How to transfer all data from your old phone to the new Xiaomi: the complete guide

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often turns into a headache. Photos, contacts, messages, apps, and even screen settings all need to be saved to keep from starting from scratch. Fortunately, Xiaomi owners have several proven ways to migrate, from the built-in Mi Mover tool to Google cloud services and Mi Cloud.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for data transfer, including nuances for different versions of MIUI (12 to 15), features of models with HyperOS, and also give tips on how to avoid typical errors. Whether you upgrade from Redmi Note 11 to Xiaomi 14 or switch from iPhone to POCO F6 – here you will find the current instructions.

Important: If your old phone isn’t from Xiaomi, some methods (like Mi Mover) may not work, so look for universal solutions like Google Account or Smart Switch (for Samsung).

1.Mi Mover is Xiaomi's official tool for fast transfer

Mi Mover is an integrated application on all Xiaomi smartphones that allows you to transfer data over Wi-Fi Direct without an Internet connection.

📞 Contacts and call logs
📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
💬 Communications (SMS/MMS) WhatsApp history (only for Android)→Android)
📁 Files and documents
⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness)

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Transfer Data from the settings menu. If the phone is already configured, find the Mi Mover app in the list of programs.
On an old phone, install Mi Mover from Google Play (if it’s not there) and run it.
Select the role: new phone - Receiver, old - Sender.
Scan it. QR-code from a new phone on an old phone or connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

Charge both phones to at least 50%|Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (if there is no Wi-Fi Direct)|Free up space on your new phone (at least 20% of the data you carry)|Turn it off. VPN firewalls|Close all background applications-->

Mi Mover does not port data to some applications (such as Viber or banking programs) due to security limitations.

⚠️ Warning: If the transfer is interrupted, do not try to start it again immediately - wait 5-10 minutes.Re-starting before a full reset of the connection can lead to duplicate files or loss of data.

2.Move over Google Account: The Universal Way for Android

Syncing with a Google account is the most reliable method if you use Google services (Gmail, Drive, Photos), it works even when you switch from an iPhone or other brands.

📇 Contacts (from Google Contacts)
📅 Calendars (Google Calendar)
📎 Notes (Google Keep)
📷 Photos and videos (if you have autoloaded in Google Photos)
🎵 Music and Documents (Google Drive)
📱 Settings for some applications (such as Chrome or Gboard)

Instructions for transfer:

On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync Make sure all the items you need (Contacts, Calendar, Drive) are active.
On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account when you first start up.
Wait for automatic synchronization (can take from a few minutes to an hour depending on the amount of data).
For photos and videos, open Google Photos and check that all media files are uploaded to the cloud.

Type of data	Transferred via Google	Limitations
Contacts	✅ Yes.	Only if saved in Google Contacts, not in your phone’s memory
Messages (SMS)	❌ No.	You need a separate backup via Google Messages or Mi Mover
Photo/video	✅ Yes.	Takes up space in the cloud (15GB free)
Annexes	✅ Partially.	Only transfer from Google Play, no data inside
Wi-Fi settings	❌ No.	We need to re-enter passwords.

If you have an iPhone, install the Google One app before the perenosom and manually upload contacts, calendars and photos to the cloud, and on the new Xiaomi, they will automatically pull up after you sign in.

Mi Mover|Google account|Mi Cloud|Cable OTG|Other-->

3.Mi Cloud: Xiaomi Cloud Storage

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud that offers 5GB of free space (expands to 100GB for a fee) and is ideal for a pre-reset backup or perenosom on the new Xiaomi.

🔄 Automatic synchronization of contacts, notes, SMS and call logs.
📲 The ability to recover data on any Xiaomi device.
🔒 Encryption of personal data (passwords, notes).

How to make a backup in Mi Cloud:

Open your Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud
Turn on synchronization for the desired categories (contacts, messages, gallery, etc.).
Click Backup and select Create Backup.
After you complete the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and recover data from the cloud.

Important: If you are switching from an iPhone or other Android device, first register your Mi Account on your old phone via your browser (account.xiaomi.com) and manually upload the data.

⚠️ Warning: When you restore from Mi Cloud to a new phone, all current data on it will be erased. First, transfer important information to another place (for example, to a computer) if the phone has already been used.

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If you have a slow Internet connection, before backup in Mi Cloud connect to Wi-Fi and turn off automatic uploading of photos in high resolution (Settings → Mi Cloud → Gallery → Download quality).

4. Transfer via OTG cable or computer

If you don't have access to Wi-Fi or cloud services, you can use a physical connection via an OTG cable or a computer, which is suitable for transferring large files (video, music, archives) and is independent of Internet speed.

Option 1: OTG cable (for USB OTG-enabled phones):

Buy it. OTG-adapter (e.g, USB-C to USB-A For new Xiaomi models).
Connect your old phone to your new phone via an adapter.
On the new phone, open Explorer (Files) and select the connected phone as an external drive.
Copy the folders you want (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, etc.) to your new phone.

Option 2: Computer:

Connect both phones to the PC via USB-cable.
On your computer, open this computer and find both devices in the Portable Devices section.
Copy files from your old phone to your computer, then to your new one.
For contacts and messages, export them in.vcf (contacts) or.xml (SMS) format through special applications (e.g. Super Backup).

This method takes longer, but it guarantees 100% control over the data being transferred, for example, you can select only the right folders with photos, eliminating duplicates or unnecessary files.

How to transfer passwords from the browser?

If you’ve used Chrome or Mi Browser, your passwords are synced automatically through your Google account. For other browsers (like Firefox), export your passwords to your Google account. CSV-File: In the browser on the old phone, find Settings → Passwords. → Export passwords. Save the file to your computer, then import it on your new phone: CSV-Password file is stored in plain form - delete it after import!

5. Transfer of applications and their data

The hardest part is to transfer not only the apps themselves, but also their data (e.g., game progress, WhatsApp or Telegram settings).

Method 1: Backup via Google Drive (for most apps)

🎮 Games (Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG): Use the built-in anchor to Google Play Games or Facebook.
💬 Messengers: WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup (save to Google Drive).Telegram: Cloud chats sync automatically, local secret chats need to be exported manually.
📊 Social networks (Instagram, TikTok): log in again – the data will be pulled from the servers.

Method 2: Manual copying of application files

Some apps store data in folders on the phone, like:

📖 Moon+ Reader (book reader): folder /sdcard/moonreader.
🎵 Poweramp (player): folder /sdcard/Poweramp.
🗺️ Osmand (navigator): folder /sdcard/osmand.

Copy these folders to the new phone in the same location, then reinstall the app.

⚠️ Note: Do not copy system application folders (for example, /data/data/com.xiaomi...) — This can cause disruptions. Use only official tools like the Mi Mover to carry them.

6.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi: features and pitfalls

The transition from iOS to Android requires a separate approach, as Apple restricts data exports.

Step 1: Transfer contacts and calendars

📱 On iPhone, open Settings → Apple ID → iCloud and enable contact sync.
🌐 On your computer, go to iCloud.com, select Contacts. → All contacts. → Export vCard.
📲 Send the resulting.vcf file to the new Xiaomi (e.g., email) and import it through the Contacts app.

Step 2: Transfer photos and videos

📷 Use Google Photos: Install the app on your iPhone. Enable autoboot (Settings) → Backup and sync. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account, and photos will be automatically uploaded.

iPhone

Xiaomi

Step 3: Transfer of messages

Standard SMS from the iPhone is difficult to transfer, but there are workarounds:

💬 For iMessage: export your story via iMazing or AnyTrans (paid PC software).
📱 For WhatsApp: Make a backup chat on iCloud (Settings) → chat → Backup! Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi, but don't sign in. Use WazzapMigrator (requires root or computer) to convert the iCloud backup to Android.

Transferring data from your iPhone to Xiaomi can take hours due to Apple’s limitations: Start with the most important (contacts, photos), and set up messengers later.

7.What to do after the transfer: verification and optimization

After the transfer is complete, follow the following steps to make sure everything goes well:

Data verification:

📞 Open Contacts and make sure all numbers are in place (check groups and favorites).
📷 Check if all photos and videos are available (especially in folders) DCIM/Camera and WhatsApp Images).
💬 In messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) make sure that the chat history is intact.
🎵 Run a music player and make sure all tracks are played.

Optimizing the new phone:

🔄 Update all apps on Google Play (My profile) → Application management).
🧹 Clear the cache: Settings → Annexes → Clean the cache (will improve productivity).
🔋 Calibrate the battery: discharge the phone to 0% and charge to 100% without interruptions (recommended for new lithium-ion batteries).
🛡️ Set up security: Enable Settings → Lockdown and protection → Activate Find My Device (Google) and Find Device (Xiaomi).

If you find data loss:

🔍 For photos/contacts, check the Mi Mover or Backup folder on your internal drive.
☁️ Recover missing files from Google Drive or Mi Cloud.
📧 If emails are missing, reset Gmail with the same account.

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After transferring the data, reset the cache to Settings → Memory → Cleanup. This will delete temporary files that may have been duplicated during the migration, and free up space.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi

❓ Can I transfer data from my phone to Xiaomi if it’s already configured?

Yes, but you need to reset the new phone to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Reset) and repeat the transfer via Mi Mover or Google account when you first turn on, otherwise the data may be duplicated or conflict.

❓ Why Mi Mover can't see my old phone?

The problem might be in: 🔌 No Wi-Fi Direct (check network settings). 📱 An outdated version MIUI (Update both phones). 🔒 firewall or VPN (Turn them off before connecting). 📴 Model incompatibility (e.g., iPhone not supported) Solution: Try connecting via a hot spot (on the old phone, turn on modem modem, on the new phone, connect to its Wi-Fi).

❓ How long does it take to transfer 100 GB of data?

Time depends on the way: 📶 Mi Mover (Wi-Fi Direct): ~1–2 hour (speed) ~10–15 MB/s). ☁️ Google Drive/Mi Cloud: from 30 Minutes to hours (depending on internet speed). 🖥️ Cable OTG/PC: ~20–40 minutes (speed) ~30–50 Tip: to accelerate, disable background applications and connect to the network 5 GHz (if any).

❓ Will the game settings (e.g. Genshin Impact or Clash of Clans) be changed)?

It depends on the game: 🎮 Linked to an account (Google Play Games, Facebook, Mi Account): progress will recover after logging in. 📱 Local saves (no binding): you need to manually copy the folder with saves (usually /Android/data/... or /sdcard/...). ⚠️ Anticheat games (PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: transferring saves can lead to a ban. Use only official methods (account binding).

❓ How to transfer data if your old phone is broken?

If the phone doesn’t turn on but responds to charging: Connect it to your PC and try copying files through ADB (Included debugging is required USB). If the screen is broken, but the sensor is working, connect the mouse to the OTG And unlock the phone. If the phone is completely dead: ☁️ Recover data from the last backup in Google Drive or Mi Cloud. 💾 Contact the service center to extract data from flash memory (expensive, but possible).