How to transfer files from Honor to Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide with photos and videos

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, but also migrating all your data: photos, videos, contacts, messages, and even app settings. Many users have difficulty migrating files between devices from different manufacturers, especially if they used the Huawei ecosystem (which Honor belongs to), and in this article we will discuss all the current ways of transferring data, from standard (cables, cloud) to little-known (local network, third-party utilities), as well as how to avoid typical errors, such as loss of photo quality or duplicate contacts.

The peculiarity of the transfer from Honor to Xiaomi is that both brands use different shells of Android: Magic. UI (from Honor and MIUI (This means that standard tools like the Huawei Backup or Mi Mover may not work properly or support cross-platform migration at all. We tested each method on real-world devices (including the Honor 90, Honor models, and the Mi Mover). Magic5 Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi Note 12 and highlighted the pros and cons of each so you can choose the best option for your tasks.

If you only need to transfer media files (photos, videos, music) - a simple cable or cloud storage is suitable, SMS And applications will require special utilities or manual configuration, and if you want to save your call history, your notes, or your game data, you can't do without third-party software.

1. File transfer via cable OTG or USB-C

The most reliable and fastest way is to connect your phones directly to each other using a cable.

• 🔌 Cable USB-C — USB-C (if both phones are modern, or OTG-Adapter (if one device has a microUSB connector).
• 📱 Enabled file transfer mode on both smartphones (on Honor this is Settings) → System system → Developer mode → Debugging by USB, on Xiaomi - Settings → Additionally. → Developer parameters → Debugging by USB).
• 📂 File Manager (you can use standard Explorer on Xiaomi or install Solid Explorer for convenience).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor to Xiaomi with a cable. On the Honor screen, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. On Xiaomi, open Explorer and go to the section USB-Device (or Honor if the device name is displayed).
3. Copy the right folders (DCIM Download for downloads, Music for music for internal memory Xiaomi.
4. For contacts, export them to.vcf file on Honor (Contacts) → Settings → Import/Export and transfer it to Xiaomi, then import.

Support OTG both phones|Battery charge of at least 30%|The cable is good (check on another device)|Xiaomi has enough free space-->

Pros of the method: maximum transfer speed (up to 40 MB / s), no dependence on the Internet, the original quality of files is preserved, SMS, Call history.Some Honor models may also require unlocking OEM Unlock in the Developer Settings.

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If Xiaomi doesn’t see Honor through cable, try connecting both phones to your computer and transferring files through your PC as an intermediate.

2. Use of cloud storage (Google Drive, Huawei Cloud, Mi Cloud)

Cloud services are convenient because they don't require physical connection of devices, but each has limitations:

How to transfer data via Google Drive:

1. On Honor, open Google Drive, click on it. + → Download and select files.
2. Wait for the download to complete (you can speed up by connecting to 5 GHz Wi-Fi).
3. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account, open Drive and download files.
4. For Contacts: On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts. → Google and enable contact sync. Xiaomi will automatically have them.

An important nuance: if you used Huawei Cloud on Honor, export data from there manually, as Xiaomi does not support automatic synchronization with this service.

1. On Honor, open Huawei Cloud and select Backup.
2. Click Data Export and save the archive to the device.
3. Transfer the archive to Xiaomi in any convenient way (cable, Bluetooth, mail).

Google Drive|Yandex Disk|Mail.ru Cloud|iCloud|Other-->

3. Data transmission over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct

If you don't have cable or slow internet, you can use wireless technology, but this method is only suitable for small files (up to 1 GB), as the transfer speed is limited:

• 📶 Bluetooth 5.0: Up to 2 MB/s (in practice, 0.5–1 MB/s).
• 🌐 Wi-Fi Direct: Up to 10MB/s, but requires support on both devices.

Instructions for Bluetooth:

1. On both phones, turn on Bluetooth (Settings → Connections → Bluetooth).
2. On Honor, select a file, click Share. → Bluetooth and select Xiaomi from the list.
3. Confirm the file acceptance on Xiaomi.

For Wi-Fi Direct:

1. On Honor, open Settings. → Wireless networks → Wi-Fi Direct.
2. On Xiaomi, do the same and connect to Honor.
3. Use a file manager (for example, ES Conductor) for data transmission over a local network.

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Wi-Fi Direct is 5-10 times faster than Bluetooth, but consumes more battery power. Use it only when you are fully charged or connected.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Impossible to migrate applications or system settings.
• ❌ Large files (video) 4K, archives) may be transmitted for hours.
• ❌ On some models, Xiaomi Wi-Fi Direct is unstable (for example, on Redmi 9, the connection may be cut off).

4. Transfer of contacts, SMS and applications with third-party utilities

For the full migration of data, including SMS, Call history, app settings, even Wi-Fi passwords, you'll need specialized software. We tested 3 of the most reliable solutions:

Instructions for Clone Phone (recommended for Xiaomi):

1. Download Clone Phone to both phones from Google Play or AppGallery.
2. On Honor, select I'm an old phone, on Xiaomi I'm a new phone.
3. Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen on Honor.
4. Select data for transfer (contacts, SMS, Multimedia) and wait until it's finished.

Important: Clone Phone does not transfer data from some Chinese apps (e.g. WeChat or WeChat) QQ), And you'll have to use MobileTrans or manual export to do that.

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If the Clone Phone doesn’t see Honor, check if it has LAN Data Transfer enabled in Wi-Fi settings.

5. Data transfer via computer (Windows/Mac)

If you have a PC or a laptop, this is the best way to control the process.

• 💻 Computer with USB-port.
• 🔌 Two cables (or one with a splitter).
• 📁 File Manager (e.g., Total Commander or standard Windows Explorer).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor to your PC and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the right folders (DCIM, Pictures, Download on the hard drive of the computer.
3. Disable Honor, connect Xiaomi and transfer files back.
4. For contacts, export them to.vcf on Honor and import them to Xiaomi via Contacts. → Imports/Exports.

To transfer applications and their data, use ADB (Android Debug Bridge):

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab


adb restore backup.ab

This team will create a full backup on Honor and restore it to Xiaomi.Warning: Not all apps support backup through ADB (WhatsApp requires separate backups).

6.Transfer of photos and videos without loss of quality

One of the most painful aspects of migration is media compression, and many cloud services (like Google Photos in High Quality Mode) automatically reduce the resolution of photos and videos.

• 📸 Use a cable or PC – it guarantees 100% safety of the originals.
• ☁️ Configure Google Photos to download in Original Quality (see spoiler above).
• 🗃️ Archivate files before transfer (e.g.,.zip or.rar) to avoid fragmentation.

If you're moving the video to 4K/8K, consider:

• 🎥 Xiaomi may not support some codecs (for example, H.265 In this case, the video will be played without sound or with artifacts.
• 🔧 Solution: Use a converter (e.g. HandBrake) to convert to H.264.

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Photo format HEIF (It's used on the new Honor, and it won't open on the old Xiaomi models. JPEG Google Photos or Lightroom.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When you move data, you often have typical problems, and we've collected some of the most common ways to do that.

⚠️ Note: If your contacts on Xiaomi are displayed twice after the transfer, check if they are synced with both your Google Account and Mi Account. → Settings → Accounts and disable the duplicate source.

Another common mistake is the lack of space on Xiaomi. Before perenosom check the free space in Settings → If it's less than 10 percent of the data you're transferring, clear the cache or delete the files you don't need:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select Clear cache for large apps (e.g. Facebook, Telegram).
3. Use the Optimizer in MIUI self-clean.

8.Move data from Honor to Xiaomi for advanced users

If standard methods are not suitable (for example, you need to move system settings, game data or corporate accounts), you can use advanced tools:

• 🛠️ Titanium Backup (requires root rights) – copies application data, SMS, Call log and even Wi-Fi settings.
• 🖥️ ADB Pull/Push — Manual file management via command line: adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/ ~/honor_backup/ adb push ~/honor_backup/ /sdcard/
• 🔄 Sync through accounts (e.g. Microsoft Account for contacts and calendar).

Warning: Use of root rights or ADB This can lead to loss of warranty on Xiaomi or system failure!

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If you need to migrate data from Huawei Health to Mi Fitness, export your story to.gpx or.tcx through third-party apps like Health Sync.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions