How to transfer data from Xiaomi to Samsung: all the ways 2026

The transition from Xiaomi to Samsung is not just a brand change, but also a migration of all digital life: photos, chats, passwords and settings. Even if both smartphones run on Android, the differences in shells (MIUI vs One UI) and proprietary services (Mi Cloud vs Samsung Account) create barriers. In this article, 5 proven ways to transfer data (from official utilities to workarounds) relevant to 2020-2026 models, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Galaxy S23 and Galaxy A54.

The main problem with portability is that MIUI backups are incompatible with One UI: Backup files created through Settings → About Phone → Backup on Xiaomi are not restored to Samsung through standard tools. We’ll figure out how to get around this limitation by saving even the data of apps like WhatsApp or Viber, which is usually lost when you change your device.

Important: If you use a Google Account to sync, some of the data (contacts, calendar, some settings) will be automatically transferred when you first turn on Samsung, but you will need additional actions for multimedia, SMS and user files.

1.Official method: Samsung Smart Switch

Samsung Smart Switch is a proprietary migration utility that supports porting with Xiaomi, but with reservations. Windows/macOS, However, in practice it is better to use wireless mode (Wi-Fi Direct), since cable connection often fails due to connectors. USB-C standard.

How it works:

• 📱 Install Smart Switch on both phones (you can download from Google Play or Samsung website).
• 🔄 On Xiaomi, select Send Data, on Samsung, Receive Data.
• 📶 Connect via Wi-Fi Direct (password will appear on Samsung screen).
• 📁 Select data types: contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, documents, and even applications (but not their data!).

Limitations of the method:

• ⚠️ Not portable: Wi-Fi passwords, data from some applications (for example, Telegram or banking programs), screen settings.
• ⚠️ On Xiaomi MIUI 14+ You may need permission to debug USB (included in the settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — tap 7 times).
• ⚠️ If the data volume exceeds 10 GB, use the cable (but check the compatibility of the connectors!).

2. Transfer through Google Account (partial synchronization)

If you use a Google Account on Xiaomi, some of the data is synced automatically when you set up Samsung.

• 📇 Contacts (if saved in Google Contacts, not in Mi Cloud).
• 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar).
• 🔑 Passwords (if you use Google Password Manager).
• 📁 Files from Google Drive (if downloaded manually).

How to check sync on Xiaomi:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Make sure switches for Contact, Calendar, Disk are on.
3. Press Sync now.

On Samsung, when you first turn on, select Copy Data from Android and log in to the same Google Account.

⚠️ Attention: This method does not tolerate SMS, Call log, photos (other than those in Google Photos) and app data. For full migration, use it in combination with other ways.

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Before transferring, check if your contacts are saved to Mi Cloud instead of Google Contacts. To do this, open the Contacts app on Xiaomi and see which account is listed in the sync settings.

3. Manual transfer via memory card or OTG

The most versatile, but time-consuming way is to copy files manually to an external medium.

• 📸 Photos and videos (folders) DCIM, Pictures).
• 🎵 Music and audio recordings (Music, Recordings).
• 📄 Documents (Downloads, Documents).
• 🎮 Preservation of games (if stored in the /Android/data).

Step-by-step:

1. Insert a memory card (microSD) in Xiaomi or connect it USB-storage OTG-adapter.
2. Open Files (or Explorer) and copy the desired folders to the medium.
3. Transfer the card/drive to Samsung and copy the data to the appropriate folders.

Nuances:

• 🔍 To access the folder /Android/data (where application data is stored) Xiaomi may need permission to access hidden files (included in Explorer settings).
• 🚫 Some files (such as.nomedia) may be hidden – enable the display of hidden files in Explorer settings.
• ⚠️ Note: When copying through OTG Use the exFAT file system (if the media is used) >32GB, otherwise Samsung may not see files.

Insert a memory card or connect OTG-accumulator|Check the free space on the carrier|Enable the display of hidden files|Copy folders. DCIM, Pictures, Downloads|Checking the integrity of files after copying-->

4. Transfer of SMS, call logs and applications

Standard methods do not carry SMS, call logs and application data (such as WhatsApp correspondence or game progress).

For SMS and call logs:

• 📲 Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (available on Google Play).
• 🔄 Backup on Xiaomi, export it to Google Drive or memory card.
• 📥 Install the same app on Samsung and recover the data.

For WhatsApp and other messengers:

• 💬 On WhatsApp, go to Settings → chat → Backup and save backup in Google Drive.
• 🔑 Make sure Samsung uses the same phone number and Google Account.
• 📥 When WhatsApp first launches on Samsung, it will offer to restore chats from Google Drive.

For games and applications:

• 🎮 If the game supports Google Play Games or Facebook, log in to the new device – progress will be automatically picked up.
• 📦 For local data (e.g., save to Genshin Impact), copy the folder /Android/obb manually.

5. Cloud Services: Mi Cloud vs Samsung Cloud

Mi Cloud and Samsung Cloud are not compatible, but you can use them as a stash.

• ☁️ Upload photos from Xiaomi to Mi Cloud (enable sync in Settings) → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud).
• 📥 Download them to your computer via the web version of Mi Cloud.
• 🖥️ Upload files to Google Drive or Samsung Cloud, then sync with Samsung.

Alternatively, Google Photos:

• 📸 On Xiaomi, enable autoload in Google Photos (Settings) → Backup and synchronization).
• 🔄 Wait for the download to complete (check in the web version of photos.google.com).
• 📲 On Samsung, install Google Photos and log in to the same account – photos will automatically pull up.

⚠️ Samsung Cloud will not support backup photos and videos from 2021 – use Google Photos or OneDrive for this.

6. Solving problems in data transfer

If data is not transferred or errors occur, check the following points:

The problem is that the Smart Switch doesn’t see Xiaomi.

• 🔌 Try another cable (original from Samsung).
• 🛠️ On Xiaomi, turn on Debugging by USB (Settings → Additionally. → For developers).

Problem: No photos or videos are transferred.

• 📂 Check if files are hidden (in Explorer enable the display of hidden folders).
• 🗃️ If you use a memory card, format it in exFAT (on Xiaomi it is done through Settings). → Warehouse → Memory map → Format).

Problem: WhatsApp is not restoring chats.

• ☁️ Make sure your backup in Google Drive is fresh (check the date in Settings) → chat → Backup copy).
• 📱 Use the same phone number and Google Account as you do on Xiaomi.
• 🔄 If chats don’t recover, delete WhatsApp on Samsung and install it again.

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If none of the methods worked, use a combination of methods: Smart Switch for contacts, Google Photos for media, SMS Backup & Restore for messages, and manual transfer for the rest of the files.

FAQ: Frequent questions