How to Transfer Data from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: A Complete 2026 Guide

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but transferring data from an old device can become a headache if you don’t know the nuances. Even in the ecosystem of one brand, users face problems: somewhere lost contacts, somewhere do not transfer application settings, and sometimes the process is delayed for hours due to slow Internet connection. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of data migration between Xiaomi phones, from official MIUI tools to universal solutions that work even on devices with a damaged screen.

Xiaomi has a few built-in portability mechanisms, but their effectiveness depends on MIUI versions, device models and even firmware region. For example, Mi Mover is not available on all devices, and cloud backup via Mi Account may not save data from some applications. We tested each method on pairs of devices (from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra) and identified critical limitations that the manufacturer does not mention. If you need to move not only photos, but also call history, passwords from Wi-Fi or progress in games, read on.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (without cable and PC)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for wirelessly transferring data between devices on MIUI. It works on a point-to-point basis via direct Wi-Fi, which speeds up the process compared to cloud services. However, there are nuances: the feature is only available on devices with MIUI 9 and later, and on some models (for example, POCO F1) it has to be activated manually through a hidden menu.

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

• 📱 On both phones, open the settings. → The phone. → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
• 🔄 Select a role: on the old phone - "Send", on the new - "Get".
• 📶 Connect to a single Wi-Fi network or create an access point on an old device.
• 📋 Select data types for transfer (contacts, messages, photos, applications).
• ⏳ Wait until it is completed – the process can take from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the volume.

The Mi Mover limitations that Xiaomi doesn’t warn about:

• ❌ Data from some applications (such as WhatsApp or banking applications) is not transferred).
• ❌ On devices with MIUI global-market (EU/Global) There may be no option to transfer system settings.
• ❌ If the new phone already has data, Mi Mover will offer to reset it to factory settings.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone has Application Protection enabled (in Settings) → Annexes → Application locking, Mi Mover will not be able to transfer the data of these applications.

2. Transfer via Mi Account (cloud backup)

The Mi Account cloud account is a universal way to save data and restore it to a new device, and the advantage of the method is that the backup is created automatically (if sync is enabled), and it can be restored even after a few months, but the amount of free cloud storage is limited to 5 GB, which is enough only for contacts, notes and part of photos.

Instructions for creating a backup:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired categories (contacts, calendar, notes, gallery).
3. For a full system backup, click Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
4. Select “Mi Cloud Backup” and wait until it is completed.

To recover data on the new phone:

1. Sign in under the same Mi Account when you first set up your device.
2. Select the option "Restore from backup".
3. Specify the desired backup (sorted by date of creation).

⚠️ Note: If you used Google Photos to back up your media files, disable autosynchronization from Mi Cloud to avoid cloud storage duplication and overspend. → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of the account.

Charge both phones at least 50% | Connect to stable Wi-Fi | Free up space in Mi Cloud (if necessary) | Disable VPN | Check that both phones have the same version of MIUI-->

3. Transfer over OTG or PC cable (for large volumes)

If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes of data (for example, video to video) 4K or RAW-And the wireless methods are going to be too slow, and in this case, it's going to be a direct cable connection:

• 🔌 USB-cable OTG (to connect the phone to the telephone; or USB-cable + PC.
• 💾 Enough space on the new device (check in Settings) → Warehouse).
• 🔓 Debugging authorization USB (included in the settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).

Method 1: Direct connection via OTG

This method works if you have USB OTG-Host-mode adapter (most of today's Xiaomi smartphones support it) connect the old phone to the new one via an adapter, then:

1. A notification will appear on the new phone "USB-Device connected" - select File Transfer.
2. Open Explorer (or Files) and copy the folders you want (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc.).
3. Use APK Extractor (available in the Play Market) to port applications.

Method 2: Through PC (most reliable)

If you have a computer, this method guarantees 100% control over the data you are carrying:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy all the necessary folders to the hard disk.
3. Connect the new phone and transfer the data back.
4. To transfer SMS and calls, use Mi PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi).

4. Transfer data from damaged phone

If the screen of the old Xiaomi crashed or the phone doesn't turn on but reacts to the connection to the PC, the chances of saving the data are still there.

Option 1: Connect to a PC in blind mode

• 🖥️ Connect your phone to your computer through USB.
• 🔄 Press the combination Volume up + Nutrition (on some models Volume down) + Power supply) for resetting.
• 📁 If the PC recognizes the device as a drive, copy the data.

Option 2: Use of Fastboot mode

If the phone is not defined as a drive but responds to a Fastboot:

fastboot devices # check the connection


fastboot oem unlock # unlock bootloader (Mi Account required)




fastboot flash recovery twrp.img # custom recovery installation




fastboot reboot recovery #Reboot in recovery mode

In TWRP, you can connect your phone to your PC and copy data from your internal memory.

Option 3: Remove the microSD (if any)

If the data was stored on a memory card, just remove it and paste it into a new phone. Note that some apps (like WhatsApp) save backups to internal memory, not to the new phone. SD-map.

⚠️ Note: If data encryption was enabled on the damaged phone (in Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption, file extraction without a password will be impossible, in which case only the official Xiaomi service center will help (but no data saving warranty is given).

💡

If the screen is not responding, but the phone is turning on, try connecting the mouse through the phone. OTG-Adapter: On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 8 Pro), this allows you to control the interface in blind mode.

5. Transfer applications and their data (including games)

Standard methods (Mi Mover or Mi Cloud) carry only the list of installed applications, but not their data. To save the progress in games, settings of messengers or data of banking applications, you will need additional tools.

Method 1: Built-in backup function in MIUI

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the desired application and click "Backup".
3. Save the backup to Mi Cloud or to your device.
4. On the new phone, restore the backup through the same section.

Method 2: Third-party backup applications

• 📦 Swift Backup (requires root) - saves data and APK-file.
• 🎮 Helium – specializes in backup games (e.g. Genshin Impact or Honor of Kings).
• 💬 Titanium Backup (root only) is the most powerful tool, but difficult to set up.

Method 3: Synchronize through accounts

Many apps support syncing through Google Account or their own clouds:

• 📱 WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup (save in Google Drive).
• 🎵 Spotify/Yandex Music: data is synchronized automatically when you log in to your account.
• 🏦 Banking applications: usually require re-authorization (data transfer is prohibited for security reasons).

💡

To migrate these games, make sure to check whether the game supports cloud-based saves, for example, in PUBG Mobile, progress is tied to a Facebook/Google account, and in Brawl Stars, to Supercell ID.

6. Data transfer between different MIUI regions

If your old phone is on MIUI China and your new phone is on MIUI Global (or vice versa), backup compatibility issues can occur, because Xiaomi uses different servers for different regions, and cloud backups are not always compatible.

How to get around the restrictions:

• 🌍 Use Mi Mover – it works regardless of the firmware region.
• 📁 Transfer data manually over a PC (see Section 3).
• 🔄 If you want to restore a backup from Mi Cloud, try changing your account region: Go to account.xiaomi.com. Select Change Region (not available for all countries) in your account settings.

Frequent errors in transfer between regions:

• ❌ Error "Can not restore backup" - means mismatch of versions MIUI.
• ❌ Mi Mover is not available – some Chinese firmwares need to enable it via Settings → Special facilities → Developer functions.
• ❌ Themes and wallpapers are not transferred - they are tied to the regional store themes.