How to transfer contacts from SIM-card to Xiaomi phone memory: 4 working ways

Transfer of contacts with SIM-Xiaomi smartphone cards are a challenge that every user faces when buying a new device or changing operator. Despite the apparent simplicity, the process can cause difficulties, from the lack of visibility of contacts to mistakes in exporting to the company. MIUI. In this article, we will discuss all current methods of transfer (including hidden functions). MIUI 14/15), explain why some contacts may not be copied and show you how to avoid data loss when changing SIM.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO have their own MIUI shell, which sometimes hides standard Android options. For example, newer versions of the firmware have the Import/Export Contacts item hidden in the submenu, while older models (before MIUI 12) have a different algorithm. We tested all the methods on devices from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra — the instructions are universal for most of the brand’s gadgets.

Why you should move your SIM contacts to Xiaomi

Keeping contacts on SIM-Map - an outdated approach with several critical flaws:

• 🔄 Limited number of records: most SIM It supports no more than 250 contacts, while the memory of the phone is tens of thousands.
• 📱 Lack of synchronization: when you lose your phone or reset your settings, contacts on SIM They will remain, but they will have to be manually transferred to a new device.
• 🔍 There are no fields for additional information: SIM no birthdays, emails, addresses or profile photos are saved.
• ⚡ Slow access: Reading contacts with SIM It takes longer than internal memory, which slows down the phone book.

In MIUI, contacts transferred to the phone’s memory automatically integrate with Google or Mi Account services, allowing:

• ☁️ Sync data between devices (even if one of them is not Xiaomi).
• 🔄 Restore contacts after resetting to factory settings.
• 📊 Group records into categories (e.g., "Work", "Family").

⚠️ Note: If you use two of these SIM-Xiaomi cards, contacts can be duplicated when imported. Before transferring, check which records are already stored in the phone memory to avoid conflicts.

Method 1: Standard import through "Contacts" (MIUI 14/15)

The simplest method that works on all modern Xiaomi devices is suitable for models with MIUI 12 firmware and newer, including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T.

Instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Slip along three horizontal lines (☰) top-left → Select Contact Management.
3. Go to the Import/Export Contacts section.
4. Select Import with SIM-map.
5. Indicate. SIM-card (if there are two) and tick the necessary contacts (or click Select all).
6. Press Import and confirm the action.

By default, the contacts will be saved to your Google account (if it's connected) or your phone's local memory to change the location of the saved:

1. In the same Contact Management menu, select Settings.
2. Go to Save Contacts by Default.
3. Choose Phone (for local storage) or Google (for cloud sync).

Check that SIM-The card is inserted into slot 1 (main card)

Make sure there is enough free space on the SIM (if you plan to export back)

Turn off Do Not Disturb mode to avoid missing error notifications

Close all background applications to speed up the process

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Important: If contacts are not displayed after import, check the filter in the Contacts app (⚙️) in the upper right corner and make sure all sources are selected ("All contacts").

Method 2: Export via Settings (for older versions of MIUI)

On devices with MIUI 11 and below (e.g. Redmi 8, Xiaomi Mi A3), the import point may not be in the Contacts app.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Contacts → Import / Export Contacts.
2. Select Import with SIM-map.
3. Specify your target account for saving (phone or Google).
4. Confirm the import.

If the menu does not include the item "Import / Export", upgrade the firmware to the current version or use Method 3 (via the VCF file).

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware POCO (for example, POCO F3) Contact import is only available through Google Contacts.Install the app from Play Market if the standard method doesn't work.

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Method 3: Manual export via VCF file (for power users)

If standard methods fail (for example, due to a MIUI failure), you can export contacts to a.vcf file and then import it into the phone’s memory, which is universal and works even on custom firmware.

Steps:

1. Install the SIM Card Contacts app from the Play Market (if it’s not in your area, use Contacts+).
2. Open the app and give access to contacts.
3. Select Export on Export SD-map or keep in memory.
4. The contacts.vcf file will be saved in the Download or Documents folder.
5. Open the standard Contacts app → ☰ → Management → Imports/exports → File-based import.
6. Select the saved.vcf file and confirm the import.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 Works on any firmware, including custom (for example, LineageOS).
• 📄 Allows you to edit contacts in a.vcf file before importing (via notebook or Excel).
• ☁️ The file can be uploaded to the cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) for backup.

Method 4: Sync with Mi Account (for Xiaomi owners)

If you use a Mi Account, contacts can be synced directly through the Mi Cloud, which is suitable for backup and automatic transfer to a new Xiaomi device.

How to set up:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Make sure the contact switch is on.
3. Go back to Settings → About Phone → Backup.
4. Click Backup now and wait for the process to be completed.
5. Contacts are now available on Mi Cloud at i.mi.com (Contacts section).

To transfer SIM contacts to Mi Cloud:

1. First, import them into your phone’s memory (Method 1).
2. Enable sync with Mi Account (as described above).
3. Wait for the synchronization to be completed (check in Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization).

⚠️ Note: If you log out of Mi Account or reset your phone without turning off sync, contacts can be deleted from Xiaomi servers after 30 days.Before selling the device, turn off sync manually!

💡

To speed up sync with Mi Cloud, connect to Wi-Fi and open the Contacts app, which force you to update your data.

Frequent mistakes and their solution

When transferring contacts, Xiaomi users face typical problems, and consider the most common and ways to eliminate them:

If none of the methods worked:

• 🔧 Check if yours is supported. SIM-Contact storage card (some virtual operators, such as Tinkoff Mobile, do not provide this feature).
• 📶 Make sure that SIM-The card is inserted correctly into the slot (try restarting the phone).
• 🛠️ Reset the settings of the "Contact" application in Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Warehouse → Drop it.

💡

If the contacts on SIM are displayed as unreadable characters (Krakozyabr), the problem is encoding. Use SimCardUtils' SIM Card app, which supports correct Cyrillic reading.

How to Avoid Losing Contacts When Changing SIM

Transfer of contacts with SIM Xiaomi is only half the task, and it's important to keep them safe when they're replaced. SIM-Reset your phone or card. Follow these guidelines:

1. Sync with Google: Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google → Contacts and enable automatic sync. Contacts will now be available on any device after you log in to your account.
2. Create a local copy: Export contacts to a.vcf file (as in Method 3) and save it in a safe place (for example, to a flash drive or Google Drive).
3. Configure MIUI backup: In Settings → About Phone → Backup, including contacts. The file will be saved to MIUI/Backup/AllBackup.
4. Check duplicates: Before transferring to a new SIM, delete the repetitive entries via Settings → Google → Contacts → Combine the duplicates.

If you are planning to change the operator, but want to keep the old number:

• 📞 Order the service "Movement of the number" (MNP) The new operator will keep the contacts in the phone's memory.
• 🔄 After activating a new one SIM Transfer the contacts back to it (if necessary) via Export to SIM.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions