How to Transfer All Data From Your Old Xiaomi Phone to Your New Phone: From Contacts to Wi-Fi Passwords

The switch to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data transfer often turns into a headache. MIUI, There are enough nuances: somewhere lost notes, somewhere fly the settings of applications, and sometimes the process generally freezes halfway with the error "Can not connect." In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of transfer - from the official Mi Mover to manual copying via PC, taking into account the features of the latest versions. MIUI 14/15 hyperos.

The main problem of Xiaomi users is not understanding which method to choose, MIUI Clone copies almost everything, but requires cable, and sometimes forgets to move your call history, and Google Account syncs your contacts and calendar, but doesn't touch it. SMS We tested each variant on models from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra — honest results with pitfalls and life hacks to speed up the process.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (built-in application)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary tool for data migration, which is installed by default on all devices with a mobile device. MIUI. It supports Wi-Fi Direct (wireless) or cable transfer OTG, But there are nuances: on new models with HyperOS, the application interface has changed, and some menu items have moved.

To avoid mistakes before starting:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50% – the process can take up to 40 minutes.
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network 5 GHz (on frequency) 2.4 GHz transmission is in 2-3 slower).
• 🚫 Remove unnecessary files from your old phone – Mi Mover can’t carry data if the new device has less than 20% of the free space.
• 🔑 Unlock both smartphones and turn off Power Saving Mode in the battery settings.

Step instructions:

1. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Data Portability from the settings menu. If the phone is already configured, open Settings. → The phone. → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. On your old phone, run Mi Mover (find through the search settings).
3. Select the role of the device: new phone - "New device", old - "Old phone".
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone or connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
5. Select data for transfer: contacts, SMS, Photos, videos, applications (without their data!) and system settings.
6. Confirm the transfer and wait until it's done. Don't block the screen, it'll stop.

Battery charge >50%|The same Wi-Fi network|Free space on the new phone|Power saving mode is off.|Temporary files deleted-->

⚠️ Attention: Mi Mover is not tolerated:

• 📁 Files from folders DCIM/.thumbnails (photo-sketch).
• 🔐 Wi-Fi passwords (only if you don’t sync through your Mi Account).
• 🎮 Preserve games (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile).
• 📱 Settings of some stock applications (Camera, Gallery).

2. Wireless transfer through MIUI Clone (for older models)

MIUI Clone is the predecessor of the Mi Mover, which is still available on devices with the MIUI Its main advantage is that it supports porting apps with their data (for example, saving in games or setting up instant messengers.

How to check for availability MIUI Clone:

• Open the Settings. → All settings → Additionally. → Cloning (MIUI Clone).
• If there is no item, try searching by settings (lamp in the upper right corner).
• On Redmi and POCO The application may be called "Data Cloning".

Step-by-step:

1. Run it on your old phone. MIUI Clone and select "I am an old phone".
2. On your new phone, select “I am the new phone” and scan. QR-code.
3. Connect to a single Wi-Fi network (preferably 5 GHz).
4. Select data to transfer. Attention: if you choose "Applications", the transfer will take much longer.
5. Confirm the start of the process. The progress bar with the remaining time will appear on the screen.

⚠️ Note: If you are on a new HyperOS phone, and on an old one — MIUI 12 and below, MIUI Clone may not work. In this case, use Mi Mover or manual port over PC.

Mi Mover (official appendix)|MIUI Clone|Google Account|Cable + PC|Another way.-->

3. Move through Google Account (for contacts, calendar and notes)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendar, notes and some settings, sync through Google Account is the easiest way.It works on all Xiaomi devices, regardless of the version. MIUI/HyperOS, It does not require additional applications.

What is synchronized automatically:

• 📇 Contacts (including profile photos).
• 📅 Calendar (events and reminders).
• 📝 Notes from Google Keep (if used).
• 🌐 Chrome bookmarks and browser history.
• 📧 Letters and settings Gmail.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and enable sync for all the items you need (contacts, calendar, etc.).
3. Click on "Sync Now" and wait until it's finished.
4. On the new phone, add the same Google Account in the settings and enable synchronization.

⚠️ Attention: This method does not tolerate:

• 📱 SMS call history.
• 📁 Photos, videos and music (you need to use Google Photos separately).
• 🎮 Application data (save games, settings messengers).
• 🔧 System settings (MIUI/HyperOS).

1. Internet connection (synchronization works only via mobile network or Wi-Fi).

2. Free space in Google Account (free available 15 GB).

3. No restrictions on the Settings → Annexes → Google → Permits (must include "Contacts" and "Storage").-->

4. Cable transfer OTG Adapter (for large amounts of data)

If you have tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or music, wireless methods can take hours, and then you can use cable faster. OTG-adaptor USB-C → USB-C (For new Xiaomi models).

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable USB-C → USB-C (if both phones are modern, or OTG-adapter + USB-cable.
• 📱 File Manager (e.g. Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
• 🔋 Charging at least one phone (when copying large files, the battery goes down quickly).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the old phone to the new one via cable. On the old phone screen, select File Transfer Mode (not Charge!).
2. On the new phone, open the file manager and find the connected device in the Devices or External Drives section.
3. Copy the right folders (DCIM Download for downloads, Music for music for internal memory of the new phone.
4. To transfer applications, use APK Extractor (remove the APK from your old phone and install it on a new one).

⚠️ Note: When copying via cable:

• 🚫 Do not remove the cable until the process is complete – this could result in data loss.
• 📁 Folders with a dot at the beginning (for example,.thumbnails) may not appear – turn on the display of hidden files in the file manager settings.
• 🔄 If the phone is not identified, try a different cable or reboot both devices.

💡

Cable transfer is the fastest way to handle large amounts of data (speed to speed) 480 Mbit/s versus 50-100 Mbps over Wi-Fi, but requires compatible cable and attention to connectivity.

5. Manual transfer via computer (for full control)

If you need to selectively transfer files or back up before reset, the best option is to use a computer. MIUI or one of them is not included.

What can be transferred:

• 📁 All internal memory files (photos, videos, documents).
• 📱 Backup copies SMS (through SMS Backup & Restore).
• 🔧 Application settings (if they support export).
• 🎵 Music and podcasts.

Instructions for Windows/macOS:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB-Select "File Transfer" mode" (MTP).
2. Copy the folders you need (DCIM, Pictures, Download, etc.) to your computer.
3. Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.
4. Transfer the copied files to the new phone.
5. For transfer SMS use the app SMS Backup & Restore: 1. Install the app on your old phone. 2. Create a backup (export to the old phone) XML). 3. Transfer the file to a new phone. 4. Restore SMS via the same application.

⚠️ Attention: When connecting to a PC:

• 🖥️ Windows 11 may require Mi drivers to be installed PC Suite (download from the official website of Xiaomi).
• 🍎 On macOS, use Android File Transfer (free software from Google).
• 🔒 If the phone is not detected, check the settings. → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB (Turn it on if it's off).

6.Mobile over cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud, Telegram)

If you have slow Internet or no cable, you can use cloud storage, which is suitable for transferring photos, documents and small files, but is inefficient for large volumes (for example, video to video). 4K).

Comparison of services:

There is no strict limit on Telegram, but files over 1.5 GB are sent as “files” and not as media.

How to transfer data via Google Drive:

1. On your old phone, install Google Drive (if not installed).
2. Upload files to the cloud: Open Google Drive → Press "+" → "Download" → Select files.
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Google account.
4. Download files from Drive to the device.

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Cloud:

• 🌏 Servers are located in China – the speed depends on your provider.
• 🔑 Mi Cloud requires a Mi Account (if not tied, sign up in advance).
• 📁 Photos are uploaded in compressed form (originals take up more space).

7. Transfer Wi-Fi passwords and other system settings

One of the most frustrating things about changing your phone is losing Wi-Fi passwords, and fortunately, you can transfer them in a number of ways, even if you don't remember them by heart.

Method 1: Mi Account (if synchronization is enabled)

• 🔑 On your old phone, check what is in the settings → Mi Account → Cloud. → Synchronization included in the item "Wi-Fi".
• 📱 On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account – passwords will be downloaded automatically.

Method 2: Manual export (requires root or ADB)

If the synchronization is disabled, you can extract passwords through ADB:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and enable Debugging USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to unlock the developer menu).
2. Install. ADB To the computer and execute the command: adb pull /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml
3. In the file WifiConfigStore.xml find the lines with <string name="PreSharedKey">PASSWORD</string> — That's what passwords are.
4. On the new phone, enter them manually.

⚠️ Attention: Method C ADB It only works on an unlocked bootloader. On HyperOS phones, the path to the file may be different: /data/vendor/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml.

Method 3: Export applications

Google Play has utilities like WiFi Password Viewer that show saved passwords, but they require root rights or only work on older versions of Android.

8. Data transfer from applications (WhatsApp, Telegram, games)

Many applications store data locally, and standard portability techniques don't affect them.

WhatsApp (chat and media)

• 📱 Backup on your old phone: WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup
• 🔄 Install WhatsApp on a new phone and sign in to the same account.
• 📥 When you request, restore chats from Google Drive or local copy.

Telegram (chats and files)

• ☁️ All chats and media in Telegram are stored in the cloud – just log in to your account on a new phone.
• 📁 Local files (uploaded to Saved Messages) can be copied through the file manager: /storage/emulated/0/Telegram/Telegram Images/ /storage/emulated/0/Telegram/Telegram Documents/

Games (conservation)

• 🎮 Most modern games (such as Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile is linked to an account (Google Play, Facebook, Mi Account).
• 🔗 Reinstall the game on your new phone and log in to the same account – saves will automatically download.
• 💾 For offline games, use Helium or hand backup folder /Android/obb/.

⚠️ Note: When transferring WhatsApp:

• 🔑 Backup on Google Drive is only created if the phone is linked to a Google account.
• 📅 The local copy is stored in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases — It can be copied manually.
• 🚫 Do not install WhatsApp on a new phone before transferring the backup – otherwise it will overwrite.

💡

For most instant messengers and games, the main thing is to link an account before transferring. Local backups are only needed for offline applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi