How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi via computer: 5 proven ways

Why Computer Transfer Is the Best Choice for Honor and Xiaomi Owners

The transition from Honor to Xiaomi is often accompanied by the question: how to save all the important data without loss? Using a computer as an intermediary has several key advantages over wireless methods. USB eliminates communication interruptions, which are not uncommon when using Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth. Second, speed: copying 50 GB of photos and videos through the Internet. USB 3.0 takes 20 minutes, while the air stretches it for hours, and finally, the computer allows you to selectively transfer data, sort it, and even back it up before you migrate.

This is especially relevant for users who store large amounts of media on Honor or work with files that are critical to business, such as moving a customer base from a business location. Contacts.apk But if you're locally copying it to a PC, you can use the cloud to save the original metadata -- the dates of the files, the folder names, even the geotags of the photos -- from the download to the download.

But there are nuances: not all transfer programs support Honor based on Magic. UI and Xiaomi MIUI So in this article, we'll look at 5 working ways, from standard Windows tools to specialized software, and how to avoid common synchronization errors.

Preparing your phone and computer: what to do before transferring

Before you connect your devices, follow a few steps that will save time and prevent data loss:

• 🔋 Charge both smartphones to a minimum of 50%. Transferring large amounts of data can drain the battery 20-30% hourly.
• 🔌 Use the original cables USB (or certified USB-C). Cheap Chinese cords often don’t support data transfer mode (MTP).
• 📁 Free up space on your PC: Honor backup may require up to 100GB (if you transfer video to your PC) 4K).
• 🔒 Turn off screen lock on both phones or add your computer to the list of trusted devices (in Settings). → Security).

Pay special attention to the Honor settings, unlike Xiaomi, where file transfer mode (MTP) It is automatically activated when connected to a PC, on Magic. UI Sometimes manual activation is required:

1. Connect Honor to your computer.
2. Swipe down the notification panel and tap on the Charge option through USB.
3. Select File Transfer (or MTP).
4. If there is no option, go to Settings. → System system → Developer mode and turn on Debugging by USB.

⚠️ Note: Some Honor models (e.g. Honor) 9X Honor 20 Pro, after connecting to the PC, you may receive a request to unlock OEM Unlock. Don't confirm it -- it's just for firmware, not for file transfer.

Method 1: Standard transfer through Windows Explorer (without programs)

The easiest method is to use the built-in Windows Explorer (or Finder on a Mac), which is suitable for transferring photos, videos, music and documents, but will not cope with applications or documents. SMS. Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Connect Honor to the PC via USB and select the File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. Open This Computer (My PC is in Windows 7) Your Honor will appear as a removable drive (e.g., a removable drive, HONOR 50 Pro).
3. Go to the Internal Storage folder (Internal Memory) or SD Card (if a memory card is used).
4. Copy the right folders: 📷 Photos and videos: DCIM → Camera or Pictures 🎵 Music: Music or Media → Audio 📄 Documents: Documents or Download 📞 Contacts: export them to.vcf via Contacts on Honor.

Internal Storage

Xiaomi

MTP

To speed up the process, use the hot keys:

• Ctrl + A – Select all files in the folder.
• Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V - copy and paste.
• Alt + ← — back in the guide.

⚠️ Note: Don’t copy the entire Android folder – it contains app data that won’t work on Xiaomi due to different Huawei Mobile Services architectures (HMS) and Google Mobile Services (GMS).

Photo and video from the folder DCIM|Contacts (export to) VCF)|Downloads (Download folder)|Documents (PDF, DOCX)|Music and podcasts-->

Method 2: Transfer of contacts and SMS export/import

Contacts and messages are the most critical data that can't be lost, and porting them requires a separate approach, because they're stored in system databases, not as files. Here's how to do this:

Deferral of contacts

1. On Honor, open the Contacts app.
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
3. Select Export to your device and save the contacts.vcf file to internal memory.
4. Copy this file on your PC and then on Xiaomi.
5. On Xiaomi, open contacts → Imports/Exports → select the.vcf file.

SMS portability

For messages you will need a third-party application, for example, SMS Backup & Restore (available on Google Play):

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On Honor, launch the backup: Backup → choose SMS → save the file to the memory card.
3. Transfer the backup file (.xml) to Xiaomi via PC.
4. Restore on Xiaomi SMS file-based.

Alternatively, use Mi Mover (built-in) MIUI Apps) but it doesn’t work well with Honor due to differences in data protocols.

Method 3: Using the Xiaomi program PC Suite (official tool)

Xiaomi PC Suite is the official tool for managing Xiaomi devices from a computer, it supports data transfer from other Android devices, including Honor, but with reservations.

Download the latest version from the official Xiaomi website (volume) ~150 MB after installation:

1. Connect Honor to the PC in mode MTP.
2. Launch Xiaomi PC Suite and wait for the device definition.
3. Select the Backup & Restore section.
4. Click Backup and tick the data types (contacts, SMS, multimedia).
5. After creating a backup, disable Honor and plug in Xiaomi.
6. In the same section, click Restore and select the saved backup.

⚠️ Attention: If Xiaomi PC Suite doesn't see Honor, check: Is Huawei HiSuite drivers installed (they're needed for Honor recognition) or is Honor Developer Mode disabled (sometimes it blocks access to data).

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If Xiaomi PC Suite crashes when you backup, try running the program on behalf of the administrator. Also close the antivirus (for example, Avast or Kaspersky can block access to system files).

Method 4: MobieSync Transfer (for large data sets)

If you need to migrate more than 100GB of data or save a folder structure with exact file creation dates, standard methods will not work, in which case MobieSync, a paid program with a free trial period (limiting 20 files per operation), will help.

• 📁 Transfer folders without losing hierarchy (including hidden files).
• 🔄 Synchronization in both directions (from PC to phone and back).
• 📱 Backup of applications (APK + Data, but without a guarantee of performance on Xiaomi).
• 🔍 Viewing and editing data directly on PC.

Instructions for use:

1. Download and install MobieSync from the developer’s website.
2. Connect Honor to your PC. The program will automatically determine the model.
3. In the main window, select data categories to transfer (e.g. Photos, Videos, Contacts).
4. Press Export to PC and specify the folder to save.
5. Turn off Honor, plug in Xiaomi and press Import from PC.

The advantage of MobieSync over Xiaomi PC Suite – Honor support for Magic UI 5.0+ And the ability to transfer WhatsApp chats (though without media files (~$20 a year).

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MobieSync is the only program in this review that correctly transfers data from Huawei Health (steps, pulse) to Mi Fitness, but this requires manual file conversion through the built-in Data Converter tool.

Method 5: Transfer through the cloud (hybrid method)

If you have a slow PC or can’t connect both phones at the same time, use cloud services as a middle ground storage method that is suitable for transferring contacts, photos and documents, but not for applications or other applications. SMS. Best options:

• 🌥️ Google Drive: 15GB free, integration with Google MIUI. Suitable for photos (via Google Photos) and contacts (synchronization with Google account).
• ☁️ Huawei Cloud: If Honor already has a backup, download it to your PC via the web version, and then download it to Xiaomi.
• 📦 Yandex Disk: 10GB free, easy to use for documents and music (there is a built-in player in the game) MIUI).

The following steps are provided for Google Drive:

1. On Honor, open Google Photos and enable autoload (if not already enabled).
2. Wait until all photos/videos are uploaded to the cloud.
3. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and enable sync in Google Photos.
4. For contacts: on Honor export them to your Google account (Contacts) → Settings → Exports. Xiaomi will automatically match them.

⚠️ Note: When uploading a video to Google Photos in High Quality (not Original) mode, the resolution is reduced to 1080p. If it is important to keep 4K, Use Huawei Cloud or Local PC Transfer.

Solving Common Errors in Data Transfer

Even if you follow the instructions, you can have problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If none of these methods worked, try an alternative method:

1. Create an archive (.zip) with data on Honor through a file manager (e.g. Solid Explorer).
2. Move the archive to your PC and then to Xiaomi.
3. Unpack the archive with the help of MIUI File Manager (built-in conductor).

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If the Cyrillic folder names are missing after transfer to Xiaomi (rendered as "???"), check the file system encoding on the flash drive/memory card. Format the drives in exFAT or NTFS (not FAT32), To avoid problems with Russian symbols.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions