How to transfer data from one Xiaomi device to another: the complete 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 alternative methods will help even in the most difficult cases. But how to choose the best way? It all depends on the amount of data, device model and even firmware version.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods for transferring data between Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from official Mi Mover to cloud services and manual copying. You will learn how to avoid typical errors (for example, data loss when interrupting transmission via Wi-Fi Direct), what file formats are supported, and what to do if the new device does not see the old one. And for owners of devices with MIUI 14+, we have prepared the latest life hacks to speed up the process.

Whether you upgrade from the Redmi Note 8 to the Xiaomi 14, or migrate data between the POCO F5 and the Redmi K70, you'll find a solution to your problem here.

1. Mi Mover: Official Data Portability Tool

Mi Mover is a built-in app from Xiaomi that uses Wi-Fi Direct to transfer data without the Internet.It is pre-installed on all devices with MIUI 9+ and supports transferring almost everything: contacts, messages, photos, videos, applications (including their data), notes and even some system settings.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On the old device: Open Settings → The phone. → Data Transfer (Mi Mover) Select the role "Sender".
• 📱 On new device: When you first turn on, select Data Portability from the settings menu. If your phone is already configured, go to Settings → Additionally. → Transfer data and select "Recipient".
• 🔗 The connection: on the old device will appear QR-code, scan it with your new smartphone, and you can choose from the Wi-Fi Direct list.
• 📤 Data selection: tick categories for transfer (e.g., "Applications" or "Multimedia") and click "Move".

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of data you have, and it's important that you don't interrupt the connection or block the screens of your devices. If the transmission is 0% down, try restarting Mi Mover on both phones or changing the role (sender). ↔ recipient).

Charge both devices at least 50 times%|Shut down. VPN mobile data|Make sure there is enough memory on the new device|Close all background applications-->

⚠️ Note: If the new device is installed MIUI 14+, old — MIUI 12 or lower, you may have trouble porting some apps, in which case you should first update the firmware on your old phone.

2.Move through Xiaomi account (cloud)

Xiaomi Cloud allows you to sync data between devices over the Internet, which is convenient if you have a slow Wi-Fi Direct connection or want to transfer only contacts, notes and photos (apps can not be ported this way).

Instructions:

• ☁️ On the old device: go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud and enable sync for the desired categories (e.g. Contacts and Gallery.
• 📱 On the new device: log in to the same Xiaomi account and enable sync in Mi Cloud. Data will start to download automatically.
• ⚙️ For photos: if there are many, go to the gallery → Albums. → Mi Cloud and click "Sync".

The advantage of this method is that you don't have to keep both devices together, but a free Mi Cloud account only gives you 5GB of storage, so you'll have to buy extra space or use other methods to get more data.

Mi Mover (Wi-Fi Direct)|Xiaomi Cloud (Cloud)|Cable OTG/adapter|Google Account|Other-->

3.Use of OTG cable or adapter

If you don't have Wi-Fi access or data too big for the cloud, you can use an OTG cable (or USB-C to USB-C adapter for new models), which works even between different brands, but requires additional accessories.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect. OTG-cable to the new device and the other end to the old one (or use an adapter) USB-C to USB-C modern Xiaomi).
2. On your old phone, select File Transfer (or MTP) mode in the connection notification.
3. On the new device, open the File Manager (for example, “Files” from Xiaomi) and copy the desired folders (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, etc.) to internal memory.

To transfer applications this method will require additional software, for example, APK Extractor (for extraction) APK-files SAI (However, the application data (save games, settings messengers) will not be transferred in this way - it is better to use Mi Mover or backup.

⚠️ Note: When copying through OTG Avoid transferring system folders (Android, MIUI Also remember that Xiaomi encrypts some data (e.g. messages in Mi Messages) and it may not open after manual copying.

4. Move through Google Account (for contacts, calendar, mail)

If you use Google, it takes only a few minutes to move your contacts, calendar, and email, and it works on all Android devices, including Xiaomi.

How to transfer data:

• 🔄 On the old device: go to Settings → Accounts. → Google and enable sync for the right categories.
• 📱 On a new device: add the same Google account to Settings → Accounts and wait for synchronization to complete.
• 📞 For contacts: if they are stored in SIM-First, export them to your phone’s memory (Contacts) → Management → Imports/Exports).

The limitation of this method is that it doesn't carry apps, messages, or media, but it's perfect for basic data and works even if one of the devices isn't from Xiaomi.

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If contacts are duplicated after sync, use the Contacts Optimizer app (available on Google Play) to clean the list.

5. Backup and Recovery through Recovery

For power users who want to migrate the entire system with all settings, TWRP Recovery is a good way to do it, which requires unlocking the bootloader and installing a customized recave, but allows you to create a full backup of the old device and restore it to a new one.

Instructions:

1. Unlock Bootloader on both devices (instructions are available on the 4PDA or the official Xiaomi website).
2. Install TWRP Recovery via fastboot: fastboot flash recovery twrp.img fastboot boot twrp.img
3. In TWRP, select Backup and create a system image (System, Data, Boot).
4. Transfer the backup to a new device (via ADB or OTG) and restore it to TWRP.

This method is only suitable for identical models or devices with the same processor architecture (e.g. Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 → Snapdragon 8 Gen 2).

6.Switching data from iPhone to Xiaomi (and vice versa)

If you switch from iPhone to Xiaomi (or back), standard methods won’t work, and the Move to iOS app (from Apple) or Phone Clone (from Huawei, but compatible with Xiaomi) will help.

Instructions for transferring from iPhone to Xiaomi:

• 📱 Install the Phone Clone app on Xiaomi (available from App Gallery or APKMirror).
• 🍎 On iPhone, open Settings → Transfer data to Android (or install Move to iOS if you move back).
• 🔗 Connect to a single Wi-Fi network and follow the on-screen instructions. Phone Clone lets you transfer contacts, photos, videos and even call history.

To transfer music and applications, you will need to use third-party services (for example, iTunes for music or manual installation). APK-iMessages cannot be transferred, they must be exported manually via iCloud or iMazing.

7. Alternative methods: PC, Mac and third-party programs

If none of these methods work, you can use a computer as an intermediary, which is universal, but it takes longer.

Options:

• 🖥️ Through PC: Connect both devices to your computer, copy the data from the old to the hard drive, and then to the new device. PC Suite.
• 🔄 Using Mac: Use Android File Transfer to access Xiaomi files and transfer data via Finder.
• 🛠️ Third-party programs: Dr.Fone, MobileTrans or Syncios allow you to transfer data between devices of different brands, including messages and call logs.

When using third-party software, pay attention to licensing restrictions – many features are only available in paid versions, and check the reviews about the program to avoid installing malware.

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To transfer data between Xiaomi and other brands (Samsung, iPhone, Huawei), it is better to use universal tools like Phone Clone or Dr.Fone, since built-in MIUI services may not support cross-platform migration.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

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

If neither solution worked, try resetting the network settings on both devices (Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Network Reset) or using an alternative portability method.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions