How to Transfer Data from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: A Complete 2026 Guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting moment: you want all the familiar data — from contacts to saves in games — to move to a new device without loss. Fortunately, the MIUI ecosystem offers several built-in tools for migration, and third-party services complement their functionality. But how to choose? It all depends on the amount of data, the availability of the Internet and even the model of your devices.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven methods for transferring data between Xiaomi phones, from the official Mi Mover to manually copying via PC, how to avoid common mistakes (such as why photos may not be transferred to Google Account), which settings will be saved automatically and which will have to be restored manually, and most importantly, which method will be the fastest for your case.

Spolier: If you have a Redmi Note 12 and a Xiaomi 14, it won’t take more than 15 minutes to wirelessly transfer via the Mi Mover, but older models (like the Redmi 4X) will have to use workarounds, which we’ve described.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (wireless transfer)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for migrating data between devices to MIUI, which works without cables but requires a connection to a single Wi-Fi network.

• 📱 Contacts, messages (SMS/MMS) and call logs
• 📷 Photos, videos and audio files (including hidden folders)
• 🎮 Application data (not all, depending on developer support)
• 🔧 System settings (wallpaper, sound circuits, brightness)

To begin the transfer:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. On the new device, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer or find Mi Mover in the settings.
3. On the old phone, click “I give” and on the new one, “I receive.”
4. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone old or connect via device search.
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the beginning.

⚠️ Note: If the new phone already has data, Mi Mover will offer to reset it to factory settings before transferring. This is the only official way that is guaranteed to transfer application data (for example, save in games or chat in Telegram), but it only works when a new device is first turned on.

Battery charge of both phones > 50% | Both devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network | New phone has enough free space | VPN and firewalls are turned off

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2. Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendar and part of applications)

If you've been using Google services on your old phone, some of the data is already synced to the cloud.

• 📇 Contacts (if saved in Google Contacts)
• 📅 Calendar and reminders
• 📂 Photos and videos (if you have autoloaded in Google Photos)
• 🎮 Some App Data (if they support Google Drive Backup)

How to move:

1. On your old phone, check if sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync.
2. On the new phone, add the same Google Account and enable sync.
3. For photos: Open Google Photos, wait for all media files to download, then download them to a new device.

⚠️ Attention: This method will not endure SMS, Call logs and system settings, and some applications (such as WhatsApp) require separate backups.

Mi Mover|Google Account|OTG/PC Cable |Cloud Services (Yandex Disk, Mail.ru)|Other option

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3. Transfer over OTG cable or computer (for large amounts of data)

If you have a lot of heavy files (video) 4K, RAW-Photos or large archives, wireless methods can take hours, in which case it is better to use a direct connection via cable:

Option A: OTG cable (for Type-C phones)

You'll need it. OTG-adapter (or cable) USB-C → USB-C If both phones are new, connect the old phone to the new one like a flash drive:

1. On your old phone, turn on Settings → Additional → Developer Mode → Debugging over USB (if required).
2. Connect your phones with a cable, and on the old one, select File Transfer (MTP).
3. On the new phone, open Explorer and copy the desired folders (DCIM, Download, etc.).

Option B: Through a computer (Windows/Mac)

If the OTG doesn’t work (e.g. on older Redmi models), use a PC:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer and copy the data to the disk.
2. Disable the old phone, connect the new one and transfer the files back.

💡 Use archiving to speed up copying, for example, pack a folder. DCIM into ZIP Use your old phone and unpack it with the help of a new one. ES conductor or RAR.

4. Transfer over cloud services (Yandex Disk, Mail.ru Cloud)

If you have slow internet or no cable, you can upload the data to the cloud and then download it to a new phone.

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, upload files to the cloud through the official service app.
2. On the new phone, install the same app and download the data.

⚠️ Warning: Free cloud space is often not enough for a full backup, for example, Mi Cloud only gives 5 GB, and Google Photos does not provide free space for photos in original quality since June 2021.

5. Transfer of SMS, call logs and applications (advanced methods)

Standard methods don’t always copy SMS, call logs, and application data, and you’ll need specialized tools to do this.

SMS and call logs

Use the SMS Backup & Restore app:

1. Install it on your old phone and create a backup.
2. Save the file to Google Drive or copy it to a new phone.
3. On the new phone, restore the data from the file.

Application data (save, settings)

There are two options for backing up applications:

• 🔧 No root: Use Swift Backup (requires an unlocked bootloader on some Xiaomi models).
• 🔓 With root: Titanium Backup, it even copies system settings.

💡 Useful tip: WhatsApp and Viber have built-in backup features in Google Drive. Before transferring, check that the copy is created: Settings → chat → Backup copy.

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6. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even with the detailed instructions, users face problems.

Mistake 1: Mi Mover does not find the device

Causes and solutions:

• 🔌 Different Wi-Fi networks: Connect both phones to the same network (do not use mobile Internet).
• 📵 firewall/VPN: Disable AdGuard, NordVPN and similar applications.
• 🔄 An outdated version MIUI: Update the firmware on both phones.

Error 2: Photos or videos are not transferred

This is often related to:

• 📂 Hidden folders: Enable the display of hidden files in Explorer.
• 🔒 Access rights: On an old phone, allow Mi Mover access to storage.
• 🗑️ Damaged files: Check file integrity on your old device.

Error 3: Applications are not restored

If after the transfer applications do not appear:

• 📥 Check the settings of Google: Settings → Google → Application recovery.
• 🔗 Sync accounts: Add all accounts on your new phone (Google, Mi, Samsung if you have any).
• 🛠️ Update Google Services: Go to the Play Store → My apps. → Google Play Services and Update.

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FAQ: Answers to popular questions