How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi Redmi: 5 proven ways

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi Redmi is not just about changing your brand, it's about saving all the important data you need: contacts, photos, correspondence, even app settings. Many users fear that migrating will take hours or lead to loss of information. In fact, with the right approach, it takes 15 to 40 minutes to move data, and all the files are intact.

In this article, we’ll break down 5 working ways to transfer data, from the official Mi Mover tool to manually copying through the cloud, and you’ll learn which method is right for your Redmi model (like the Redmi Note 12 or Redmi). 10C), How to avoid the typical sync errors, and what to do if your phone doesn't see another device, and also a unique life hack for transferring data without the Internet, if you have limited traffic.

Important: The procedure differs depending on the version MIUI (for example, MIUI 14 vs MIUI 12.5) and Honor models (Magic, View or Play series) We have taken into account all the nuances to make the instruction work for 95% of devices.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start migrating, follow 3 critical steps that ignore can cause data loss or disruption to your new smartphone.

• 📱 Check model compatibility. Mi Mover officially supports a port from Honor to Xiaomi, but for devices older than 2018 (e.g. Honor) 7X Redmi 5 may require alternative methods.
• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50 percent. Transferring data over cable or Wi-Fi Direct drains the battery faster than usual. If the charge is below 30 percent, the process can be interrupted.
• 📡 Connect to stable Wi-Fi. Transfer over the cloud (Google Drive or Mi Cloud) will require Internet. If there is little traffic, use the method with a cable. OTG.
• 🧹 Clean up unnecessary files on Honor. 50 GB of data will take 2 times longer than 20 GB. Remove duplicate photos, app cache and old videos.

Pay special attention to cloud services. If you've used Huawei Cloud on Honor, data will not be automatically transferred from there, you'll need to manually download it to your computer or upload it to Google Drive. ID — After switching to Xiaomi, access to them can be blocked.

⚠️ Note: If data encryption is enabled on Honor (optional in Settings) → Security, disable it 1 hour before the transfer. Otherwise, Mi Mover will not be able to read some files, especially messages and notes.

2. Method 1: Official transfer via Mi Mover (fastest)

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app that is installed by default on all Redmis (starting with Redmi 6) and allows you to transfer almost all data in one click, including:

• 📞 Contacts and call log
• 💬 Communications (SMS and some messengers)
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and documents
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness)
• 🎮 Data from certain games (if supported)

However, there are limitations:

• ❌ Wi-Fi passwords are not transferred.
• ❌ Some applications (such as banking) will require re-authorization.
• ❌ If Honor has custom firmware, Mi Mover may not recognize the device.

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi Redmi, go to Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. Select I am a new user → Android.
3. On Honor, download Mi Mover from Google Play (if not) and open the app.
4. On both phones, select Connect via Wi-Fi Direct (or cable). OTG, if maintained).
5. On Honor, click Send, on Redmi, Receive.

The transfer time depends on the amount of data:

⚠️ Warning: If the process has been stuck in the Preparation phase for longer than 10 minutes, restart both phones and reconnect. MIUI and EMUI.

Charge both phones >50%|Connect to a single Wi-Fi network|Shut down. VPN both-device|Delete unnecessary files from Honor|Check the free space on Redmi (should be 1.5 times the amount of data transferred)-->

Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (reliable, but not all copied)

If the Mi Mover does not work (for example, due to an older version) EMUI On Honor, use Google sync, which guarantees the safety of contacts, calendars and parts of applications, but has limitations:

• ✅ Transferred: contacts, calendar events, Chrome bookmarks, some settings.
• ❌ Not tolerated: SMS, Photos (only if they were uploaded to Google Photos previously), music, documents.

Instructions:

1. On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the data you need.
2. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync).
3. On Xiaomi Redmi, when you first turn on, select Recover Data and log in to the same Google Account.
4. If the phone is already set up, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Data Recovery.

To transfer photos and videos separately:

1. On Honor, open Google Photos and wait for all media files to load.
2. On Redmi, install Google Photos and log in to the same account – the files will be downloaded automatically.

The advantage of this method is that the data is stored in the cloud and can be restored even after Redmi is reset to factory settings, but to fully migrate it will have to be combined with other methods (for example, to reset the data in the cloud). SMS music).

💡

If you have a slow Internet connection, before syncing with Google Photos, reduce the quality of uploaded photos in the application settings (Settings) → Backup and synchronization → This will speed up the process by 2-3 times.

Method 3: Manual transfer via cable OTG computer

If you don't have Wi-Fi or Mi Mover doesn't recognize Honor, use a physical connection, which works 100 percent of the time, but takes longer.

Option A: via cable OTG (if the Redmi has a connector USB-C)

1. Buy a cable. OTG s USB-C on both sides (stands) ~200-300 rubles).
2. Connect Honor to Redmi via cable.
3. On Redmi, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
4. Open Explorer on Redmi and copy the files you want with Honor.

Option B: via computer (suitable for any model)

1. Connect Honor to the PC via USB Copy all files into a folder on your desktop.
2. Disable Honor, connect Redmi and transfer files back.
3. For contacts, export them to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Exports.

What files and where to copy:

⚠️ Note: When copying via computer, do not use Redmi disk formatting, this will result in the loss of all data on the new phone, /Android/ or /data/) — This can cause disruptions in work. MIUI.

5. Method 4: Transfer over cloud services (Dropbox, Yandex Drive, Telegram)

If you don't have a cable or a computer on hand, use cloud storage, a method that's suitable for transferring photos, videos, documents, and even some applications.

The best services for transfer:

• 📁 Google Drive – 15 GB free, Android integration.
• ☁️ Yandex Disk – 10 GB free, high download speed in Russia.
• 🗃️ Dropbox – 2GB free, but user-friendly.
• 📎 Telegram – you can send files to yourself in “Saved Messages” (limit 2 GB per file).

Instructions on the example of Yandex Disk:

1. On Honor, install Yandex Drive and upload the necessary files there.
2. On Redmi, install the same app and log in to your account.
3. Download files to the new device.

To port applications and their data (for example, saves in games), use Swift Backup (requires root rights) or Helium (works without root, but not on all models).

Pros of the method:

• ✅ You don’t need to connect your phones to each other.
• ✅ Files remain in the cloud as a backup.

Cons:

• ❌ Slow loading with large data.
• ❌ Some services (such as Google Photos) compress photo quality.

💡

If you have a slow Internet, break files into archives of 1-2 GB using the application RAR It'll speed up the loading and reduce the risk of a connection breaking.

6. Method 5: Transfer via Bluetooth (small files only)

Bluetooth is the slowest yet versatile way that works even on older Honor models (like the Honor). 5C) and Redmi (e.g. Redmi) 4A). Suitable for transmission:

• 📞 Contacts (one or groups of up to 10 pieces).
• 📷 Individual photos (up to 10 MB in size).
• 🎵 Songs (but not albums).

How to move:

1. On both phones, turn on Bluetooth in the notification panel.
2. On Honor, select a file → Share. → Bluetooth.
3. Select Redmi from the list of devices and confirm reception on the new phone.

Transmission speed: ~1-2 MB/sec. For example, a 5 MB photo will be transmitted ~5-10 seconds, and the song 10 MB – up to 20 seconds.

⚠️ Note: Do not use Bluetooth to transfer system files or folders with applications (for example, /Android/obb/). This could lead to a disruption to Redmi.

7 What to do if the data is not transferred or the phone does not see it

Even if you follow the instructions, sometimes files are lost or not displayed on a new phone. Here are 7 ways to fix the problem:

• 📱 Reset the Gallery or Explorer cache to Settings → Annexes → All applications → gallery → Memory. → Clear the cache.

If your contacts are missing, check:

1. Are they synced with Google Account (Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization).
2. Are they not saved on SIM-map (check in contact) → Settings → Imports/Exports).

8. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Errors when transferring data from Honor to Xiaomi are usually associated with firmware incompatibility, memory shortages or security settings. Here are the most common problems and their solutions:

Another common mistake is transferring data to SD-Many people copy files to an external drive, but Redmi doesn't see them:

• SD-map FAT32 (Maximum file size: 4 GB).
• Redmi's Settings Disabled Reading SD-maps (Settings) → Memory. → Settings SD-map).

Solution: format SD-card in exFAT (via computer) or copy files to Redmi internal memory.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions