How to Transfer Data from Old Phone to New Xiaomi: A Complete 2026 Guide

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but transferring data from an old device can become a real headache if you don’t know the nuances. Even experienced users sometimes lose hours to restore contacts, photos or app settings. In this article, we will examine all the current ways of migrating data from official Mi Mover tools to manual methods for advanced users.

Features of Xiaomi phones (including the Redmi line, POCO and Mi) in that they are customized shells MIUI, But not everyone knows that some features (e.g., backup in Mi Cloud) have limitations in volume or speed, and we'll show you how to get around those limitations and save all data without loss, including your call history, SMS and even the desktop settings.

Importantly, if you’re switching from an iPhone or a phone from another brand (like Samsung), some of the methods in this article will also work, but require additional steps. For Xiaomi owners who upgrade within the ecosystem, the process will be as simple as possible.

1.Official method: Mi Mover - fast transfer without a computer

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi that allows you to transfer data directly over Wi-Fi between two smartphones. MIUI 9) and does not require a connection to a PC, the main advantage is to maintain the folder structure and even some system settings.

How it works:

• 📱 Install Mi Mover on both phones (available on Google Play or the App Store for iOS). on new Xiaomi, the app is usually preinstalled.
• 🔗 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on an old phone.
• 📤 On the old phone, select the role of “Sender” (Sender), on the new one – “Receiver” (Receiver).
• 🔍 Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone with an old pairing device.
• ✅ Select data types for transfer (contacts, messages, photos, videos, applications) and confirm the transfer.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data and the stability of the connection. For example, 10 GB of photos can be transmitted from 15 to 40 minutes.

• 🔄 Reboot both phones and re-pair pairing.
• 📶 Switch to another Wi-Fi network (sometimes a mobile hotspot helps).
• 🗑️ Free up space on a new phone (minimum required) 10-15% Free space from the volume of data transferred).

⚠️ Note: If the new phone already has data (for example, you have started using it), Mi Mover will offer to reset the device to factory settings before transferring. Do not skip this step, otherwise some of the data may not be transferred or work incorrectly.

2. backup in Mi Cloud: reliable but limited

Mi Cloud is another official tool from Xiaomi that allows you to back up your old phone and restore it to a new one, a method that is handy if you don’t have Wi-Fi access or want to transfer data in advance (for example, before selling your old phone).

How to make a backup:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Sign in to your account (if not registered, create it in advance).
3. Go to Backup and select the data to save (contacts, messages, notes, system settings).
4. Click Start Backup and wait until it is completed.

To recover on the new phone:

1. Sign in with the same Mi Cloud account.
2. In the Backup section, select the latest copy and click Restore.

Important nuances:

• 📁 Free account Mi Cloud provides only 5 GB. To transfer photos and videos, this is not enough – you will have to buy additional space (from 100 GB per user). ~500 rubles / year or use another method.
• ⏳ Speed: Downloading/uploading depends on your Internet speed. With a slow connection, the process can take hours.
• 🔒 Security: Data in Mi Cloud is encrypted, but for sensitive information (such as passwords from notes) it is better to use local copying.

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If you’re migrating data from your iPhone to Xiaomi, export your contacts to iCloud first, and then import them to Google Contacts – this will make syncing easier.

3.Move over Google Account: a universal method for Android

If you don’t want to depend on the Xiaomi ecosystem, you can use standard Google tools, which are suitable for transferring basic data: contacts, calendar, mail, some app settings, and even some photos (via Google Photos).

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Enable the option to back up in Google Drive and select an account.
3. Click Create a backup now and wait until it is completed.
4. On your new phone, when you first turn on, select Copy Data from your old device and log in under the same Google account.

Advantages of the method:

• 🌐 It works on all Android devices, not just Xiaomi.
• 🆓 Free storage 15 GB (vs. 5 GB in Mi Cloud).
• 🔄 Automatic synchronization of contacts and calendar in real time.

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 Not tolerated. SMS/MMS (Only if you use third-party applications like SMS Backup & Restore).
• 📁 Photos and videos need to be synced separately via Google Photos (compression with free storage).
• ⚙️ Settings MIUI (topics, gestures) not retained.

⚠️ Note: If the new phone has already set up a Google Account, before recovering data, reset to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Otherwise, some of the data may not be restored due to conflicts.

Synchronized contacts in Google Contacts|Backup enabled in Google Drive|Enough space is freed up on the new phone|Wi-Fi connection checked|Backup photos made in Google Photos-->

4. Manual transfer via computer: for full control

If you need to migrate all the data without exception (including rare files, app settings, or large archives), the best way is to connect both phones to your computer and copy files manually.This method takes longer, but guarantees 100% data security and no loss due to compression or limitations of cloud services.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 🔌 Two. USB-cables (preferably original for stable transmission).
• 📁 Free space on the hard disk (at least recommended) 30-50 GB for backup).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy all the important folders: DCIM — Photos and videos; Downloads – uploaded files; Pictures, Music, Movies – multimedia; Android/data — Application data (e.g. game saving).
3. Export contacts to.vcf file: Open Contacts app; Click ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Export to a file; Copy the received file to a computer.

