How to Move Data from One Xiaomi to Another: A Complete Guide to 2026

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but the process of data transfer often becomes a headache. Photos, contacts, messages, application settings – all of this must be saved and moved to a new device without loss. Fortunately, the Xiaomi ecosystem offers several built-in and third-party solutions for data migration, each of which has its pros and cons.

Many users mistakenly believe that it is enough to simply copy files to a memory card or to the cloud — but this only works with media files. What about system settings, application data or SMS? In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of transferring data between Xiaomi devices, including little-known chips for models on HyperOS. You will learn which method is the fastest, which saves the most types of data, and how to avoid typical errors during transfer.

We’ll focus on new features in 2026, such as Mi Mover Pro and integration with Xiaomi Cloud, which make the process much easier, and for those who prefer manual control, we’ll detail alternatives ranging from cable to ADB for advanced users.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (built-in application)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data migration tool pre-installed on all of the brand’s modern devices, and supports almost all types of data transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, documents, system settings, and even some applications (such as Mi Fit or Xiaomi Home), the main advantage of which is that it does not require a computer and works directly over Wi-Fi.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. On an old smartphone, open Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. On the new device, when you first turn on, select the option “Data Transfer” or find Mi Mover in the settings.
3. On the old phone, click "I am the sender" and on the new phone, "I am the receiver."
4. Scan it. QR-code from the new device old (or enter) PIN-manually).
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the transfer.

The process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of data, and it is important that both devices are at least 50 percent charged and are on the same Wi-Fi network (or connected to the same access point).

Both phones are based on MIUI/HyperOS 12+

Free space on the new device (at least 20% more data volume)

VPNs and firewalls disabled

Both phones have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled.-->

Limitations of Mi Mover:

• 🚫 Does not support the transfer of installed applications (only their data, if the application is already installed on the new device).
• 🚫 On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 and older) you may not be able to transmit lock screen settings.
• 🚫 Maximum transfer volume – 10 GB per session (for large volumes you will have to repeat the process).

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If Mi Mover is 99% freezer, try turning off battery optimization for this app in the settings or restarting both phones.

Fast transmission via OTG cable (for large volumes)

If you don’t have time to wait for Wi-Fi transmission or need to transfer tens of gigabytes of data (like video to 4K), the best option is to connect directly via an OTG cable. This method works 5-10 times faster than wireless methods, and does not depend on the speed of the Internet.

You'll need:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (Type-C to Type-C or Micro-USB to Type-C depending on your device ports).
• 📱 Both smartphones with support OTG (Check the characteristics of the model).
• 🔋 Charge at least 30% (transfer of large files consumes battery).

Instructions:

1. Connect the OTG cable to your new smartphone (it will act as a host).
2. Connect your old smartphone to the other end of the cable.
3. A notification will appear on the new device "USB-Device is connected" - click on it and select "File Transfer".
4. Open any file manager (e.g., Xiaomi Files) and copy the folders you want (DCIM, Download, Pictures, etc.) to your new device.

Important: When transferring over OTG, do not remove the cable until the copy is completed – this can damage the file system on both devices.

Mi Mover (Wi-Fi)

OTG cable

Cloud services (Xiaomi Cloud, Google Drive)

Other-->

3. Cloud Transfer via Xiaomi Cloud

Xiaomi Cloud is a proprietary cloud storage that automatically syncs contacts, notes, photos, and even some system settings, and the advantage of this method is that data is available on any Xiaomi device after you log in to your Mi Account.

How to move data through the cloud:

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Note: Xiaomi Cloud’s free tariff only provides 5GB of space. If you need to move more, you’ll have to buy extra space (from 100GB for ~300 rubles per year) or use methods from other sections of this article.

What can be transferred through Xiaomi Cloud:

• 📱 Contacts and call log
• 📝 Notes (Mi Notes)
• 🖼️ Photos and videos (in original quality)
• 🔧 Settings of themes, wallpapers and some system parameters

What's not transmitted:

• 🚫 Installed applications (only their data if the application supports cloud synchronization).
• 🚫 SMS and MMS (It is better to use Mi Mover for this).
• 🚫 Files from Download or Documents folders (only if manually uploaded to the cloud).

