How to Fast All Data from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: A Complete Guide

Transferring data between Xiaomi smartphones: what you need to know before you start

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often becomes a headache. Contacts, photos, messages, apps and even screen settings are all things you want to save, but how to do it quickly and without loss? Unlike the iPhone, which has a single iCloud, Xiaomi has several tools for migration, and each has its own nuances.

The main problem is different versions of MIUI. If your old phone runs MIUI 12 and your new phone runs MIUI 14, some portability features can be unpredictable. For example, MIUI 14 has removed Mi Mover portability for models older than 2020, and now you have to use workarounds. In addition, not all data can be transferred equally efficiently: contacts and photos are easily copied, but saved passwords from Mi Browser or Xiaomi Home settings for smart devices are often “lost” along the way.

In this article, we will look at 5 proven ways to transfer data between Xiaomi smartphones, from the official MIUI Transfer to manual copying via PC. You will learn which method is the fastest, which saves the most data, and where the pitfalls await. And also what to do if the transfer is interrupted or new data overwrites old.

Method 1: Official MIUI Transfer (Mi Mover) – Fast, but not perfect

MIUI Transfer (formerly Mi Mover) is Xiaomi’s built-in wireless data porting solution that works on most models, starting with the Redmi Note 5 (2018), but with reservations. The main advantage is that you don’t need to connect your phone to a PC or use the cloud. However, there are disadvantages: applications are portable without data (i.e. WhatsApp is copied, but chat history is not).

To use MIUI Transfer, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On both phones, open the settings. → The phone. → Data portability (MIUI Transfer).
• 🔄 Choose which phone is “giver” (old) and which is “receiver” (new).
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on an old phone).
• 🔍 Scan on your new phone. QR-code that will appear on the old.
• ✅ Select data types to transfer (contacts, messages, photos, videos, apps) and confirm.

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of data you have, and it's important that if you have data on your new phone, it can be overwritten. SIM-Maps or Google Accounts will be combined with the transferred ones, but duplicates are still possible.

Compatible versions of MIUI on both phones

Free space on the new device (minimum 1.5)× from the amount of data transferred)

Battery charge of both phones (at least 50%)

Disabling VPNs and firewalls

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⚠️ Note: If the new phone is installed MIUI Global, and old — MIUI China, mobile apps may not work due to regional restrictions, in which case use Google Account or Mi Cloud.

Method 2: Transferring your Google Account is secure, but not for everything

If you used Google services on an old phone, most of the data is already in sync with the cloud, a method that works for contacts, calendars, Google Keep notes, photos (Google Photos) and even some app settings, and the main advantage is that the data is available on any Android device, not just Xiaomi.

To transfer data through Google Account:

1. On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts and sync → Google → Select an account → Sync everything
2. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select “Recover Data” and log in to the same Google Account.
3. If the phone is already configured, go to Settings → System → Backup and start recovery.

What will not go through Google:

• 📁 Local files (music, documents, downloads)
• 💬 Communications SMS/MMS (Unless you have used Google Messages)
• 🎮 Data from games and some applications (e.g. Telegram or Viber)
• ⚙️ System settings (Xiaomi-specific features like Second Space or Game Turbo)

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If you use Google Photos to back up, check your compression settings. By default, photos are saved in High Quality (compressed) rather than Original (full size).

Method 3: Mi Cloud – Cloud Storage from Xiaomi

Mi Cloud is a Xiaomi cloud service that allows you to back up and recover data, and unlike Google, you can save SMS, call log, system settings, and even some application data (such as Mi Browser or Mi Fit).

• 📉 Free available only 5 GB (that is about 1000 photos in high quality).
• 🔒 Some data (such as Wi-Fi passwords) are not backed up for security reasons.
• ⏳ Recovery can take several hours if the data volume is large.

Instructions for perenos via Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone: Settings → About Phone → Backup → Backup in Mi Cloud Select data to back up and wait until it’s completed.
2. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select “Restore from backup” and log in to the same Mi Account.
3. If the phone is already configured, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup → Restore.

⚠️ Note: If you use a Mi Account with a phone number linked from another region (e.g. a Chinese account) + Russian number, backups to Mi Cloud may not be displayed, in which case, create a new account with the correct region.

Method 4: Transfer over an OTG cable or PC for full control

If you need to transfer all data without exception (including hidden files, game settings or corporate data), the best way is to manually copy it via PC or PC. OTG-This is a method that takes longer, but gives you 100 percent control over what's being copied and where.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with USB-port OTG-Adapter for direct phone connection)
• 🔌 USB Type C or MicroUSB cables (depending on the models)
• 📁 Enough free space on the PC (if you copy through the computer)

Instructions via PC:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy all the necessary folders (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, WhatsApp for chats, etc.) to your computer.
3. Connect the new phone and transfer the files back.
4. For applications, use APK-extractor (e.g., extractor, APK Extractor) to save installers and then install them manually on a new phone.

Instructions through OTG-adapter:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG-adapter (it should support) USB Host).
2. On the new phone, open Explorer (Files) and select the connected old phone.
3. Copy the necessary files into the memory of the new device.

MIUI Transfer (Mi Mover)

Google Account

Mi Cloud

Manual copying via PC/OTG

Another way.

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Advantages of this method:

• 🔍 Complete control over which files to copy.
• 🛡️ No risk of data loss due to cloud failure or synchronization.
• 📂 You can transfer hidden files (for example, settings) TWRP Magisk, if the phone has been rooted).

⚠️ Note: If you copy the Android folder (where app data is stored), conflicts may arise on the new phone. For example, WhatsApp may not see the old database if the app version is different. /Android/media/com.whatsapp manually.

Method 5: Advanced Transfers: ADB and Titanium Backup

If you unlock the bootloader on your Xiaomi or have root access, you can use tools like ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or Titanium Backup to fully clone the system.

• 📱 All applications with data (including game saves).
• ⚙️ System settings (e.g. build.prop or Xiaomi.eu settings).
• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords, VPN-Configurations and other protected data.

Instructions via ADB:

1. Install ADB and Fastboot on PC (you can download from the official Android website).
2. Enable USB Debugging on both phones: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to enable Developer Mode) Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB
3. Connect your old phone to your PC and execute a command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab (this will save all applications, their data and shared files to the backup.ab file).
4. Connect your new phone and recover data: adb restore backup.ab

Instructions via Titanium Backup (require root):

1. Install Titanium Backup on both phones.
2. On an old phone, back up all user apps and data.
3. Transfer the backup file to your new phone (via PC or OTG).
4. On the new phone, recover data via Titanium Backup.

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Use ADB or Titanium Backup only if you are confident in your actions. Incorrect system data recovery can lead to a bootloop ( looped reboot) of the phone.

Frequent Data Transfer Problems and How to Solve Them

Even if you follow the instructions, the data transfer may not go according to plan.

If you find that data is duplicated after the transfer (for example, the same contacts appear twice), use cleaning tools to:

• 📇 For Contacts: Google Contacts → Combining and correcting.
• 📷 For photo: Google Photo → Utilities. → Delete duplicates.
• 📱 For applications: Settings → Annexes → Remove unused items.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions