How to transfer all information from one Xiaomi phone to another: 5 proven ways

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting moment, even if you upgraded the model in the same lineup (for example, with the Redmi Note 12 on the Note 13 Pro).+), The process of data transfer can seem complicated, especially when it comes to not only photos, but also messaging, call histories, app settings, and even game data. Many users are wasting hours manually transferring files, unaware that Xiaomi offers built-in tools to automatically transfer everything and at once.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to migrate data between Xiaomi devices, including official methods (Mi Mover, Mi Cloud) and alternative solutions (via Google Account or cable). OTG). We will focus on transferring data from applications that are not automatically synced, such as Viber, Telegram or locally saved games, and learn how to avoid common mistakes that cause users to lose some information when moving to a new gadget.

If you've tried porting data and you've had problems -- for example, Mi Mover is 99 percent hanging or doesn't see a new phone -- there's a section in this article that addresses these issues, and for those who want to save time, we've prepared step-by-step checklists for each method.

1.Official method: transfer via Mi Mover (without data loss)

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi, which was developed specifically for the migration of data between the devices of the brand. It is preinstalled on all modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO, It allows you to migrate almost everything from contacts to Wi-Fi settings, and the main advantage is to keep the folder structure and metadata (for example, the date of the photo creation).

It's a point-to-point approach, where data is transmitted directly between phones over Wi-Fi Direct, without being uploaded to the cloud, which means that it's faster and the risk of data leakage is minimal.

• 📱 Both phones must be charged at least 50% (at a charge below 20%, the Mi Mover will block the transfer).
• 🔄 The old phone should have enough free space to create a temporary archive (about the same time). 10-15% from the amount of data transferred).
• 🚫 Don’t interrupt the process – if the connection breaks, you’ll have to start over.

To start migrating through Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both phones

Make sure there is enough room for data on the new phone.

Connect both devices to charging (recommended)

Open Mi Mover on both phones and select roles (Old Phone and New Phone)

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On your old phone, select the data to transfer.

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and selected groups)
• 💬 Communications (SMS and MMS, but not messengers)
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums if uploaded to your device)
• 🎵 Audio (music, call recordings, voice notes)
• 📁 Documents (PDF, Excel, Word and other files from the Download folder)
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sound schemes, screen brightness)

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If the list doesn’t have the right type of data (like notes from the Notes app), check if it syncs with Mi Cloud. If so, turn on manual sync before transferring.

After selecting the files, click "Move" and wait until the process is complete.

⚠️ Note: If Mi Mover is stuck in the “Data Preparation” stage, try clearing the app cache in the settings (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Mi Mover → If that doesn't work, reboot both phones and try again.

2.Move over Mi Cloud: Reliable but limited

Mi Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi that automatically synchronizes some data between devices. Unlike Mi Mover, you don't have to connect phones to each other: just log in to a new device under the same Mi Account.

• 📉 Volume limit: only 5GB is available for free (extension requires a fee).
• ⏳ Long synchronization: 10 GB of data can take hours to load.
• 🚫 Not all data is synced: for example, messages from WhatsApp or settings of some applications are not portable.

To transfer data through Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi → Mi Cloud Account.
2. Turn on sync for all the categories you need (contacts, notes, calendar, etc.).
3. Wait until the data is uploaded to the cloud (progress is displayed in the same menu).
4. On the new phone, log in under the same Mi Account and enable synchronization.

If you want to transfer photos and videos to Mi Cloud, consider:

• 📸 Photos are uploaded in original resolution, but videos can be compressed.
• 🔄 After downloading to the new phone, the files will be available in the Gallery app in the Mi Cloud album.
• 🗑️ To free up space on your old phone, you can delete local copies of files (the “Free space” option in the Mi Cloud settings).

⚠️ Note: If you used Google Photos to back up, don’t turn off sync with your Google Account on your new phone. Otherwise, photos may be duplicated or disappear from the gallery.

3.Move over Google Account: a universal method for Android

If you don't want to depend on Xiaomi services, you can use Google Account, which is a way to transfer basic data: contacts, calendar, mail, some app settings, and even game data (if they support Google Play Games), the main advantage is cross-platform: if you ever switch to a smartphone from another brand, the data will remain available.

To transfer information via Google:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Enable the option “Backup to Google Drive” and select an account.
3. Click on “Create a backup now” and wait until it is completed.
4. On a new phone, when you first turn on, select recovery from Google backup.

What can be done via Google:

• 📇 Contacts (including profile photos)
• 📅 Calendar (events, reminders)
• ⚙️ Wi-Fi settings (passwords from networks)
• 🎮 Game data if the game supports Google Play Games)
• 📱 System settings (language, date/time, wallpaper)

There are, however, downsides:

• 🚫 No message transfer (SMS/MMS) and files (photos, videos, documents).
• 📱 Not all app settings will be saved (such as Telegram themes or Chrome history).
• 🕒 Recovery can take a long time (depending on internet speed).

4. Transfer over OTG cable or computer: for large amounts of data

If you have tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or music, and the Internet connection is unstable, the best option is to physically copy through a cable.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (If you copy directly between phones).
• 💻 Computer (if you use it as an intermediary).
• 📁 Flash drive or external drive (optional, for intermediate storage).

Instructions for transfer via computer:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Copy the right folders (DCIM Download for documents, etc. on your computer.
3. Disable the old phone, connect the new one and transfer the files back.

Transfer directly between phones OTG:

1. Connect the cable. OTG The new phone and the old phone (via the standard phone) USB-cable).
2. The new phone will open a file manager (Conductor) where you will see folders of the old device.
3. Select the files and copy them to the memory of the new phone.

Advantages of this method:

• ⚡ Maximum speed (up to 40 MB/s when used) USB 3.0).
• 🔒 Security (data is not transmitted via the Internet).
• 📁 Selective transfer (you can only copy the required folders).

⚠️ Note: If you copy data through a computer, do not use formatting FAT32 For flash drives, it doesn’t support files larger than 4GB. For larger videos, choose exFAT or NTFS.

5. Data transfer from messengers and social networks

One of the hardest things about changing phones is transferring messages and media from instant messengers, and unfortunately, neither Mi Mover nor Mi Cloud can copy data from WhatsApp, Viber or Telegram, and each app has its own migration method.

WhatsApp:

• 📱 Use the built-in backup function in Google Drive (Settings) → chat → Backup copy).
• 🔄 On your new phone, install WhatsApp, log in and restore chats from backup.
• ⚠️ Important: Backup is created only when connected to Wi-Fi!

Telegram:

• ☁️ All chats and media files are stored in the Telegram cloud, so just log in to a new phone.
• 📁 Local files (downloaded to the phone’s memory) must be transferred manually via Telegram. → Settings → Data and memory → Memory of the device.

Viber:

• 🔄 Make a backup copy in Settings → Account. → Backup copy (available only for Android).
• 📱 On the new phone, install Viber, log in and restore data from the copy.
• ⚠️ Restriction: Backup does not include call history.

6. Problem Solving: What to do if data is not portable

Even when using official tools, users often encounter errors, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

Problem 1: Mi Mover doesn't see a new phone

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Make sure that both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
• 🔧 Update Mi Mover to the latest version on Google Play.
• 📡 Check if the firewall is blocking or VPN telephone-connection.

Problem 2: Transfers to Mi Cloud are interrupted

• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (do not use mobile Internet).
• 🔋 Charge your phone to 100% or connect to charge.
• 🗑️ Clear the Mi Cloud cache in the app settings.

Problem 3: New phone doesn’t show transferred photos

• 🔍 Check the folder. DCIM/.thumbnails — Sometimes the miniatures are not updated.
• 🔄 Restart your phone or update the data in the Gallery app (pull down for an update).
• 📁 Make sure that files are not hidden (in Explorer, enable the display of hidden files).

Problem 4: No messages from the SMS

• 📱 Check if the synchronization is enabled. SMS in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Communications).
• 🔄 If you are using Mi Mover, make sure you are using your old phone. SMS Not archived by third-party applications.

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If none of the methods worked, try moving data in parts: first contacts through Google, then photos through cable. OTG, a messengers – through their built-in backup tools.

7. Checklist: What to check after transfer

Even if the transfer process is successful, there is a risk that some of the data has not been copied or is not working correctly.

Make sure all contacts are displayed in the phone book (including groups)

Check the history. SMS in the standard annex “Messages"

Open the gallery and make sure all photos/videos are in place (check albums and hidden folders)

Log in all messengers and check the history of chats

Run key apps (banks, social networks, games) and make sure your settings are saved

Check your Wi-Fi settings and connect to your home network

Make sure that calls and notifications are working correctly.

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If something's missing, don't panic. You have three options:

1. Repeat the transfer using another method (for example, if Mi Mover didn’t work, try Mi Cloud).
2. Recover the data manually (copy the missing files via cable).
3. Use third-party utilities (such as Dr.Fone or MobileTrans for WhatsApp porting).

If you are selling or transferring an old phone, remember:

• 🧹 Make reset to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings).
• 🔑 Log out of all accounts (Mi, Google, social networks).
• 📱 Delete SIM-card and memory card (if any).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions