How to transfer files from Huawei to Xiaomi: everything from cable to Mi Mover

The transition from Huawei to Xiaomi is not only about changing the ecosystem, but also about the need to transfer all the important data: photos, contacts, messages and documents. Many users face problems when trying to transfer files between devices of different brands, especially if you used proprietary services like Huawei Cloud or HiSuite. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of transferring files from the classic to the traditional. USB-cable to the Mi Mover branded tool, and also tell you how to avoid data loss and speed up the process.

It's important to understand that the choice of method depends on the amount of data, the availability of additional devices (for example, a computer), and even a model of smartphones. SMS It is better to use specialized applications, and for large media files (video in the Internet). 4K, RAW-Physical connection via cable or cloud storage, and we tested each method on pairs of Huawei devices. P40 Pro + Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Huawei Mate 20 + Redmi Note 12 Pro+, to give precise recommendations.

1. Transfer through USB-cable (OTG adapter)

The most reliable and fastest way is to connect your phones directly through a cable.

• 🔌 USB-C cable (if both phones have a Type-C connector) or OTG-Adapter (if on one of the Micro-USB devices).
• 📱 Huawei with unlocked screen and enabled File Transfer (MTP).
• 🔄 Xiaomi should be in the mode USB-Modem or File Transfer (depending on version) MIUI).

Connect your phones with a cable and a notification about the connection will appear on the Huawei screen USB-Select File Transfer. On Xiaomi, open any file manager (like standard Files or MiXplorer) and the list of devices will show a folder of Huawei internal memory. You can now manually copy files by holding your finger on a folder or file and choosing to Copy → Put it in the right place on Xiaomi.

Turn off battery optimization for file managers|Allow access to files in security settings|Use the original cable (not all of it) OTG Support data transmission)|Charge both phones at least 30 times%-->

Transfer speeds vary depending on the USB version: on Huawei P50 Pro (USB 3.1) and Xiaomi 13 (USB 3.2), 10 GB of photos are copied in ~15 minutes. On older USB 2.0 models, the process can take an hour or more. If the phone does not recognize the connected device, try:

• 🔄 Reconnect the cable, changing the mode USB on Huawei (Settings) → System system → For developers → Configuration USB).
• 🔧 Update MIUI Up to the latest version (some firmware has bugs with the MTP).
• 📱 Use a different file manager, such as Solid Explorer.

💡

If you only need to transfer photos and videos, pre-assemble them in one folder on Huawei through the Gallery → Albums → Selection → Export application. This will save time when copying.

2.Use of Mi Mover (official solution from Xiaomi)

Mi Mover is a proprietary tool from Xiaomi, designed to migrate data from other Android devices. It supports the transfer of:

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and notes).
• 💬 Communications (SMS and MMS).
• 📷 Photo and video, but not RAW-file!).
• 🎵 Music and documents.
• 📱 Some settings (wallpaper, notification sounds).

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

1. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or Settings → Additional → Mi Mover in older versions of MIUI).
2. Select I am a new user.
3. On Huawei, download Mi Mover from Google Play (if it is not installed by default).
4. Run the app on both phones and scan QR-Xiaomi screen code.
5. Select the data to transfer and wait for completion.

Important nuances:

• ⚠️ Mi Mover does not tolerate applications and their data (for example, saves in games or chats in instant messengers).
• 🔄 If Huawei is installed EMUI 10+ service-wise HMS (without Google, you may have connection problems, in which case use Compatibility Mode in Mi Mover settings.
• 📶 Both phones must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on Xiaomi).

3. Cloud Services: Huawei Cloud vs Google Drive vs Mi Cloud

If you don't have a cable or Mi Mover doesn't work, cloud services are a good alternative.

Recommended algorithm:

1. On Huawei, upload your data to Huawei Cloud (Settings → Huawei ID → Cloud → Backup).
2. Download files to your computer via cloud.huawei.com.
3. Download them to Google Drive or Mi Cloud from your computer.
4. On Xiaomi, sync data from the cloud.

The easiest way to contact is:

• 📱 On Huawei: Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Export to.vcf file.
• 📤 Send the file to your mail or messenger.
• 📥 On Xiaomi: Open a file and import contacts.

Huawei Cloud|Google Drive|Mi Cloud|Other (write in the comments)|Not using cloud-->

4. Wireless transmission over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct

Bluetooth is only suitable for small files (up to 50 MB), as the transfer speed rarely exceeds 2-3 MB / s. There are no restrictions for Wi-Fi Direct, but the configuration is more difficult.

1. On both phones, turn on Bluetooth and make them visible to everyone.
2. On Huawei, select files in Gallery or Files, click Share → Bluetooth.
3. Select Xiaomi from the list of devices and confirm acceptance on it.

For Wi-Fi Direct:

1. On Xiaomi, open Settings → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct.
2. On Huawei, activate Settings → Wireless Networks → Wi-Fi Direct.
3. Connect to Xiaomi with Huawei and use any file manager to transfer (e.g. Xender or Send Anywhere).

💡

Bluetooth is wasting a lot of battery power! If you need to transfer more than 1 GB of data, it's better to use a cable or cloud.

Popular applications for speeding up wireless transmission:

• 🚀 Xender – up to 40MB/s, no file size restrictions.
• 🌐 Send Anywhere – 6-digit code generation for connection, supports files up to 10 GB.
• 🔗 LocalSend is open source, works without the Internet.

5. Transfer over computer (Windows/Mac)

If you have a PC, this is the method that gives you maximum control over the process.

• 💻 Computer with USB-port.
• 🔌 Cables to connect both phones.
• 📁 File Manager (Windows Explorer, Finder on Mac, or Total Commander).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Huawei to your computer and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the desired folders (for example, DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads) to the hard drive.
3. Turn off Huawei, plug in Xiaomi and repeat step 1.
4. Insert the copied files into internal memory or SD-Xiaomi.

To transfer contacts and SMS via computer:

• 📱 On Huawei, export your contacts to a.vcf file (as described above) and SMS via SMS Backup & Restore.
• 💾 Copy files on your PC, then transfer them to Xiaomi.
• 📲 On Xiaomi, import contacts from.vcf and restore SMS via the same application.

💡

If your computer can’t see Huawei, install HiSuite drivers from Huawei’s official website. Xiaomi may need to enable USB Debugging.

6. Transfer of applications and their data

Unfortunately, it is not possible to transfer installed applications between Android devices of different brands directly.

• 📋 List of applications - through Google Play (Menu) → My apps. → Library).
• 💾 App data – using Swift Backup (root rights required) or Titanium Backup (outdated but running on older versions of Android).
• 🎮 Save games – through Google Play Games accounts or sync to the game cloud (e.g., Genshin Impact is linked to email).

To back up application data without root:

1. Install App Backup & Restore on Huawei.
2. Backup the desired applications in.apk + data format (if supported).
3. Transfer backup files to Xiaomi in any convenient way.
4. Install the same app on Xiaomi and recover the data.

⚠️ Note: Some apps (e.g., banking or messengers like WhatsApp) block backups for security reasons, and will have to use built-in export/import features.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When transferring data, users often face typical problems:

Additional advice:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to 100% before transferring – the process can take several hours.
• 📡 If you use mobile internet for the cloud, disable automatic app updates to save traffic.
• 🔍 After the transfer, check the folder. DCIM/.thumbnails Xiaomi – sometimes the thumbnails of the photo are not updated, and the gallery shows empty previews.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions