How to Transfer Contacts from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: A Detailed Guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to the preservation of important data. Contacts accumulated over the years of use can contain the numbers of colleagues, friends from social networks or even archival records with rare connections. Losing such information can be a lot of inconvenience, so the issue of their safe transfer becomes critical.

Fortunately, the MIUI ecosystem offers several built-in tools for migrating contacts between brand devices. However, not all methods are equally effective: some require an active Internet connection, others work only with physical access to both phones, and others may face format limitations. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven methods of transfer — from automatic cloud backup to manual export through.vcf files — and also reveal the nuances that the manufacturer does not mention in official instructions.

1. Transfer contacts through your Xiaomi account (MI Cloud)

The easiest and most recommended way is to use the branded cloud service MI Cloud, which automatically synchronizes contacts between all devices associated with a single Xiaomi account, and does not require additional manipulation when setting up a new phone.

• 🔄 Both phones must be logged in under one account. MI (If not, register a new one or use an existing one).
• 🌐 A stable internet connection is required (preferably via Wi-Fi to avoid traffic).
• ⚡ On the old phone, contact synchronization should be enabled in Settings → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud → Contacts.

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud and make sure the switch opposite Contact is active. Wait for the sync to complete (the cloud indicator to turn green).
2. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select the “Restore from backup” option and log in under the same Xiaomi account. If the phone is already set up, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud → Data Recovery.
3. In the list of available backups, select the latest (clarify the date of creation) and confirm the restoration of contacts.

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If contacts don’t appear on your new phone, check to see if sync is disabled in your Google account settings (sometimes MIUI conflicts with multiple cloud services).

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Automatically update contacts when added/deleted on any device.
• ✅ Keeping your call history and tied notes (if enabled in settings).
• ✅ Recovery capability even after resetting phone to factory settings.

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MI Cloud synchronizes not only contacts, but also SMS, notes, photos and even system settings, and is a universal tool for full data migration between Xiaomi devices.

2.Use of Google account for synchronization

If you prefer the Google ecosystem or if your contacts are already linked to Gmail, this is the best solution. MI Cloud, it works on any Android device, not just Xiaomi, and the main condition is that both phones must be authorized under the same account. @gmail.com.

How to transfer contacts via Google:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google → [your email] → Account Sync.
2. Make sure the Contacts slider is on. If not, activate it and wait until the sync is complete (it can take up to 5 minutes).
3. On your new phone, add the same Google account in your settings and enable contact sync. They will appear in the Contacts app automatically.

Important nuances:

• 🔗 Contacts retained on SIM-Maps that are not synced to Google – you need to transfer them to your phone’s memory first.
• 📱 If the new phone already has contacts, they will not be overwritten, but will simply be added to the existing ones.
• 🔄 You can use the Google account menu for forced synchronization → "Synchronize now".

3. Transfer of contacts through SIM-map

Method by using SIM-The card is suitable for owners of older Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi). 4A or Mi A1), It's not stable, it's not stable, it's not stable, it's only a part of the contacts that you have to move:

⚠️ Attention: SIM-The cards support the storage of a limited number of contacts (usually up to 250) and do not store additional fields such as email, addresses or profile photos, "+7 can turn into 8").

Instructions for transfer:

1. On your old phone, open the Contacts app, click on three dots (menu) → "Contact management" → "Imports/Exports" → "Exports to SIM-map".
2. Select the contacts for export (you can mark all or just the right ones) and confirm the action.
3. Extract. SIM-Map and insert it into a new phone.
4. On the new device, repeat the path: Contacts → menu → Import / Export → Import from SIM-card.

This is a convenient way to move a small number of contacts, for example, when selling an old phone or using a spare device temporarily, but for a full migration, you should choose cloud services.

4.Export and import via.vcf file

The.vcf (vCard) format is the universal standard for storing contacts supported by all modern smartphones, which allows you to back up on an external medium (such as a flash drive or computer) and then import it to a new device, suitable for users who want to have a physical copy of contacts or transfer data between different brands (not only Xiaomi).

Step-by-step:

After export:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer through USB-Cable and copy the contacts.vcf file (usually located in the Download or Download folder) MIUI).
2. Transfer the file to your new phone in any convenient way: via cable, Bluetooth, email or cloud storage.
3. On the new device, open the.vcf file (the system will prompt you to import contacts automatically) or import it manually through the Contacts menu → Import / Export → Import from the file.

Advantages of the method:

• 📁 Full backup of contacts with all fields saved (including photos and notes).
• 🔄 The ability to edit a.vcf file on your computer before importing (e.g., delete unnecessary contacts).
• 🌍 Compatible with any device (Android, iOS, Windows Phone).

⚠️ Note: When importing a large number of contacts (over 1000), the process can take up to 10 minutes. Do not interrupt it or close the Contacts app until it is complete. Also make sure that the new phone has enough free memory - each contact with the photo can take up to 500 KB.

5. Transfer via the "Mi Mover" app (for new devices)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary tool for migrating data between the brand’s devices, allowing users to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, videos, messages and even installed apps, but only when phones are connected directly to each other via a special cable (included in the new smartphones) or via Wi-Fi Direct.

How to use Mi Mover:

1. Install the Mi Mover app on both phones (unless it's pre-installed) and it usually appears on a new phone when you first turn on in the Data Portability section.
2. On the old phone, select the option “I give data” and on the new one, “I receive data”.
3. Connect your phones via cable (recommended) or choose wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi Direct. Follow the on-screen instructions.
4. In the list of available data, mark "Contacts" and start the transfer process. Don't turn off the phones until they're done!

Features of the Mi Mover:

• 🔌 Cable connectivity is faster and more stable than Wi-Fi.
• 📱 All Xiaomi models are supported on the base MIUI 9 and newer (including Redmi Note 10, POCO X3, Mi 11 and others.).
• ⚡ Transfer takes 5 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of data.

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Mi Mover is the only official way to transfer data that guarantees that your call history and SMS are stored along with your contacts.

Comparison of methods of transfer of contacts

To choose the best method, compare all the methods considered by key criteria:

The choice of method depends on your priorities:

• 🔹 Maximum simplicity → MI Cloud or Google.
• 🔹 Full control. →.vcf.
• 🔹 Transfer without the Internet → Mi Mover or SIM-map.
• 🔹 Migration on non-migration-Xiaomi →.vcf file or Google.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users sometimes find it difficult to do so, and consider typical situations and how to fix them:

Problem 1: Contacts are not synced through the MI Cloud.

• 🔹 Check if sync is enabled in Xiaomi account settings on both phones.
• 🔹 Make sure that the latest version is installed on the phones. MIUI (Update through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🔹 Try to log out of your account and log in again.

Problem 2: When importing a.vcf file, contacts are not displayed.

• 🔹 Check if the importation process has stopped.
• 🔹 Make sure the file is not corrupted (open it on your computer via a text editor – it should contain readable data).
• 🔹 Try importing a file through the web version of Google Contacts and then syncing with your phone.

Problem 3: Mi Mover can't see the old phone.

• 🔹 Use the original Xiaomi cable (not all) USB-cables support data transmission).
• 🔹 Enable Developer Mode on both phones and activate Debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to press the version).
• 🔹 Reboot both devices and try again.

Problem 4: Duplicate contacts after synchronization.

• 🔹 In the Contacts app, select Contact Management → Combine the takes.
• 🔹 Turn off contact sync in one of the cloud services (for example, leave only one). MI Cloud or Google only).

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If you change phones frequently, make it a habit to export contacts to a.vcf file every month and store them in the cloud (like Google Drive or Yandex.Disk) to save your data even if your device is lost or stolen.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions