How to Move Data from Samsung to Xiaomi: A Complete 2026 Guide

The transition from Samsung Galaxy to Xiaomi Redmi/POCO is not just a smartphone change, but a migration of all digital life: contacts, photos, messages and even familiar settings, which many users fear because of the risk of data loss or long manual file transfer. In fact, transferring data between Android devices takes 10-30 minutes, if you know the proven methods.

In this article, we will discuss 5 official and reliable ways to transfer information, from automatic tools Mi Mover and Samsung Smart Switch to manual methods via Google Drive or USB-OTG. Particular attention will be paid to the hidden nuances: why some files are not copied, how to circumvent the limitations of MIUI, and what to do if the transfer is interrupted. All instructions are relevant for models 2020-2026, including the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ and POCO F5.

⚠️ Important: Before starting the port, check that Xiaomi has the latest version MIUI (not lower than 14). On older firmware, Mi Mover may not recognize Samsung Android devices 13/14.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app designed to migrate data from other Android devices, and it supports transferring contacts, SMS, photos, videos, audio, documents, and even some settings, with the main advantage of not requiring a computer or cloud.

How it works:

• 📱 Install Mi Mover on both phones: on Samsung – from Google Play, on Xiaomi – the application is preinstalled (find through the search by settings).
• 🔗 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on Xiaomi).
• 📤 On Samsung, select the role of "Sender" (Sender), on Xiaomi - "Receiver" (Receiver).
• 🔍 Scan the QR- code from the Xiaomi screen with a Samsung camera for connection.

⚠️ Warning: Mi Mover does not transfer apps and their data (for example, save in games or chats in Telegram).

Charge of both phones > 50% | Disable VPN on both devices |Free 10-15 GB of memory on Xiaomi | Sign out of your Mi Account on old Xiaomi (if you had one)

-->

If the Mi Mover doesn’t see Samsung, try:

1. Reboot both phones.
2. Enable Developer Mode on Samsung and activate Debugging over USB (path: Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number (7 taps) → Developer Settings).
3. Use Mobile Hotspot instead of home Wi-Fi (sometimes routers block P2P- connections).

2.Alternative: Samsung Smart Switch

Samsung Smart Switch is a mirror tool from the Korean brand, which also knows how to transfer data to devices from other manufacturers. Unlike the Mi Mover, it supports the portability of applications (but not their data), as well as notes Samsung Notes and calendar.

Step-by-step:

• 📥 Download Smart Switch to Xiaomi from Google Play (official app, no risks).
• 🔌 Connect phones with USB-C → USB-C cable (or via adapter if ports are different).
• 📲 On Samsung, select Send Data, on Xiaomi, select Get Data.
• ✅ Confirm the transfer and wait until it is completed (may take up to 1 hour with a large amount of data).

🔹 Pros of the method: transfers APK- application files (they do not need to be downloaded again).

🔹 Cons: Not all apps will run on MIUI due to differences in firmware (e.g. Samsung branded services like Samsung Health).

3. Cloud Transfer via Google Account

If you don't need apps, just contacts, calendars, photos and documents, the most reliable way to sync is through Google Account, which works even if the phones are physically far apart.

How to synchronize data:

1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Manage your Google Account.
2. Enable sync for all the right categories (especially Contacts, Google Photos, Google Drive).
3. On Xiaomi, add the same Google Account and wait for the sync to complete (it can take up to a day for large photo libraries).

⚠️ Warning: Google Photos compresses images when downloaded free of charge (High quality) to transfer photos in their original resolution:

• Use Google One with a paid rate (from 100 GB for 139 ₽/month).
• Or upload a photo via Google Drive (Photos folder is not compressed).

💡

Before syncing, check that Xiaomi has enabled the “Application Auto-Restore” option in Settings → Google → Managing Google Account → Synchronization. This will speed up the installation of previously used programs.

4. Transfer via OTG cable and computer

If you have a USB- cable and a computer, you can manually transfer files – this is the most reliable method for large amounts of data (for example, videos in 4K or archives with documents).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Samsung to your PC via USB and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the desired folders (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, WhatsApp/Media for media from instant messengers) to your computer.
3. Connect Xiaomi and paste files into the appropriate folders (for example, photos in Pictures, music in Music).

📌 Important folders for transfer:

Critical detail: If you transfer files to Xiaomi from a memory card, format it in FAT32 (not exFAT), otherwise some applications (such as Gallery) will not see media.

5. Transfer of applications and their data

The hardest part of migrating is migrating installed apps and their data (e.g. saving in games, settings in Spotify or history in Chrome).

Method 1: Backup via Google Drive (for supported applications)

• 📱 On Samsung, go to Settings → Google → Backup and enable App Data Backup.
• 🔄 On Xiaomi, when you first launch an application (for example, Telegram or Viber), the system will offer to restore data from the backup.

Method 2: Manual copying of application folders

Some applications store data in folders on the device, such as:

• 🎮 Game savers: /Android/data/ [game name] or /Android/obb/ [game name].
• 📖 Notes and documents: /Documents or folders of specific applications (e.g., /Xodo Docs).

Copy these folders on Xiaomi into the same directories. Importantly, the path must match exactly, otherwise the app won't see the files.

Method 3: Backup applications (Titanium Backup, Swift Backup)

These tools require root rights, but allow you to save all application data, including settings and cache.

1. Install Titanium Backup on Samsung and create a full backup.
2. Transfer the backup file to Xiaomi (via cable or cloud).
3. Install Titanium Backup on Xiaomi and recover the data.

⚠️ Warning: On MIUI some system applications (e.g. Theme or Security) may block data recovery from backups. In this case, temporarily disable Privacy Protection in the security settings.

Mi Mover by Xiaomi|Samsung Smart Switch|Google Account|Manual transfer via PC|Other way-->

6. Transfer of specific data (WhatsApp, Telegram, passwords)

Some of the data require a different approach, and let's look at the most common cases.

📱 WhatsApp (chat and media)

• 🔄 Make a backup chat on Samsung: WhatsApp Settings → Chat → Backup.
• 📁 Copy the /WhatsApp folder (including Databases) on Xiaomi.
• 📱 Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi, confirm the number and wait for the suggestion to restore the chats.

⚠️ If the backup is not recovering, check that:

• The phone number is the same as the one on Samsung.
• The backup file (msgstore.db.crypt14) is located in /WhatsApp/Databases.
• Xiaomi has enough memory to recover.

🔐 Passwords and logins (Google Smart Lock, password managers)

If you have used Google Smart Lock:

• 🔑 Make sure that Xiaomi has enabled password synchronization in Settings → Google → Managing Google Account → Security → Passwords.
• 📱 When you first log in to an app (like Chrome or Gmail), your passwords will be automatically pulled.

For third-party managers (e.g. 1Password or KeePass):

• 📤 Export the password database to Samsung into a file (usually.kdbx or.csv).
• 📥 Transfer the file to Xiaomi and import it to the same manager.

💬 Telegram (chats and media)

Telegram syncs chats through the cloud, but media files (photos, videos, documents) are stored locally to transfer them:

1. On Samsung, go to Telegram Settings → Data and Memory → Telegram folder.
2. Copy the /Telegram folder on Xiaomi in the same location.
3. In Telegram on Xiaomi, click Settings → Data and memory → Telegram folder → Change → Select a folder and specify the copied directory.

7.Setup Xiaomi after data transfer

After the data transfer, it is recommended to follow several steps to make Xiaomi work optimally:

⚙️ System optimization:

• 🧹 Clear the cache: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Clear the cache (select "All").
• 🔋 Turn off unnecessary background processes: Settings → Battery → Power Saving Mode → Select applications.
• 📶 Set up a mobile network: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Network type (select 4G/5G depending on support).

🔒 Security and privacy:

• 🔐 Set up Application Blocking in Settings → Password and Security → Application Blocking.
• 🕵️ Check application permissions: Settings → Privacy → Application permissions.
• 🛡️ Enable Virus Protection in Settings → Security.

🎨 Personalization:

• 🖼️ Set wallpaper and themes through Themes (Settings → Screen → Wallpaper).
• 🔔 Set up notifications: Settings → Notifications → Notification management.
• 🎵 Import your alarm and call melodies to /Ringtones and /Alarms.

💡

After transferring the data, be sure to check the key functions: calls, SMS, mobile Internet and GPS. APN settings (access points) are sometimes confused on MIUI, which does not work 4G/5G.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Samsung’s move to Xiaomi