How to Transfer Files from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: The Complete 2026 Guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often becomes a headache. Photos, videos, contacts, messages, and even app settings all need to be saved and moved to a new device without loss. Fortunately, the MIUI ecosystem offers several built-in and third-party solutions for data migration, many of which work without a computer and additional cables.

In this article, we’ll break down 7 current ways to transfer files between Xiaomi phones (including Redmi models, POCO Black Shark, considering the latest versions MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS. You will learn how to use Mi Mover, cloud services, physical media and even little-known Android features. MIUI — There are some things that are not written in the official instructions.

Whether you’re upgrading from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 14 or transferring files from the old Mi 9 to friends, this article will provide a solution for any situation.

1. Mi Mover: Xiaomi's official data porting tool

Mi Mover is a built-in application from Xiaomi, specially designed for data migration between devices on MIUI. It supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, video, audio, notes, calendars and even some system settings, the main advantage is that it does not require a computer and works over a wireless network (Wi-Fi Direct).

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Settings → The phone. → Backup and reset → Data Transfer (Mi Mover) Select the role "Sender".
• 📱 On a new phone: when you first turn on, the system will suggest you move data, select "Receiver." If the phone is already configured, find Mi Mover in the settings (the same path is used).
• 🔗 Device pairing: on the old phone will appear QR-code - scan it with your new device. Or select manual Wi-Fi Direct connection.
• 📁 Data selection: tick the file categories for transfer (you can choose all or only the desired folders).

Charging both phones > 50%|Turn it off. VPN mobile data|Make sure that the new phone has enough memory.|Do not interrupt the process until it is completed.-->

It can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of data, and it's important that if the new phone already has files with the same names (like photos), Mi Mover will suggest replacing them or skipping them.

⚠️ Note: If a new phone has HyperOS installed (e.g. Xiaomi) 14), old — MIUI 12/13, There may be errors in the transfer of messages and notes, in which case use alternative methods (see section on the cloud).

2.Move over the Xiaomi cloud (Mi Cloud)

Mi Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi that automatically syncs contacts, notes, photos and even SMS. The advantage of the method is that the data is available on any device after authorization under one Mi Account.

• 📸 Photos and videos are synced only in their original quality (take up a lot of space in the cloud).
• 📞 Contact and SMS It is completely transferred, but the history of calls is not.
• 🔄 To transfer applications, you need to separately create a backup to Settings → The phone. → Backup.

Instructions for transfer through the cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud and enable sync for the right categories (contacts, gallery, etc.).
2. Wait until the data is uploaded to the cloud (you can check the progress in the Storage Management section).
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable sync in Mi Cloud.
4. To restore the backup of applications, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup → Restore.

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If you don’t have much space in Mi Cloud, remove unnecessary backups of old devices before transferring. Go to Mi Cloud → Storage Management → Backups and clear out outdated data.

3.Using a Google Account for Synchronization

If you prefer the Google ecosystem, you can move most of your data through the company's services, and it's universal, and it works not only on Xiaomi, but on other Android devices, and here's what you can sync:

• 📇 Contacts (via Google Contacts)
• 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar)
• 📎 Notes (Google Keep)
• 📸 Photos and videos (Google Photos with original quality up to 15 GB)
• 🎵 Music and Documents (Google Drive)

How to transfer data via Google:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for the right services.
2. Make sure all data is uploaded to the cloud (check in the relevant Google apps).
3. On the new phone, add the same Google account and enable sync.
4. To recover photos, open the Google Photos app and wait for the media files to download.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has photos synced in high quality (not original), they may lose detail when you transfer them to a new device.

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4. File transfer via OTG cable or computer

If wireless methods are not suitable (for example, due to slow Internet or a large amount of data), you can use a physical connection.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (direct-to-phone connection)
• 💻 Computer (for intermediate copying)
• 🗃️ Memory card (if both phones support microSD)

Method 1: Direct connection via OTG

1. Buy a two-way one. OTG-adapter (Type-C) → Type-C or Micro-USB → Type-C depending on the phone connectors).
2. Connect your old phone to your new phone via an adapter.
3. On the new phone will appear a notification of connection USB-Open Explorer and copy the files you want.

Method 2: Through the computer

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB-cable (select File Transfer mode in the notification curtain).
2. Copy files (such as the DCIM folder with a photo) to your computer.
3. Connect the new phone and transfer the files back.

Method 3: Through a memory card

If both phones support microSD, just copy the files to the card on the old device and then paste it into the new phone, which is the slowest method, but doesn't require any additional devices.

5. Transfer via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct

If you don't have cables or internet access, you can use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, which are suitable for transferring small files (photos, documents), but are not effective for large volumes (for example, 4K video).

Instructions for Bluetooth:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones (Settings → Connections → Bluetooth).
2. Connect devices (on one phone, click "Search for devices", on another, confirm the connection).
3. Select files to transfer (for example, in the Gallery, click Share → Bluetooth).
4. Take the files on the second phone.

Instructions for Wi-Fi Direct:

1. Activate Wi-Fi Direct on both phones (Settings → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct).
2. Connect devices to each other (may require input) PIN-code).
3. Use Explorer or Gallery to transfer files (similar to Bluetooth, but faster).

The transmission speed via Bluetooth is ~2-3 MB / s, and through Wi-Fi Direct - up to 10-15 MB / s. For comparison: Mi Mover operates at a speed of ~20-50 MB / s.

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Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct are convenient for transferring multiple files, but are not suitable for full data migration. Use them only as a backup option.

6. data transfer messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber)

Messages from messengers are not carried over Mi Mover or cloud services, and you need to use built-in backup functions to save them:

WhatsApp:

• 📱 Open WhatsApp. → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
• 🔄 Click "Create a copy" (the file will be saved to Google Drive or locally).
• 📲 On your new phone, install WhatsApp, log in and restore chats from the backup.

Telegram:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Data and memory → Exporting chat history.
• 📤 Select chat rooms for export (can be saved to the JSON or HTML).
• 📥 Transfer the file to a new phone and import through the same settings section.

Viber:

• 📱 Open up more. → Settings → Account. → Backup copy.
• 🔄 Create a backup (save to Google Drive or on your device).
• 📲 On the new phone log in to Viber and restore data.

⚠️ Note: On WhatsApp, backups created on Android are not compatible with iOS (and vice versa).If you are switching from Xiaomi to iPhone, use third-party tools like Dr.Fone or Backuptrans.

7. Transfer of applications and their data

Transfer of the applications themselves (APK-Files don't make sense, they're easier to reinstall from Google Play or Mi App Store, but application data (e.g. save to games, setups) can be transferred in several ways:

Method 1: Backup in MIUI

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup.
2. Select “Local Backup” and tick the desired applications.
3. Copy the backup file (located in /MIUI/backup/AllBackup) to your new phone.
4. On the new device, restore the backup through the same settings section.

Method 2: Titanium Backup (requires root)

If you have root rights, use Titanium Backup to create a full copy of the applications and their data.

1. Install Titanium Backup from Google Play.


2. Provide root access and create a backup of the desired applications.




3. Move the TitaniumBackup folder to your new phone.




4. Restore data through the application.

Method 3: Built-in Application Functions

Many apps (like games or fitness trackers) have their own sync systems through an account. Check the settings of a particular application - there may be an option "Export / Import Data".

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi