How to transfer contacts from one Xiaomi phone to another: all the ways of 2026

Introduction: Why Transferring Contacts to Xiaomi Needs a Special Approach

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but many users are faced with an unexpected problem: how to move hundreds of stored phone numbers without loss? Unlike the iPhone, where everything is synchronized through iCloud, or universal solutions like Google Contacts, the MIUI ecosystem offers its own unique tools - and ignoring them means risking losing important data.

In this article, we will discuss 5 current ways to transfer contacts between Xiaomi phones – from cloud services to manual methods, including little-known MIUI 14/15 firmware chips. Particular attention will be paid to nuances that are not written in the official instructions: for example, why photos of contacts can disappear when synchronizing through Mi Account or how to circumvent the restriction on transferring more than 500 numbers at a time over Bluetooth.

Important: If you’re switching from Xiaomi to a device from another brand (such as Samsung or Realme), some of the methods in this article won’t work – in that case, read our cross-platform contact transfer guide.

Method 1: Synchronize with Mi Account (the fastest method)

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud service is similar to Google Drive, but with advanced features for devices on MIUI. The main advantage is that contacts are synchronized automatically if both phones are tied to the same account. However, there are pitfalls: for example, when you first turn on the new Xiaomi system, the system may offer to restore data from a backup, but if you miss this step, it will be impossible to restore contacts through Mi Cloud without manual settings.

How to transfer contacts through Mi Account:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and turn on the slider opposite Contact. Wait for the sync to complete (the cloud icon will turn green).
• 🔄 On your new phone: Sign in to the same Mi Account (if you haven’t already done so when setting up) and enable Contact Sync in Mi Cloud.
• ⏳ Wait 5-10 minutes. If no contacts show up, reboot the new phone — this often solves the problem with "hangover" sync.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone is disabled Mi Cloud and you have already reset it to factory settings, it will not be possible to restore contacts using this method. VCF).

Make sure both phones have the same MIUI version (14 or 15)

Check that your old phone has Mi Cloud contact sync enabled

Connect both phones to Wi-Fi (synchronization via mobile Internet may be interrupted)

Battery charge for both devices > 30% (to avoid failures)-->

Method 2: Use Google Contacts (Universal)

If you don’t trust Mi Cloud or plan to switch to another brand in the future, syncing through Google Contacts is the best solution.This method works on all Android devices, including Xiaomi, and makes it easy to transfer numbers even between different operating systems (for example, from Xiaomi to iPhone).

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open the Contacts app, click on three dots (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management → Imports/Exports → Export to file. Save the.vcf file to your phone memory.
2. Transfer the file to a new phone (e.g., via Bluetooth, Telegram, or other means). USB-cable).
3. On the new phone, import the file: Contacts → Management → Import / Export → Import from the file.

The advantage of this method is that you have complete control over the data, for example, you can edit a.vcf file in a text editor before importing, removing unnecessary numbers, but be careful: if the file is corrupted, the import can result in an error.

Mi Cloud (Xiaomi)

Google Contacts

Bluetooth or USB-cable

Manual input

Another option-->

Method 3: Export and import via VCF file (for advanced users)

The.vcf file (vCard) is a universal format for storing contacts, supported by all modern smartphones. On Xiaomi, it can be created directly in the Contacts app, but there are nuances: for example, if you have custom firmware (like Xiaomi.EU), the path to export may be different.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Contacts on your old phone.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Contact management → Export to file.
3. Choose which contacts to export: all or only with SIM-map/Google/Mi Account.
4. Save the file to a convenient location (such as Downloads).
5. Transfer the file to a new phone (e.g., via Explorer + Mi Share or USB OTG).
6. On the new phone, import the file: Contacts → Management → Import from the file.

⚠️ Note: If you see a file corrupt error when you import, try opening it on your PC via Outlook or Thunderbird, which can restore some of the data. MIUI import).

Method 4: Transfer via Bluetooth (for a small number of contacts)

Bluetooth is the easiest, but also the most limited, way to do this, and it's suitable if you need to transfer no more than 50-100 contacts, because:

• 🐢 Transmission speed is extremely low (about 1 contact in 2-3 seconds).
• 📵 If more than 50 contacts are transmitted in a row, the connection may be broken.
• 🖼️ Contact photos are not always shared (depending on version) MIUI).

How to transfer contacts via Bluetooth:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones and pair them.
2. On the old phone, open Contacts, select the necessary numbers (long press → tick).
3. Click Share → Bluetooth and select a new phone.
4. On the new phone, confirm the file reception and wait for the transfer to be completed.

This method is convenient if you do not have access to the Internet or USB-It's not really suitable for mass transfer, like 300 contacts, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes, provided that the connection doesn't break.

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If Bluetooth is permanently broken, try to reduce the distance between phones to 1 meter and turn off power saving mode on both devices.

Method 5: Transfer through SIM-Map (Old, but sometimes useful)

Maintaining contacts SIM-The map is a method from the early 2000s, but it still works on Xiaomi:

• 📇 SIM-The card stores only the name and number (without email, addresses, photos).
• 🔢 Limitation: usually no more than 250 contacts (depending on operator).
• 🔄 When transferring Cyrillic names can be displayed by Krakozabras.

How to transfer contacts via SIM-card:

1. On the old phone: Contacts → Management → Import / Export → Export on SIM.
2. Choose contacts for export (you can usually only select those stored in your phone’s memory, not Google or Mi Account).
3. Move it. SIM-card.
4. On the new phone: Contacts → Management → Import with SIM.

⚠️ Attention: If yours SIM-Nano-SIM card, and the new phone only supports eSIM (as in Xiaomi 13 Ultra), this method will not work.

Comparison of all methods: which one to choose?

The choice of transfer method depends on your tasks:

• 🔄 Mi Cloud is the best option if you have both Xiaomi phones and a stable Internet connection.
• ☁️ Google Contacts is a universal solution for cross-platform transfer.
• 📄 File. VCF — For those who want to have a backup of contacts in case of a failure.
• 📶 Bluetooth only for 10-20 contacts.
• 📱 SIM-Card is an extreme case if other methods are not available.

If you are in doubt, use a combination approach:

1. Export contacts to.vcf and save the file to Google Drive (in case of losing your phone).
2. Sync through Mi Cloud for quick access to the new Xiaomi.
3. Make sure that all numbers are displayed correctly (sometimes characters are duplicated or lost).

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The most reliable way is to use both Mi Cloud and a backup in a VCF file, which will protect your contacts even if one of the services fails.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the correct transfer of contacts, errors can occur, and here are the most common ways to correct them:

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Restart the phone and repeat the import.

You can use third-party apps like My Contacts Backup (available on Google Play), but remember: these programs require access to your data, so choose only trusted developers with high ratings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions