How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, it's also about migrating all the important data you need: contacts, photos, messages and apps, and many people fear this process as complex or risky, but in fact, modern tools make migration simple and almost automatic, and the key is to choose the right method depending on the amount of data and device models.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 working ways to migrate, including the official Mi Mover app, sync through Google Account, cloud services (Huawei Cloud and Mi Cloud), and manual transfer over the computer. We’ll focus on nuances that are often overlooked: for example, why some messages from Huawei Messages may not be transferred to Google Messages, or how to avoid losing the quality of photos when transferring. If you switch from Honor Magic5 to Xiaomi 14 or Honor 90 to Redmi Note 13 Pro+, here you will find the latest solutions for 2026.

1.Move over Mi Mover: the official way from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app designed to migrate data from Android devices (including Honor), which supports transferring contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio files, notes, and even some of the system's settings, with the main advantage of not having to use cloud services or a computer: it is transmitted directly over Wi-Fi.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Install the Mi Mover app on both phones: from Google Play (for Honor) and from the App Gallery (if you can’t find it, download it). APK from the official Xiaomi website).
• 🔄 On Xiaomi, select “I am a new user» → «Get data from Android. On Honor — Send data».
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on Xiaomi (recommended for speeding up).
• 🔍 On Honor, scan. QR-code that appears on the Xiaomi screen, or enter PIN-manually.
• 📁 Select data types for transfer (contacts, messages, multimedia) and confirm the beginning of transfer.

It can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of data. Importantly, Mi Mover does not carry installed applications (only their data if the application is already installed on Xiaomi), and some system settings (for example, wallpaper or power saving modes) do not migrate.

Charging the battery of both phones > 50%|Both devices are connected to a stable Wi-Fi network.|Xiaomi has plenty of free space (data takes up as much as Honor)|Disabled. VPN Firewalls that can block transmission-->

2. Sync through Google Account: a universal method

If you've used a Google Honor Account, most of your data is already synced to the cloud, which is a way to transfer contacts, calendars, Google Keep, photos (Google Photos) and some app settings, and the advantage of this is that you don't need to install additional programs, but the data will be available on any device with the same account.

Instructions for transfer:

1. On Honor, open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for the data you need (contacts, calendar, drive, etc.).
2. On Xiaomi, add the same Google Account through Settings → Accounts and Sync → Add an account.
3. Enable synchronization for the same data categories.
4. For photos: Open Google Photos on Xiaomi and wait for media files to download (if they were previously synced with Honor).

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Communications SMS/MMS not synced through Google Account (you need to use separate applications such as: SMS Backup & Restore).
• ❌ Applications and their data are not portable (only settings of some Google services).
• ❌ Call history and calls are not saved in the Google cloud.

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If Honor used a Huawei ID account instead of Google, first export the contacts to the VCF file via Contacts → Management → Export / Import, and then import it to Xiaomi.

3. Cloud services: Huawei Cloud and Mi Cloud

If you’ve been using the Huawei ecosystem extensively (e.g., storing photos in the Huawei Cloud or synchronizing notes through Huawei Notes), you can transfer data via cloud services. However, there’s a caveat: Xiaomi uses its own cloud, Mi Cloud, which is not compatible with Huawei Cloud, so you have to work in two steps: download data from Huawei Cloud to your computer, and then upload it to the Mi Cloud.

Step-by-step:

1. Exports from Huawei Cloud: 🌐 Go to Huawei Cloud and log in. 📂 Select the data category (such as “Photos” or “Contacts”) and click “Export». 💾 Download the archive to your computer (the data will be in.vcf formats for contacts,.zip for photos).

Import to Mi Cloud:

• 🌐 Open Mi Cloud and sign in to Xiaomi account.
• 📁 For contacts: import the.vcf file through Contacts → Management → Imports.
• 🖼️ For photos: upload the archive to the Gallery section (limited to 5 GB at free rate).

Important: Free storage in Mi Cloud is limited to 5GB, whereas Huawei Cloud gives 50GB for new users. If the data volume is large, consider paid rates or alternative ways of transferring.

4. Manual transfer via computer: reliable, but longer

If you need to transfer large amounts of data (for example, tens of gigabytes of photos or videos) and the Internet connection is unstable, the best option is to use a computer as an intermediary, which is suitable for any file, including documents, music and application backups.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS.
• 🔌 USB-cables for both phones (preferably original).
• 📂 Enough free space on the hard disk.

Instructions:

1. Connect Honor to your computer via USB, select file transfer mode (MTP or File Manager).
2. Copy the folders you need (for example, DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads) to your computer.
3. Disable Honor and connect Xiaomi, also selecting file transfer mode.
4. Transfer the copied data to Xiaomi to the appropriate folders.

To transfer SMS and call history, use specialized programs:

• 📲 SMS Backup & Restore (saves messages to.xml file, which is then restored to Xiaomi).
• 📞 Super Backup & Restore (Transfers Call History and Contacts).

Through Mi Mover| Through Google Account|Through Cloud Services|Through Computer |Another way-->

5. Applications and their data portability: what you need to know

Unfortunately, installed applications are not automatically portable in any of the above ways, but you can:

• 📥 Save Application Data: Use the built-in backup function in Settings → System system → Backup on Honor and then restore on Xiaomi (not working for all apps).
• 🔄 Sync through accounts: Many apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) store data in the cloud.
• 📦 Use it. APK-extractor: programs like APK Extractors can be used to save APK-files of installed applications, but transferring APK Xiaomi’s Honor can cause errors due to differences in processor architecture or Android versions.

For WhatsApp and other messengers:

1. On Honor, back up the chats in Settings → Chat → Backup.
2. Copy the WhatsApp folder (located in internal memory) to your computer.
3. Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi, log in and restore chats from backup.

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When porting applications, consider the bitwiseness of the processor: if Honor had a Kirin chip (ARM64) and Xiaomi had a Snapdragon chip (ARM64 or ARM8), most applications will be compatible. But if the bitwiseness is different (for example, x86 on the emulator), problems can arise.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users face difficulties, and consider common mistakes and ways to fix them:

If some contacts or photos are missing after the transfer to Xiaomi, check:

• 🔍 Trash folder in Mi Cloud or Google Photos – sometimes files are automatically sent there.
• 📂 Hidden folders on the internal drive (for example,.nomedia can hide media files).
• 🔄 Sync in Google Account – sometimes forced updates are required (Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Synchronize).

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If notifications from some applications have stopped working after migrating to Xiaomi, check the permissions in Settings → Applications → Permissions Management → Autorun and enable autorun for the desired programs.

7. Xiaomi Optimization After Data Transfer

After a successful data migration, it is recommended to follow several steps for Xiaomi to work optimally:

• 🧹 Cache Clearing: Go to Settings → Memory. → Clean and delete unnecessary temporary files.
• 🔋 Battery setup: To save charge, turn off background activity for underutilized applications in Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery.
• 📡 Software Update: Check for system updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔒 Security: Set up unlock by fingerprint or face in Settings → Password and security.

If you migrated data from Honor to Xiaomi with a higher resolution screen (for example, from Honor 90 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra), check the display settings:

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Select FHD+ or QHD+ resolution (if supported).
3. Customize the scale of the font and interface to your preferences.

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After transferring data, it is recommended to make a full backup to Xiaomi via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup. This will help to quickly restore the system in the event of a crash.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions