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 saving important data. Contacts accumulated over the years are not just phone numbers, but connections with loved ones, colleagues and partners. Losing them due to improper transfer means spending hours recovering or, worse, losing valuable connections forever.

Fortunately, Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers several reliable ways to migrate contacts, from cloud services to manual methods. In this article, we will examine all the current ways in 2026, including the nuances for different models (from Redmi Note to Xiaomi 14 Ultra), and also warn against typical errors that can lead to data loss. Whether you change the Mi 11 to Xiaomi 13T or transfer contacts from POCO F5 to Redmi A2, here you will find a working solution.

1. Transfer contacts via Mi Account (the fastest way)

Sync through the Mi Account is a proprietary solution from Xiaomi that works on all devices of the brand (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark).The main advantage of the method is the automatic update of contacts on all attached gadgets, including tablets and smart watches Mi Band.

How it works:

• 🔄 Contacts are synchronized with the Xiaomi cloud in the background (when the Internet is turned on).
• 📱 Available even on a locked phone (if the "Find the device" option is enabled").
• 🔒 Data is encrypted but stored on servers in China – keep this in mind if you are working with sensitive information.

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Make sure the switch opposite Contact is active (green). If not, turn on sync.
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account when you first turn on or through settings.
4. Wait for automatic synchronization (can take up to 5 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: If your old phone has mobile internet or Wi-Fi turned off, your contacts will not sync!

Connect both phones to Wi-Fi|Check the free space in the cloud (minimum 1 MB)|Enable contact synchronization on the old device|Make sure the new phone has the same Mi Account-->

2. Use of Google Account (universal method)

If you prefer not to depend on the Xiaomi ecosystem, Google Contacts is the perfect solution, which works not only between Xiaomi phones, but also when you switch to Samsung, iPhone or other brands, and the main advantage is that data is stored on Google servers, which guarantees its safety even if you lose your phone.

How to transfer contacts via Google:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and activate Contact Sync.
3. On the new phone, add the same Google Account and enable sync.
4. Open the Contacts app and wait for the data to load (the application may need to restart).

Advantages of the method:

• ☁️ Access contacts from any device via contacts.google.com.
• 🔄 Automatic backup (if enabled in Google settings).
• 📲 It works even on phones without Google services (via the web version).

Mi Account|Google Account|Bluetooth/SIM-map|Local backup|Other-->

3. Bluetooth Transfer (if there is no internet)

Bluetooth is suitable for emergencies where there is no Wi-Fi or mobile network at hand, such as when you are camping or in a place with poor coverage, but there are significant limitations to this method:

Bluetooth transmits contacts in vCard (.vcf) format, which may not display correctly on some Xiaomi models (especially on older MIUI firmware 10 and below).

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open the Contacts app.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Imports/Exports → Send.
3. Select contacts (or click “Secret All”) and confirm the sending via Bluetooth.
4. On the new phone, accept the file and save the contacts to the device memory.

⚠️ Note: When transmitting a large number of contacts (500+) Bluetooth can hang. Break the list into pieces. 100-150 contact.

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If Bluetooth refuses to transfer contacts, try exporting them to a.vcf file on your old phone first, and then sending that file via Bluetooth as a regular document.

4. Copying of contacts on SIM-map (for older models)

Transfer of contacts through SIM-The card is a “grandfather” method that is still relevant for owners of Xiaomi Redmi. 4A, Mi A1 It's not a big deal, but it's got some critical flaws:

• 📵 SIM-The card stores only phone numbers and names (without email, addresses, photos).
• 🔢 Limitation on the number of contacts (usually) 200-250).
• 📱 Does not work on eSIM phones (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra).

How to transfer contacts via SIM:

1. On old phone: Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Export to SIM-card.
2. Select contacts and confirm the copy.
3. Move it. SIM-card.
4. On the new phone: Contacts → Settings → Import with SIM-map.

5. Local backup via MIUI (for power users)

If you don’t trust cloud services or have custom firmware (such as Xiaomi.eu or PixelExperience), local backup is the most reliable option. SD-The card can then be transferred to a new phone.

Instructions for creating a backup:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select Contacts and click Backup.
3. The backup file will be saved in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder.
4. Copy this file to a new phone (via USB, Bluetooth, or cloud).
5. On the new phone, restore data through the same settings section.

The advantages of local backup:

• 💾 All contact data (including notes and photos) is stored).
• 🔒 Backup file can be encrypted with a password.
• 📱 It works even without the internet.

⚠️ Attention: Backup files from MIUI 12 and later are not compatible with older versions (e.g, MIUI Before restoring, check the firmware version on your new phone!

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Local backup is the only way to transfer contacts from the phone to custom firmware, where Google and Xiaomi services are disabled.

6. Transfer through third-party applications (alternative options)

If standard methods don’t work (for example, due to a MIUI failure or lack of access to accounts), you can use third-party apps.

How to transfer contacts through Shareit:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On the old phone, select Send. → Contacts.
3. On the new phone, click Receive and connect to the access point of the old device.
4. Confirm the transmission and wait for completion.

Important: When using third-party apps, turn off battery optimization for them in the MIUI settings (Settings → Applications → Permissions → Auto Run), otherwise the transfer may be interrupted.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

• 🔴 Contacts are not synced with Mi Account: Check if sync is enabled in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account → Sync. Update the Contacts app on Google Play. Reboot your phone - sometimes resetting the Contacts app cache helps.
• 🔴 Bluetooth does not transmit contacts: Make sure both phones are on visibility mode. Try turning off power saving mode (Settings) → Battery → Power saving mode: If contacts are not displayed after transmission, import the.vcf file manually through Contacts → Imports.
• 🔴 Contacts are duplicated after transfer: Use the merge function in Contacts → Settings → Combine duplicates. Before transferring, export contacts to a file and check it for duplicates (open in Excel).

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If your contacts are missing after the transfer, check if the sync of media files is enabled in Google Photos or Mi Cloud. Often, the images are stored separately from the phone numbers.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions