How to transfer contacts from SIM-card to Xiaomi phone: all ways + problem solving

Transfer of contacts with SIM-Xiaomi smartphone cards are a challenge that every user faces sooner or later. Despite the apparent simplicity, the process can cause difficulties, from the lack of a visible menu item to import errors on new versions. MIUI. In this article, we’ll break down all the current portability methods (including hidden features), explain why some contacts may not be copied, and give you a checklist for secure backup.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO are all about using MIUI, which is updated regularly, which means that the path to importing contacts can be different even on single-generation devices, and we’ve taken all the nuances into account and prepared universal instructions that run on MIUI 12-15, including the latest updates from 2026.

Important: if you are using a two-sim smartphone Xiaomi with a hybrid slot (SIM + microSD, make sure that before transferring contacts SIM-card inserted SIM1 — Some models by default read contacts only from it.

Why it is better to keep your contacts on your phone instead of on your phone SIM-map

SIM-Cards were the primary store of contacts in the age of button phones, but for modern smartphones, this method is outdated:

• 📱 Limited volume: SIM-The card stores up to 250-500 contacts (depending on the operator), while the phone stores tens of thousands.
• 🔍 No field: On SIM You cannot save a photo, email, address or additional phone numbers.
• ⚡ Slow access: Reading contacts with SIM It takes 3-5 times longer than internal memory.
• ☁️ No synchronization: Contacts to SIM Not reserved in Mi Cloud or Google Account, they are easy to lose when changing your card.

Moreover, many instant messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) cannot automatically identify contacts stored on the Internet. SIM-So that means you have to manually add every subscriber to these apps.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with eSIM, transfer contacts from the physical SIM The phone will be a mandatory step – eSIM does not support the storage of contacts.

Preparation for transfer: what to check before the start

Before you start importing, follow a few simple steps to avoid data loss or errors:

1. Check the number of contacts on SIM. Contact us. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Management SIM-If you have more than 200 contacts, break the transfer into pieces.
2. Free up space in the phone’s memory. Importing will require at least 5-10MB of free space (even 500 contacts).
3. Turn off battery optimization for the Contacts app. This will prevent interruption of the process. Path: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Battery → No restrictions.
4. Make sure you are stable (if you plan to sync with Mi Cloud or Google).

Checked the number of contacts on SIM|Released 10+ MBT memory|Battery optimization for Contacts disabled"|SIM-card inserted SIM1 (hybrid)|Background applications closed-->

If you are using Xiaomi with MIUI 14/15, update the Contacts app via Google Play before transferring. The new versions fix bugs encoding Cyrillic names when importing.

MIUI 12|MIUI 13|MIUI 14|MIUI 15|I don't know.-->

Method 1: Standard import through the Contacts app

This is the simplest method that works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models, and the instructions are relevant for MIUI 12-15:

1. Open the Contacts app (a icon with a person's silhouette).
2. Tap on three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to the Import/Export Contacts section.
4. Select Import with SIM-If you have two cards. SIM, specify the appropriate (e.g, SIM 1).
5. Check the contacts for transfer (or click Select All) and tap Import.
6. Wait until the process is complete. MIUI 14+ will have a successful import notification.

By default, contacts will be saved to your phone account (local memory). To sync them with Google or Mi Cloud, after importing, go to Settings → Accounts and enable sync.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro), contacts may be duplicated after import. To avoid this, export existing contacts to a.vcf file before transfer (see Method 3).

💡

If the "Import with" button SIM-The cards are inactive, re-insert and re-insert. SIM-In 30 percent of cases, this solves the problem of recognition.

Method 2: Transfer through system settings (alternative method)

If the standard import does not work (for example, due to a failure of the Contacts application), use the system settings:

1. Open the phone settings.
2. Go to the Apps → Application management.
3. Find and tap on Contacts (or Contacts and Calls on some models).
4. Select Warehouse. → Import with SIM-map.
5. Follow the on-screen prompts. MIUI 15 may require confirmation via Mi Account.

This method is particularly useful for custom firmware devices (e.g. Xiaomi.eu) where the standard Contacts app can be modified.

Method 3: Export contacts to.vcf and import to phone

This method is suitable if you want to not only transfer contacts from SIM to Xiaomi, but also create a backup..vcf file can be opened on any device:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-The card (yes, export first!) will create a backup copy.
2. Return to the Import/Export menu and select Export to.vcf. Save the file to Internal Memory or SD-map.
3. Now import this file back: Import from a.vcf file and select the saved file.
4. Specify your target account (such as Google or Phone).

The advantage of this method is that you get a file that can:

• 📤 Send to email or cloud.
• 🔄 Import to another phone (not just Xiaomi).
• 🛡️ Restore contacts after resetting settings.

Solving common problems when transferring contacts

Even if you follow the instructions, Xiaomi users may encounter errors, and consider typical scenarios and ways to fix them:

Problem 1: Import with button SIM-The card is inactive or absent

Causes and solutions:

• 🔌 SIM-The card doesn't recognize: Remove and re-insert the card. If it doesn't work, check it on another phone.
• 📱 An outdated version MIUI: Update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔒 Operator restrictions: Some SIM-Cards (e.g. corporate cards) block the reading of contacts.

Problem 2: Not all contacts are transferred

This is most often related to:

• 📇 Number limit: Import contacts in parts (100-150 at a time).
• 🌐 By name encoding: MIUI 12 may not show Cyrillic contacts. Solution - update Contacts app.
• 📵 Check contacts on another phone – some of the data may be damaged.

Issue 3: Duplicate contacts after importation

To remove the duplicates:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Combine Doubles.
2. Click Scan and confirm the union.
3. For difficult cases, use the Duplicate Contacts app from Google Play.

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If the contacts are displayed in hieroglyphics after import, the reason is incompatibility of the encodings. Solution: export the contacts to.vcf, open the file in the text editor and save it to UTF-8 encoding, then import back.

How to keep contacts in the cloud after transfer

Transferring your SIM contacts to your phone is only half the task. To protect your data from loss, set up sync with Mi Cloud or Google Account:

Sync with Mi Cloud (for Xiaomi users)

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Mi Account.
2. Turn on the contact synchronization slider.
3. Press Sync now.

The advantage: contacts will automatically be restored when you change your Xiaomi phone.

Synchronization with Google Account

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Add an account → Google.
2. Log in and enable contact synchronization.
3. To check the result, open contacts.google.com on your computer.

⚠️ Note: If you use dual sync (both Mi Cloud and Google), disable one to avoid duplicate conflicts. Google is the first priority, as it is universal for all Android devices.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi