How to Transfer All Data from Xiaomi to a New Phone: 2026

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but moving data from an old device can become a real headache if you don’t know the nuances. Even experienced users sometimes lose hours to restore contacts, photos or app settings due to the wrong method. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of migration, from official MIUI tools to universal solutions from Google, and also reveal the pitfalls of each option.

Xiaomi phones offer multiple built-in portability mechanisms, but not all of them are equally effective. For example, the MIUI Clone function works faster than a cloud backup, but requires physical device connectivity, and synchronization through a Google Account can “forget” some of the system application settings. We tested each method on models from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra — in the article only verified data without theoretical assumptions.

1. Preparing an Old Xiaomi Phone for Data Transfer

Before you start migrating, you need to put the old device on alert, which is a phase that is often missed, and then you wonder why some of the files didn't move or the process was interrupted in half.

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50% – transfer data can take from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on the volume.
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (if you use wireless methods). MIUI Clone is a direct Wi-Fi Direct connection, but stability is higher when connected to a router.
• 🧹 Clear the cache in the Settings apps → Annexes → Application management → [Select an application] → Clear the cache. It'll speed up backup.
• 🔐 Make sure the new phone has power saving turned off (Settings) → Battery → Power saving mode, otherwise background transfer processes may be interrupted.

If you plan to use Google Account for sync, check if it’s enabled on your old phone: Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google → [Your account] → Sync contacts/calendar/photo. Without this step, the data simply won’t get to the cloud.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has custom firmware installed (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), built-in tools MIUI In this case, use universal methods — Google Drive or physical cable with a single device. MTK Droid Tools.

Charging both phones >50%|One Wi-Fi connection|App cache cleared|Power saving mode is off.|Google Synchronization Verified-->

2. Method 1: MIUI Clone is the official way from Xiaomi

MIUI Clone is a proprietary migration tool that Xiaomi has integrated into firmware since MIUI 12, allowing you to migrate almost everything from SMS to call history and even some system application settings, the main advantage of which is that you don't have to upload anything to the cloud, data is transmitted directly between devices.

How it works:

1. On the new phone, select Data Transfer when you first turn on (if you missed this step, find the MIUI Clone app in the menu).
2. On your old phone, open Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (or find MIUI Clone through search).
3. Scanner. QR-The new device counts the code from the old one – this will create a direct connection over Wi-Fi Direct.
4. Select which data to transfer (contacts, messages, apps, multimedia) and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data, for example, 10 GB of photos and 50 applications are transferred in about 40 to 50 minutes with a stable connection, and if the process is interrupted, you can resume it from the same place - MIUI Clone saves progress.

⚠️ Note: If a newer version is installed on the new phone MIUI, Some system application settings (such as Themes or Security) may not be moved due to changes in the configuration file structure.

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If MIUI Clone doesn’t find an old device, try manually connecting to its Wi-Fi Direct hotspot. Go to Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Wi-Fi Direct hotspot and connect the new phone to that network on your old phone.

Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendar, photo)

If you're a Google user, this is the easiest way to do this, it doesn't require a physical connection to your devices, and it works even if one of your phones isn't from Xiaomi, but there's a caveat: not all data is automatically synchronized -- for example, SMS and call history aren't transferred through Google (you need a paid subscription Google One).

Step-by-step:

• 📱 On an old phone: Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Google → [Your account] → Enable synchronization for Contacts, Calendar, Google Photos.
• ☁️ Wait for sync to complete (check in Google Drive that files have downloaded).
• 🆕 On a new phone: when you first turn on, log in to the same Google Account or add it to Settings → Accounts.
• 🔄 Turn on sync and wait for data to load (may take minutes to an hour).

To transfer photos and videos, it is most convenient to use Google Photos:

1. Open the Google Photos app on your old phone.
2. Click on profile avatar → Photo settings → Backup and Sync → turn on the function.
3. Choose quality (Original or High) and wait for the download.
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Google account – photos will appear automatically.

⚠️ Attention: Free storage of Google Photos is limited to 15 GB per account (together with Gmail and Google Drive).If you have more data, either pay extra space or use alternative methods (for example, if you have more data, you can use the same method, MIUI Clone).

MIUI Clone|Google Account|Cable OTG/PC|Cloud services (Yandex Disk, Dropbox)|Other-->

Method 3: Transfer over an OTG cable or computer

If you don't have Wi-Fi, or if you prefer physical control, you can transfer data over a cable, which is universal and works even on phones with damaged Wi-Fi. There are two options:

Option A: Direct connection via OTG-adapter

It will. OTG-adapter (or cable) USB-C to USB-C, If both phones are modern, instructions:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG-adapter.
2. A notification will appear on the new phone USB-Connection – Select File Transfer.
3. Open Explorer (or Files) on your new phone and copy the folders you want (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, etc.).

Option B: Computer transfer

If OTG-There is no adapter, use the PC as an intermediary:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer and copy all important files to your hard drive.
2. Disable the old device, connect the new one and transfer the files back.

For applications, this method is not suitable - you can only transfer APK-files, but not their data (for example, saves in games).

5. Method 4: Cloud services (Yandex Disk, Dropbox, Telegram)

If you only need to transfer individual files (like documents or email archives), the best way to do this is to use cloud storage, and the main advantage is that you don't have to connect your phones to each other, just the Internet.

• ☁️ Yandex Disk: It gives you 10GB for free. Download files from your old phone through the app, then download them to a new one. It's good for photos and documents.
• 📦 Dropbox: Only 2GB free, but reliable sync. Easy for working files.
• 💬 Telegram: You can send files to yourself in Save Messages (limit 2 GB per file) Fast and without registration.

To transfer contacts through the cloud:

1. On your old phone, export your contacts to.vcf: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Exports.
2. Upload the file to the cloud.
3. Download the file and import contacts on the new phone: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports.

Cloud services are convenient for selective transfer, but not suitable for full migration – for example, you will not be able to migrate SMS or application settings.

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Cloud services are the best choice if you only need to transfer some data (for example, work documents or correspondence archive). MIUI Clone or Google Account.

Method 5: Transfer via backup to MIUI (local backup)

If you don't trust the clouds or you have slow Internet, you can create a local backup on your old phone and restore it to a new one, which works even without a network connection, but requires free space on your device or a new one. SD-map.

Instructions:

1. On an old phone: Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select data for backup (contacts, SMS, configuration system, applications).
3. Specify the location of the storage (internal memory or SD-map).
4. Once you have created a copy, transfer the backup file (MIUI/backup/AllBackup) to the new phone via cable or OTG.
5. On the new phone: Settings → About phone → Backup and reset → Restore from local copy.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔒 Data does not go online (suitable for confidential information).
• 📦 You can choose which data to restore.
• 🔄 It works even on phones without Wi-Fi or mobile network access.

⚠️ Attention: Local backup MIUI does not store data from some third-party applications (for example, Viber or Banking applications) and will require separate backups through the applications themselves.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users have difficulty.-5 problems and ways of solving them:

If neither method worked, try resetting the network settings on both phones: Settings → Connections & Sharing → Network Reset.This often solves connection problems when migrating through MIUI Clone or Google Account.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions