How to transfer all data from one Xiaomi to another: the complete guide

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often turns into a headache. Contacts, photos, messages, apps, and even screen settings all need to be saved to keep from starting from scratch. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools for rapid migration, as well as universal methods that work on any Android device.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer data between Xiaomi smartphones – from the official Mi Mover to manual copying via PC. You will learn which method is the fastest, which one saves the most data, and how to avoid common errors (such as loss of WhatsApp messages or failures when transmitting via Bluetooth). And if you are switching from the old model to the new one – for example, from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 – we will tell you how to transfer even the settings. MIUI, So that the interface remains familiar.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (without data loss)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary migration tool, which is installed by default on all MIUI smartphones. It copies almost everything: contacts, SMS, photos, videos, music, apps (including their data), system settings and even desktop wallpaper, the main advantage is that you do not need the Internet or a computer: the transfer goes directly over Wi-Fi Direct.

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

• 📱 Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both phones.
• 🔄 On the new smartphone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer (or find the Mi Mover app in the menu).
• 📲 On your old phone, open Settings. → The phone. → Data portability.
• 🔗 Bring the devices to each other and wait for the appearance QR-- Scan the code on the new phone.
• ✅ Select data for transfer and confirm the beginning of the process.

Charging both phones > 50%|Release. 1-2 GB of memory on a new device|Shut down. VPN and energy-saving regimes|Make sure that both phones have the latest version MIUI-->

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of data you have, and it's important that you don't interrupt the connection, don't block the screen, and if the transmission freezes, restart both phones and try again.

⚠️ Note: Mi Mover does not transfer data from some applications (such as Telegram or banking apps) due to security restrictions, and there may be problems if the old phone has custom firmware.

2. Transfer over Mi Cloud (cloud storage)

If you have a Mi Account, you can use Mi Cloud, a cloud storage service from Xiaomi, which is convenient if the phones cannot connect directly (for example, due to different versions of MIUI) or if you want to back up before transferring.

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for the data you need (contacts, notes, photos, etc.).
3. Wait for the download to complete (you can check the progress in the Storage Management section).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable sync in Mi Cloud.

The downside of this method is that there's a limited amount of free storage (5GB), and if you have a lot of photos and videos, you'll either have to buy extra space or use another way.

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Before transferring via Mi Cloud, check if your contacts are tied to the SIM-These contacts are not synchronized, and you have to export them to your Google or Mi Account first.

Copying via OTG cable (for large volumes)

If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi or the cloud, and there’s a lot of data (for example, tens of gigabytes of photos and videos), the most reliable way is to connect directly through the cloud. OTG-That's gonna take a cable:

• 🔌 OTG-adapter (or cable) USB-C → USB-C, If both phones are modern).
• 📁 File Manager (e.g., built-in Explorer or Solid Explorer).
• ⚡ Charge of both phones at least 70% (copying drains the battery).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG-The new phone will have a notification. USB-Connection – Select File Transfer.
2. Open the file manager on your new phone. The old device folder will appear in the Warehouse section (usually USB-accumulator).
3. Copy the right folders (DCIM for photos, downloads, etc.) to internal memory or SD-mapping.
4. To transfer applications, copy the Android folder, but note: applications without APK-Files will not work – you will need to reinstall from the Play Market.

⚠️ Warning: Do not copy system folders like system or data, which can cause a new phone to crash. Android/obb, if the games do not support cross-platform portability (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile will require re-uploading data).

4. Transfer through Google Account (universal method)

If you use Google services (Gmail, Drive, Photos), you can transfer through your Google account.

• 🔄 You’re switching not just between Xiaomi phones, but also to other brands (like Samsung or Pixel).
• ☁️ You have a stable Internet connection (data is uploaded to the cloud and then downloaded to a new phone).
• 📱 You want to keep your call history, SMS and settings of some applications.

How to transfer data:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Enable Backup in Google Drive and click Create Backup Now.
3. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Copy Data and log in to the same Google account.
4. Select a backup from your old phone and wait for the recovery to be completed.

The advantage of this method is that it automatically updates backups, for example, if you forget to transfer something right away, you can recover data within 57 days of the last backup, but the amount of free storage is limited to 15 GB (common for Gmail, Drive and Photos).

5. Alternative methods: Bluetooth, SD-map, PC

If the basic methods don't work, you can use alternatives, which are less convenient, but sometimes the only ones that are possible.

📲 Transfer over Bluetooth

Suitable for transferring small files (contacts, multiple photos) and not recommended for large volumes due to low speed and the risk of connection breakdown.

• 🔵 Turn on Bluetooth on both phones and pair them.
• 📎 On your old phone, select files, click Share. → Bluetooth.
• ⏳ Wait for the transfer to complete (may take hours for gigabytes of data).

💾 Transfer through SD-map

If both phones have a microSD slot,

1. Copy the data to SD-map on the old phone.
2. Insert the card into the new phone and transfer the files to internal memory.

It's important: SD-class A1/A2 They are faster, but even they can’t match the speed of OTG-cable.

💻 Computer-assisted transfer

The universal method for all data:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Copy the required folders to the computer.
3. Connect the new phone and transfer the data back.

To transfer applications, you can use programs like APK Extractor (to extract APK) and Titanium Backup (to back up application data - requires root rights).

Mi Mover (Wi-Fi Direct)|Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)|Google Account|OTG or PC |Other way-->

6. Transfer of specific data: WhatsApp, Telegram, games

Some applications require special attention because their data is not transferred in standard ways.

💬 WhatsApp

For chat transfer:

1. Back up on your old phone: WhatsApp Settings → Chat → Backup.
2. Install WhatsApp on your new phone and sign in to the same account.
3. When you offer to restore chat rooms, confirm.

Important: Backup is saved to Google Drive (for Android) or iCloud (for iOS).If you are switching from iPhone to Xiaomi, use the official Transfer from iOS to Android tool.

🎮 Keeping in games

Most modern games (e.g. Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile) link progress to an account (Google Play Games, Facebook, miHoYo).

• 🎯 Link the game to the account in the game settings.
• 🔄 On the new phone, install the game, log in to the same account and download saves.

For offline games (such as Minecraft), copy the save folder (games/com.mojang) via OTG or PC.

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To transfer data from Telegram, use the built-in chat export: Settings → Additional → Export chat history. The file can be saved to the cloud or transmitted via cable.

7.Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Even with proven methods, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

If the new phone starts to brake after transfer, check:

• 🔋 Is the memory full (free up space by deleting unnecessary files).
• 🔄 Do not the transferred settings conflict with the new version? MIUI (Reset your settings if the lags are critical).
• 🛡️ Does the antivirus block transferred files (check Security in settings).

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi