Where in Xiaomi smartphones are stored contacts: locally, in the cloud or on the Internet SIM-map?

Have you ever lost contacts after resetting Xiaomi to factory settings or when replacing it? SIM-Or they found that some of the numbers had disappeared after the update. MIUI? The problem is familiar to many, especially those who don’t know where exactly the contacts are stored in Xiaomi smartphones and how they sync between devices.

Actually, contacts at Redmi, POCO Mi can be located in four different places: in the memory of the phone, on the phone. SIM-In a map, in a Google account, or in the Mi Cloud, each storage method has its own nuances, from the number of records to the risk of data loss. In this article, we will analyze all the options, learn how to check where your contacts are, and how to reserve them correctly so that you never lose important numbers.

We will pay special attention to hidden folders, where MIUI Stores local backups of contacts, and explain why numbers are sometimes duplicated or lost after transferring to a new phone. MIUI 12/13/14 HyperOS – this guide will help you avoid typical errors when working with the phone book.

1.The four main locations for keeping contacts in Xiaomi

Xiaomi smartphones offer several ways to save contacts, and each of them has its pros and cons. Let's figure out where your numbers may be:

• 📱 Local phone memory – contacts are stored directly in the device’s memory (internal drive), which is convenient if you do not use cloud services, but risky: when you reset the phone, all numbers will disappear.
• 📶 SIM-The map is the old-fashioned way that all Xiaomi supports. SIM-cards usually hold no more than 250 contacts, and fields for additional information (e.g. email) are limited.
• ☁️ Google Account – synchronization with Google Contacts allows you to automatically reserve contacts and restore them on any Android device.
• 🌐 Mi Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi that works similarly to Google but is tied to a Mi Account. Useful if you’re using the Xiaomi ecosystem (like Mi Notebook laptops or Mi Band smartwatches).

To find out where your contacts are stored, open the Contacts app, click on three dots (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management → Settings → Import/Export. You'll see all the sources available here, and if you have multiple accounts on the list (like Google and Mi Cloud), your contacts are scattered across different storages, and that can cause duplication.

⚠️ Note: If you see a phone or local storage item in your contact list, it means that some of the numbers are stored only on the device!

2. How to check where your contacts are stored

To avoid data loss, you first need to determine which storage your contacts are in, and you can do this directly in the standard Contacts app:

1. Open the Contacts app on your Xiaomi.
2. Click on the profile icon or three dots (⋮) top-right.
3. Select Contact Management → Settings.
4. Scroll down to the Import/Export Contacts section.
5. Here you will see a list of all the sources where your contacts are stored (e.g. Google, Mi Cloud, SIM, Phone).

If there are multiple accounts on the list, it means that your contacts are distributed among them, for example, some numbers can sync with Google, and some can lie locally, and to see how many contacts are stored in each source, click on the desired account in the list.

You can also use filtering in the Contacts application itself:

1. Open the contact list.
2. Click on the filter icon (usually as a funnel or three lines).
3. Select a source (like Google or Mi Cloud) to see only the contacts that are stored there.

If you see that some contacts are only displayed when you select a Phone, it means that they are stored locally and are not synced with the cloud. Google/Mi Cloud!

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To quickly find duplicate contacts, open Contacts → Management → Connect the contacts. MIUI automatically find the repeated records and suggest them to merge.

3. Local Storage of Contacts: Where are the files on Xiaomi

If your contacts are stored in your phone’s memory (Phone or Local Storage), they are physically stored in the Android system database, but Xiaomi also backs up this data in a hidden folder that can be found through the file manager.

The path to a local contact base:

/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db

But you can only access this folder with root rights, and without root rights, you can't manually copy the database file, and instead, you can use the built-in export function:

1. Open Contacts → Management → Import / Export.
2. Select Export to the device.
3. Specify where to export (Phone) and select the format (.vcf or.csv).
4. The file will be saved in the Download folder or MIUI/Backup/Contacts.

If you need to manually find backups that MIUI automatically, check the following paths:

• 📁 /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup — It stores complete system backups, including contacts (files with.mbk extension).
• 📁 /MIUI/Backup/Contacts — folder with hand-exported contacts (.vcf format).
• 📁 /Download — here by default files are saved when exported through the contact menu.

⚠️ Note: Files in the AllBackup folder are encrypted and cannot be opened directly. To restore contacts from them, you need to use the standard Restore Menu in Settings → Memory. → Backup.

Important: If you delete the folder MIUI/Backup manually, all local contact backups will be lost.

Check where the contacts are stored (Google/Mi Cloud/Phone)

Export local contacts to.vcf file

Sync your contacts with Google or Mi Cloud

Make sure the backup is saved to another device

Disable two-factor authentication if it is tied to a phone number-->

4. Contacts to SIM-How to transfer and why it is inconvenient

Keeping contacts on SIM-The map is the oldest and least reliable way, and yet many Xiaomi users still use it, especially if they're switching from button phones:

• 🔢 Limitation on quantity: Most SIM-The cards are supported by no more than 250 contacts. If you have more, the rest of the numbers will not be saved.
• 📇 Limited fields: On SIM Only the name and number (sometimes the second number) can be saved, addresses, email, birthdays and other data are not supported.
• ⚠️ Risk of loss: If SIM-The card will be damaged or replaced (for example, when switching to nano-SIM), all contacts will be lost.
• 🔄 Synchronization problems: Contacts with SIM They don't sync to Google or Mi Cloud. You have to manually copy them to your phone's memory.

To move the contacts with SIM-Maps to your phone or cloud, follow the following steps:

1. Open Contacts → Management → Import / Export.
2. Select Import with SIM-map.
3. Indicate where to import: in the phone, Google or Mi Cloud.
4. Confirm the import. Contacts are copied to the selected storage facility.

If you need to keep your contacts in place SIM-card (for example, to transfer to another phone), select Export to SIM-Please note that all additional data (email, addresses, etc.) will be lost, as SIM does not support storage.

5. Google Contacts Sync: The Most Reliable Way

Keeping contacts in a Google account is the best option for most Xiaomi users.

• ☁️ Automatic sync: Contacts are backed up in the cloud and available on any device with your Google account.
• 🔄 Reset recovery: Even if you reset your phone to factory settings, contacts will recover the first time you log in to your account.
• 📱 Cross-platform: Rooms will be available not only on Xiaomi, but also on iPhone, tablet or computer via contacts.google.com.
• 🔍 Search and editing: A user-friendly interface for managing contacts, including change history.

To enable sync with Google Contacts:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select your Google account.
3. Make sure the contact switch is on.
4. Click Sync (or Sync Now)

If the synchronization is not working, check:

• 📶 Internet connection (synchronization requires access to the network).
• 🔄 Is Autosynchronization of data included in Settings → Accounts and synchronization.
• 🔒 Are there any restrictions on background activity for the Contacts app (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Battery → No restrictions).

To export contacts from Google (for example, for backup):

1. Go to contacts.google.com.
2. Click on the gear icon (⚙️) → Exports.
3. Select the format (Google CSV or vCard) and click Export.
4. The file will be uploaded to your computer. Save it in a safe place.

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Sync with Google Contacts is the most reliable way to store contacts on Xiaomi, it works automatically, does not require manual redundancy and protects against data loss when resetting your phone.

6.Mi Cloud: Google’s Alternative to Xiaomi Ecosystem Users

Mi Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi that offers the same features as Google Contacts, but is tied to a Mi Account. This is handy if you use multiple Xiaomi devices (like a smartphone). + Mi Notebook or Mi Band smartwatch).

Advantages of Mi Cloud:

• 📱 Integration with MIUI: Contacts are automatically synced between all Xiaomi devices.
• 🔒 Additional features: For example, backup SMS, Notes and even some system settings.
• 🌍 PC Access: Contacts can be managed via i.mi.com.

To enable synchronization with Mi Cloud:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Cloud
2. Sign in to your Mi Account (or create one if you don’t already).
3. Make sure the contact switch is on.
4. Press Sync.

If the synchronization is not working:

• 📶 Check your internet connection.
• 🔄 Restart your phone and try syncing again.
• 🔒 Make sure you have enough space in the Mi Cloud (free 5GB, but contacts take up very little).
• 📱 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version – in old versions there are bugs with synchronization.

To export contacts from Mi Cloud:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in to your account.
2. Select the Contacts section.
3. Click on the gear icon (⚙️) → Exports of contacts.
4. Download the file in.vcf format.

⚠️ Note: If you use both Google Contacts and Mi Cloud at the same time, you may experience duplicate contacts. To avoid this, select one primary sync service and disable the second.

7 How to Transfer Contacts from One Xiaomi to Another

When buying a new Xiaomi smartphone (or switching from Redmi to a new one) POCO) It's important to move contacts correctly so you don't lose any number. Here's a step-by-step guide for different scenarios:

Method 1: Through a Google Account (recommended)

1. On your old phone, make sure your contacts are synced with Google (Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Contacts → Synchronize).
2. On the new phone, log in to the same Google account the first time you turn on.
3. Contacts will automatically be downloaded from the cloud.

Method 2: Through the Mi Cloud

1. On your old phone, enable contact sync with Mi Cloud.
2. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and wait for the sync to complete.

Method 3: Using a.vcf file (if there is no cloud)

1. On your old phone, export contacts: Contacts → Management → Export to the device (select the.vcf format).
2. Transfer the file to a new phone (via Bluetooth, Xiaomi Share, Telegram or cable).
3. On the new phone import the file: Contacts → Management → Import from the device.

Method 4: Through SIM-Card (not recommended)

1. On your old phone, export your contacts to SIM: Contacts → Management → Exports to SIM-map.
2. Move it. SIM new phone.
3. Import contacts with SIM phone-memory.

If after the transfer, some contacts are not displayed, check:

• 🔍 Filter in Contacts app (only a certain group display may be enabled).
• ☁️ Sync with the cloud (sometimes manual start-up is required).
• 📱 Download folder on new phone – it’s possible that the.vcf file wasn’t automatically imported.

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If there are duplicates when transferring contacts, open Contacts → Management → Connect the contacts. MIUI automatically find the repeated records and suggest them to merge.

8. Problem Solving: Missing Contacts, Doubles and Synchronization Errors

Sometimes, the contacts on Xiaomi are weird, they're missing, they're duplicated, they're not synchronized, and we're going to look at the most common problems and their solutions.

Problem 1: Contacts are missing after the update MIUI dump

If the numbers have disappeared after updating or resetting to factory settings:

• 🔄 Check if sync is enabled with Google or Mi Cloud.
• 📂 Make sure there is no backup in the folder on the phone. MIUI/Backup/Contacts.
• 🔍 Try to restore contacts through Settings → Memory. → Backup → Restore.
• 📱 If the contacts were on SIM, Check if it is inserted correctly.

Problem 2: Duplicate contacts

Doubles occur if contacts are synced simultaneously with Google and Mi Cloud, or if you have imported the same.vcf file multiple times.

1. Open Contacts → Management → Combine Contacts.
2. Select duplicate records and click Combine.
3. Turn off sync with one of the clouds (leave only Google or only Mi Cloud).

Problem 3: Contacts are not synced to Google or Mi Cloud

If the synchronization is not working:

Problem 4: Contacts are not displayed correctly (hieroglyphs, cracosiabras)

If you're not using names, you see strange symbols:

• 📱 Check the encoding when importing/exporting (select the format) UTF-8).
• 🔄 Re-import contacts from backup.
• 📲 Update the Contacts app via Google Play.

⚠️ Note: If you delete your contacts and they are gone from the cloud, check the cart in Google Contacts or Mi Cloud!

FAQ: Frequent questions about contacts on Xiaomi