or back), use one of the following methods:

• 🔄 Through Google Contacts: Export your contacts with Xiaomi to Google (see section above). On iPhone, add your Google account to Settings → Passwords and accounts. Enable contact sync.

Through the.vcf file

1. Export your contacts to.vcf.
2. Send the file to the iPhone (by email, AirDrop, Telegram).
3. Open the file on your iPhone and add contacts automatically.

Reverse portability (from iPhone to Xiaomi):

1. On iPhone, export contacts to.vcf via Settings → [Your name] → iCloud → Contacts → Export (on PC).
2. Transfer the file to Xiaomi and import through Contacts → Import.

💡

When you migrate from iPhone to Xiaomi via iCloud, Cyrillic names may be lost. Before exporting, check the encoding of the.vcf file (should be UTF-8).

Addressing import/export problems

Frequent errors and ways to eliminate them:

• 🚨 "File not supported": Check the file extension (must be.vcf or.csv).If the file is created in Excel, save it in format CSV (comma-separators).
• 🚨 "Contacts are not displayed after import: Check which account they are imported to → ⋮ → Display settings. Update the contact list with swipe down.
• 🚨 "Synchronization error with MI Cloud": Check your internet connection. Update MIUI log out of your Mi Account and log in again.

⚠️ Note: If your contact photos are lost after importing from.vcf, they are not restored – they must be transferred separately through Google Photos or manually.

To diagnose synchronization problems:

1. Check logs in Settings → Memory → Logs (look for errors with ContactsProvider tag).
2. Clear the app cache Contacts in Settings → Apps → Application Management → Contacts → Memory → Clear the cache.

Alternative methods of transferring contacts

If the standard methods do not work, use the alternatives:

• 🤖 Portability apps: Copy My Data (for Wi-Fi between devices) My Contacts Backup (saves contacts to.vcf and sends them to email).
• 💻 Through PC: Connect Xiaomi to your computer in File Transfer mode (MTP). Copy the.vcf file from the Download folder. Import it to Google Contacts or another device.
• ☁️ Through third-party clouds: Download.vcf to Dropbox, Yandex Disk or Telegram. download the file to a new device and import.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party contact transfer apps (such as SHAREit or Xender), disable battery optimization for them in Settings → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start, otherwise the transmission may be interrupted.

For advanced users:

adb backup -f contacts.ab -apk com.android.providers.contacts

This command will back up contacts in the contacts.ab file, which can then be restored to another device via:

adb restore contacts.ab

FAQ: Frequent questions about import/export contacts on Xiaomi