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

Shifting contacts between Xiaomi smartphones only seems a trivial task - in practice, users face nuances such as unsynchronized accounts, MIUI restrictions or loss of tags (for example, "Work" / "Home"). In this article, we will analyze 5 working methods taking into account the features of the MIUI 14/15 firmware and models from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Important: the methods differ in speed, reliability and security of additional data (photo contacts, tied social media accounts).

If you change your phone once in a while 2-3 In the year of the year, your phone book has probably grown to hundreds of records with call history and notes, and manually entering each number will take hours, and the risk of losing important contacts by blind copying through the phone. SIM-map 30% (We tested each method on real devices, and at the end of this article you will find a comparative table with the pros and cons of each variant.

1. Transfer through Mi Account (the fastest way)

Syncing through a Xiaomi branded account takes less than 5 minutes and saves all contact fields, including attached photos and categories, which is ideal if both phones are already tied to the same Mi Account (or you are ready to log in to a new device).

Algorithm of action:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud and make sure the Contacts switch is active (green). If not, turn on sync and wait until it is completed (the cloud icon in the status bar should disappear).
• 🔄 On a new phone: log in to the same Mi Account when you first turn on or through Settings → Xiaomi account. Contact sync will start automatically.
• ⏳ Wait for the notification "Contacts are synchronized" (usually takes a lot of time). 1-3 Check the phone book - if there are no contacts, restart the device.

Make sure your old phone is powered on Mi Cloud|Check the stability of the Internet connection (Wi-Fi/4G)|Sign in to a new phone with the same Mi Account|Wait for notification of synchronization completion-->

An important nuance: if you have used the "Contact Duplicates" function in MIUI, manually clear the duplicates before transferring (Contacts → Management → Combine duplicates). Otherwise, repetitive recordings may appear on the new phone.

⚠️ Note: If you are selling an old phone, be sure to untie Mi Account through Settings → Xiaomi account → Get out and reset to factory settings, otherwise the new owner will be able to retrieve your contacts through the cloud.

2.Export/import via.vcf file (for advanced users)

The method is suitable if you want to back up contacts on your computer or transfer them to a phone of another brand (for example, from Xiaomi to iPhone)..vcf (vCard) file supports all modern OSes, including Windows, macOS and Linux.

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.
2. Choose which contacts to export (all or only with) SIM-The file will be saved in the Download folder under the name contacts.vcf.
3. Transfer the file to the new phone in any convenient way: 📎 Bluetooth (slowly but without internet) ☁️ Through the cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud, Telegram) 💻 Po Po Po USB-cable (the most reliable option)

new phone

contacts.vcf

This is the only way to guarantee that you can save all contact fields, including rarely used ones (for example, “Birthday” or “Email Address”). However, with a large number of records (500+), the file can “weigh” up to 10 MB – keep this in mind when transferring over Bluetooth.

3. Transfer through SIM-map (obsolete but working method)

This method is relevant for owners of older Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi). 4X or Mi A1), where you do not have access to Mi Cloud, or if you want to move only the main numbers without additional data: SIM-The card stores a maximum of 250 contacts (in the name format) + number).

Step-by-step:

• 📇 On your old phone: Open Contacts → Management → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-Select contacts for export (you can tick everything at the top).
• 🔄 Wait for the notification of successful export. SIM-A card and insert it into a new phone.
• 📱 On the new phone: go to Contacts → Management → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-Choose where to save your contacts (to your phone book or Google account).

⚠️ Note: When transferring through SIM-All contact categories (e.g., Family, Work) are lost. If they are important, use the.vcf or Mi Cloud method.

4. Sync through Google account (universal version)

If you used Google services on an old phone (like Gmail or Google Play), your contacts could automatically sync with Google servers, a method that can be ported to any Android phone, including Xiaomi, Samsung or Realme.

How to check and transfer:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure the Contacts switch is on. If not, turn on sync and wait until it's done.
2. On your new phone, add the same Google account through Settings → Accounts → Add an account. Contacts sync automatically for 5-10 minutes.
3. Check the result in the Contacts app by selecting the “Display Contacts” menu → “Google Account”.

The advantage of the method is that contacts will be available on any device where you log in to this Google account, including tablets and computers (via contacts.google.com).However, there is a risk of duplicate records if you previously synced contacts through Mi Account.

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If contacts are duplicated after syncing with Google, use the built-in MIUI merge function: open Contacts → Manage → Combine duplicates and follow the prompts.

5. Local backup via Mi Mover (for full data migration)

The Mi Mover app (pre-installed on all Xiaomi) is designed to fully transfer data between phones, including contacts, messages, photos and even installed apps, a handy way to go if you’re buying a new Xiaomi and want to move everything at once.

Instructions:

• 📲 Install Mi Mover on both phones (if it's not in firmware). On the old phone, select "I'm the giver," on the new one, "I'm the receiver".
• 🔗 Connect your phones to a single Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on your old phone). QR-Code – scan it with a new device.
• 📋 Select data to transfer (required to mark "Contacts"). When the transfer starts, don't interrupt the process!
• ✅ Once completed, check the phone book on the new device. The application will create a report on the transferred data.

Mi Mover copies the contacts as they are stored on the old phone, including all fields and categories. However, the process can take up to 30 minutes if you also transfer photos or videos.

• 📶 Use Wi-Fi 5 GHz (if supported)
• 🔋 Charge both phones at least 50 times%
• 🚫 Close all background applications

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Mi Mover is the only way to transfer not only contacts, but also call history, SMS and app settings, but it requires both phones at the same time and a stable Wi-Fi connection.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users face problems.-5 mistakes and their solutions:

1. Contacts are not synced via Mi Cloud Reason: Old phone is autosynchronized or internet is off.Solution: Turn on mobile data/Wi-Fi and manually sync to Mi Cloud → Contacts → Sync.
2. .vcf file doesn't open on a new phone Reason: A damaged file or incompatible encoding Solution: Try opening a file on your computer via Outlook or Thunderbird, then re-export to.vcf.
3. Duplicate contacts after transfer Reason: Contacts synced through both Mi Account and Google. Solution: Disable sync of one of the accounts and use the merge function in Contacts → Management.
4. Not all contacts have been transferred through SIM-Map Reason: Limitation SIM-250-entry cards or incompatible format Solution: Break contacts into groups and export in parts, or use another method.
5. Mi Mover is 99 percent freeze-free, because it's a lot of data or an unstable connection, solution: Restart the app, connect your phones to charge, and try again.

⚠️ Note: If you have used a call blocking app (such as Truecaller), the blacklist may be lost after the contacts are transferred.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions