How to transfer all data from Samsung to Xiaomi: Contacts, photos, messages and apps

The transition from Samsung Galaxy to Xiaomi is not just a smartphone change, but a full migration of digital life. Even if you bought a top model like Xiaomi 14 Ultra or a budget Redmi Note 13, the main question remains the same: how to transfer all data without loss? Contacts, photos, correspondence in messengers, notes, passwords from accounts – all this needs to be moved from the old Galaxy S23, A54 or Fold5 to a new device.

Fortunately, Xiaomi has built-in migration tools, but they don’t always work perfectly with Samsung devices. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can go from the official Mi Mover app to manually transferring over clouds and cable. You’ll learn how to avoid common mistakes (such as why some WhatsApp messages might not be portable when using Google Drive), what data is best to transfer manually, and what to do if smartphones don’t “see” each other over Wi-Fi Direct.

Important: the procedure differs depending on the version of MIUI (on Xiaomi) and One UI (on Samsung).We have taken into account the current updates for 2026, so the instructions will fit even the latest models. If you move from Galaxy to POCO or Black Shark, the principles are the same.

1. Preparation of telephones for data transfer

Before you start migrating, make sure both smartphones are ready for the procedure, neglecting this stage is the main cause of failures when data is not fully transferred or the process will freeze.

On Samsung:

• 🔋 Battery charge of at least 50% (when transferring over Wi-Fi Direct, energy consumption is high).
• 📶 Turn off the energy saving mode in Settings → Maintenance of the device → Battery.
• 🔒 Make sure there is no lock on the phone. OEM (If you have previously unlocked the bootloader, check the settings → The phone. → Software information → Build Number (7 times tap, then go back to Developer Settings).
• 📁 Free up at least 1-2 GB of memory – temporary migration files take up a lot of space.

On Xiaomi:

• 🆕 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔄 Install the Mi Mover app (if it's not the default one) and in some regions it's called Data Transfer.
• 🚫 Turn off optimization. MIUI In Settings → Special facilities → Optimization MIUI — It'll speed up the process.
• 📡 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (if you plan to move over the cloud).

Critical recommendation: If Samsung has enabled device encryption (checks in Settings → Biometrics & Security → Encryption), it’s best to disable it before transferring.Otherwise, Mi Mover may not see some files, especially media.

⚠️ Note: If you use a Samsung Knox corporate account (for example, on a work phone), data from it cannot be transferred to Xiaomi by standard methods. IT-department.

2.Official method: Mi Mover app

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary tool for migrating data from other Android devices, and it supports transferring contacts, messages (SMS/MMS), photos, videos, music, calendars, and even some settings.

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, open Mi Mover (or Data Transfer).
2. Select I get the data → Android.
3. On Samsung, install Mi Mover from Google Play (if not) and select I send data.
4. On both phones, tap on and wait for the appearance. QR-Xiaomi code.
5. Scan the QR from Samsung or connect via Wi-Fi Direct (if the QR doesn’t work).
6. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data:

Challenges and solutions:

• 🔄 Mi Mover doesn't see Samsung: check that both phones have Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth enabled.
• ❌ Error "Cannot connect": turn off VPN And it's antivirus on Samsung, and sometimes it helps to change Wi-Fi.
• ⚠️ No messages are transferred: if you have one UI 5.0+, Try exporting first. SMS file via Settings → Cloud and accounts → Backup and restoration → Message archives.

Charge both phones |Disable power saving |Install Mi Mover on Samsung |Connect to one Wi-Fi network |Free 2+ GB of memory-->

⚠️ Note: If Samsung has root or custom firmware installed, Mi Mover may not work smoothly, in which case use alternative methods (see sections 3-5).

3. Cable Transfer (USB OTG)

The most reliable, but not always the fastest way is to use a cable. USB-C → USB-C (or USB OTG-Adapter if ports are different: This method is suitable for large data volumes (from 20 GB) and guarantees minimal losses.

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable USB-C → USB-C (length of at least 0.5 m).
• 📱 adapter USB OTG (If you are on a microUSB phone).
• 💾 Xiaomi should have 10-15% more space than Samsung’s data.

Instructions:

1. Connect your phones with a cable. On Xiaomi, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On Samsung, tap Android System in the notification curtain: click for other USB settings → File Transfer.
3. On Xiaomi, open Explorer (or Files) and find the Internal Storage folder of a connected Samsung.
4. Copy the right folders: DCIM — Photos and videos. Download. WhatsApp/Media — messenger. Android/data — Data from some applications (not all!).

.vcf

.xml

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Maximum speed (up to 40 MB/s with USB 3.0).
• 🔒 No loss of quality (photos and videos are copied in original resolution).
• 📁 You can selectively transfer only the necessary folders.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ No transfers to app settings and game saves.
• ⚠️ Manual export of contacts is required, SMS note-book.
• 🔌 You need to buy a cable/adapter if you don’t have one.

💡

If you're 99 percent dead when you copy files, don't turn off the cable. Wait 5-10 minutes, the system can record metadata.

4. Transfer of contacts, SMS and notes

These types of data require special attention, because they can't just be copied through a conductor. They have special formats and tools for them.

Contact:

• 📇 Method 1 (recommended): Sync your contacts with Google Account on Samsung, then log in to the same account on Xiaomi.
• 📄 Method 2: Export contacts to.vcf: Open Contacts on Samsung. ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/exports → Export.Select device memory and save file.Transfer.vcf to Xiaomi and import through Contacts.

SMS and MMS:

• 💬 Method 1 (one UI 4.0+): Use built-in backup: Go to Settings → Cloud and accounts → Backup and restore. Select Messages and create an archive. The file will be saved to Internal. Storage/Samsung/Backup. Move it to Xiaomi and restore it via Mi Mover.

Method 2 (universal)

SMS Backup & Restore

.xml

Xiaomi

Notes (Samsung Notes):

• 📝 Export notes to.snb or.pdf via the Samsung Notes app menu → ⋮ → Exports.
• 🔄 On Xiaomi, use Xiaomi Notes or Google Keep to import.

5. Transfer of photos, videos and music

Multimedia files take up the lion's share of memory, so porting them requires a special approach, and it's important to preserve the original quality and structure of the folders.

The best ways to do this are:

• 📁 Through cable (see section) 3): The fastest and most reliable method for large volumes (for example, if you have a large 50+ GB photo in DCIM/Camera).
• ☁️ Google Photos: On Samsung, enable autoload in Google Photos (settings) → Backup and sync. Wait for the download to be completed (check in Photos) → Library → Devices. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and wait for sync. ⚠️ Attention: Google Photos compresses photos if you have High Quality enabled (free of charge). For original resolution, select Source Quality (paid after 15GB).
• 🎵 Music: If you have files in Music or Download, transfer them via cable. For streaming services (Spotify, Y.Music) just log in to your Xiaomi account.
• 🎮 Games and saves: Use cloud saves (if the game supports, for example, Google Play Games or Facebook). For games without the cloud (for example, Genshin Impact) copy the folder Android/obb and Android/data/[title of the game via cable.
• 🔄 APK-files: use APK Extractor (from Google Play) to extract.apk from Samsung, then install them on Xiaomi.

Wi-Fi settings:

• 📶 On Samsung go to Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi, tap the net. → Share (will appear) QR-code).
• 📱 Scan it. QR With Xiaomi through Settings → Wi-Fi → Add a network → Scanner. QR.

Other data:

• 📅 Calendar: sync with Google Calendar.
• 📍 Browser bookmarks: For Samsung Internet: export through ⋮ → Settings → Data and personalization → Export bookmarks. For Chrome: sign in to your Google account on Xiaomi – bookmarks will automatically pull up.

8. Check and final settings on Xiaomi

Once the data is transferred, you need to check its integrity and set up Xiaomi for a comfortable experience, a step that is often missed, but it is important to avoid losses.

What to check:

• 📞 Contacts: Open Contacts and make sure all numbers are in place. check groups and favorites.
• 📷 Photos and Videos: Open the Gallery and make sure all files are displayed (especially in WhatsApp and WhatsApp folders). DCIM).
• 💬 Posts: Open Messages and Check History SMS/MMS.
• 🎮 Applications: Run key programs (messengers, games, banking applications) and make sure the data is tightened.

The final settings on Xiaomi:

• 🔊 Set up sound and vibration in Settings → Sound and vibration (on Xiaomi, there may be a quiet mode by default).
• 🔋 Optimize the battery for new applications in Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery.
• 📡 Set up a mobile internet (APN) In Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Access points (APN). Take the parameters on the website of your operator.
• 🌙 Activate a dark theme (if you’re used to it on Samsung) in Settings → Display. → Dark subject.

What to do if the data is not transferred?

• 🔄 Repeat the transfer by another method (for example, if Mi Mover failed, try the cable).
• 📧 Check the folder. MIUI/Backup/AllBackup Xiaomi – sometimes data is saved there, but not automatically restored.
• 🛠️ For critical data (such as photos), use backup on your PC before re-transferring.

💡

After transferring the data, make a cache reset to Xiaomi via Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Resetting all settings. This will eliminate any conflicts between old and new files.

FAQ: Frequent questions