How to transfer information from one Xiaomi Redmi phone to another: all working methods

The transition to the new Xiaomi Redmi smartphone is always exciting, but data transfer often turns into a headache. Contacts, photos, WhatsApp messages, app settings, all of this needs to be saved, without loss or error. MIUI, Where Google’s standard solutions don’t always work.

In this article, we will discuss 7 Proven ways to transfer data between Redmi phones (including Note models) 12, Redmi 13C, POCO X5 and others MIUI 14/15). From Xiaomi’s official tools to data-specific workarounds, you’ll find a solution for any task, and learn what errors cause files to be lost and how to avoid them.

Important: If you are switching from Android to iPhone (or vice versa), some of the methods in this article will not work. MIUI.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (built-in application)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data migration tool that is installed by default on all Redmi smartphones and POCO. It supports the transmission of almost all types of data, including:

• 📱 Contacts, call log, SMS/MMS
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📁 Documents (PDF, Word, Excel, etc.)
• 🎮 Data from certain games (if supported)
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sound schemes, Wi-Fi passwords)

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. On both phones, open the Mi Mover app (find it through a menu search or in the Tools folder).
2. On the old phone, choose I am the sender, on the new phone, I am the receiver.
3. Click on Next and wait for the appearance QR-code on the new device.
4. Scan it. QR-code with an old phone to establish a Wi-Fi Direct connection.
5. Select data types to transfer (you can mark everything or select selectively).
6. Confirm the transfer on both devices and wait until the transfer is completed (time depends on the amount of data).

⚠️ Note: If the new phone already has data (for example, you started using it), Mi Mover will offer to reset the device to the factory settings before transferring.

Charge both phones at least 50 times%|Free up space on the new device (at least 10% free space)|Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network (not necessarily, but it will speed up the process)|Turn it off. VPN firewalls|Close all background applications

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2.Move through Xiaomi account (Mi Cloud cloud)

If you have a Xiaomi account (which is created automatically when you turn on your phone for the first time), you can use Mi Cloud to sync and restore data.

• 📇 Contacts and notes
• 📅 Calendar and reminders
• 📸 Photos (if autoloading is enabled)
• 🔧 Some system settings

How to transfer data through Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure that synchronization is enabled for the data you want (sliders should be green).
3. Press Sync and wait until it is completed.
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and enable sync in the Mi Cloud.
5. Data will start to load automatically (it can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the speed of the internet).

⚠️ Warning: Mi Cloud's free account only provides 5GB of cloud storage, and if you have a lot of photos or videos, there may not be enough space, either clear the cloud of unnecessary files or use another method of transferring data.

The advantage of this method is that data is stored in the cloud and can be recovered even if the old phone is broken or lost, but application files (such as game saves or messenger data) are not transferred through the Mi Cloud, they need separate solutions.

Mi Mover (built-in application)|Google Account|The Mi Cloud Cloud|Cable OTG/adapter|Other

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3. Use of Google Account (for contacts, mail, calendar)

If you’re a Google user, you can transfer most of your basic data through your Gmail account, which is universal and works on any Android device, including Redmi.

What can be transferred:

• 📇 Contacts (from the Google Contacts app)
• 📧 Letters and settings Gmail
• 📅 Events of the Google Calendar
• 📍 Google Maps data (selected places, history of visits)
• 🔍 Google Search History and Settings

Instructions for the perenos:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Select your account and make sure that sync is enabled for the data you need (contacts, calendar, etc.).
3. Press Sync now.
4. On the new phone, add the same Google account and enable sync.
5. Data will start to load automatically (usually takes 5-15 minutes).

✅ Pros: No additional applications required, works stably.

❌ Cons: No photos, videos, messages, and app data are portable (except for those that are synced to Google separately, such as Google Photos).

💡

If contacts are duplicated after transfer, open the Contacts app, click on three dots. → Contact management → Combine duplicates.

4. Photo and video transfer: Google Photos vs. physical transmission

Photos and videos usually take up the lion's share of memory, so moving them requires special attention.

Method 1: Google Photos (Cloud)

• 📤 Automatically upload all photos/video to the cloud.
• 📥 Access files from any device after logging in to your account.
• 🔄 Free storage – 15 GB (common for all Google services).

How to move:

1. On your old phone, install Google Photos (if not installed).
2. Open the app, log in to your account and enable Backup and Sync.
3. Wait until the download is complete (may take hours if there are many files).
4. On the new phone, install Google Photos, log in to the same account and wait for sync.

Method 2: Direct transmission over cable or Wi-Fi

If the internet is slow or you don’t want to upload files to the cloud, use:

• 🔌 Cable OTG + flash drive (copy files to the drive, then to a new phone).
• 📶 Local area network (applications like Send Anywhere or Xender).
• 🖥️ Computer (copy files on PC, then on the new Redmi).

⚠️ Note: When transferring via computer, do not copy files directly to the folder. DCIM If you're on a new phone, it can disrupt the gallery structure, so you better create a temporary folder, and then move the files through the file manager.

5. Transfer of messages and chats (WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS)

Messages are one of the most valuable data, and it's often difficult to transfer them. Consider solutions for popular instant messengers:

📱 WhatsApp

Official method:

1. On your old phone, back up the chats: Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. Install WhatsApp on your new phone and sign in to the same account.
3. When requested, restore the chats from the backup.

⚠️ Note: WhatsApp backup is saved to Google Drive and tied to a Google account, not Xiaomi.If you change account, chats won't recover!

📘 Telegram

In Telegram, all chats are synced to the cloud automatically.

1. Install Telegram on a new phone.
2. Sign in to your account (by phone number).
3. All messages and media files will be downloaded independently.

💬 SMS/MMS

For transfer SMS use:

• 🔄 Mi Mover (as described in the first section).
• 📱 Google’s Messages app (synchronized with your account).
• 💾 Manual export: in the standard Messages app, click ⋮ → Settings → Export messages and save the.xml file to the flash drive.

6. Transfer applications and their data (games, settings)

Transferring the apps themselves (.apk files) doesn’t usually make sense — they’re easier to install from Google Play. However, the app data (save games, settings, cache) can be transferred.

🎮 Preservation of games

Most modern games sync progress through Google Play Games accounts, Facebook or their own servers (e.g. Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile? To move the saves:

1. Make sure that the game is tied to your account on your old phone.
2. Install the game on a new phone and log in to the same account.
3. Save will be downloaded automatically (sometimes you need to manually click Download in the game settings).

⚙️ Application settings

To migrate the settings of individual applications (for example, Nova Launcher, Tasker) use their built-in export / import functions:

• Open the application settings.
• Find the Export/Import (or Backup) section.
• Save the settings file to the flash drive or the cloud.
• On a new phone, import the file through the same menu.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. banking) block data transfer for security reasons, and in such cases, you will have to reconfigure them.

💡

For most apps, it is enough to log into the same account on a new phone – settings and data are synchronized automatically (for example, Spotify, Netflix, Instagram).

7. Alternative methods: for experienced users

If the standard methods don't work, you can use advanced tools, they take longer, but they give you complete control.

🔧 ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

With help. ADB You can back up your old phone completely and restore it to a new one. It's a complicated method, but it saves all the data, including your system settings.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB on your computer (download Platform Tools from Google).
2. Connect the old phone to the USB and execute the command: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab
3. On your new phone, restore backup: adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Note: This method may not work on newer versions MIUI It's also a security issue that requires unlocking. OEM Unlock in the Developer Settings.

🛠️ Titanium Backup (requires root)

If your Redmi has root rights, Titanium Backup will allow you to transfer:

• Applications together with data (.apk) + data).
• System settings and SMS/MMS.
• Calls and magazines.

However, on new Xiaomi models, it is difficult to get root due to a blocked bootloader.

🔄 Synchronization through third-party clouds

Services like Dropbox, Yandex Drive, or OneDrive can be used to manually transfer individual files:

1. Upload files from your old phone to the cloud.
2. Download them to your new phone.

This is convenient for selective transmission (for example, only documents or music).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with proven methods, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

• 🚫 There is not enough space on the new phone. → Make room in advance or transfer data in parts.
• 🔄 Data is duplicated → Before transferring, clean your new phone or use the “Replace Data” option in Mi Mover.
• 📵 Wi-Fi Direct is not working. → Restart both phones or use the cable OTG.
• 🔒 WhatsApp chats are not being restored → Check that the new phone uses the same Google account and phone number.
• ⚡ Fast battery discharge during transfer → Connect both phones to charging.

⚠️ Note: If you are migrating data from Redmi to iPhone (or vice versa), use tools like Move to iOS (from Apple) or Dr.Fone (the software side!

1. Battery charge (minimum 50%).

2. free space on the new phone (at least 10% of the volume of data transferred).

3. Internet connection stability (for cloud methods).

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FAQ: Answers to popular questions