How to transfer data from Xiaomi to Realme: 5 working ways without loss

Moving from Xiaomi to Realme is not just about changing your brand, it's also about migrating all the important data you need: contacts, photos, messages, even app settings. Many users worry that something will get lost or files corrupted in the process, especially if you're talking about tens of gigabytes of media or hundreds of saved passwords. In fact, you can move data between these two Android devices quickly and without risk, so you can choose the right method.

In this article, we will look at all the current migration methods, from standard tools like Mi Mover and Realme Clone Phone to universal solutions via Google account or physical cable connection, pay special attention to typical errors (for example, when Realme can not see Xiaomi on Wi-Fi) and give a checklist for preparing devices. If you move from Redmi Note 12 to Realme GT Neo 5 or from POCO X5 to Realme 11 Pro+, the instruction is suitable for any combination of models.

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before you start migrating, you need to follow a few critical steps on both smartphones, neglecting preparation is the main cause of failures, from a connection break to losing some files.

On Xiaomi (data source):

  • ๐Ÿ”‹ Charge the battery to at least 50% โ€“ transfer large files (for example, video to the battery) 4K) It can take up to an hour and consume energy.
  • ๐Ÿ“ถ Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (if you plan to use wireless methods) Mobile Internet is not suitable due to traffic restrictions.
  • ๐Ÿ”’ Make sure there is no print lock on the device (in some firmware) MIUI This prevents file transfer. Check in Settings โ†’ Special facilities โ†’ Simplified management.
  • ๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Clear the app cache (especially Mi Mover or Google Photos) to avoid conflict when transferring.

On Realme (target device):

  • ๐Ÿ“ฑ Reset the settings to factory (Settings) โ†’ Additionally. โ†’ Reset) if the phone has already been used, this will eliminate conflicts with previous data.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ Update your firmware to the latest version through Settings โ†’ Update of the software in old versions of Realme UI Key transfer functions may not be available.
  • ๐Ÿ“ฒ Install the Realme Clone Phone or Mi Mover apps from Google Play if they are not preinstalled.

Charging both phones >50%|Free space on Realme > portability|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Wi-Fi router supports 5 GHz (for acceleration)|Backup of important files on PC-->

๐Ÿ’ก

If Xiaomi has developer mode enabled, disable USB Debugging โ€“ it can block some transmission methods.

2. Method 1: Transfer through proprietary utilities (Mi Mover and Realme Clone Phone)

The most reliable method is to use the built-in tools of manufacturers, Xiaomi offers Mi Mover, and Realme offers Realme Clone Phone, which are optimized for data transfer between devices of the same ecosystem, but also work in cross-brand mode (if you follow the instructions).

Step-by-step:

  1. On Realme, run Realme Clone Phone (you can find it in the Utility folder or search it).
  2. On Xiaomi, open Mi Mover (Settings) โ†’ Additionally. โ†’ Mi Mover. Tap "Send data".
  3. Scanner. QR-The code on Realme reads the code from the screen of Xiaomi. QR Not appearing, select manual connection via Wi-Fi Direct.
  4. Select data types to transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, applications (not all applications are supported!). Do not turn on System Settings, this can cause firmware conflicts.
  5. Confirm the transmission on both devices, and it takes 10 to 60 minutes depending on the volume.
What if the apps canโ€™t see each other?
1.Reboot both phones. 2. Turn on Wi-Fi Direct manually on Xiaomi (Settings โ†’ Wi-Fi โ†’ Wi-Fi Direct). 3. Make sure Realme has power saving mode turned off for Clone Phone (Settings โ†’ Battery โ†’ Battery Optimization). 4. Try connecting via a mobile hotspot (if Wi-Fi is unstable).

Limitations of the method:

  • โŒ Not all applications are portable (e.g., banking or c) DRM-Netflix protection).
  • โŒ Messages from Telegram or WhatsApp will be transmitted without media files.
  • โŒ On some Xiaomi models, for example, POCO F5) Mi Mover may not be available โ€“ download it from APKMirror.

:Through branded utilities (Mi Mover, Clone Phone)|Through a Google account|Cable (OTG/PC)|Using cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud)|Another option-->

Method 3: Transfer through a Google account (for contacts, calendar and parts of applications)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendar, notes and some of the app settings, syncing through Google is the easiest option, which is not suitable for multimedia or messages, but ensures that the underlying data is safe.

Instructions:

  1. On Xiaomi, go to Settings โ†’ Google Accounts โ†’ Sync and turn on all the switches (contacts, calendar, Gmail, etc.).
  2. Wait for the synchronization to be completed (check in Settings โ†’ About Phone โ†’ Account Status).
  3. On Realme, add the same Google account when you first turn on or through Settings โ†’ Accounts.
  4. Turn on sync on the new device. Data will appear automatically within 5-10 minutes.

What is transferred and what is not:

Type of dataTransferred?Notes
Contactsโœ… Yes.Including groups and tags
Calendarโœ… Yes.Events, reminders, repetitive tasks
Photo/videoโŒ No.Google Photos Required (see Method 4)
SMS messagesโŒ No.Use Mi Mover or third-party apps
Chrome passwordsโœ… Yes.If synchronization is enabled in the browser

โš ๏ธ Note: If Xiaomi used a Mi Account for backup, untie it before selling the phone. โ†’ Mi Account โ†’ Delete your account, otherwise the new owner will be able to recover your data.

4. Method 3: Transferring Multimedia through Google Photos and Google Drive

Googleโ€™s cloud services are the most convenient way to transfer photos, videos and documents, and the advantage of this method is that the data is stored in its original quality (if you choose the right settings) and accessible from any device.

Step 1: Upload files to Google Photos

  1. On Xiaomi, install Google Photos (if not installed).
  2. Open the app, tap on the avatar โ†’ Photo settings โ†’ Backup and synchronization.
  3. Select โ€œHigh Qualityโ€ (unlimited storage) or โ€œOriginal Qualityโ€ (quoted in Google Drive).
  4. Wait for the download to complete (check progress in Library โ†’ Utilities โ†’ Backup Status).

Step 2: Download to Realme

  1. On Realme, set up Google Photos and log in to the same account.
  2. Go to Photo โ†’ Settings โ†’ Backup and Synchronization and turn on the option.
  3. Files will start downloading automatically. Connect to Wi-Fi to speed up.

For documents and other files: use Google Drive:

  • ๐Ÿ“ Download files manually via the web version of drive.google.com or mobile app.
  • ๐Ÿ”— Create a folder (for example, โ€œMove with Xiaomiโ€) and upload data there.
  • ๐Ÿ“ฅ On Realme, download files through the Google Drive app (long press). โ†’ Download).

โš ๏ธ Note: If you have more than 15 GB of data, you will have to buy additional space in Google One (from 139 GB). โ‚ฝ/Alternatively, split files into parts or use physical portability (method 5).

5. Method 4: Direct Cable Transfer (OTG or PC)

If you have more than 50 GB of data, or you don't have a stable Internet connection, you can use a physical connection. OTG-Adapter (for direct connection of phones) or computer as an intermediary.

Option A: Through OTG-adapter (without PC)

  1. Buy it. OTG-plug-in USB-C (For modern Xiaomi and Realme).
  2. Connect Xiaomi to Realme via an adapter. On the Xiaomi screen, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
  3. On Realme, open File Manager โ†’ find the connected device and copy the data manually.

Option B: Computer (more reliable for larger volumes)

  1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB, select File Transfer mode.
  2. Copy all the necessary folders (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, etc.) to the hard drive.
  3. Disable Xiaomi, connect Realme and transfer files back.

Advantages of the method:

  • โšก Maximum speed (up to 40 MB/s with USB 3.0).
  • ๐Ÿ”’ No risk of data loss due to connection breakdown.
  • ๐Ÿ“‚ Only the necessary files can be selectively copied.

๐Ÿ’ก

When transferring via PC, do not use cloud folders (OneDrive, Yandex.Disk) as an intermediate storage โ€“ they can compress files or change their attributes.

Method 5: Transfer messages and applications through third-party utilities

Branded tools often can not cope with the transfer of messages from messengers (WhatsApp, Viber) or application data (for example, game saves), in such cases, specialized programs will help:

For communications:

  • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Backup & Restore (from Backup & Restore) SMS Backup+) โ€” retain SMS/MMS into XML And it's restoring it to a new device.
  • ๐Ÿ“ฑ Dr.Fone โ€“ Phone Transfer (paid but WhatsApp supports, LINE, Kik).

For applications:

  • ๐Ÿ“ฆ App Backup & Restore โ€“ Creates App Backup & Restore APK+Data (not working on all firmware due to Android limitations).
  • ๐ŸŽฎ Helium โ€“ for backup game saves (requires root on some devices).

Instructions for WhatsApp:

  1. On Xiaomi, open WhatsApp โ†’ โ‹ฎ โ†’ Settings โ†’ chat โ†’ Backup copy.
  2. Create a backup in Google Drive (make sure your account is the same as your account on Realme).
  3. On Realme, install WhatsApp, log in to the same account and restore chats.

โš ๏ธ Note: If WhatsApp doesnโ€™t offer to restore chats, check: โ€“ Is the same phone number used? โ€“ Is there enough space on Realme (backup can weigh 10)+ GB. โ€” Is Google Drive Sync enabled.

7.Typical errors and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and ways to fix them:

Problem.Reason.Decision
Mi Mover doesn't see RealmeWi-Fi Direct or Firewall ConflictDisable VPN, restart router, try connecting via mobile point
Transfer cuts off by 99%Lack of memory on RealmeClear the place or transfer data in parts
Photos in Google Photos compressedHigh quality mode selectedChange the setting to "Original Quality" (paid space)
Realme doesnโ€™t recognize Xiaomi by OTGIncompatibility of MTP protocolsUse your computer as an intermediary or update your firmware
No longer tolerated game savingGames use cloud serversLink your Google Play Games or Facebook account in the game settings

If none of these methods worked, try alternative solutions:

  • ๐Ÿ”„ Use LocalSend (Free of charge) P2P-application).
  • ๐Ÿ“ก Transmit the data through FTP-server (application type) FX File Explorer).
  • ๐Ÿ’ฝ Buy a memory card and transfer files to it (if both phones support microSD).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

Can you transfer data from Xiaomi to Realme without the Internet?
Yes, there are three ways: OTG-Adapter (direct phone connection) computer (copying files to and from PCs) LAN (applications like LocalSend or Xender) and multimedia and document are more reliable than cloud services.
Is the data transferred from Mi Fit to Realme?
No, Mi Fit (Mi Band app) is not compatible with Realme. You need to: Export your data history from Mi Fit to a file (if the feature is available); Install Realme Link app on Realme for working with Realme fitness bracelets. If you use Mi Band, download Notify & Fitness (third-party software for universal work with trackers).
How to transfer passwords from Xiaomi browser to Realme?
If you used Xiaomi Browser: Export passwords to the CSV file via Browser Settings โ†’ Passwords โ†’ Export. Import the file to Google Chrome on Realme (chrome://settings/passwords). If you used Google Chrome, passwords are synced automatically when you log in.
How long does it take to transfer 100 GB of data?
Time depends on the method: by cable (OTG/PC): 30โ€“60 minutes (speed) ~20โ€“40 MB/s. Wi-Fi (Mi) Mover/Clone Phone): 1โ€“2 hour (speed) ~5โ€“10 MB/s. Google Drive: 2โ€“4 For speed, turn off background apps and use a cable. USB 3.0.
Can I transfer screen settings (wallpaper, brightness, gestures) from Xiaomi to Realme?
No, system settings (including wallpaper, navigation gestures, screen modes) donโ€™t transfer between different firmware (MIUI and Realme UI). Youโ€™ll have to adjust them manually: Wallpaper: download the original files from Xiaomi and install them on Realme. Gestures: reset to Settings โ†’ System โ†’ Gestures. Sounds: transfer notification files from /system/media/audio (requires root).