How to transfer data from Xiaomi to Xiaomi: full migration with all settings and programs

Changing your smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to moving within the same ecosystem. Xiaomi offers users convenient tools for data transfer, but not everyone knows how to save all the system settings, installed applications and even the location of icons on the desktop. Many limit themselves to copying photos and contacts, missing the opportunity for a full migration, which will save hours on setting up a new device.

In this article, we will explore all the available ways to transfer data between Xiaomi smartphones, from standard Mi Mover features to manual methods for power users, focusing on saving application settings, SMS/MMS, calls and even passwords from Wi-Fi, and how to avoid typical errors that may cause data to stay mobile or get corrupted.

If you've never done this before, don't worry. It's as automated as possible, and our instructions cover even the subtlest of things. For example, did you know that when you migrate through Mi Account, some applications (like banking) don't recover because of security constraints? Or that MIUI settings can be exported separately from user data? These and other subtleties await you further.

Preparation for the transfer: what to do before the migration

The data transfer requires both devices to be pre-prepared, and without it, you risk losing some of your data or getting into errors in the process.

✅ Update the firmware on both devices to the latest version. MIUI They may conflict during transfer, especially if the difference between them is greater. 2-3 Updates. You can check the relevance of the software in the Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

✅ Clear the cache of the applications you plan to port, which will reduce the amount of data you transmit and reduce the risk of failure. → Annexes → Select an application → Warehouse → Clear the cache.

✅ Check the space available on the new device. The transfer takes up temporary storage, so the new Xiaomi should have at least 10-15% free space from the amount of data being transferred, for example, if you copy 30 GB, make sure that the new smartphone has at least 45 GB is free.

✅ Take a picture or take a picture of important settings that don’t automatically move:

• 🔑 Wi-Fi Passwords (unless you use Mi Account)
• 📱 Access codes SIM-Cards and banking applications
• 🎵 Equalizer settings in Mi Music or third-party players
• 🔄 Signs and animations in Settings → Additionally.

⚠️ Note: If the old smartphone enabled data encryption (in Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption, transfer via Mi Mover may result in an error, in which case you can use backup via Mi Cloud or manual transfer.

Don’t forget to disable battery optimization for applications involved in the transfer (Mi Mover, Google Drive, etc.). To do this, go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Optimization and select No Limits mode for the right programs.

Method 1: Mi Mover - Official Direct Transfer Tool

Mi Mover is a built-in application from Xiaomi designed to transfer data directly between two smartphones over Wi-Fi Direct.This method is suitable for transferring all content, including:

• 📱 Applications and their data (except for secure, for example, banking)
• 📞 Call log and SMS/MMS
• 🖼️ Photo, video, audio
• 📄 Documents and downloads
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness, etc.)

How to use Mi Mover:

1. On the new smartphone, select Data Transfer when you first turn on (if the phone is already configured, open Mi Mover manually).
2. On an old smartphone, open Mi Mover (download from Play Market if deleted).
3. Select the role: Sender (old phone) and Recipient (new).
4. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone on an old phone or connect via device search.
5. Select the data to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

⏳ How long does the transfer take?

Important: If the transfer is interrupted, do not start it again from the beginning. Mi Mover supports the resumption of transmission from the moment of the cliff - just reconnect.

⚠️ Note: Some apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram) require additional authorization after the transfer. Android/data (cache games, download messengers, etc. They need manual transfer.

Charging both phones > 50%|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (not necessarily, but speeds up search)|There's plenty of room on the new phone.|Mi Account syncs disabled (to avoid conflicts)-->

Method 2: Backup through Mi Cloud

If direct porting is not possible for some reason (for example, one of the phones is not turned on), you can use Mi Cloud cloud storage.

❌ What is NOT saved in the Mi Cloud:

How to make a backup copy:

How to restore on a new phone:

1. Sign in to the same Mi Account on your new device.

🔹 Limitations of Mi Cloud:

• 📉 Free available only 5 GB (to increase you need to buy a subscription).

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If you have a lot of photos, turn on the option to “Optimize photos” in Mi Cloud before backing up, which will compress images without loss of quality and save space in the cloud.

4. Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for individual data)

If you don’t want to use Xiaomi services, you can transfer some of the data through your Google Account.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. On the old phone: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync.
2. Turn on the sliders for the desired categories.
3. Press Sync.
4. On your new phone, log in to the same Google account and wait for automatic sync.

⚠️ Important nuances:

• Google does not save SMS, call log, photos (except Google Photos) and MIUI settings.
• Apps will be restored only from the Play Market, but without the data saved.
• If your old phone used a different Google Account, the data will not be transferred!

🔹 How to Transfer Photos to Google Photos:

1. Install Google Photos on your old phone.
2. Enable autoboot: Settings → Backup and synchronization.
3. Wait until the download is complete (can be accelerated via Wi-Fi).
4. On the new phone, install Google Photos and log in to the same account.

5. Method 4: Manual transfer via PC (for power users)

If you need to transfer all data without exception (including game cache, application settings, and system files), you can use manual copying via your computer, which takes longer, but gives you complete control over the process.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux
• 🔌 USB-cables (preferably original)
• 📂 Backup software (e.g, ADB, Titanium Backup or Swift Backup)

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB debugging on your old phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to become a developer) Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect both phones to your PC and check their detection by the command: Adb devices
3. Create a backup via ADB: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab (This command saves applications, their data, shared files and settings.)
4. Transfer backup.ab to your new phone and restore: adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Warnings:

• Not all applications support backup through ADB (especially banking).
• Recovery can take several hours if the data is large.
• On newer versions of Android (11+), some system settings are not restored.

🔹 Titanium Backup (requires root)

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Manually porting over PC is the only way to save game data (such as progress in Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail) that is out of sync with the cloud.

6.Transfer of specific data: what is often missed

Even after a successful transfer, many users find that some data has not recovered, and we will discuss how to transfer what is usually left behind:

📌 Wi-Fi passwords:

📌 Application settings (e.g. Mi Fit, Zepp, Mi Home):

• Log in to the same accounts on your new phone – the data will come from the cloud.
• Mi Home may require re-addition of smart home devices.

📌 SMS and the log of calls (if not transferred):

• Use the SMS Backup & Restore app to create a backup in.xml format.
• Transfer the file to a new phone and restore the data.

📌 Files from the folder Android/data (cache of games, downloads of messengers):

• Connect your old phone to your PC and manually copy your Android/data folder to your new phone.
• Note that some apps (like WhatsApp) require additional recovery from their backup.

📌 Desktop settings (MIUI Launcher):

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To avoid losing progress in games, link the game account to social networks (Facebook, VK, Google) or cloud-based save (for example, in Genshin Impact this is done in account settings).

7.Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when using official tools, users often face problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

❌ What NOT to do when transferring:

• 🚫 Turning off phones during the process (this can cause data loss).
• 🚫 Use it. VPN — It can block the connection between devices.
• 🚫 Transfer data over a mobile network – only via Wi-Fi or cable.
• 🚫 Remove old phone from Mi Account before transfer is completed.

⚠️ Note: If after transferring the new phone began to brake, perform system optimization in Settings → Additionally. → Optimization: Also check if background data transfer processes are running (they can load the processor).

8. FAQ: Answers to frequent questions