How to transfer contacts from Xiaomi phone to your computer: the full guide

Changing your smartphone or simply wanting to protect yourself from losing important data are situations where users are faced with the question of creating a reliable backup. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face the need to transfer the contact list to their computer in order to have a physical copy or prepare to move to another platform. Modern synchronization methods allow you to do this in a few clicks without requiring deep knowledge in IT.

There are several proven ways to save a phone book, each with its own benefits depending on your goals, and you can use cloud services like Google Contacts or Mi Cloud that automatically update data in the background. The alternative is to use classical methods through SIM-card or specialized software for managing files on a PC.

In this article, we will take a look at all the current options so you can choose the most convenient for you. We will look at both the standard tools of the MIUI and HyperOS operating system, and third-party solutions. Whether you need to save one number or thousands of records, the instructions offered will help you avoid losing information.

Use Google Contacts for Synchronization

The most common and reliable way to save numbers is by associating them with a Google account. By default, most Xiaomi smartphones offer to save new entries in this profile, which provides instant synchronization with the company's cloud storage. If your numbers are already in the phone's memory, they are easy to transfer to the Google cloud, from where you can then upload to your computer.

To start, make sure your device is syncing contacts. Go to settings, select Accounts and Sync, and click on your Google account. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active. After that, the system automatically uploads all the data to Google servers, and you can access it from any device that has access to the Internet.

To upload data to your computer, go to the official Google Contacts website via your browser on your PC. On the left side of the screen, find the menu button (three horizontal lines) or the settings gear icon. In the menu that opens, select the option "Export". The system will suggest you choose the file format: for most tasks, including transferring to Outlook or other phone books, the optimal choice will be the format of Google CSV or standard vCard.

After selecting the format and contact group (usually "All Contacts"), click the "Export" button. The browser downloads a file that will contain all your saved numbers. This file can be stored on your hard drive, forwarded by mail or used to restore data on a new device.

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Using a Google account is the “gold standard” for Android users, providing automatic backups without user involvement.

Exporting through Mi Cloud

Xiaomi smartphone owners have access to their own cloud storage Mi Cloud, which is deeply integrated into the shell MIUI. This method is convenient because it does not require access to the Google web interface, and all settings are made directly inside the phone system. Mi Cloud allows you not only to save contacts, but also synchronize messages, notes and photos.

To activate the save, open the Security app or go to your phone's settings, find the "Mi Account" section. Log in if you haven't done this before, and go to the Cloud menu. Here you need to turn on the Contact Sync slider. Once you're enabled, the system will suggest combining local contacts with the cloud -- accept this action.

To retrieve data to your computer, go to i.mi.com via any browser. Log in to your Mi Account using the same data as your phone. In the cloud interface, select Contacts. Here you will see a full list of your numbers. To export, click on the menu icon (usually three dots or a gear in the upper right corner) and select Export Contacts.

• 📱 Saving format: Mi Cloud allows you to upload data in vCard format, which is a universal standard.
• ☁️ Automation: Once set up, the phone will update its cloud copy every time you connect to Wi-Fi.
• 🔄 Recovery: When buying a new Xiaomi, it is enough to simply log in to your account and all numbers will return automatically.

It is important to note that free space in the Mi Cloud is limited (usually 5GB), but there is more than enough space to store thousands of contacts of this volume. Text data takes up minimal space, so you don't have to worry about overflowing storage because of the phone book.

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If you have two Xiaomi phones, enable sync on both devices under the same account, allowing you to instantly transfer new numbers between devices without using Bluetooth or cables.

Creating a local copy through the Contacts app

The Android operating system installed on Xiaomi smartphones has a built-in function of exporting contacts to a file without the need to use the Internet. This method is ideal for those who prefer to store data locally on a computer or flash drive, not trusting cloud services.

Open the standard Contacts app on your smartphone. In the upper right corner, click on the three dots (menu) and select Settings or Import/Export Contacts. In the menu that opens, find Export to Storage or Export to File.vcf. The system will suggest selecting an account from which contacts you need to save if there are more than one.

Once confirmed, the system will create a file (usually called contacts.vcf or has a current date in its title) and store it in the phone's internal memory. USB-cable by connecting the phone in the "File Transfer" mode, or through any messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), sending the file to itself.

On a computer, you can open a file with standard Windows tools (People or Contacts) or import it into an email client, and the advantage of this method is that it's autonomous: you don't need Internet on your phone or computer when you back up.

Transfer of contacts through SIM-map

Although this method is considered obsolete due to the limitations on the number of characters in the contact name and the lack of support for additional fields (addresses, social networks), it remains a universal lifeline". SIM-The card allows you to transfer the basic list of numbers even from the broken screen of the phone to another device, and then to the computer through the card reader.

First, you need to copy the data from the phone memory to SIM-Go to the Contacts app, open the settings and select Import/Export Contacts. Click Export on SIM-The system will warn that some data may be lost (e.g. long names or second numbers) and ask for confirmation of the action.

After the copying is completed, remove SIM-If your computer has a built-in slot for SIM, Plug the map in there. In Windows, open Start, type Contact, and launch the app. In the import menu, select the source"SIM-If there is no slot, use it. USB-cardreader SIM-Cards (they are sold in any electronics store).

⚠️ Attention: SIM-The card has limited memory and often crops long contact names before the end of the map. 10-12 Use this method only as a temporary solution or to create an emergency copy of the basic numbers.

It's a great way to do this because it's simple and independent of operating systems, and even if you don't have a smartphone, you just have a button phone and a computer, you can save numbers using the same number. SIM-card.

Use of third-party software and programs for PC

For users who need advanced functionality, there are specialized programs to manage Android devices on the computer, utilities such as Phone Copy, MyPhoneExplorer or official tools from manufacturers (for example, Mi PC Suite, although support for older versions is discontinued), allow you to manage contacts in the form of a convenient table.

Consider the process of universal managers. Once you install the program on your PC and connect your phone over USB (you need to turn on the debugging mode over USB in the "Developers" section), the program counts all the data. The interface is usually divided into categories: Messages, Contacts, Applications.

In the Contacts section, you can select all the entries (usually by a combination of Ctrl+A keys) and select Export or Save. The programs allow you to save data not only in vCard format, but also in text files.txt,.csv (for Excel) or even send them immediately by email.

Third-party software is especially important for enterprise users who need to regularly upload reports on the client base in Excel. CSV format, supported by most of these programs, allows you to easily sort and edit data in tabular editors.

Solving problems in transfer

Users may encounter various technical difficulties in synchronizing or exporting, such as duplicate contacts if the same number is stored in Google, in phone memory, and in Mi Cloud. To solve this problem, Google Contacts on PC has a “Combine and Correct” feature that automatically finds duplicates and combines them.

Another common problem is encoding when you open a CSV file in Excel. If you see "crazy cherry" instead of Russian letters, this means that you need to open the file through the Data → From Text menu, choosing the encoding of UTF-8 or Windows-1251. This is not a phone error, but a feature of the spreadsheet editor with different encodings.

⚠️ Note: When exporting to vCard, make sure you save the file to a folder that is available for other applications. Some antiviruses may block access to contacts by software managers, considering this an attempt to steal data.

If sync is stalled, try clearing the cache of Google Play and Contacts in your phone settings, often helping to resume the interrupted process of sharing data with the server.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)