How to Transfer All Data from the Old Xiaomi to the New: The Complete 2026 Guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting — more memory, more powerful processor, fresh software. But the joy of the new product can be clouded by the thought: “How now to move all my data from an old phone?” Photos over the past 5 years, correspondence in Telegram with important documents, saved passwords from accounts, notes with plans — it is impossible to lose. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools for painless migration, plus universal solutions from Google and third-party developers.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to transfer data between Xiaomi phones, from the official Mi Mover to manual copying via PC. You’ll learn which method is the fastest, which keeps the folder structure, and which is suitable for porting even applications with their settings. We’ll focus on the nuances of why sometimes the transfer stops by 99%, how to transfer data if the new phone is not activated, and what to do if the old Xiaomi does not turn on.

Preparing phones for data transfer

Before you start migrating, you need to make sure that both devices are ready for the procedure, and neglecting this step is the main cause of errors like "unconnected" or "data not detected."

• 🔋 The battery charge on both phones is at least 50%, and it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to transfer, and if the battery runs out, the data can be damaged.
• 📶 Stable Internet connection (for wireless methods) Connect both phones to the same 5GHz Wi-Fi network, which will speed up transfers by 2-3 times compared to 2.4GHz.
• 📱 The space available on a new phone is at least 10 to 15 percent of the data you're carrying, so if you're moving 64GB, for example, the new device should be free. ~10GB.
• 🔄 Versions MIUI. If it's on an old phone. MIUI 12, and on the new one — MIUI 14, some functions (e.g., some functions, MIUI Clone) may not work properly. Update to the latest version.

A critical mistake many users make is to try to transfer data to a new phone immediately after it's first turned on without waiting for the initial setup to be completed. The system is busy unpacking branded applications, and background processes can interrupt the transfer. Wait until the standard set of icons (Phone, Messages, Browser) appears on the desktop, and then start the migration.

It is also worth temporarily disabling battery optimization for applications responsible for transfer (for example, Mi Mover or Google Drive).

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the right app and select Battery Limits.
3. Set up a No Limits mode.

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for transferring data between devices to MIUI. It is built into the system (starting with MIUI 9) and does not require installing additional applications, the main advantage is support for porting applications with their data (for example, saved games in PUBG Mobile or chats in Viber).

How Mi Mover works:

1. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer (or find Mi Mover in Settings → More).
2. On your old phone, open Mi Mover (through a search in the settings or app menu).
3. Select the role: new phone - Receiver, old - Sender.
4. Scan the scanner on your new phone QR-code that will appear on the old.
5. Select data types to transfer (contacts, messages, photos, etc.) and confirm the beginning.

The transmission speed depends on the amount of data and the type of connection:

• 📶 Wi-Fi Direct: ~10-15 MB/s (recommended for large volumes).
• 🔌 Through cable. OTG: ~20-30 MB/s (need an adapter) USB-C to USB-C or micro-USB to USB-C).

Limitations of Mi Mover:

• ❌ Does not port WhatsApp (only backups via Google Drive).
• ❌ Some system settings may not be transmitted (e.g. Reading Mode or Gestures).
• ❌ If the new phone already has data, it can be overwritten (take a backup copy!).

Both phones are connected to charging|Freely. ≥15% of memory on a new device|Battery optimization for Mi Mover is disabled|Phones are nearby (≤1 metre)-->

Method 2: Xiaomi Clone – cloning a 1:1 phone

The Xiaomi Clone (formerly called MIUI Clone) is an advanced version of the Mi Mover that lets you create a full replica of the old phone, including:

• 📱 All applications with their data (even system-based ones).
• 📁 Folder structure and files (including hidden files).
• ⚙️ System settings (sound, display, network).
• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords and accounts.

This method is suitable if you want the new phone to be an exact replica of the old one – with the same wallpaper, widgets, and even the order of icons on your desktop.

How to use Xiaomi Clone:

1. Install the Xiaomi Clone app from Google Play on both phones (if it’s not on the system).
2. On the new phone, select I'm new, on the old phone, I'm old.
3. Connect the phones through QR-code (wi-fi direct) or cable OTG.
4. Choose Full Cloning and wait until it’s finished (can take up to 1-2 hours for 128GB of data).

⚠️ Warning: If the new phone already has data, it will be completely erased before cloning, a method that is only suitable for newly purchased devices or after being reset to factory settings.

The advantages of Xiaomi Clone over Mi Mover:

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, photos and apps)

If you use Google, most of the data is already synced to the cloud automatically, a universal technique that works not only between Xiaomi phones, but also when you switch to Samsung, iPhone or other brands.

What is carried over Google:

• 📇 Contacts (if saved in Google Contacts, not in phone memory).
• 📅 Calendars and reminders.
• 📎 Photo and video (via Google Photos if Autoupload is enabled).
• 📱 List of applications (but not their data!).
• 🔑 Passwords (if you used Google Smart Lock).

How to transfer data:

1. On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync.
2. Make sure all the data you need is uploaded to the cloud: Photo: Open Google Photos → Photos → Settings → Backup. Contacts: Open Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Export to Google.

new phone

Google Account

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has your contacts saved to your device memory (not Google), they don’t sync automatically. To transfer them, export them to your.vcf file via Contacts. → Settings → Export and import on a new phone.

Advantages of this method:

• ✅ It works even if the old phone is broken (just remember the account details).
• ✅ Data is available on any device (PC, tablet, etc.).
• ✅ Free up to 15 GB (for photos in Google Photos - unlimited when compressed).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Not tolerated. SMS, notes and some settings MIUI.
• ❌ Applications are installed again, without saving data.

💡

If you move a photo through Google Photos, turn on the "Original Quality" option in your backup settings, which will save the original resolution of the images, but take up more space in the cloud.

Method 4: Transfer over an OTG cable or computer

If wireless methods seem unreliable or you don't have stable Wi-Fi, you can transfer data over a wired connection, which is suitable for large files (video, backups) and does not depend on Internet speed.

Option 1: OTG cable (direct phone-to-phone connection)

You'll need a USB-C to USB-C adapter (or Micro-USB to USB-C, depending on the ports of the phones), and you'll have the phones connected by cable, and you'll see a file transfer menu on the screen.

1. On your old phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On the new phone, open Files and copy the folders you want (DCIM, Downloads, etc.).

Option 2: Through a computer (PC or Mac)

If you don't. OTG-Use the computer as an intermediary:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy the data to a folder on the drive.
2. Disable the old phone, connect the new one and transfer the files back.

To speed up the process, use archiving:

• On PC, select the data folders, right-click and select Add to Archive (.zip or.rar format).
• Transfer the archive to a new phone and unpack it with RAR or ZArchiver.

⚠️ Note: When copying through a PC, do not use the Android folder on the internal drive of the new phone.This can cause applications to crash. Move data to Download, Pictures or create a new folder.

💡

Wired connectivity is the most reliable way to transfer large amounts of data (for example, 4K video or WhatsApp backups). USB 3.0 transfer speeds reach 50-60 MB / s, which is 3-4 times faster than Wi-Fi.

Method 5: Third-party applications (SHAREit, Send Anywhere, Xender)

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t work for some reason, you can use third-party file transfer apps, which often support cross-platform portability (e.g., from Xiaomi to iPhone) and offer additional features like data compression or Bluetooth transmission.

Top.-3 data-transfer applications:

How to transfer data to Send Anywhere:

1. 6-digit code is generated or QR-code.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party applications, disable battery optimization for them, otherwise the transfer may be interrupted. Also avoid public Wi-Fi networks (for example, in cafes) - some applications block transmission on such networks due to the risk of data interception.

What to do if data transfer fails

Even if you follow the instructions, you can make mistakes, and here are the most common problems and solutions.

1.Phone can't see each other on Wi-Fi

• 🔹 Make sure that both phones have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
• 🔹 Reboot both devices.
• 🔹 Try connecting to another Wi-Fi network (e.g., create an access point on your phone).
• 🔹 If you are using Mi Mover, update it via Google Play.

2.The transfer is cut off by 99%

• 🔹 The most common faults are corrupted files (e.g., error videos). DCIM Try again.
• 🔹 Use a cable connection instead of Wi-Fi.
• 🔹 On an old phone, clear the Mi Mover app's cache in Settings → Annexes.

3.The new phone is running out of space

• 🔹 Move data in parts (first contacts, then photos, etc.).
• 🔹 Delete unnecessary files on your new phone (e.g. pre-installed games).
• 🔹 Use it. SD-Card (if supported) for temporary storage.

4. Applications or their data are not portable

• 🔹 For WhatsApp, Viber, and other instant messengers, back up in their settings first.
• 🔹 Use Xiaomi Clone instead of Mi Mover – it does a better job of porting apps.
• 🔹 For games (such as Genshin Impact), link your account to Google Play or Mi Account.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi