How to Transfer Photos and Contacts from Android to Xiaomi: All Working Methods in 2026

Why migrating data to Xiaomi requires a special approach

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always a joy of fresh technology, but it is also a headache with data migration. Especially when it comes to photos, high-resolution videos and hundreds of contacts accumulated over the years. Unlike the iPhone, which has a universal Quick Start, Android devices (even within the same ecosystem) often require manual configuration.

The problem is compounded by Xiaomi’s use of its own MIUI shell, which doesn’t always work properly with standard Android tools. For example, the data copy feature on first turn on may not see an old phone due to conflicting MIUI versions or lack of drivers. And a Google Account transfer sometimes cuts down on photo quality or misses metadata.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to transfer in 2026, including little-known chips for Xiaomi that are not described in the official documentation, you will learn how to avoid loss of photo quality, why contacts can be duplicated, and what to do if the Mi Mover is hung on 99%.

Method 1: Mi Mover – official solution from Xiaomi (the fastest way)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s signature tool, which is installed by default on all new devices of the brand, and allows you to transfer not only photos and contacts, but also SMS, call history, applications (if they are compatible), and even some system settings, the main advantage is that you do not need a computer or the cloud.

How it works:

1. On an old phone, download Mi Mover from Google Play (if it is not by default).
2. On the new Xiaomi, launch Mi Mover when you first turn it on (or find it in the Settings menu → About Phone → Data Copy).
3. Select the role: the old phone is the sender, the new one is the receiver.
4. Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on the new Xiaomi.
5. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone on an old one.

What can be transferred through Mi Mover:

• 📷 Photo and video (in original quality, if memory is sufficient)
• 📞 Contacts (including groups and contact notes)
• 💬 SMS and MMS (unless they're encrypted)
• 📥 Apps (only those available on Google Play for your region)
• 🔊 Call history (but not conversation records)

Charge both phones at least to the minimum. 50%|Release me. 10-15% memory on the new Xiaomi|Turn it off. VPN firewalls|Check that both phones have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled-->

Important nuances:

• ⚠️ If the old phone is Android 12+, And the new Xiaomi — MIUI 13 and below, you may need to update the recipient firmware.
• ⚠️ Photo format HEIC (With iPhone or new Samsung, you can automatically convert to JPG, which increases the weight.
• ⚠️ If the transfer is 99% frozen, restart both phones and repeat the procedure – it’s a bug MIUI, which has been corrected only in the latest versions.

Mi Mover|Google Account|Local area network (FTP/Wi-Fi Direct)|Computer (USB/Conductor)|Other-->

Method 2: Google Account – universal, but with pitfalls

Syncing through Google Account is the most obvious way, but it is not for everyone: first, photos and videos are uploaded in a compressed quality (if you do not pay for Google One), and second, contacts can be duplicated if you have previously used other services (for example, Mi Account).

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for Contacts, Google Photos and Drive.
2. Wait for the download to complete (check in Google Photos and Google Contacts).
3. On the new Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts.
4. Turn on synchronization and wait for the data to be downloaded.

Challenges and solutions:

💡

If you use Google Photos to port, check your mobile traffic settings before you start. uploading 100GB photos over 4G can cost a tidy sum!

⚠️ Note: If your old phone had backup enabled in Mi Cloud and you are now syncing with Google, contacts may be erased due to service conflict.

Method 3: Wi-Fi Direct/FTP – for large volumes

If you have hundreds of gigabytes of photos and videos, cloud services are not going to work because of speed and volume constraints, and direct Wi-Fi over Wi-Fi will help. FTP-server or specialized applications such as Send Anywhere or Feem.

Method 1: Through built-in FTP-server (without third-party applications)

1. On your old phone, open any file manager (such as Mi File Manager).
2. Select the photo folders (DCIM, Pictures) and click Share → FTP-server.
3. Start the server and write down the address of the view ftp://192.168.x.x:xxxx.
4. On the new Xiaomi, open Mi File Manager, select FTP and enter the address.
5. Copy the files into the desired folder.

Method 2: Send Anywhere (for beginners)

• 📱 Send Anywhere on both phones.
• 📤 On an old phone, select files and click Send – a 6-digit code is generated.
• 📥 On the new Xiaomi, enter this code in the field Get.
• ⚡ Wait for the transfer to be completed (speed up to 10 MB/s).

⚠️ Note: If you transfer files through FTP, Turn off the battery optimization for the file manager on both phones, otherwise the server may shut down via the 5-10 minutes of inactivity and the transmission will be interrupted.

Method 4: Transfer through a computer (USB/Conductor)

The most reliable, but also the longest way is to copy files to your PC and then transfer them to Xiaomi, which is suitable if you do not have stable Wi-Fi or need to transfer data from a damaged phone.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux
• 🔌 Two. USB-cables (preferably original)
• 📁 Folder on PC with enough space (photos take up a lot of space!)

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy DCIM, Pictures and Download folders to your hard drive.
3. Turn off your old phone and connect a new Xiaomi.
4. Move the files to the appropriate folders on Xiaomi.
5. For contacts, export them to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Export and import on a new phone.

Challenges and solutions:

• ❌ The computer can't see the phone. → Install Mi drivers PC Suite or turn on the debugging by USB In Settings → For developers.
• ❌ Photos are not displayed in the gallery → Restart the Gallery app or clear its cache.
• ❌ Contacts are not imported → Check the encoding of the.vcf file (should be) UTF-8).

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Computer-to-computer transfer is the only way to guarantee that all the metadata of the photo (date of shooting, geotagging, camera model) is saved. Cloud services often crop it.

Method 5: Mi Cloud – backup for Xiaomi devices

If both phones are from Xiaomi, you can use the branded Mi Cloud. it provides free 5 GB (enough for contacts and photo parts), and also saves SMS, notes and system settings.

How to transfer data through Mi Cloud:

1. On the old Xiaomi, open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable backup for Contacts, Gallery and SMS.
3. Wait for the download to complete (you can follow the progress in the backup management section).
4. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Mi Account and restore data from the backup.

The limitations of Mi Cloud:

• 🚫 Free only 5 GB (for photos in original quality this is not enough).
• 🚫 Videos longer than 10 minutes are not copied.
• 🚫 Backup is only kept for 30 days (unless you pay a premium fee).

💡

If you only need to migrate contacts and you sync photos through Google Photos, use Mi Cloud only for contacts. This will save space in the cloud and avoid duplication.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with proper follow-up, users face problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

1.The transfer is interrupted at half

• 🔋 Check the battery charge (should be) >30%).
• 📶 Switch to 5GHz Wi-Fi (if the router supports).
• 🔄 Turn off the Adaptive Battery in Settings → Battery.

2. Photos are displayed without date or in a chaotic order

• 📅 Check if date sorting is included in the Xiaomi Gallery.
• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes the metadata is delayed.
• 📁 If you have transferred over a computer, make sure that the files are not renamed.

3. Contacts are duplicated or lost

• 🔍 Check which accounts are synced in Settings → Accounts.
• 📇 Export contacts to.vcf and import them manually.
• 🚫 Turn off your contacts sync on WhatsApp or Viber if they are duplicated.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions