How to Transfer Data to Xiaomi’s New Phone: A Complete Guide with Proven Ways

Why migrating data to Xiaomi requires a special approach

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting moment: you want all the familiar data — from contacts to saves in games — to move to a new device without loss. But unlike the iPhone, which has a universal iCloud, or Samsung with a Smart Switch service, Xiaomi has several migration tools, and not all of them are equally effective.

The main problem: in MIUI 14/15, automatic backups through Mi Account don’t always restore data applications — only system settings and multimedia. And if you move from another brand’s Android (like Honor or Realme), standard methods may not work. In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways — from official to alternative — as well as the typical errors that cause users to lose chats in Telegram or progress in Genshin Impact.

Important: If you buy Xiaomi with your hands, make sure to reset to factory settings before transferring data (path: Settings → About Phone → Resetting).This will delete the previous owner’s personal files and avoid conflicts during recovery.

Method 1: Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s official tool for fast transfer

Mi Mover is a built-in application in MIUI that allows you to transfer data over Wi-Fi Direct (without Internet) from your old phone to a new one, works even if you have different brands (Samsung → Xiaomi, iPhone → Xiaomi), but with restrictions.

How to use:

• 📱 Install Mi Mover on both phones (on the new Xiaomi it is pre-installed). On iPhone download from the App Store.
• 🔗 On the new Xiaomi, select “I am a new user» → «On an old phone, run Mi Mover and scan it. QR-screencode.
• 📁 Select data types to transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, applications (but not all applications are supported!).
• ⚡ Wait until it is completed – the process can take from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the volume.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Data from certain applications (such as saving in games or WhatsApp settings) is not transferred).
• ❌ iPhone can only transfer photos, videos and contacts — SMS and applications are not supported.
• ❌ If there is little charge on the old phone, the transmission may be interrupted.

Charging both phones >50%|Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.|On the old phone enough free space (minimum 1 GB)|Disabled. VPN and energy-saving regimes-->

⚠️ Warning: If you see a “failed to connect” error when you migrate over Mi Mover, try restarting both phones and repeating the process. Often the problem is solved by changing the Wi-Fi network to 2.4 GHz (5 GHz may not be supported).

Method 2: Backup with Mi Account (Xiaomi Cloud)

Syncing with Mi Account is the most reliable way to save system settings, contacts and calendars, but it has a nuance: only 5GB of cloud storage is available for free, and some data (such as SMS) is not always restored correctly.

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud and enable synchronization for the desired categories (contacts, notes, calendar).
2. Backup: Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup. Select data to save (applications, system settings, multimedia).
3. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Mi Account and recover data from the cloud: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Restore.

What exactly is carried over the Mi Cloud:

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Before recovering from Mi Cloud, disable two-factor authentication (2FA) in your Xiaomi account for 10 minutes – this will speed up the sync process.

Method 3: Transfer from Android to Xiaomi via Google Account

If you’ve used Google services (Gmail, Contacts, Photos, Drive), most of your data is already synced to the cloud, and this method is universal and works even when you switch from Samsung, OnePlus or Realme.

What needs to be done:

1. On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Contacts: Settings → Accounts → Google → Contact Sync. Photo: open Google Photos and wait for all media files to load. Apps: go to Google Play Library, and there will be a list of all installed programs.

Xiaomi

Google Account

Confirm the recovery of data from the backup.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 It works on any Android device, not just Xiaomi.
• 📱 Apps from Google Play are restored (but not their data!).
• 🌐 Photos and videos are stored in Google Photos without time limit (when compressed).

⚠️ Warning: If your old phone was powered on, sync with Google may not work properly. Before transferring, check that all data is uploaded to the cloud: open Google Photos and Google Contacts on your old device.

Method 4: Transfer over an OTG cable or computer (for large volumes)

If you have tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or music files, wireless methods can take too long, and in this case, you'd better use a wired connection:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (If both phones are supported USB-C or micro-USB).
• 💻 Computer as an intermediate storage.

Instructions for transfer via computer:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the folders you need (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, etc.) to your computer.
3. Connect the new Xiaomi and transfer the files back.

For transfer through OTG-cable:

1. Buy a USB-C to USB-C adapter (or Micro-USB to USB-C, depending on the ports).
2. Connect your old phone to your new phone via an adapter.
3. On the new Xiaomi, open Explorer (Files) → select the connected device and copy the data.

Method 5: Alternative Migration Applications (for Advanced Users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use third-party utilities, which often do things Mi Mover or Google doesn't do.

Top.-3 portability:

• 📲 Clone Phone (from Xiaomi) is the Mi Mover analogue, but with more brands.
• 🔄 Send Anywhere – transfer files over Wi-Fi or via Wi-Fi QR-code without size limitation.
• 📂 Titanium Backup (requires root) – to transfer data applications, including saving games.

Example of Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On the old device, select files to send and click “Send”.
3. A 6-digit code or QR is generated – type it on a new phone to get the data.

⚠️ Note: Apps like Titanium Backup require root rights, which will void the warranty on the new Xiaomi. Use them only if you are a power user and understand the risks.

Common Mistakes in Data Transfer and How to Avoid Them

Even when using official tools, users are facing problems, and here are the most common ones:

• 🔋 Discharge of the phone during transfer → Connect both devices to charging before the process begins.
• 📶 Unstable Wi-Fi connection → Use the cable or go to the 2.4 GHz network.
• 🔒 Forgot the password from the Mi Account → Restor access via account.xiaomi.com before resetting your old phone.
• 📱 There is not enough space on the new phone. → Before transferring, clear the cache and unnecessary files (Settings) → Warehouse).

Frequent problem: WhatsApp does not restore chats after the transfer.

1. On your old phone, back up to WhatsApp: Settings → Chat → Backup.
2. Copy the msgstore.db.crypt14 file from /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases to your new phone.
3. Install WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi and restore chats when you first start.

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If you're switching from iPhone to Xiaomi, use a combination of methods: Mi Mover for multimedia + iCloud for contacts and notes. No tool can bring everything from iOS to Android in one step.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Data Transfers to Xiaomi