How to transfer contacts from one Xiaomi phone to another: all the ways of 2026

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to storing important data. Contacts accumulated over the years can disappear in an instant if you do not approach the transfer process responsibly. Unlike photos or messages, the phone book often contains unique information — the numbers of colleagues, rare contacts of delivery services or medical institutions that are difficult to restore.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer contacts between Xiaomi devices, from cloud services to manual methods. Each option has its own nuances: somewhere you need a stable Internet, and somewhere you will have enough. USB-We will also tell you how to avoid data loss during synchronization, why some contacts may not be transferred, and what to do if the new phone does not see them».

1.Moving contacts via MI Cloud – the official way from Xiaomi

MI Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically synchronizes contacts, notes, photos and other data, a method that is considered the most reliable, since it does not require manual export and works even when changing firmware or resetting your phone.

To move contacts through MI Cloud, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On your old phone, open Settings. → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud and make sure the switch next to Contacts is active. If not, turn on sync.
• ☁️ Wait for the synchronization to be completed (the inscription “Synchronized” will appear in the upper right corner»).
• 🆕 On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and enable contact synchronization in the new phone. MI Cloud.
• ⏳ Wait 5-10 minutes for contacts to appear automatically.

⚠️ Note: If another account was used on the old phone MI Cloud, contacts will not be migrated. In this case, export them to the file first (see section 4) or sync with Google.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Automatic synchronization – no need to export anything manually.
• ✅ It works even if your phone is dead or broken (data is stored in the cloud).
• ✅ Supports contact groups and additional fields (dates of birth, addresses).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ It requires a stable internet connection on both devices.
• ❌ If the account MI Cloud hasn’t been tied before, contacts will have to be moved in a different way.

2. Synchronization through Google Account – a universal method

If you’ve used Google Contacts on an old phone, it’s only a matter of minutes, and it’s even suitable for switching between different brands (e.g., Xiaomi to Samsung).

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and select your account.
2. Make sure the Contacts switch is on. If not, activate the sync.
3. On the new phone, add the same Google account and enable contact sync.
4. Open the Contacts app and wait for all the records to appear.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone only stored contacts in the device’s memory (not Google), you should export them first) → «Contact management» → «Imports/Exports» → «Export to file».

Important: Google Contacts does not save contact groups from MIUI. If they are critical, use MI Cloud or local export.

3. Transfer of contacts through SIM-The map is an old but proven method

If you do not have access to the Internet or cloud services, you can use the SIM-This method is suitable for carrying a small number of contacts (up to 250 records) because SIM has limited memory.

Step-by-step:

• 📇 On your old phone, open the Contacts app».
• 🔍 Press three dots (menu) → «Contact management» → «Imports/Exports» → «Exports to SIM-map».
• ✅ Select contacts for export (you can note everything) and confirm the action.
• 🔄 Move it. SIM-card.
• 📥 In the new device, repeat the path: “Contacts» → Menus. → «Imports/Exports» → «Import with SIM-map».

⚠️ Attention: SIM-The card only retains the name and number, so additional fields (email, address, date of birth) will be lost, and some operators will limit the number of records (for example, up to 200 contacts).

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Before exporting to SIM Check her free memory: open the settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Memory. SIM-map.

Advantages:

• ✅ No need for internet or additional devices.
• ✅ It works on all phones, including buttons.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Limited number of contacts.
• ❌ Loss of additional data (photos, notes).
• ❌ Slow process with a large number of records.

4.Export and import via VCF file – for full control

The.vcf (vCard) file is a universal contact storage format that all modern smartphones support, and is convenient to use if you want to back up or transfer contacts to your computer.

How to export contacts to VCF:

1. Open the Contacts app on your old phone.
2. Click on three dots (menu) → Contact Management → Import/Export.
3. Select Export to File → specify the location of the save (for example, Internal Memory or MicroSD).
4. Confirm the export – the contact.vcf file will be created.

How to import on a new phone:

• 📁 Transfer the contacts.vcf file to your new phone (via cable, Bluetooth or cloud).
• 📥 Open the "Contact" app» → Menus. → «Imports/Exports» → «File-based import».
• 🔍 Select the.vcf file and confirm the import.

⚠️ Note: If a file weighs more than 10MB, break it down using a computer (for example, through Outlook or online services like the one you use). VCF Splitter).

Check the available space on your phone (need ~1-5 MB)

Close all background applications

Make sure the file is saved (check through “Conductor”)

Copy the file to the cloud or flash drive for reliability-->

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Full control of data – the file can be edited on PC.
• ✅ All fields are saved (photos, addresses, groups).
• ✅ Suitable for mass transfer (thousands of contacts).

5. Transmission via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct – no cables

If you don’t have cable or internet, but you can turn on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, this method is a good alternative.It’s suitable for transferring between two Xiaomi phones or other Android devices.

Instructions for Bluetooth:

1. On your old phone, open Contacts → select the entries you want (or click “Select All”).
2. Click on “Share” → select “Bluetooth”.
3. Turn on Bluetooth on your new phone and make it visible to other devices.
4. On your old phone, select a new device from the list and confirm the transfer.
5. On the new phone, accept the file and import contacts.

For Wi-Fi Direct:

• 📶 Activate Wi-Fi Direct on both phones (Settings) → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct).
• 🔗 Connect devices to each other.
• 📤 Send a.vcf file (or contacts directly) via the Share menu».

⚠️ Note: When transferring via Bluetooth, contacts may be duplicated if the new phone already has some entries. After importing, check the list and delete the repeated entries through the "Connect Contacts" menu».

6. Problems in the transfer of contacts and their solutions

Even if you do the right thing, you can have a lot of trouble, and let's look at some of the most common mistakes and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Contacts are not synced to MI Cloud.

• 🔹 Check if synchronization is included in Settings → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud.
• 🔹 Make sure that there is enough free space on the phone (minimum 100 MB).
• 🔹 Restart your phone and try again.
• 🔹 If the account is new, wait for confirmation. email/SMS.

Problem 2: After importing, photos of contacts are missing.

• 🔹 Contact photos are stored separately. Try syncing them through Google Contacts (they support avatars).
• 🔹 If the photos were added through MIUI, Export contacts to.vcf with the option “Save photos” enabled».

Problem 3: Contacts are duplicated.

• 🔹 Open the "Contact" app» → Menus. → «Contact management» → «Connecting contacts».
• 🔹 Manually select duplicates and combine them.
• 🔹 If you have a lot of duplicates, use apps like Contacts Optimizer (available on Google Play).

Problem 4: Some contacts have not been moved.

• 🔹 Check if they have been saved to SIM-In your phone’s memory (not in the cloud).
• 🔹 Export contacts to.vcf and open the file to PC – records may be corrupted.
• 🔹 If the contacts were in WhatsApp or Telegram, they must be exported separately through the settings of messengers.

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If contacts are critical, always back up in two formats: MI Cloud and local VCF.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi