How to transfer data from Samsung to Xiaomi: full instruction 2026

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about brand change, but also about the need to migrate all the important data: contacts, photos, messages and even app settings. Many users fear this process, considering it difficult or risky. In fact, modern tools make migration between Android devices almost automatic, but there are nuances that you should know about in advance.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to transfer data, from official Mi Mover and Samsung Smart Switch utilities to cloud services and manual methods, which method is faster, which is more reliable, and how to avoid common errors (such as loss of messages from WhatsApp or duplicate contacts), and what to do if the transfer is interrupted by 99% and the Xiaomi phone has stopped responding to the connection.

Whether you’re upgrading from the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra to the Xiaomi 14 Pro or from the budget Galaxy A14 to the Redmi Note 13, the instructions below are suitable for any combination.

1. Preparation of telephones for data transfer

Before you start the transfer, you need to follow a few critical steps on both devices, neglecting them can lead to data loss, slowing down the process or even crashing.

On Samsung:

• 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 50% – it can take up to an hour to transfer, especially if you have a lot of high-resolution photos.
• 📱 Upgrade Samsung Smart Switch to the latest version via Galaxy Store or Google Play.Old versions of the utility may not support new Xiaomi models.
• 🔒 Make sure the phone has a screen lock disabled (PIN, pattern lock, fingerprint – some transfer methods require unlocked device.
• 📡 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (if you plan to use cloud porting) Mobile Internet may not be able to withstand the transfer of large amounts of data.

On Xiaomi:

• 🏭 Reset your phone to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting the settings if it's new, it'll save you from conflict with the previous data.
• 🔄 Enable the Developer Mode and activate Debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (7 times press) → Additional settings → For developers. This is going to be needed for some methods.
• 📦 Install Mi Mover from Google Play (if it is not in the default firmware). MIUI pre-installed utility.

⚠️ Note: If Samsung has enabled data encryption (Settings) → Biometrics and safety → Encryption, transfer via cable can take 2-3 times longer, we recommend temporarily disable encryption or use the cloud method.

Also check the space available on Xiaomi, which should be at least 10 to 15 percent more than the data you can carry, for example, if you are carrying 32 GB, the phone should be free at least 35 to 36 GB.

2. Method 1: Transfer over Mi Mover (official method from Xiaomi)

Mi Mover is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi, designed to migrate data from other Android devices. It supports the transfer of:

• 📞 Contacts (including call histories)
• 📸 Photos and videos (folder structure is maintained)
• 💬 Communications (SMS and MMS)
• 📱 Annexes (APK-files, but no data)
• 📅 Calendars and notes

However, there are limitations: WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers are portable without chat history (only the apps themselves).

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, run Mi Mover (find it in the app menu or search).
2. On Samsung, install Mi Mover from Google Play and select Me sender.
3. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network. On Samsung, click Next and scan. QR-code that will appear on Xiaomi.
4. Select data types to transfer (you can mark everything or select selectively).
5. Wait until the process is complete. Don't interrupt the connection or block the screens!

⚠️ Warning: If the transfer has been stuck during the Preparation phase for longer than 10 minutes, restart Mi Mover on both phones and try again.

Both phones are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.|Xiaomi has enough free space|Samsung has turned off energy saving mode|QR-code scanned correctly-->

Method 3: Portable over Samsung Smart Switch

Samsung Smart Switch is a mirror utility from Samsung that can also transfer data in the opposite direction (from Samsung to other devices), but it does not work with all Xiaomi models.

The advantage of this method is that it supports the transfer of WhatsApp history (as opposed to Mi Mover), but there are also disadvantages: sometimes Smart Switch “loses” some photos or contacts if they are stored in non-standard formats.

How to transfer data:

1. Install Samsung Smart Switch on Xiaomi from Google Play.
2. Connect your phones via the original USB cable (use a USB-C adapter → USB-C or USB-C → Micro-USB, depending on the ports).
3. On Samsung, select Send Data, on Xiaomi, Receive Data.
4. Confirm the connection on both devices (file access permission may be required).
5. Select the data to transfer and wait until it's done. It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

If the Smart Switch doesn’t see Xiaomi, try:

• 🔄 Reconnect the cable (sometimes changing the port helps) USB).
• 📱 Enable Xiaomi File Transfer Mode (MTP) customized USB.
• 🔄 Update Smart Switch to the latest version.

💡

If the transfer is interrupted during the transfer of photos, try to transfer them separately through Google Photos, which will speed up the process and reduce the risk of errors.

Method 3: Cloud Transfer via Google Account

The most versatile, but not always the fastest, method is sync through Google Account, which is suitable if you have a slow Internet connection or not on hand a cable, SMS And the call history is not transferred).

What can be transferred:

• 📞 Contacts (in full, including groups)
• 📅 Calendars and reminders
• 📝 Notes (if saved in Google Keep)
• 📸 Photos and videos (via Google Photos, but with limited quality)
• 🎵 Music and documents (if downloaded to Google Drive)

Instructions:

1. On Samsung, open Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Manage your Google Account.
2. Make sure that sync is enabled for Contacts, Calendar and Google Photos.
3. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Google Drive that all data is downloaded).
4. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google Account and enable sync in Settings → Accounts → Google.
5. Wait until the data is uploaded to the new phone (can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour).

⚠️ Note: If Samsung used a Samsung Account for backup, its data is not synced with Google).

To transfer photos in original quality:

1. On Samsung, open Google Photos.
2. Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Select Quality → Original (you will need a place in Google Drive).
4. Wait for all the photos to be uploaded.
5. On Xiaomi, run Google Photos and download all media files.

5. Method 4: Transfer WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers

The history of chats in instant messengers is one of the most difficult parts of data to transfer, and official utilities (Mi Mover, Smart Switch) do not support the transfer of messages from WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber.

WhatsApp portability:

The only reliable way is to back up locally on Samsung and restore it on Xiaomi (SIM-map).

1. On Samsung, open WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. Create a backup (it will be saved in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases).
3. Copy the WhatsApp folder to your computer or external drive.
4. Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi and register with the same number.
5. When the offer to restore chats appears, confirm and wait for completion.

If WhatsApp doesn’t offer to restore chats:

• Remove the application and install it again.
• Before installing, copy the WhatsApp folder to the root of Xiaomi’s internal memory.
• Use the same phone number as you would on Samsung.

Telegram portability:

In Telegram, chat history is stored in the cloud, so it is enough:

1. On Xiaomi, install Telegram and log into your account.
2. All chats and media files will be downloaded automatically.

However, local files (manually downloaded) are not synced, but must be transferred separately via Google Drive or cable.

Viber portability:

Viber does not support the transfer of history between Android devices, the only way is manual backup:

1. On Samsung, open Viber Settings → Account → Backup.
2. Create a copy on Google Drive.
3. On Xiaomi, install Viber, log in to your account and restore data from your backup.

⚠️ Note: If you use two-factor authentication in messengers, disable it or save backup codes before transferring.

Method 5: Manual transfer via cable or computer

If the automatic methods don't work (for example, because of firmware incompatibility), you can manually transfer data, which takes longer, but gives you complete control over the process.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer (Windows, Mac or Linux)
• 🔌 USB-cables for both phones
• 📁 External drive (optional, if there is a lot of data)

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Samsung to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the necessary folders to your computer: DCIM (photos and videos), Downloads (downloads), WhatsApp (if you transfer chats), Music, Movies, etc.

Turn off Samsung and connect Xiaomi.

Transfer the copied folders to Xiaomi (to the root of internal memory or to the root of the folder). SD-map).

Reboot Xiaomi to allow the system to recognize new files.

For transferring contacts in.vcf format:

1. On Samsung, export contacts: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Exports.
2. Copy the contacts.vcf file on Xiaomi.
3. On Xiaomi, import contacts: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports.

Please note: after resetting, all data on Xiaomi will be deleted, so make a backup copy of it beforehand.