How to Transfer Data from the Old Xiaomi to the New: The Complete 2026 Guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always a joy, but the process of data transfer can become a headache if you do not know the nuances. Even between devices of the same brand, there are pitfalls, from incompatibility of MIUI versions to limitations on the amount of files transferred. This article will help you avoid typical errors and choose the best way to migrate depending on your situation.

We'll look at all the current methods, from the official Mi Mover tool to manually migrating over the cloud and local area network, and focus on saving SMS, call history and application settings, which are often lost during the standard procedure, and if you have devices with different versions of MIUI 12 and MIUI 14, you will find a solution for this case.

Preparation of devices before transfer

Before you start migrating, follow the necessary preparatory steps, which will save you from losing data and speed up the process:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50% – transfer can take up to 2 hours with a large amount of data.
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (for wireless methods) or check for a OTG- cable (for wired methods).
• 🧹 Clear the cache on your old phone through Settings → Storage → Clear the cache – this will reduce the amount of data transferred.
• 🔐 Make sure the new Xiaomi has disabled the Find Device feature (if it has already been activated).

Critical detail: If your old phone has storage encryption enabled (Settings → Security → Encryption), some portability techniques may not work, in which case use the cloud or manual copying via PC.

For devices with MIUI 14+, we recommend updating the Mi Mover app to the latest version via Google Play or App Gallery. Older versions of the program may not support the new Xiaomi 13/14 series models.

2. Official method: Mi Mover (wireless transfer)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary migration tool pre-installed on all devices with MIUI 9+. It allows you to transfer:

• 📱 Contacts, SMS, call history
• 📷 Photos, videos, audio files
• 📁 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS)
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sound profiles)
• 🎮 Data from some games (not all are supported)

Step-by-step:

1. On your new phone, when you first turn on, select Data Portability from the settings menu. If the device is already configured, manually launch the Mi Mover app.
2. On the old phone, open Mi Mover and select "I am the sender."
3. Scan it. QR-code from a new device or connect via Bluetooth search.
4. Select data types to transfer (you can mark everything or select selectively).
5. Confirm the start of transmission on both phones.

The speed of transmission depends on the volume of data and the stability of the connection, an average of 20 GB of information is carried in 40-60 minutes.

Charge both phones >50%|

Connect to one Wi-Fi 5 GHz network |

Disable VPN on both devices |

Close background applications (especially messengers)|

Check the space available on the new phone (must be 10% more data transfer volume)-->

⚠️ Warning: If the process is interrupted during the transmission of SMS or call history, this data may be lost, in which case we recommend that you first manually export it through the Contacts app (Import/Export option).

3. Transfer over Mi Cloud (cloud method)

The Mi Cloud cloud storage is a reliable way to transfer, if you have a stable Internet.

• 🌐 Works even if the phones are in different countries
• 🔄 You can transfer data in parts (for example, today's photo, tomorrow's contacts)
• 📱 Supports backup of application settings (unlike Mi Mover)

Step instructions:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on sync for all the necessary categories (contacts, notes, photos).
3. Wait for the download to complete (progress is displayed in the top notification bar).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and enable sync in the Mi Cloud.
5. Select “Restore from backup” and specify the last date of backup creation.

Limitations of the method:

• 📉 Free rate provides only 5 GB of storage (for photos in original quality, this is not enough).
• ⏳ Recovery of large backups (>10GB) can take several hours.
• 🔒 Some data (e.g. Wi-Fi passwords) are not synced for security reasons.

4 Wire Transfer via OTG- Cable

If you don't have Wi-Fi access or the data volume is greater than 50 GB, use the OTG- cable (or the USB-C adapter to USB-C for new models), which works in 2-3 times faster than wireless and is independent of Internet speed.

What you need:

• 🔌 OTG- cable with connectors suitable for your devices (e.g., USB-C to MicroUSB for transfer from Redmi Note 5 to Xiaomi 13).
• 📱 Both phones with a charge of >60%
• 🛠️ File Manager Appendix (pre-installed on MIUI)

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Connect your phones with a cable. On the screen of the old device, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On the new phone, open the File Manager and go to the USB- Storage section.
3. Copy the folders you need (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads) to the internal memory of the new device.
4. Use separate applications to transfer SMS and contacts (e.g., SMS Backup & Restore).

An important nuance: some Xiaomi models (e.g., POCO F5) require the inclusion of “Debugging by USB” in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (press 7 times) → Additional → For developers.

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If the new phone doesn’t recognize the old device through OTG, try using an externally powered adapter – some Xiaomi models don’t supply enough current to the OTG port for stable operation.

5. Computer Transfer (for large amounts of data)

If you need to migrate more than 100 GB of data (for example, a video collection in 4K or RAW-photo), the best option is to use a PC or Mac as an intermediary.

• 🔄 You need to sort files before transferring them.
• 📂 Requires to convert formats (e.g., HEIC to JPG)
• 🔒 Sensitive data must be encrypted before copying

Instructions for Windows 10/11:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via the USB- cable and select File Transfer Mode.
2. Copy all the necessary folders (DCIM, Pictures, Music) to the hard drive of the computer.
3. Turn off the old device and connect the new one.
4. Transfer files from your PC to your new phone, keeping the folder structure.
5. To transfer SMS, use the program "Xiaomi PC Suite" (official software from the manufacturer).

For MacOS, you will need to install Android File Transfer (the official application from Google).Please note that the Mac does not support the MTP- protocol for some Xiaomi models on the MIUI 13+ - in this case, use ADB:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM ~/Downloads/Xiaomi_Backup


adb push ~/Downloads/Xiaomi_Backup/ /sdcard/

⚠️ Warning: When copying via macOS, files with Cyrillic names may appear as????.jpg. To avoid this, rename files to Latin before transferring or use an archiver (ZIP/RAR) for packaging.

6. Transfer of applications and their data

Standard methods (Mi Mover or Mi Cloud) only transfer APK- application files, but not their data (for example, save in games or configure messengers).

• 📲 Titanium Backup (requires root access) – creates full backups of data applications.
• 🔄 Swift Backup (runs rootless on MIUI 12+) – saves most applications’ data.
• 🎮 For games: Google Play Games (progress synchronization) or Helium (backup without root).

Instructions for Swift Backup:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On the old device, create a backup ("Create a backup" → select applications).
3. Transfer the backup file (.swb) to your new phone via any convenient method (cloud, cable).
4. On the new phone, restore data via Recover.

For social networks (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber):

• 💬 WhatsApp: Use the built-in backup in Google Drive (Settings → Chat → Backup).
• 📎 Telegram: Data is synchronized automatically when you log in to your account.
• 📞 Viber: Backup is created in Settings → Account → Backup.

7. Transfer of hidden data and system settings

Many users forget about hidden data that is not carried by standard methods:

• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords: export through the WiFi Password Viewer app (requires root) or manually re-write.
• 🎵 Equalizer settings: Take screenshots of the screens with settings in Mi Music or Mi Sound Assistant.
• 🔄 Automation (Google Assistant, MacroDroid): Export rules to files and import on a new device.
• 📍 Offline maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Maps): download again on a new phone.

To transfer the settings of MIUI (theme, wallpaper, sounds):

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Create a backup only for system settings (do not select user data).
3. Transfer the backup file (.mbk) to the new phone.
4. Restore settings through the same menu on the new device.

Important: Do not restore system settings if phone models are very different (e.g. Redmi 4X → Xiaomi 13 Ultra).This can cause malfunctions MIUI.

8. Post-transfer validation and optimization

After the migration is completed, perform mandatory checks:

Make sure all contacts are displayed in the phone book |

Check history SMS (especially important reports)|

Open a few photos/video to check integrity |

Launch key applications (messaging, banking)|

Check the connection to the mobile network and Wi-Fi|

Set up a fingerprint/face (if used)-->

Optimizing the new phone:

• 🧹 Clear the cache through Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🔋 Calibrate the battery: discharge the phone to 0% and charge to 100% without interruptions.
• 📡 Update MIUI to the latest version via Settings → About Phone → System Update.
• 🛡️ Set up face unlock/fingerprint in Settings → Password and security.

If after transferring the phone began to brake or overheat, do:

1. Reset the device.
2. Turn off synchronization of unnecessary data in Mi Cloud.
3. Check the active processes in Settings → Applications → Launched.

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If some photos are missing after transfer, check the.thumbnails folder on your old phone – sometimes thumbnails are saved separately from the originals.

FAQ: Frequent questions