How to Move Data from One Xiaomi to Another: A Complete Guide to 2026

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but the process of data transfer often turns into a headache. MIUI, Users are facing problems: they lose their app settings, don't transfer messages from Telegram, and photos are duplicated in the gallery. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of migration, from the official Mi Mover to manual copying via PC, taking into account the peculiarities of the features of the migration. MIUI 14/15 new models Redmi/POCO.

It's important to understand that the transfer method depends on the amount of data and the firmware versions. For example, on devices with MIUI 15 and Android 14, automatic tools work 30% faster, but can ignore files from protected folders. We tested each method on pairs Xiaomi 13 Pro → Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Redmi Note 12 → POCO F6 to give accurate recommendations. If you are afraid of losing data, read the backup section before you start the process.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (without PC)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s standard wireless porting solution, built into firmware and supports contact, message, photo, video, music, and even some app settings. But there’s a nuance: Android 13+ devices require file permissions, and data transfer is limited to 50GB per session.

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

• 📱 On an old smartphone: open Settings → The phone. → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
• 🆕 On a new smartphone: choose a similar path or find an option when you first turn on (welcome screens).
• 🔗 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on an old phone).
• 📲 On the old phone, click "I'm the sender," on the new phone, "I'm the receiver." Scan. QR-code.

Charge both phones at least to the 50%|Connect to a stable Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz)|Release. 10-15% memory on the new device|Shut down. VPN firewalls|Close background annexes-->

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of data, and the critical point is that if you stop connecting, you have to start over. Our tests showed that the Mi Mover is the best at transferring contacts, SMS and photos, but often misses:

• 🎵 Playlists from Mi Music or Spotify (files only, no metadata).
• 📁 Files from folders DCIM/.thumbnails (gallery-piece).
• 🔑 Passwords from Mi Browser or Google Chrome (Separate synchronization required).

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If the Mi Mover is stuck in preparation, restart both phones and repeat the procedure. Most often the problem with the conflict of MIUI versions is to update the firmware on both devices to the latest stable version.

2.Move over Xiaomi Cloud (cloud)

Xiaomi Cloud allows you to sync data between devices, but has strict restrictions. a free account gives only 5 GB of space, and to transfer applications and their data requires a premium subscription (20 GB for 299). ₽/But this method is reliable: data is stored on Xiaomi servers and does not depend on the speed of your Wi-Fi.

How to move data through the cloud:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Xiaomi Cloud → turn on sync for the desired categories (contacts, notes, gallery, etc.).
2. Wait for the download to complete (check in Settings → Xiaomi Cloud → Storage Management).
3. On a new phone: Sign in to the same Xiaomi account and enable sync of the same categories.

Important: If you used Google Photos for backup, disable autoloading in Xiaomi Cloud to avoid duplication, and note that encrypted folders (such as in the Gallery) are not synced – they will have to be manually transferred.

Mi Mover (wireless)|Xiaomi Cloud (cloud)|Manual transfer via PC|Google Account|Another way-->

3. Transfer through Google Account (universal method)

If you don’t want to depend on the Xiaomi ecosystem, use Google Account, which works on any Android device and portable:

• 📇 Contacts (from Google Contacts).
• 📅 Calendars and reminders.
• 📧 Posts and Notes from Google Keep.
• 📸 Photo/video (if sync is enabled in Google Photos).
• 🎮 Data from some games (via Google Play Games).

Instructions:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Google → Backup → Enable Backup.
2. Click on “Create a backup now” and wait until it is completed.
3. On a new phone: When you first turn on, select “Recover Data” and log in to the same Google Account.

⚠️ Note: Google Backup does not save SMS/MMS, Calls and Wi-Fi settings. Use separate applications for this data, such as SMS Backup & Restore.

The advantage of the method is that the data is available on any Android device, not just Xiaomi.Disadvantage – Google Photos compresses media files if you use a free tariff ("High quality" instead of "Original").

4. Manual transfer via PC (for large volumes)

If you have 100+GB of data or need to migrate specific files (like projects from CapCut or save games), the best option is to copy through a computer.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS.
• 🔌 Cables. USB Type-C (better original from Xiaomi).
• 📂 Enough hard disk space (recommended 20% of the data volume).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the old Xiaomi to your PC and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy folders: Internal Storage/DCIM # Photo and video Internal Storage/Download # Internal Storage/MIUI Downloads # Internal Storage/Android/data Topics and Wallpaper # Application Data (root rights required)
3. Disable the old phone, plug in a new one, and paste the copied files into the same folders.
4. For contacts and SMS, use export in.vcf and.xml format (Contacts and Messages applications → Settings → Export).

⚠️ Attention: Folder Android/data It contains critical application data (e.g. game saves or Telegram cache) and without root rights, you will only see a portion of the files. ADB or TWRP.

5. Transfer by Third-Party Applications

If standard methods don't work, use specialized utilities. We tested 5 popular applications and selected the best ones:

We choose Send Anywhere for media files and Clone Phone for full migration, but be careful: some apps (such as SHAREit) contain ads and can collect data. → Annexes.

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The application side is convenient for selective porting, but does not replace full backup. Always check the integrity of the data after transfer!

6. Transfer for Advanced: ADB and TWRP

If you're ready to dive into the technical details, the methods using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and TWRP (Castom Recovery) give you maximum control.

• 🔧 Transfer all application data (including system data).
• 📦 Create complete image of the section /data.
• 🔑 Bypassing restrictions MIUI file-access.

Instructions for ADB Backup:

1. Enable USB Debugging on both phones (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times Press → Additional Settings → Developer).
2. Connect your old phone to your PC and execute the command: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab (leave the password empty if you don't need encryption).
3. Connect your new phone and recover data: adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Attention: ADB Backup does not port data to some system applications (such as Mi Fit or Mi Home) and requires separate backups via Titanium Backup (root required).

For TWRP:

• Install TWRP on both devices (see XDA Developers for instructions for your model).
• Create a backup of the /data partition on your old phone.
• Transfer the backup file to the new phone and restore it via TWRP.

These methods are suitable for enthusiasts, but are fraught with risks: the wrong ADB commands can reset the phone, and errors in TWRP can lead to a brick (device failure).

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when following the instructions, users encounter errors, and we have compiled the TOP-5 problems and solutions:

If none of these methods worked, try a combination approach:

1. Move your contacts and SMS through your Google Account.
2. Copy photos/videos via PC.
3. Install apps manually from Google Play.
4. Use Mi Mover only for system settings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions