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

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but the process of data transfer often becomes a headache. Even between devices of the same brand, users are faced with lost contacts, unsynchronized chats or missing photos. This article will help avoid typical mistakes and choose the best way to migrate depending on your situation.

We'll look at all the current methods, from the built-in Mi Mover tool to cloud services and manual transfer through the computer. MIUI (12 to 14) and specific models with MediaTek and Snapdragon processors.If you upgrade from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 13 Ultra or from POCO F3 on the Redmi K60 — Here you will find work solutions without data loss.

Important: the transfer procedure can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours depending on the amount of data. The only way to guarantee that you can save all your application settings (such as game progress or bank program data) is to back up your Mi Account and then restore it to a new device.

1.Preparation for transfer: what to do before the beginning

Incorrect preparation is the main cause of migration disruption, and at this point, three things are critical to check:

• 🔋 The battery charge of both devices must be at least 50%.When using Mi Mover over Wi-Fi Direct, the discharge below 30% can interrupt the process.
• 📶 Stable Internet connection (for cloud methods). MIUI 14 with a weak signal, the system automatically reduces the transmission speed, which increases the transfer time in the 2-3 once.
• 📁 Free space on a new device, such as transferring 64 GB of data from the Redmi Note 11 Pro to Xiaomi 12T You need at least 70 GB of free space (the system creates temporary files).

For models with MIUI 13 and older, be sure to upgrade to the latest version of the Mi Mover app via Google Play or the App Store. Older versions (below 4.5.0) do not support data transfer from Android 13 devices.+. You can check the version in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Mover.

⚠️ Note: If the old smartphone has enabled data encryption (Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption), some transfer methods (e.g., through OTG-In this case, use a cloud backup or Mi Account.

Create a backup of critical data manually:

• 📞 Export contacts to.vcf file via Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports
• 📸 Copy photos from the folder DCIM/Camera computer or external storage
• 💬 Save your WhatsApp Message History through Settings → chat → Backup

2. Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is the easiest solution for transferring data between Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO. The tool is built into the firmware MIUI (Since version 8) and supports transmission:

• 📱 Contacts, messages (SMS/MMS), call-book
• 📷 Photos, videos and audio files
• 📁 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS, etc.)
• 🎮 Some system application settings (for example, design themes)

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Does not transfer data from third-party applications (for example, progress in games or settings Viber)
• ❌ Does not work between devices with different processor architectures (e.g. Snapdragon 888) → MediaTek Dimensity 9000) without prior backup to the cloud
• ❌ Maximum transmission volume per session – 50 GB (Limitation of the Wi-Fi Direct protocol)

Step-by-step:

1. On both devices, open Settings. → The phone. → Mi Mover (or find the app through search).
2. On the old smartphone, choose I am the sender, on the new one, I am the receiver.
3. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new device with an old smartphone.
4. Select data types to transfer (we recommend that you note all items except the "Application", as they will not be transferred correctly anyway).
5. Confirm the transmission. It takes 5 to 40 minutes depending on the amount of data.

Make sure that both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled|

Close all background applications (especially messengers) |

Turn off the power saving mode |

Connect both devices to charging|

Check that there is enough space on the new smartphone-->

⚠️ Warning: If Mi Mover stopped working appears on the screen during transmission, restart both devices and repeat the process. POCO F4 GT redmi K50 Gaming this error occurs due to conflict with the game mode – disable it in Settings → Special facilities → Turbo-play mode.

To speed up the process, you can use a direct connection through OTG-cable (adapter required) USB-C to USB-C or micro-USB to USB-C depending on the port of the device:

1. Connect the cable to both smartphones.
2. On the old device in Mi Mover, select Connection via cable.
3. The transmission speed will increase in 1.5-2 Compared to Wi-Fi Direct.

Method 2: Transfer through Xiaomi account (Mi Account)

Synchronization via Mi Account is the only way to transfer system application settings (e.g., camera settings, sound profiles, or Mi Home configuration).

• 📋 Notes from the annex Notes
• 🎵 Playlists at Mi Music
• 📅 Events in the calendar
• 🔧 Security settings (fingerprints, facial recognition)

How to set up synchronization:

1. On the old device, go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for all available categories (especially System Settings and Applications).
3. Wait for the process to be completed (the indicator in the top notification bar will show progress).
4. On the new smartphone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable synchronization in the Mi Cloud.

An important nuance: to transfer these applications (for example, saves in games), it is necessary that these applications support backup in the Mi Cloud. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Backup of applications.

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If you do not have an internet connection but need to transfer data via Mi Account, use the Local Backup feature in Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Backup. Create a backup on an old device, copy the file to a new smartphone via cable, then restore it through the same menu section.

Method 3: Using a Google Account for Basic Synchronization

If you prefer the Google ecosystem, you can transfer your basic data through your Google Account, which is a good way to:

• 📇 Contacts (synchronization with Google Contacts)
• 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar)
• 📧 Letters and settings Gmail
• 📍 Google Maps data (saved places, history of visits)
• 🎵 Music and podcasts from YouTube Music

Step-by-step:

1. On your old smartphone, open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and enable sync for all categories.
3. On the new device, when you first turn on, log in to the same Google Account or add it to Settings. → Accounts.
4. Wait for automatic synchronization (can take up to 24 hours for large amounts of data).

To speed up the process, you can manually start synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sync Now.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and Android 13+ Background sync is disabled by default to save battery power. To turn it on, go to Settings. → Battery and productivity → Battery consumption management → Select applications and set the Google Play Services mode Unlimited.

To transfer photos and videos through Google, use the Google Photos app:

1. Install Google Photos on your old device.
2. Enable autoboot in Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Wait for the download to be completed (progress is displayed in notifications).
4. On the new smartphone, log in to the same Google account and wait for the synchronization of media files.

Method 4: Manual transfer via computer (for large amounts of data)

If you have more than 50GB of data, or you want to have full control of the process, use computer transfer.

• 🎬 Video in resolution 4K/8K
• 🎵 Local Music Library
• 📂 Archives and documents
• 🎮 Game saves (if stored in a folder) Android/data)

Tools required:

• 🖥️ Windows computer 10/11 macOS
• 🔌 Cables. USB-C/USB-A or Micro-USB/USB-A (depending on the port of the device)
• 💾 External hard drive or flash drive (optional if data is more than 100 GB)

Instructions for Windows:

1. Connect the old device to the computer via cable.
2. On your smartphone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the connection notification.
3. Open this computer and copy the folders you need (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc.) to a local disc.
4. Turn off the old device and connect the new one.
5. Transfer the copied files to the new smartphone to the appropriate folders.

For macOS, you will need to install Android File Transfer (the official software from Google). android.com/filetransfer.

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When manually transferring through a computer, never copy a folder. Android/obb In the end, it can cause app crashes on the new device, instead reinstall games via Google Play, and then only copy files with the.obb extension for specific games (for example, copy the files with the.obb extension for specific games, com.game.example.main.123.obb).

Method 5: Transfer through third-party applications (for advanced users)

If the standard methods don't work, you can use specialized applications, and we tested three of the most reliable solutions.

• 🔄 Clone Phone (from Xiaomi) – Mi Mover alternative with cross-platform portability support (including iOS).
• 📲 Send Anywhere – Transfer files via P2P-connection.
• 🔗 Swift Backup – Creates full backups of data applications.

Instructions for Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both devices from Google Play.
2. On an old smartphone, select files to transfer and click Send.
3. 6-digit code is generated or QR-code.
4. On the new device, enter the code or scan. QR.
5. Confirm receipt of files.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ There are no limits on the amount of data
• ✅ Works between any device (including iPhone and Samsung)
• ✅ Transfer speeds up to 10MB/s (faster than Mi Mover)

⚠️ Note: When using Swift Backup on devices with MIUI 14 You may need to disconnect MIUI Optimization through ADB-Adb shell settings put global miui_optimization_disabled 1 Without this, some app backups don’t recover correctly.

To transfer messages from instant messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram), use the built-in export functions:

• 💬 WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup → Create a copy (save in Google Drive)
• 📩 Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Export of chat history (preserved in the JSON)

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If after transfer on the new device there are problems with performance (lags, overheating), follow the following steps:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the apps you have transferred and clear their cache (Storage) → Clear the cache).
3. Reset the device.
4. If the problem persists, reset settings (Settings) → The phone. → Reset settings), but select Save Media Files.

8. FAQ: Answers to popular questions