How to transfer data from phone to phone Xiaomi: the complete guide 2026

Contents

• Introduction: Why data transfers between Xiaomi require a special approach
• Official way: Mi Mover - pros and pitfalls
• Xiaomi Cloud vs Google Drive vs Yandex Disk
• Direct cable: USB-OTG and adapters for fast transfer
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct: When wires are not an option
• Third-party applications: ShareMe, Xender and alternatives
• Selective transfer: only contacts, photos or applications
• Problem Solving: Transfer errors and data loss
• Frequent questions

Shifting data between Xiaomi smartphones only seems trivial, and users face a nuanced set of issues, from MIUI limitations on transferring system files to compatibility issues between older models (Redmi Note 5) and new flagships (Xiaomi 14 Ultra). Unlike the iPhone, where Apple’s ecosystem offers a single migration algorithm, Xiaomi owners have to choose between official tools, cloud services, and third-party solutions — each with its own limitations.

The key challenge is that not all methods are equally effective for different types of data. For example, Mi Mover is great at transferring contacts and SMS, but can hang on transferring large 4K video files. And cloud services like Xiaomi Cloud limit free storage to 5 GB, which is not enough for a full backup of a modern smartphone. This article will help you figure out which way is right for your situation - whether it is updating from Redmi 9 to POCO F6 or emergency copying data before selling your phone.

Official way: Mi Mover - pros and pitfalls

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data migration solution, pre-installed on all devices with MIUI 9 and later. The app uses direct Wi-Fi (without the cloud), which should theoretically provide high speed and privacy.

• 🔹 Works only between Xiaomi devices (does not support other brands)
• 🔹 Requires MIUI 9+ on both phones (issues with Redmi 4X and older)
• 🔹 Does not transfer data to certain third-party applications (e.g. WhatsApp)
• 🔹 Limit on file sizes (maximum 20 GB per session)

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → About Phone → Data Migration.
2. Select the role of "Sender" and confirm the permissions.
3. On the new phone, select Recipient (or find Mi Mover in the app menu) during the initial setup process.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone with an old device.
5. Select the types of data to be transmitted (contacts, messages, photos, etc.) and confirm the beginning of the process.

⚠️ Warning: If the new phone has already performed the initial setup, the Mi Mover may not start.This requires a factory reset (Settings → Additional → Restore and Reset).

Charge both phones at least 50% |

Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (or use an access point) | Disable VPNs and firewalls |

Free up 10-15% of memory on a new phone |

Make sure that both phones are Bluetooth enabled (needed for initial synchronization)

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Transfer speeds depend on the phone model and the amount of data. For example, transferring 10 GB of photos between the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ takes about 20-30 minutes, but transferring data from POCO X3 to Xiaomi 12T can take an hour due to differences in MIUI versions.

Mi Mover| Cloud Services (Xiaomi Cloud, Google Drive)| Direct Cable (USB-OTG)|Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Direct| Third-party applications (ShareMe, Xender)|Another way-->

Xiaomi Cloud vs Google Drive vs Yandex Disk

Cloud storage is a universal way to transfer data, not tied to the brand of the phone, but each service has its own features that are important to consider when working with Xiaomi:

To move data through the cloud, follow this algorithm:

1. On your old phone, upload data to the cloud: For Xiaomi Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup For Google Drive: Settings → System → Backup → Google Account

new phone

Xiaomi Cloud

Settings → About the phone → Data recovery

⚠️ Warning: When using Google Drive on Chinese versions of Xiaomi (e.g. Redmi K50 Pro for the PRC market), you may need to pre-install Google Play Services via GetApps.

Critical feature: Xiaomi Cloud does not encrypt default backups, which means that your data (including Wi-Fi passwords) can be accessed by Xiaomi technical support when requested. If privacy is critical, use Google Drive with encryption enabled or third-party solutions like Cryptomator.

Direct cable: USB-OTG and adapters for fast transfer

Cable data transfer remains the fastest method, especially for large files (4K video, RAW- photo, application backups).

• 🔌 USB-OTG Cable (Type-C → Type-C or Micro-USB → Type-C depending on models)
• 🔄 Card reader adapter (if one of the phones has a MicroSD slot)

Instructions for transfer via USB-OTG:

1. Connect the old phone to the new one via the OTG- cable (the new phone should display the USB icon in the notification panel).
2. On the new phone, open Explorer (or Files) and select "USB- Device".
3. Copy the files you need from the memory of your old phone to the folders of your new phone (for example, DCIM for photos, Download for downloads).
4. For contact and SMS transfer, use export to.vcf and.xml file respectively (via Contacts → Settings → Export).

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If the new phone doesn’t recognize the old one through OTG, try turning on Developer Mode and activating USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times according to version).

Cable transmission speeds can reach 40-60 MB/s (for USB 3.0), which is 5-10 times faster than Wi-Fi.

• 📱 Some models (POCO F3, Redmi Note 10 Pro) require permission to access files through Settings → Applications → Permissions → Storage.
• 🔋 Larger volumes (more than 30GB) can drain the battery by 20-30%—it is better to connect the charge.
• 🔌 Low quality cables can limit speeds to USB 2.0 (maximum 5MB/s).

⚠️ Warning: When connected via OTG, Xiaomi can automatically mount the internal memory of the old phone in read-only mode. To fix this, on the old phone, select File Transfer in the USB- Connection Notice.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct: When wires are not an option

Wireless transmission without cloud and cables is convenient on the road or without Internet. Xiaomi supports two protocols:

• 📶 Wi-Fi Direct (speeds up to 10MB/s, ranges up to 10 meters)
• 📲 Bluetooth 5.0+ (speed up to 2 MB/s, range up to 40 meters)

For transmission via Wi-Fi Direct:

1. On both phones, turn on Wi-Fi and activate Wi-Fi Direct in the settings (Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Wi-Fi Direct).
2. On an old phone, select files to transfer (for example, in the gallery, click Share → Wi-Fi Direct).
3. Confirm reception on your new phone.

For Bluetooth:

1. Connect devices via Settings → Bluetooth.
2. Select files on your old phone and click "Send via Bluetooth".
3. Confirm acceptance on the new device.

The main limitations of wireless methods:

• 🐢 Low speed for large files (e.g., 1GB video 4K will be transmitted ~10 minutes over Wi-Fi Direct).
• 🔋 High battery consumption (up to 15% per hour of active transmission).
• 📱 Not all Xiaomi models support Wi-Fi Direct in the latest versions of MIUI (problems in Redmi 9A and POCO M3).

Third-party applications: ShareMe, Xender and alternatives

If the standard methods don't work, third-party apps come to the rescue.

Instructions for ShareMe (recommended option for Xiaomi):

1. Install ShareMe with Google Play or GetApps (if not preinstalled).
2. On your old phone, select "Send" and tag files.
3. On the new phone, select "Get" and scan the QR- code.
4. Confirm the transfer (data is sent via Wi-Fi Direct).

⚠️ Warning: Apps like Xender can request access to contacts and messages — deny these permissions unless they are critical to file transfer.

LocalSend is the only open source solution on this list that guarantees no hidden data transfer, but its interface is less intuitive and transfer speeds are lower than ShareMe.

Selective transfer: only contacts, photos or applications

Sometimes you only need to transfer certain types of data, and there are specialized methods for doing this.

1. Contacts and SMS

• 📇 Export to.vcf (for contacts) or.xml (for SMS) via Contacts → Settings → Export/Import.
• 📤 Transfer via Google Account (synchronization to Settings → Accounts → Google → Contact Sync).

2.Photo and video

• 📸 Use Google Photos with original quality (requires space in Google Drive).
• 🖼️ Transfer through the Conductor over the cable (folder DCIM/Camera).

3.Appendices and their data

• 📱 Backup through Settings → Applications → Backup (not working for all applications).
• 🔄 Use of Titanium Backup (requires root rights)

For transferring applications with data (for example, saving in games) without root rights, the method is suitable through ADB:

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


adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Warning: Backups of.ab created through ADB may not be restored on phones with another version of Android (e.g., Android 11 on Android 13).

Problem Solving: Transfer errors and data loss

Common mistakes in data transfer between Xiaomi and how to solve them:

If the data is not transferred or damaged:

• 🔍 Check the integrity of files on your old phone (for example, open a few photos and videos).
• 📥 Try an alternative method (e.g., if Mi Mover fails, use a cable).
• 🔄 Backup your PC with the Mi PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi).

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If contacts are missing on the new phone after transfer, check if they are hidden in the display settings (Contacts → Settings → Display contacts – select “All contacts”).

Frequent questions