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

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting. But with the joy of updating the gadget comes a headache: how to transfer all the important data from the old device? Contacts, photos, messages, apps and even settings — all of this must be saved and safely moved to the new device. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools for migration, as well as universal methods that work on any Android device.

Many users mistakenly think that data transfer requires a computer or sophisticated technical skills. In fact, most methods do not require a PC connection and take no more than 15-20 minutes. The main thing is to choose the right method depending on the volume of data and phone models. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven methods of transfer, including Xiaomi's proprietary solutions and versatile options for all situations.

We’ll focus on the hidden nuances that aren’t mentioned in the official instructions, such as why Mi Mover transfers can be interrupted by 99% when transferring apps, how to avoid loss of photo quality when cloud backing up, and what to do if the new phone doesn’t see the old device over Wi-Fi Direct.

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1.Official method: Mi Mover - fast transfer without a computer

Mi Mover

Xiaomi

MIUI

Contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, notes, calendars and even some system settings

Applications are only transferred in the form APK-file

To use Mi Mover, both phones must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Important: the new device will be prompted to transfer data when you first turn on - if you missed it, the application can be manually launched from the Settings menu → About phone → Data Transfer.

• 📱 Step 1. On your old phone, open Mi Mover and select "I am the source».
• 📲 Step 2. On the new device, select “I am the recipient” and scan. QR-code from an old phone.
• 🔄 Step 3: Select data types to transfer (you can mark all or only the desired categories).
• ⚡ Step 4: Wait until the process is complete – time depends on the amount of data (from 5 to 30 minutes).

The advantage of this method is the maximum speed (up to 10 MB / s on Wi-Fi Direct) and the absence of the need for additional accounts.

⚠️ Note: If a newer version is installed on the new phone MIUI, In this case, the transfer of applications can be an error, in which case, first update the old device or transfer only media files and contacts.

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2. Cloud backup via Mi Account

If you have a Mi Account (which is created automatically when you first turn on a Xiaomi smartphone), you can use cloud storage to transfer data, which is convenient when the phones are in different places or you do not have the ability to connect to the same Wi-Fi network.

Xiaomi’s cloud provides 5GB for free, enough to carry contacts, messages and photos, and you’ll have to buy more space for large amounts of data or use the methods in the following sections.

• ☁️ Step 1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup.
• 📁 Step 2. Select the data for reservation (contacts, messages, notes, settings) and click "Reserve».
• 🔄 Step 3. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and restore the data from the backup in the same menu.

Important point: photos and videos are reserved separately — in the Mi Cloud → Gallery section. Here you can enable autoload media files, but remember that they will be compressed to a resolution of 2048×2048 at a free rate.

💡

If you are transferring data between phones from different regions (e.g. global and Chinese), change your account region to Settings → Mi Account → Personal Data before recovering from the cloud.

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3. Transfer through Google Account (universal method)

If you use Google, you can transfer most of your data through your Gmail account, which works not only for Xiaomi, but also for all Android devices, making it a universal solution.

Google Account syncs: contacts, calendars, mail, notes (Keep), Chrome bookmarks, call history (on some models), and a list of installed applications (but not their data!). Photos and videos can be transferred through Google Photos, but note that free storage is limited to 15 GB for all services.

• 🔗 Step 1. On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of the account.
• 📱 Step 2: On the new device, log in to the same Google account when you first enable or through settings.
• 🔄 Step 3: Wait for automatic synchronization (can take up to an hour depending on internet speed).

To transfer photos separately, open the Google Photos app on your old phone and enable backup in the settings. On the new device, photos will appear in the same app after you log in to your account.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone used Mi Account to back up your contacts and you restore them via Google on the new phone, duplicates may appear. VCF via Contact → Management → Imports/Exports.

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4. Transfer via OTG cable or adapter (for large volumes)

If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes of data (like a collection of original resolution photos or large video files), the most reliable way to connect your phones directly through a cable is to:

OTG cable (for an old phone if it has a microUSB connector)

USB-C adapter → USB-C (for new models, for example, Xiaomi 13/14 series)

- A flash drive or external drive (optional if direct transfer does not work)

The process looks like this:

1. Connect the OTG cable to your old phone and flash drive (or new phone if you support a direct connection).
2. In the notification menu, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Copy the files you need (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc.) to a flash drive or directly to a new phone.
4. Turn off the cable and check the integrity of the files on the new device.

This method guarantees 100% data security, since files are copied without compression and transformations, but it requires additional accessories and takes longer when manually selecting files.

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5 Third-party applications: SHAREit, Xender and others

If Xiaomi's built-in tools don't work for some reason, you can use popular file transfer applications, some of which are more reliable.

SHAREit (supports data application portability)

Xender (Fast Wi-Fi Direct)

Send Anywhere (generates one-time code for transmission)

These applications are often used to transfer data between devices of different brands (for example, Xiaomi → Samsung), but they work perfectly within the MIUI ecosystem. The main advantage is the ability to transfer installed applications along with their data (for example, save in games or configure messengers).

• 📲 Step 1: Install the same app (like SHAREit) on both phones.
• 🔗 Step 2. On your old phone, select files to transfer and click "Send».
• 📡 Step 3: On the new device, select “Get” and connect to the access point created by the old phone.
• ✅ Step 4: Wait for the transfer to be completed and check the files.

⚠️ Note: When you migrate applications over SHAREit, some system programs (such as Mi Home or Mi Fit) may not work correctly on the new phone.

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6. Transfer of specific types of data: contacts, SMS, applications

Sometimes you only need to transfer certain types of data, like just contacts or just messages, and there are specialized methods for that.

Contact:

• 📇 Export to file VCF: Contacts → Management → Exports → Transfer of the file to a new phone and import.
• ☁️ Sync with Google Contacts or Mi Cloud.

SMS and call history:

• 💬 Annex SMS Backup & Restore (Saves Messages in the Reservations) XML-file).
• ☁️ Backup through Mi Cloud (includes) SMS, But it doesn’t always restore them correctly).

Annexes and their data:

• 📦 Titanium Backup (requires root rights for full port).
• 🔄 Mi Mover or SHAREit (transferred) APK, Not always the data inside the app).

Only Mi Mover or manual recovery from a MIUI backup is suitable for transferring system settings (wallpaper, sounds, shortcuts). Please note that some settings (such as fingerprints or Face ID) will have to be reconfigured for security purposes.

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7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when using official tools, users are faced with errors, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

Mi Mover doesn't see the second phone:

• Check that both devices have Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth enabled.
• Reboot both phones and try again.
• If you use a VPN or proxy, turn them off.

The transfer is interrupted by 99%:

• This is a problem when migrating apps. Try to migrate only media files and contacts.
• Update MIUI on both phones to the latest version.

There is no room in the Mi Cloud:

• Remove old backups in Mi Cloud → Storage Management.
• Transfer photos via Google Photos or OTG cable.

Applications are not restored after transfer:

• Check if it is compatible with the new MIUI/Android.
• Install apps from Google Play again – sometimes this solves the data problem.

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8.How to transfer data from iPhone to Xiaomi

If you're switching from an iPhone to Xiaomi, it's a little bit more complicated, but it's also doable. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Transfer of contacts:

• On iPhone, export contacts to iCloud: Settings → [Your name] → iCloud → Contacts (incl.).
• On your computer, go to iCloud.com, select contacts and export them to a VCF file.
• Transfer the file to Xiaomi and import through Contacts → Manage → Import.

Step 2: Transfer photos and videos:

• Use Google Photos (set on your iPhone and enable autoload).
• Or connect your iPhone to your computer, copy the files and transfer them to Xiaomi via cable.

Step 3: Transfer of messages:

• Install the Move to iOS app on your iPhone (yes, it works the other way around!).
• On Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select “Move from iOS” and follow the instructions.

Step 4: Transfer of annexes:

• Install the apps you want from Google Play manually – automatic porting from iOS is not supported.
• To transfer data within applications (such as saves in games), use their own backup features.

⚠️ Note: When migrating from iPhone to Xiaomi, some media files (such as iMessage messages or notes) may not be ported (TXT, PDF, JPG).

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FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions