How to Transfer All Data from the Old Xiaomi to the New: A Detailed Guide to 2026

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often becomes a headache. Contacts, photos, messages, app settings all need to be saved and moved to the new device without loss. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in migration tools, as well as universal solutions from Google and third-party developers.

Many users mistakenly believe that it is enough to copy files to a flash drive or send them via Bluetooth. In practice, this approach leads to the loss of folder structure, photo metadata and chat history. In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways to transfer data between Xiaomi smartphones, from the official Mi Mover to manual backup via ADB. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances that the manufacturer does not say: for example, why some applications refuse to recover or how to circumvent the limitation on the amount of data transferred.

If you’re switching from the Redmi Note 11 to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, or just want to back up before reset, this guide will help save hours.We’ve tested all the techniques on the up-to-date MIUI 14/15 firmware and accounted for the typical bugs users encounter.

1.Official method: Mi Mover - fast, but with limitations

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for data migration between the brand’s devices, preinstalled on all modern smartphones and supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, notes and even some system settings, but it has critical limitations that the manufacturer does not always warn about.

The main advantage of Mi Mover is speed. When connected via Wi-Fi Direct (or OTG cable on new models), data is transmitted at speeds up to 20-30 MB / s, which is 2-3 times faster than through the cloud.

• 🚫 Wi-Fi passwords, data from some banking applications and files from protected folders are not transferred.
• 📱 Demands. MIUI 9 or newer on both devices. On older models (e.g. Redmi) 4X) may not work.
• 🔌 When you transmit via cable, you need both original cords. USB-C (or adapter for Micro-USB).

To avoid disruptions, before the transfer begins:

Charge both smartphones at least 50%|Turn it off. VPN mobile data|Make sure that the new device has enough memory|Update. MIUI last-minute-->

If Mi Mover doesn’t see the old device, check if the Developer Mode and USB debugging are enabled (in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version, press 7 times).

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If Mi Mover is 99% frozen, don’t interrupt the process, wait until it’s finished (it can take up to 10 minutes), a common mistake when transferring large volumes of photos.

2. Google Account Transfer: Universal, but not completely

Google sync is the most reliable way to save contacts, calendars and app parts, but many Xiaomi users are faced with the fact that not all data is restored automatically, for example, SMS messages and call logs are transferred only if the old phone was backed up in Google Drive.

What exactly is synced through Google:

How to turn on full synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Google Accounts → Your account.
2. Activate the switches for Contacts, Calendar, Chrome and Google Drive.
3. For photo: run Google Photos → Settings → Backup and Sync.
4. On the new phone, log in to the same account and wait for the sync to complete (it can take up to an hour).

Important: If your old phone used a @mi.com account instead of @gmail.com, the data from Mi Cloud will not be transferred to Google automatically, but must be exported separately.

Mi Mover|Google Account| USB|Cable Cloud Services (Yandex, Mail.ru)|Another way-->

3. USB Cable Transfer: For Large Volumes Without Internet

If you have more than 50 GB of data (like a RAW photo collection or 4K video), it takes too long to get over the air, and then you're more secure with a direct cable connection.

• 🔌 USB-C — USB-C cable (or adapter for Micro-USB).
• 📱 Both smartphones with a charge of at least 30%.
• 🛠️ The new phone has enabled file transfer mode (MTP).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the old Xiaomi to the new one via cable.
2. On the new phone, select File Transfer (not Charge Only) in the notification bar.
3. Open Explorer on a new device – there will appear folder of the old smartphone.
4. Copy the data you need (we recommend starting with DCIM, Downloads, and Miui folders).

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Speed to 40-50 MB/s (in) 2 faster than Wi-Fi).
• 🔒 No risk of data loss when a connection breaks.
• 📁 Folder structure and file metadata are preserved.

But there are pitfalls:

⚠️ Note: When copying through MTP Some system files (such as WhatsApp backups) may not be portable. ADB Pull or use of Titanium Backup (requires root).

4. Cloud services: Yandex Disk, Mail.ru Cloud, Mi Cloud

If you have slow internet or no cable, you can upload the data to the cloud and then download it to a new phone. Xiaomi users are popular with three services:

Comparison of cloud storage for data transfer:

How to transfer data through Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Backup.
2. Select the data to copy (contacts, SMS, notes, settings) and click Create a backup.
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and recover data from the cloud.

⚠️ Note: Mi Cloud does not save installed applications (APK-You need to use Google Drive or Titanium Backup to do this.

For photo and video transfer, Yandex Disk or Mail.ru Cloud is more convenient, as they offer more free space.

• 📸 Photo in HEIC (iPhone format will not appear in the gallery MIUI — They need to be converted into JPG.
• 🎵 Music files from DRM-protection (for example, music downloaded from Yandex) will not be played on the new device.

5. Manual transfer via ADB: for power users

If you need to migrate all data without exception (including application settings, saved games and system files), you can use the ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge), which requires command line skills, but guarantees 100% copying.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Both phones have Developer Mode and Debugging enabled USB.
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original).

Commands for backup:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f C:\backup.ab


adb restore C:\backup.ab

Decoding of flags:

• -apk — include APK-file.
• -obb - saves additional game data.
• -shared — copy SD-map.
• -all - all applications and settings.

⚠️ Note: Backup copy through ADB If there is sensitive information in the data (passwords, banking applications), add a flag. -password password.

Once you have created backup.ab, plug in a new phone and execute a recovery command, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours depending on the amount of data.

6: Portability of applications and their data: why not everything is restored

One of the most common problems with migration is that apps are not fully restored, like WhatsApp can go without chat history, and games can go without progress, because:

• 🔐 Some applications (banks, instant messengers) store data in a protected area that is not available for copying.
• 📦 MIUI default-free APK-System application files (e.g. Theme or Security).
• ☁️ Cloud services do not sync cache and temporary files.

How to transfer the application data in full:

For transfer APK-The App Backup & Restore app (available on Google Play) will be a root-free application that creates backups in.apk format. +.Zip with data that can then be restored on a new phone.

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If the application after transfer gives an error "Insufficient memory" or "Data error", clear its cache in Settings → Applications → [Title] → Memory → Clear cache.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even when using official tools, users are experiencing problems, and here are the most common mistakes and ways to fix them:

Problem 1: Mi Mover can't see old device

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Turn it off. VPN Check if both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
• 🔧 Reset network settings: Settings → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Resetting settings.

Problem 2: Photos are not tolerated

• 📷 Check if the files are hidden in the.thumbnails or.nomedia folder.
• 🔍 Use a Explorer with root rights (for example, FX File Explorer to find hidden files.
• ☁️ Upload photos to Google Photos in original quality, then download to a new phone.

Problem 3: Applications are not restored from backup

• 📥 Make sure that the new phone has installed from unknown sources: → Annexes → Special access → Installation of unknown applications.
• 🔄 Try to recover data via Google Drive, not Mi Cloud.
• 🛠️ System applications (theme, camera) may require manual installation APK.

⚠️ Note: If the new phone is missing after transfer SMS or call logs, check if you're syncing with Mi Cloud on your old device, and sometimes data conflicts between the cloud and the local storage.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions