How to Flip Information from Xiaomi to Xiaomi: The Complete Guide 2026

Transferring data between Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that every user faces when buying a new device or dumping an old one. Even if both phones are powered by MIUI, the process can cause complications from losing contacts to incorrectly transferring high-resolution photos. In this article, we will examine all the current methods, from the branded Mi Mover to manual transfer via computer, and also reveal the nuances that the official instructions do not mention.

The main problem with data transfer is the incompatibility of MIUI versions or the lack of backup on an old device. For example, if you are trying to transfer information from the Redmi Note 8 Pro (2019) to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra (2026), the standard Mi Mover may fail due to the difference in firmware, we tested each method on real devices and found out which ones retain the folder structure and which “compress” the video to low quality.

Important: If you plan to sell or transfer an old smartphone, first perform a factory reset — but only after making sure that all data is successfully copied. Otherwise, you risk losing photos from DCIM/Thumbnails or notes from Mi Notes that do not sync with the cloud automatically.

1. Mi Mover: The Official Way From Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a built-in data migration app that Xiaomi has positioned as the easiest solution. It does kop contacts, messages, photos and even some system settings, but it doesn't work perfectly. The main drawback is the volume limit: if an old phone is more than 50 GB occupied, the application can "hang" during the transfer stage.

To avoid errors, follow this algorithm:

• 📱 Make sure that both phones have the latest version installed. MIUI (Check in the settings → The phone. → System updates. Differences in firmware versions are a common cause of failures.
• 🔋 Charge both devices to at least 60%. At low charge, the Mi Mover can interrupt the process.
• 📶 Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network (don’t use mobile internet!) It’s best to create an access point on a new smartphone and connect your old one to it.
• 🚫 Close all background apps, especially instant messengers and cloud services (such as Google Photos or Mi Cloud), which may block access to files.

Run Mi Mover on both devices:

Settings → Additional → Data Migration (Mi Mover)

On the old phone, select "I am the source," on the new phone, "I am the receiver." Wait until it appears. QR-You can scan the code on the new device and scan it from the old one, and it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours depending on the amount of data you have.

⚠️ Warning: If Mi Mover is hanging out during the “Data Preparation” stage, try restarting the application and disabling it. VPN (Also check if the transmission is blocked by antivirus or firewall.

Disable Bluetooth on both devices|Delete unnecessary files (leave them) ≤40 GB of data)|Sign out of your Mi Account on your old phone (if you plan to sell)|Check the space available on your new phone (should be available) ≥1.5× portability)-->

2.Transfer via OTG cable: fast and without internet

If you don’t have stable Wi-Fi or data takes hundreds of gigabytes, direct connectivity is available. OTG-And this is going to be the best solution, and it works even on different versions of Android, and it doesn't need to sync to the cloud:

• 🔌 OTG-adapter (Type-C) → Type-C or Micro-USB → Type-C depending on your phone ports).
• 📁 File Manager (built-in Mi File Manager or third-party, such as Solid Explorer).
• ⚡ Adequate battery charge (recommended) ≥70%), as the process can take several hours.

Connect your phones with a cable and follow the following steps:

1. On the new phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification panel.
2. Open Mi File Manager on your old phone and go to Device (the new smartphone folder will appear there).
3. Copy the data you need (e.g., DCIM, Downloads, WhatsApp/Media) to the root directory of the new device.
4. For contacts and messages, export them to.vcf and.xml files respectively (via Contacts → Settings → Export).

The advantage of this method is that you have complete control over the data you're carrying, so you can, for example, just choose photos from the last year or you can eliminate the cache of applications.

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If the new phone doesn't show up in the file manager, try connecting it to your computer and back, sometimes rebooting both devices helps.

3. Cloud services: Mi Cloud vs Google Drive

Cloud storage is convenient if you want to save a backup or transfer data to a device you don’t already have (for example, buying a new Xiaomi online store).

• ☁️ Mi Cloud only provides 5GB for free, and photos are uploaded in compressed format (quality is reduced!).
• 📂 Google Drive gives you 15GB, but can block the download of large files (for example, video). 4K) compressed.
• 🔒 Some data (e.g., some data, SMS Notes or notes) are not automatically synchronized – they must be exported manually.

Instructions for Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for the desired categories (Contacts, Notes, Photos).
3. Wait until the loading is complete (may take hours with a large volume).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable synchronization.

For Google Drive:

1. Install Google Photos and enable autoload (Settings → Backup and Sync).
2. Contacts sync through Settings → Accounts → Google.
3. For the rest of the files, use manual download through the Drive app.

⚠️ Note: If you used Mi Cloud for backup SMS, You can restore them on a new phone only through Settings. → Additionally. → Recovery and discharge → Local backup: The cloud does not support direct message transfer!

Mi Cloud|Google Drive|Yandex Drive|iCloud (for other devices)|I don't use cloud-->

4. Computer Transfer: Reliable but Longer

If you need to transfer all data without exception (including hidden application files or game saves), connecting your phones to your PC is the most reliable way.

• 💻 Computer with Windows/Mac and free disk space.
• 🔌 Cables. USB Type-C (or Micro-USB) for older models).
• 📂 Backup software (e.g., Mi) PC Suite or Syncios).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy all folders from internal memory (DCIM, Pictures, Downloads, Android/data) to the hard drive of the computer.
3. For contacts and SMS, use export via Mi PC Suite (install the program from the official Xiaomi website).
4. Connect a new phone and transfer the copied data back.

The advantage of this method is that you have 100 percent control over the process.

• 🔍 Check the integrity of files before copying.
• 🗑️ Delete unnecessary data (cache, duplicate photos).
• 🔄 Selectively transfer files (e.g., only videos from the last month).

5. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct transmission: when nothing works

If you don't have cable and you don't have internet, you can use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, which is only suitable for small files (up to 1 GB), as the transfer speed is extremely low (about 1-2 MB/s), but in emergency situations they can help.

For transmission via Wi-Fi Direct:

1. On both phones, turn on Wi-Fi Direct in your Wi-Fi settings.
2. On your old phone, select a new smartphone from the list of available devices.
3. Confirm the connection on both devices.
4. Open Mi File Manager, select files and click “Send” → “Wi-Fi Direct”.

For Bluetooth:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones and pair them.
2. In the file manager, select files (maximum 10-15 at a time!) and click Share → Bluetooth.
3. Accept files on the new device.

⚠️ Note: When transmitted via Bluetooth, photos and videos are automatically compressed to low resolution.

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Wi-Fi Direct is 5-10 times faster than Bluetooth, but both methods are not suitable for transferring system data (contacts, SMS, applications).

6. Applications and their data portability: what you need to know

One of the most difficult aspects is the transfer of installed applications and their data (for example, game progress, chats in Telegram or settings Nova Launcher). APK-They don't store data inside them. Here's how to fix this problem:

For most applications:

• 🔄 Use the built-in backup feature (e.g. WhatsApp: Settings) → chat → Backup copy).
• ☁️ Sync your data with the cloud (e.g. Google Contacts, Telegram Cloud).
• 📱 For games, check if they support cross-platform sign-in (e.g., via Facebook or Google Play Games).

For system applications (Mi Home, Mi Fit):

1. Sign in to the same Xiaomi account on your new phone.
2. Open the application – the data must be downloaded automatically (if synchronization was enabled).

For root applications (if you have root access):

• 🛠️ Use Titanium Backup to create a full backup of applications and their data.
• 📲 Move the backup to your new phone and restore it (root and new device required).

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If the application doesn’t recover data after transfer, try clearing its cache (Settings → Apps → [name] → Clear the cache) and restarting it.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi