How to Transfer Data from Xiaomi Smartphone to Samsung: A Complete Guide to 2026

The transition from Xiaomi to Samsung is not only about changing the brand, but also the need to transfer all the important data from contacts and messages to photos and app settings, many users face problems with this migration: Files are lost, applications are not restored, and sync through the cloud is unstable. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer data between Android devices, taking into account the features of firmware. MIUI One UI.

The peculiarity of the transfer between Xiaomi and Samsung is that both manufacturers use their own cloud services (Mi Cloud and Samsung Cloud), which are not compatible with each other. Samsung is also actively promoting its Smart Switch tool, which doesn’t always work correctly with other brands’ devices. S24) And they found their pros and cons.

Important: If you use a corporate account or data from your business phone, some methods (such as transferring through a Google account) may be limited by the company’s security policies. IT-division.

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before you start transferring files, you need to follow a few critical steps on both smartphones, which will minimize the risk of data loss and speed up the process.

On Xiaomi:

• 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 50% – transfer large amounts of data (e.g. video to video) 4K) Can drain the battery in 1-2 hours.
• 📁 Free up space in memory: delete unnecessary files or transfer them to a memory card (if supported). To check for free space, go to Settings → Memory.
• 🔒 Turn off the screen lock (PIN, pattern lock for transmission time – some methods (e.g. Smart Switch) require unlocked device.
• 🌐 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network – this will speed up synchronization through the cloud and avoid interruption of downloads.

On Samsung:

• 📱 Update your firmware to the latest version through Settings → Update: Older versions of One UI may not support new data transfer protocols.
• 🔄 Reset your Smart Switch settings (if you have used it before): → General management → Reset → Reset your Smart Switch settings.
• 📌 Make sure there is enough space on the device for the data to be received, for example, transferring 64 GB of photos and videos will require at least 70-80 GB of free space (including temporary files).

⚠️ Note: If the application protection function is enabled on Xiaomi (in Settings) → Annexes → Application protection, disable it. It can block access to data for third-party portability tools.

We also recommend checking file format compatibility in advance, for example, Samsung does not support some proprietary Xiaomi formats, such as:

• 📸 Photo in.mi format (used in the gallery) MIUI miniature).
• 🎵 Audio files from DRM-Protection (for example, purchased from Mi Music).
• 📱 Backup copies MIUI (mbk files that cannot be restored on Samsung.

2. Method 1: Transmission via cable (USB-OTG adapter)

The most reliable and fastest method is to connect your phones directly through a cable.

• 🔌 USB-Type-C cable (if both phones support this connector).
• 🔄 adapter OTG (If you are using a microUSB or lightning device).
• 📱 File management application (e.g. Files by Google or standard Explorer on Samsung).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Xiaomi to Samsung via cable. On the Xiaomi screen, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. On Samsung, open My File (or Files by Google) and go to the section USB-device.
3. Select the folders that need to be copied (for example, DCIM For photo, Download for downloads).
4. Click Copy and select your target folder on Samsung (e.g., Internal Memory). → Pictures).

⚠️ Note: If Samsung doesn’t see Xiaomi when connecting, try it: 🔄 Reconnect the cable (sometimes changing the port helps). 📱 On Xiaomi, enable Developer Mode and activate Debugging by USB. 🔋 Use the original Samsung cable – some cheap cables don’t support data transmission.

Critical feature: When copying the WhatsApp folder (to transfer chats), you need to copy the entire folder, including files msgstore.db.crypt14. If you only transfer media files, the message history will not be restored.

Charge both phones up to 50%+

Connect Type-C to Type-C (or Adapter) OTG)

On Xiaomi, select the "File Transfer" mode (MTP)"

Copy folders. DCIM, Download, WhatsApp (if necessary)

Check the integrity of files on Samsung-->

3. Method 2: Using Samsung's Smart Switch

Smart Switch is Samsung’s official app for transferring data from other devices, and it supports cable transmission and wireless synchronization, but Xiaomi may be in trouble due to its features. MIUI.

How to use:

1. Download Smart Switch to both phones from Google Play.
2. On Samsung, select Get Data → Android.
3. On Xiaomi, select Send Data → Cable or wireless.
4. Confirm the connection and select data types to transfer.

What can be transferred through Smart Switch:

• 📞 Contacts, call log.
• 📸 Photo and video (but not in original quality if you use compression).
• 💬 Communications (SMS, MMS), Not messages from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).
• 📅 Calendar and notes (if synced with Google account).

Limitations:

• ❌ Application settings (for example, saves in games) are not transferred).
• ❌ Applications (.apk) are copied, but not automatically installed.
• ❌ Wireless transmission is slower than cable (speed) ~5-10 MB/s).

Alternative: If the Smart Switch doesn't work, try Xiaomi's Clone Phone app. It's better optimized for data transfer from the phone to the phone. MIUI, It requires installation on both devices.

4. Method 3: Synchronize through a Google account

If you use Google services, most of the data is already synchronized automatically, a method that is suitable for porting:

• 📞 Contacts (via Google Contacts).
• 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar).
• 📰 Notes (Google Keep).
• 📎 Photos and videos (via Google Photos with original quality).

How to set up:

1. On Xiaomi go to Settings → Google accounts → Synchronize and enable all the necessary options.
2. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Google Drive or Google Photos).
3. On Samsung, add the same Google account and enable sync.

Advantages of the method:

• ☁️ Data is available on any device.
• 🔄 Automatic updates when changes are made.
• 📱 No physical connection of the phones is required.

⚠️ Warning: Google Photos’ free tariff from 2021 does not provide unlimited storage for photos in original quality. If you have more than 15 GB of data, you will either have to compress files or buy additional space on Google One.

For transfer SMS and call logs via Google account will require a third-party application, for example SMS Backup & Restore:

1. Install the app on Xiaomi and create a backup.
2. Save the file to Google Drive.
3. On Samsung, recover the data from this file.

5. Method 4: Cloud Services (Mi Cloud, Samsung Cloud, Yandex Disk)

If you don't have much space on your devices or you don't have cable, you can use cloud storage, but each service has its own nuances.

Instructions for Mi Cloud:

1. On Xiaomi go to Settings → Mi Cloud and enable synchronization of the necessary data.
2. Export your photos/contacts to the cloud (may take several hours with a large volume).
3. On Samsung, open your browser, log in to i.mi.com and download files.

For Samsung Cloud:

• 📱 On Samsung go to Settings → Accounts and archiving → Samsung Cloud.
• 🔄 Enable synchronization of contacts, calendar and notes.
• 📁 Use the Samsung Gallery to transfer photos → Settings → Synchronization with Samsung Cloud.

⚠️ Note: Samsung Cloud does not support backup of photos and videos for new users since 2021, instead using Microsoft OneDrive (integrated into the Samsung Gallery).

Alternatively, Yandex Disk or Mega will be suitable for transferring large files (such as WhatsApp backups). Download speeds vary by your ISP, but are usually higher than those of the Mi Cloud.

💡

If you want to transfer music, use Spotify or YouTube Music, which syncs your playlists and downloaded tracks between devices automatically.

Method 5: Wireless transmission (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, Nearby Share)

If you don't have a cable and a stable Internet connection, you can use wireless technology, but this method is only suitable for small amounts of data (up to 1-2 GB).

Technology comparison:

• 📶 Wi-Fi Direct: Speed ~10-15 MB/s, but requires manual adjustment on both phones.
• 🔵 Bluetooth: Speed ~1-2 MB/s, suitable only for contacts and small files.
• 🔄 Nearby Share (from Google) – Speed ~5-10 MB/s, works on all Android devices with version 6.0+.

How to transfer files via Nearby Share:

1. Turn on Nearby Share on both phones (Settings) → Connected devices → Nearby Share).
2. On Xiaomi, select files in Explorer and click Send → Nearby Share.
3. Select Samsung from the list of available devices.
4. Confirm receipt on Samsung.

Limitations:

• ❌ Nearby Share does not transfer applications or data.
• ❌ Bluetooth trims file names longer than 32 characters.
• ❌ Wi-Fi Direct can be interrupted when signal is weak.

To transfer contacts over Bluetooth:

1. On Xiaomi, open contacts → More. → Exports/imports → Send contacts.
2. Select Bluetooth and find Samsung in the list of devices.
3. Confirm acceptance on Samsung and import the.vcf file.

💡

Nearby Share is the most versatile wireless method for Android, but for large amounts of data (video, backups) it is better to use a cable or cloud.

7. data transfer applications (WhatsApp, Telegram, games)

Standard transfer methods (cable, cloud) don't store application data.

WhatsApp:

• 📱 On Xiaomi, open WhatsApp → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
• 🔄 Backup in Google Drive (requires a linked account).
• 📲 Install WhatsApp on Samsung, log in to the same account and restore chats.

Telegram:

• ☁️ All chats and media files are synced automatically through the Telegram cloud.
• 📁 To transfer local files (such as downloaded documents), copy the Telegram folder from Xiaomi’s internal memory to Samsung.

Games and applications:

• 🎮 Use Google Play Games to save games (if the game supports cloud-based saves).
• 📦 To transfer.apk files and data, use App Backup & Restore (root rights required for full backup).

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. banking) block the new device after the transfer, in which case you will have to reinstall them from scratch and verify them again.

8. Checking the integrity of data after transfer

Once the transfer is complete, you need to make sure that all files are copied correctly.

Photo and video:

• 📸 Open the Gallery on Samsung and make sure all albums are in place.
• 🔍 Check the metadata (date of shooting, geotags) – sometimes they are reset during transmission.
• 🎥 Run a few videos to make sure there are no artifacts.

Contacts and messages:

• 📞 Check that all contacts are displayed on the phone and WhatsApp.
• 💬 Open a few. SMS-dialog and make sure the story is saved.

Annexes:

• 📱 Make sure all important apps are installed (can be checked through Settings) → Annexes).
• 🎮 Run the games and check that the saves are loaded.

If you find lost files:

• 🔄 Repeat the transfer for a specific folder (for example, only DCIM/Camera).
• 📂 Check hidden folders on Samsung (for example,.nomedia files can hide media).
• 🔍 Use the DiskUsage app to find “lost” files in your device’s memory.

If the data is damaged (for example, the video is not played), try:

• 🔧 Convert files through VLC HandBrake.
• 📥 Re-download them from the cloud (if you have a backup copy).

💡

After the transfer, it is recommended to make a full backup to Samsung via Smart Switch or Samsung Cloud – this will protect data from accidental loss.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data transfer from Xiaomi to Samsung