4. Move through Google Account (for contacts and basic data)

If you use Google services, some of the data can be transferred through a Google account, a method that is suitable for synchronizing contacts, calendar, email and some application settings (such as Chrome or Gmail), but it is not suitable for transferring photos, videos or messages.

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired categories (contacts, calendar, etc.).
3. On the new device, add the same Google account and enable sync.

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Note: If you have previously synced contacts with both Mi Cloud and Google, there may be duplication. Before transfer, check your sync settings in Settings → Contacts → Default accounts and leave only one source.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ It works on all Android devices, not just Xiaomi.
• ✅ Data is available even after the phone is reset.
• ✅ Free storage – 15 GB (common for Gmail, Drive and Photos).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ I can't stand it. SMS, system settings or application data.
• ❌ Photos are synced in compressed quality (for originals, you need to use Google Photos separately).

5. Alternative methods: third-party applications and ADB

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t suit you, you can use third-party solutions.

1. Send Anywhere (for large files)

2. CLONEit (for full backup)

• 📱 Supports data-driven applications (which Mi Mover can't do).

3. ADB (for advanced users)

If you need to migrate all data without exception (including application settings and system files), you can use ADB Backup. This method requires a computer and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB on your PC (download from the Android Developers website).


2. Connect your old smartphone to your computer and do:




adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab




3. Connect a new smartphone and restore the backup:




adb restore backup.ab

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Note: ADB backup may not recover on newer versions of Android due to permission changes. Check your models’ compatibility on forums (e.g. 4PDA or XDA Developers) before using it.

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The side of an application like CLONEit or Send Anywhere often bypasses the limitations of Mi Mover, but requires more action from the user and may contain ads.

6. data transfer from the phone to Xiaomi from another brand (Samsung, iPhone, etc.)

If you are switching to Xiaomi from a device of another brand (such as Samsung, iPhone or Huawei), the built-in Mi Mover will not work.

1. For iPhone users:

• 📱 Use the Move to iOS app (but it only works when you first set up the new Xiaomi app).
• 🌐 Alternatively, upload the data to iCloud and then export it to your PC and transfer it to Xiaomi via cable.
• 📧 Contacts can be synced through Google Account (on iPhone: Settings) → Contacts → Accounts. → Add a Google account).

2.For Android users (Samsung, Huawei, etc.):

• 🔄 Use Smart Switch (for Samsung) or Phone Clone (for Huawei) to export data to your PC, then import it to Xiaomi.
• 📁 The easiest way to copy media files is to copy them to a memory card and paste them into a new phone.
• 📞 Transfer your contacts and calendar via Google Account or export to.vcf.

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Note: When transferring from iPhone to Xiaomi will not be transferred: 🚫 Data from Apple Music or iTunes. 🚫 Messages from iMessage (they can only be exported through third-party utilities to PC). 🚫 Settings for Apple Pay and other Apple services.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when using official tools, users often face problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

1 Mi Mover doesn't see the device

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Make sure both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (not mobile data!).
• 🔧 In the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap it 7 times) turn on "Debugging by USB" and “Installation through USB".

2. Transmission is interrupted by 99%

• 🔋 Check the battery power – if it is below 20%, the process may stop.
• 📴 Disable all background apps, especially instant messengers and games.
• 🔄 Try to split the transmission into parts (for example, first contacts, then photos).

3. No annexes are portable

• 📱 Mi Mover can't stand it. APK-To migrate the apps themselves, backup through Titanium Backup (requires root) or export the app list to Google Play (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Exports).

4.Photos in the cloud are uploaded in low quality

• 🖼️ In Xiaomi Cloud, check the download settings: Settings → Mi Cloud → gallery → Download quality (select "Original").
• 📸 In Google Photos go to Settings → Backup → Download quality and select "Original Quality".

Both methods work completely offline.