How to transfer data from the old Xiaomi to the new: 5 proven ways

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but the process of data transfer often raises more questions than joy. How to save all contacts, not lose important photos from the gallery, move messages from WhatsApp and even restore desktop settings? In this article, we will examine all the current ways of data migration between Xiaomi devices, from the official Mi Mover tool to manual backup through the cloud.

Xiaomi’s ecosystem is unique in that it offers its own synchronization solutions that often work better than universal services like Google Account, but each method has a nuance: somewhere you will need a stable Internet connection, and somewhere you will need an original cable. USB-C to USB-C. We will analyze in detail the pros and cons of each option so that you can choose the best for your situation.

Important: if you move from Xiaomi to Xiaomi within the same line (for example, from Redmi Note 11 to Redmi Note 12), the process will be as simple as possible. MIUI Globally MIUI China) or switching to a device with a different chipset (for example, from Snapdragon to MediaTek) may have nuances – we will also touch on them.

1.Official method: transfer via Mi Mover

Mi Mover is a built-in app from Xiaomi that automatically copies data from an old phone to a new one wirelessly or via cable. This method is recommended by the manufacturer itself, and it is suitable for most models starting with the new one. MIUI 9.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer (or find the Mi Mover app in the Settings menu). → Additionally).
• 🔗 On the old phone, open Mi Mover and select the role of Sender).
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or connect them with a cable USB-C to USB-C (speed up the process).
• 📋 Select data types to transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, applications (including their data) and even system settings.
• ⏳ Wait for the process to be completed – time depends on the amount of data (from 5 minutes to an hour).

⚠️ Note: If you use a cable, make sure it supports data transmission (some cheap cables are only for charging) and both phones must have at least 20% battery life, otherwise the process may be interrupted.

Charging both phones > 20%|The original cable. USB-C to USB-C (or stable Wi-Fi)|Free space on the new phone (at least 10% more data transfer volume)|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Both devices MIUI 9 or newer-->

Mi Mover does not transfer data from some third-party applications (for example, banking or encrypted messengers) and will require separate backups.

2.Move over Mi Cloud: Xiaomi’s Cloud Solution

If you have a Mi Account, you can use Mi Cloud, a cloud storage service from Xiaomi that offers 5GB for free, which is convenient if you don’t have a cable or want to migrate data gradually.

Instructions for transfer via Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for the desired categories: Contacts, Notes, Gallery, Records, etc.
3. Wait until the data is uploaded to the cloud (time depends on the speed of the Internet).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable sync in Mi Cloud.
5. The data will start uploading automatically. Photos and videos may require manual confirmation.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Mi Cloud in China, please note that servers may not be available without the help of the servers. VPN Free storage is also limited to 5GB, and you'll need to buy extra space or use alternative methods to transfer large amounts of photos or videos.

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Before transferring over Mi Cloud, clear the cloud of unnecessary files. → Managing storage and removing old backups or duplicate photos will speed up the process and save space.

3. Transfer through Google Account: a universal method

If you don’t want to depend on the Xiaomi ecosystem, you can use Google Account, which is a way to transfer contacts, calendars, mail, some app settings, and even some data from Google Photos.

How to transfer data via Google:

• 🔄 On your old phone, open Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Google and enable sync for all categories.
• 📁 For photos, install the Google Photos app and enable autoload in original quality (if the location in the cloud allows you to do so).
• 📱 On the new phone, sign in to the same Google account or add it to Settings when you first turn on. → Accounts.
• ⚙️ Turn on sync and wait for the data to load. Contacts and calendars will appear almost instantly, and photos can load for hours.

The advantage of this method is that the data will be available on any Android device, not just Xiaomi.

• 🚫 Not tolerated. SMS, call log and system settings.
• 📱 Applications will have to be installed manually through Google Play.
• 📸 Google Photos compresses images with free storage (original quality takes place in the account).

⚠️ Warning: If your old phone has two-factor authentication enabled for your Google Account, make sure you have access to backup codes or a second device to confirm your sign-in on your new smartphone.

4. Manual transfer via OTG cable or computer

If you only need to transfer photos, videos or documents, you can do without syncing accounts. USB-C to USB-C (adapter OTG), card reader.

Method 1: Direct transfer via cable

1. Connect your old phone to your new phone using a cable (a new phone may need to select File Transfer mode).
2. On a new phone, open Explorer (or Files) and find the folder of the old device.
3. Copy the files you want (usually in folders) DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, Pictures for screenshots).
4. Insert files into the corresponding folders on the new phone.

Method 2: Transfer through a computer

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy all the files you need to your hard drive.
2. Disable the old phone, connect the new one and transfer the files back.
3. For convenience, you can use programs like Xiaomi PC Suite (official file management software).

⚠️ Note: When manually porting, do not copy the entire Android folder, which can lead to conflicts in the application. MIUI), This could affect the stability of the new phone.

5. Data transfer from messengers and social networks

Messages from WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and other messengers are not carried in the standard ways.

WhatsApp:

• 🔄 Create a backup of chats on your old phone: Settings → chat → Backup copy.
• 📁 Make sure the copy is saved to Google Drive (for Android) or iCloud (if you previously had an iPhone).
• 📱 On your new phone, install WhatsApp, log in to the same account and restore chats from backup.

Telegram:

• ☁️ All chats and media files are stored in the Telegram cloud, so just log in to your account on your new phone.
• 📁 To transfer local files (for example, downloaded to Saved Messages), copy the Telegram folder from internal memory manually.

Viber:

• 🔄 Create a backup copy: More → Settings → Account. → Backup copy.
• 📁 A copy is saved to Google Drive or a memory card. Restore it on a new phone when you log in.

⚠️ Note: If you use WhatsApp Business, please note that backups of your business account and your regular WhatsApp account are not compatible, and you can’t transfer data between them, which will lead to the loss of chat history.

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For instant messengers, always use built-in backup tools. Manual transfer of folders with chats (for example, /WhatsApp/Databases) Often leads to errors due to differences in application versions or encryption.

6. Transfer of applications and their data

The hardest part of migrating is migrating installed applications along with their data (e.g. saving in games, settings in banking applications, etc.). Unfortunately, there is no universal solution, but there are several working methods:

Method 1: Backup through MIUI

• 📱 On your old phone, go to Settings. → The phone. → Backup and reset → Local backups.
• 💾 Create a backup by selecting Applications and their data.
• 📁 The copy file will be stored in the internal memory (folder) MIUI/backup/AllBackup). Transfer it to a new phone.
• 🔄 On your new phone, restore the data from this file to the same menu.

Method 2: Using Titanium Backup (requires root)

• 🛠️ Install Titanium Backup on your old phone (root rights required).
• 📦 Backup all applications and their data.
• 📤 Transfer the copy file to your new phone and restore the data via Titanium Backup.

Method 3: Synchronize through application accounts

• ☁️ Many apps (like Spotify, Netflix, cloud-saving games) sync data through your account. Just log in on your new phone.
• 🔑 For banking applications (for example, SberBank Online, Tinkoff) will require re-authorization through SMS push-notification.

⚠️ Note: Some apps (like Google Authenticator) are tied to the device.Be sure to disable two-factor authentication before transferring or transfer the private keys manually, or you risk losing access to your accounts.

7. Transfer of system and interface settings

If you want the new Xiaomi phone to look and work the same as the old one, you can move the interface settings:

• 🎨 Wallpaper and themes: If you used standard wallpaper from Topics MIUI, They're synced through Mi Account. Castom wallpapers have to be moved manually. Pictures/Wallpapers).
• 🔔 Sound and notifications: Sound settings (calling melodies, alerts) are transferred via Mi Cloud or local backup.
• ⚙️ Gestures and buttons: Navigation gesture configuration (Settings) → Display. → Navigation panel is not portable – it will have to be reconfigured.
• 🔧 Quick settings: The order of the tiles in the notification curtain can only be saved through local backup MIUI.

To transfer security settings (fingerprints, facial recognition) you have to reconfigure them on a new phone, and that data is not transferred in any way due to security concerns.

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If you used Second Space on your old phone, its settings and data can only be transferred through a full local backup to Settings. → The phone. → Backup. Second Space must be enabled on the new phone before the recovery begins.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you move data, you often have some common problems, and here's how to prevent them:

1.There's not enough space on the new phone

• 📉 Before transferring, clean the new phone of the pre-installed “garbage” (Preinstall folder).
• 🗑️ Remove unnecessary apps through Settings → Annexes.
• ☁️ Move some data (such as movies) to a memory card or cloud.

2.The data is carried on too long

• 🔌 Using cable instead of Wi-Fi will speed up the process by 5-10 times.
• 📶 If you use Wi-Fi, connect both phones to a 5 GHz network (faster than 2.4 GHz).
• 🔋 Close all background apps on both phones.

3. Certain applications are not portable

• 📱 Check if the app supports backup (for example, WhatsApp requires manual setup).
• 🔍 Some applications (for example, TikTok or Instagram) only store data on the server – just log in to your account.

4.The phone started to brake after the transfer.

• 🧹 Perform optimization through Settings → The phone. → Optimization.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone – this will help the system to re-index the transferred files.
• 🗃️ Check if unnecessary files have moved (for example, the cache of applications from the folder) Android/data).

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If data is not displayed correctly after transfer (for example, photos are not opened or contacts are duplicated), try to clear the cache of the application responsible for this data (for example, Gallery or Contacts).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions