How to Transfer All Data from One Xiaomi Phone to Another (including Redmi) – 5 Ways to Transfer Data

Why data transfer between Xiaomi and Redmi requires a special approach

Moving to a new smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to two devices in the same ecosystem but different lines. Xiaomi and Redmi, although they belong to the same brand, often have differences in firmware, MIUI version and even hardware, which means that standard methods of data transfer (like Google Account) may not take into account nuances, such as the settings of the the theme, Mi Account data or specific features like “Dual applications”.

In 2026, users have at least 5 current ways of transferring – from the official Mi Mover to manual copying through ADB. But not all of them are equally effective: some lose application data, others require root rights, and still others work only on the latest versions of MIUI 14/15. In this article, we will analyze each method with its pros, cons and hidden nuances – for example, why transferring through Google Photos can “eat” the quality of your images, or how to circumvent the limitation on the amount of data in wireless transmission.

We will pay special attention to the problems that users face when switching from old models (for example, Redmi Note 8 Pro to Xiaomi 13T): incompatibility of MIUI versions, authorization errors in Mi Account or data loss due to resetting. All solutions in the article are tested on current firmware and models of 2023-2026.

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a built-in data porting application that Xiaomi positions as the main solution, it supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, applications (including their data), call records and even some system settings.

• 📱 It only works between devices on MIUI 9 and newer (on Redmi) 5/6 may not start).
• 🔌 Requires original cable USB-C/USB-A (Cheap analogues often cause the error "failed to connect").
• 📶 Wireless mode is limited to 4 GB (for more volume you need a cable).
• 🔒 Does not transfer data of certain banking applications (due to security policy).

How to use:

1. On both phones, open Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or find the app through search).
2. Choose which phone is “old” and which is “new”.
3. Connect devices with a cable (it is recommended to use USB-C → USB-C or the original USB-A → USB-C adapter).
4. On your old phone, select data to transfer (you can mark everything or select selectively).
5. Confirm the transfer and wait for the completion (on the Redmi Note 12 with 64 GB of data, the process takes ~40 minutes).

⚠️ Note: If Mi Mover is stuck in the Preparing data stage, check if the Debugging option is disabled. USB In Settings → Additionally. → For developers, the debugging that's enabled conflicts with the utility.

Charge both phones at least 50% |

Update MIUI to the latest version|

Disable VPNs and firewalls |

Use the original USB| cable

Make a backup on your old phone-->

Method 2: Transfer over Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

The Mi Cloud service allows you to sync contacts, notes, photos, calendar entries and even SMS between devices, the main advantage of which is that data is available on any phone after you log in to Mi Account.

• ☁️ Free tariff is limited to 5 GB (for photos in original quality this is not enough).
• 🔄 Application synchronization is unstable (for example, WhatsApp does not tolerate chat history).
• 📅 Calendar and note data may be duplicated at first transfer.
• 🛡️ Two-factor authentication is required in Mi Account (otherwise access to the cloud will be blocked).

Instructions for transfer:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for all categories (especially Contacts, Gallery, Notes).
3. Wait until the data is uploaded to the cloud (progress is displayed in the top panel).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable sync in Mi Cloud.
5. Wait 10–30 minutes (depending on the amount of data) and restart the device.

💡

If Mi Cloud doesn’t sync photos, try manually uploading them through cloud.xiaomi.com. Select files in the Gallery → Share → Mi Cloud on your old phone.

Method 3: Use Google Services (an alternative for those who don’t trust Mi Cloud)

If you prefer the Google ecosystem or have experienced problems in the Mi Cloud, you can migrate data through Google's services: Contacts, Photos, Drive and Backup.

• 📇 Contacts are transferred in full if they are saved in Google Account (check in Contacts). → Settings → Imports/Exports).
• 📸 Google Photos compresses images if you don’t pay the “Original Quality” rate (free only up to 15 GB).
• 📱 Backup of Android (in Settings) → Google → Backup) retains SMS, Wi-Fi call history and settings, but not all apps support recovery.
• 🔗 Google Play apps are automatically restored, but their data (for example, save in games) is only if the developer has provided cloud synchronization.

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone: Enable Contact Sync in Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync. Upload photos to Google Photos (open the app → Photos → Select All → Backup). Create a backup to Settings → Google → Backup → Create a copy.

• Sign in to the same Google account.
• Restore data from the backup during the initial setup (or manually in Settings → Google → Backup → Restore).
• Install apps from Google Play (they will download automatically).

⚠️ Note: If the new phone is installed MIUI Global, and old — MIUI China, some system apps (such as Mi Video or Mi Music) may not be restored from Google backup, in which case they will have to be installed manually from the Mi App Store.

Method 4: Manual transfer via OTG cable or computer

If you need to transfer large files (video to the Internet) 4K, RAW-Photos, app backups, or you don't trust cloud services, manually transferring over cable or PC will be the most reliable option:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (for direct telephone connection) or USB-cable + computer.
• 📁 File Manager (e.g., built-in Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
• ⏳ Time – the process can take several hours with the amount of data >100GB.

Instructions for transfer via computer:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the folders you need: DCIM (photos and videos), Downloads (downloads), Android/data (app data, but not all folders will be available without root), MIUI/Theme (design themes, if you use custom)

Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.

Insert the copied data into the corresponding folders on the new device.

Restart the phone to update the system.

For transfer through OTG-cable (without PC):

1. Connect. OTG-Adapter to the new phone and connect it to the old one USB-cable.
2. On your new phone, open Mi File Manager and select USB-device.
3. Copy files from your old phone to the memory of your new phone (it is recommended to use the Internal Storage folder for media files).

We recommend using Bluetooth only for transferring a few small files (e.g., contacts in.vcf format).