Connect the new phone and transfer all the copied files to the appropriate folders.

Contacts → ⋮ → Management → File-based import

For transfer SMS Use apps like Super Backup & Restore (available on Google Play):

• 📲 Install the app on your old phone;
• 📤 Create a backup. SMS and.xml calls;
• 📥 Transfer the file to a new phone and recover the data through the same app.

5.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi: features and pitfalls

If you're switching from an iPhone to Xiaomi, standard methods like Mi Mover or Google Account won't work completely because of ecosystem differences, and you'll need a combination approach:

Step 1: Transfer contacts and calendar:

• 📱 On iPhone, open Settings → [Your name] → iCloud and enable contact sync.
• 🌐 On your computer, go to iCloud.com, export your contacts to a.vcf file.
• 📲 Import a file to Xiaomi via Contacts → ⋮ → Management → Imports.

Step 2: Transfer photos and videos:

• 📷 Use Google Photos: Install the app on your iPhone; Enable autoboot (Settings) → Backup and sync; On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and wait for sync.
• 💾 Or connect your iPhone to your computer, copy photos from your folder. DCIM And move them to Xiaomi.

Step 3: Transfer of music and documents

• 🎵 For music, use iTunes (export songs in format.mp3) Cloud services like Yandex Music.
• 📄 Transfer documents via iCloud Drive (download files to your computer and upload to Xiaomi).

Step 4: Transfer of notes:

• 📝 Export notes from Apple Notes to PDF Or send them to yourself by email, then open them to Xiaomi.

⚠️ Note: Apps from the App Store don’t migrate to Android automatically. You’ll have to install their analogues from Google Play manually. For example, instead of iMessage, use WhatsApp or Telegram, and instead of Apple Music, use Spotify or Yandex Music.

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To transfer data from iPhone to Xiaomi, always use the intermediate stage (computer or cloud). Direct Wi-Fi transmission between iOS and Android is impossible without additional software.

6. Data transfer for advanced: ADB custom-made

If you are an experienced user and are willing to work with console commands, you can use it. ADB (Android Debug Bridge for precise control of the data penos:

• 🔧 Transfer system settings (e.g. configurations) MIUI);
• 📦 Copy applications with data (including cache and settings);
• 🛠️ Data recovery after resetting or firmware.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB on your computer (download Platform Tools from Google).
2. Turn on the debugging. USB on both phones: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click 7 times to become a developer → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB
3. Connect an old phone and execute the command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab (where backup.ab is the backup file name).
4. Connect your new phone and recover data: adb restore backup.ab

Warnings:

• 🚨 Not all apps support backup through ADB (For example, some banking applications block this feature).
• 🔐 To work with ADB Developer rights are required, which may void the warranty (although the fact of using the product is not required). ADB leaves no trace).
• ⚠️ Recovery of backup on phone with another version MIUI It can cause system failures.

Alternatives for custom firmware users (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience):

• 📱 Use it. TWRP Recovery to create a full partition backup /data.
• 🔄 Transfer the backup to your new phone and restore it through TWRP.

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If you frequently reflash your phones, keep Titanium Backup on hand (requires root), an app that allows you to save and recover data from individual applications with byte accuracy.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even with proven methods, users face challenges.-5 errors and ways of solving them:

1.There's not enough space on the new phone

• 📉 Before transfer, check the free space: Settings → Warehouse.
• 🗑️ Delete unnecessary files (cache, duplicate photos) using Files by Google or Clean Master.
• 🔄 Transfer data in parts: first contacts and messages, then multimedia.

2 Wi-Fi transmission interrupted

• 📶 Switch to 5 GHz (if supported) – it is more stable.
• 🔋 Connect both phones to charging – with a low battery level, the transmission may break.
• 🚫 Turn off Power Saving Mode and Adaptive Brightness.

3. Not tolerable. SMS call-log

• 📱 Use specialized applications: SMS Backup & Restore, Super Backup.
• 📄 Export data manually through Settings → Annexes → SMS → Exports (not available on all models).

4.Apps are not restored

• 📥 Make sure that the new phone has enabled the option of Restore apps in Google Account.
• 🔄 Restart your phone after transfer – sometimes apps appear after reboot.
• 🛠️ If apps aren’t installed from the backup, download them manually from Google Play.

5. Data moved, but is not working correctly

• 🔄 Perform a soft reset of the new phone: Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Reset all settings (data will not be deleted).
• 📲 Check the compatibility of versions MIUI: If you were on the old phone MIUI 12, and on the new one — MIUI 14, some settings may not apply.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions