How to transfer data from one Xiaomi Redmi phone to another: all working methods

Moving to a new Xiaomi Redmi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often becomes a headache. Photos, contacts, messages, app settings all need to be saved and moved to a new device without loss. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools that simplify the process. However, not all of them are equally convenient, and some methods are suitable only for certain types of data.

In this article, we will discuss 5 The proven ways to transfer information between Redmi phones – from the official Mi Mover tool to manual copying through a computer. You will learn which method is the fastest, which saves the most data, and how to avoid typical errors (for example, loss of messages from WhatsApp or failure of synchronization of Google Account). MIUI 14/15 and the new HyperOS interface.

If you’re switching from the Redmi Note 10 to the Redmi Note 13 Pro+, or just want to copy the data to a spare device, this guide will help you do everything without loss, and if you have old phones on Android 9 and below, we’ll warn you which methods may not work.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (via cable or Wi-Fi)

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app that is designed specifically to transfer data between the brand’s devices. It supports almost everything: contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, apps (including their data), notes and even some system settings. The main advantage is that you do not need to upload anything to the cloud, and the speed of transmission over cable is 5-10 times faster than over Wi-Fi.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Install the Mi Mover app on both phones (if it is not available by default.
• 🔌 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi or connect them USB-Cable (recommended original Xiaomi cable with support) OTG).
• 🔄 On the old phone, select the role of "Sender", on the new one - "Receiver".
• 📋 Select data types to transfer (you can mark everything or select individual categories).
• ⏳ Wait until the process is complete. Time depends on the amount of data (for example, 30 GB of photos and videos can be transmitted up to 40 minutes).

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Note: If you use a cable, make sure that both phones are enabled with File Transfer (MTP) mode. On some Redmi models, you need to manually select this mode in the notification curtain when connecting.

Important for Redmi owners with MIUI 14+: In newer firmware versions, Mi Mover can automatically offer data portability when you first turn on your phone. If you missed this step, the app is still available in the settings menu (Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer).

Charging both phones > 50%|Disabled. VPN and energy-saving regimes|There is plenty of free space on the new phone.|Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (if no cable is available)|Recent updates installed MIUI-->

2.Move over Mi Account (Xiaomi Cloud)

If you have a Mi Account, you can sync some of the data over the cloud, which is useful when the phones are in different places or you don't have a cable.

• 📁 The volume of free cloud storage is only 5 GB (that is about 1000 photos in high quality).
• 📱 Not all data is synchronized: for example, applications and their settings are not portable.
• ⏳ Speed depends on the internet connection (on slow Wi-Fi, downloading can take hours).

How to transfer data through Mi Account:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Mi Account → Xiaomi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired categories: contacts, notes, photos, call recordings.
3. Wait until the download is complete (progress is displayed in the same menu).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable synchronization.

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Note: Photos in Mi Cloud are compressed to 2048×2048 resolution (even if the original is 48MP).If it is important to maintain the original quality, use Google Photos or cable transfer.

3. Use of Google Account (for contacts, photos and applications)

If you use Google, you can transfer some of the data through it, and it works even when you switch from Redmi to another brand's smartphone, and here's what you can sync:

• 📇 Contacts – through Google Contacts.
• 📷 Photos and videos – via Google Photos (free of charge with compression or in original quality if you have a subscription).
• 📱 Apps – the list of installed programs will be restored from Google Play (but not their data!).
• 📅 Calendar and notes – via Google Keep or Google Calendar.

Instructions for transfer:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for the right categories.
2. Wait for the download to complete (you can check in Google Drive → Storage).
3. On the new phone, when you first turn on, log in to the same Google Account and confirm the data recovery.

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Warning: If your old phone has autosynchronization disabled, manually switch it on before transferring it and wait until the process is complete, otherwise some of the data (such as the last contacts) may not be saved.

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Before transferring to Google Photos, check the quality settings: open the app → Avatar → Photo settings → Download quality. To save the originals, select “Source Quality” (requires free space in Google Drive).

4. Manual transfer via computer (for large amounts of data)

If you have a lot of data (e.g. 50+GB of photos and videos) and the internet connection is slow, the most reliable way is to copy files to your computer and then move them to a new phone, a method that takes longer, but guarantees 100% data security without compression or loss.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 Two. USB-cables (preferably original).
• 📁 Enough free space on the hard disk.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the old Redmi to your computer and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the right folders: DCIM — Photos and videos. Downloads - uploaded files. WhatsApp/Media — WhatsApp Media (if necessary). Android/data — Data from some applications (but not all!).

Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.

Transfer the copied files to the corresponding folders on the new device.

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Warning: Don't copy the Android/obb folder, which is a game cache that might not work on a new phone.

5. Transfer over Bluetooth or LAN (for individual files)

If you only need to transfer a few files (such as documents or individual photos), you can use Bluetooth or local Wi-Fi network. This method is the slowest, but does not require cables or Internet.

How to transfer files over Bluetooth:

• 🔵 Turn on Bluetooth on both phones (Settings) → Connections → Bluetooth).
• 🔍 On your old phone, find the file you want to send and select “Send”. → Bluetooth".
• 📱 Select a new phone from the list of devices and confirm acceptance on it.

You can use applications like Send Anywhere or Xender to transmit over Wi-Fi, which create a local network between devices and allow you to send files at up to 10 MB/s.

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Note: When transferring over Bluetooth, files larger than 50MB can freeze or be transmitted with errors. For larger files, use Wi-Fi Direct or cable.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with official tools, there are some problems that can go wrong, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

• 🚫 Mi Mover can't see the second phone: Check that both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on. Re-start the Mi Mover app on both phones. If you use a cable, try another (preferably original).
• ⚠️ Apps not portable: Make sure there is enough space on the new phone. Some system applications (such as Mi Fit) are not portable - they need to be installed manually.
• 🔄 Mi Account syncs hung: Check the Internet connection (better use Wi-Fi). log out and log in again. If files don't load, try downloading them in parts (e.g. 1 GB each).

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If the data transfer is interrupted at half, do not cancel the process! Wait for the error, restart Mi Mover and select Continue the transfer - the program will resume the transfer from the stop (works on MIUI 12 and later).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions