How to transfer contacts from Google account to Xiaomi Redmi: 5 proven ways

Why moving your contacts to Xiaomi can be a challenge

Moving from another brand’s Android smartphone to Xiaomi Redmi is often accompanied by the need to move contacts. Although both devices are running Android, the features of MIUI firmware can create nuances. The main problem is that Xiaomi defaults to its own Mi Cloud service for storing contacts, rather than Google, which can lead to duplicate records or loss of them if incorrect synchronization.

Another typical situation is when a user has been keeping contacts exclusively on Google Account for years, but after buying a Redmi Note 12 or Redmi 10C, he finds that they are not displayed in the phone book, this is due to disabled synchronization or conflict between accounts. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of transfer, including hidden MIUI settings, which are rarely mentioned in standard instructions.

It's important to understand that the transfer method depends on whether you want to completely replace your local contact store with Google, or just add entries from your account to your existing one, and the MIUI version also plays a role - in firmware older than 14, some menu items are moved.

Method 1: Automatic synchronization through Google Account

The easiest and most reliable method is to enable contact sync directly in your phone settings, which is suitable if you want all changes to Google Contacts to automatically display on Xiaomi Redmi, and vice versa.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open Settings on your Redmi and go to Accounts and Sync (in some versions) MIUI — Passwords and accounts).
• 🔍 Find your Google Account on the list and tap it. If you don't have an account, add it through Add Account.
• 🔄 Enable the slider opposite Contact (may be called Contact Synchronization).
• ⏳ Wait until synchronization is complete (usually takes 1-5 minutes depending on the number of contacts).

If no contact is made:

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 14+ Sometimes a bug will work, where synchronization is blocked by the battery optimizer. To fix this, go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Google Contacts → Battery and select No Limitations.

Method 2: Manual export and import via VCF file

If automatic synchronization doesn't work or you want to have a backup of contacts, you can use export to a.vcf file. This method is universal and works even without an Internet connection.

Steps to export from Google:

1. Open contacts.google.com on your computer and log in.
2. Click on the icon. ⚙️ Settings → Exports.
3. Select the Google CSV or vCard format (for iOS) (preferably vCard for compatibility).
4. Click Export and save the file to your computer.

Steps to import on Xiaomi Redmi:

• 📎 Move the.vcf file to your phone’s memory (for example, to your Downloads folder).
• 📱 Open the Contacts app on your phone.
• 🔧 Tap it on three points (⋮) top-right → Contact management → Imports/Exports → File-based import.
• 📄 Select the saved.vcf file and confirm the import.

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If some contacts are not displayed when importing, check the file encoding. Xiaomi only works correctly with UTF-8. If necessary, convert the file through online services like Convertio.

Method 3: Transfer over Mi Cloud (for users of the Xiaomi ecosystem)

If you are actively using Xiaomi services, you can transfer contacts through Mi Cloud, which is convenient if you plan to store backups in the brand cloud, but note that Mi Cloud has a limit on the number of contacts (up to 5,000 in the free version).

Instructions:

• 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Mi Account.
• 📥 Go to the Contact section → Import and download a.vcf file exported from Google (see Method 2).
• 📱 On the phone, open Settings. → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud and enable contact synchronization.
• 🔄 Wait for the synchronization to be completed (may take up to 10 minutes).

Advantages of this method:

• 🔒 Automatic backup linked to Xiaomi account.
• 📲 Contacts are synchronized between all the brand devices (smartphones, tablets, smart watches).
• 🛡️ Additional protection through two-factor authentication of Mi Account.

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Cloud, contacts from Google are not deleted, but duplicated. To avoid confusion, it is recommended to clear the phone book of old entries through Settings before importing. → Annexes → Contacts → Warehouse → Clear the data.

Method 4: Use of third-party applications (for complex cases)

If standard methods fail (for example, due to corrupted data or format incompatibility), you can use specialized applications.

• 📲 Copy My Data (from Media Mushroom) – Transfers contacts over Wi-Fi without clouds.
• 🔄 My Contacts Backup – Exports contacts to file and sends them to email.
• 🌍 Simpler Contacts – Supports duplicate merging and purification of records.

Example of transfers via Copy My Data:

1. Install the app on both devices (old and Xiaomi Redmi).
2. On your old phone, select Send Contacts and follow the instructions.
3. On Redmi, select Receive Data and connect to the same Wi-Fi.
4. Confirm the transmission and wait for completion.

Method 5: Transfer through SIM-Card (for small number of contacts)

This method is suitable if you have fewer than 250 contacts (limitation). SIM-However, there are significant disadvantages: photos, notes and additional fields (for example, email addresses) are not saved).

How to move:

• 📱 On your old phone, open your contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM.
• 🔄 Select your export contacts (or All) and confirm.
• 📲 Put it in. SIM-map.
• 📥 Open Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Maximum of 250 contacts (depending on operator).
• ❌ There is no Cyrillic support in names (on some SIM).
• ❌ Loss of formatting (e.g., split phone numbers).

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Transfer through SIM-The card is the last option. Use it only if other methods are not available, because it is the most unreliable method with a high risk of data loss.

What to do if contacts are duplicated or not displayed

After transferring contacts to Xiaomi Redmi, users often face two problems: duplicate records or no records in the phone book.

Problem 1: Duplicate contacts

This happens when contacts are stored simultaneously in Google Account, Mi Cloud and local phone memory to eliminate duplicates:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app.
• 🔍 Tap it on three points (⋮) → Contact management → Connecting contacts.
• 🤝 Choose Automatic Combination or manually combine duplicates.

Problem 2: Contacts are not displayed

The reasons may be different:

• 🔕 Google Contacts Disabled: Contact Contacts → Settings → Display contacts and select your Google Account.
• 🔄 Sync is stuck: go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Delete your account, then add it again.
• 📵 Contacts hidden: in MIUI There is a function of hiding contacts - check in Contacts → Groups → Hidden contacts.

If nothing helps, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.
3. Reboot the phone and turn on the sync again.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi Redmi