How to transfer all data from the old Xiaomi to the new: 5 proven ways

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often becomes a headache. Contacts, photos, messages, app settings all need to be saved and moved to a new device without loss. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools that make it easier, but not all of them work equally fast and reliable.

Many users make kriticheskie errors when porting: forget to check the compatibility of versions MIUI, They don't clear the cache before copying, or they interrupt the process because of low battery power, and as a result, data is lost, applications are not restored, and the new phone is slower than it could be. This article will help you avoid typical problems and choose the best way to migrate – whether it’s wireless transfer via Mi Mover, cloud backup or manual cable copying.

We tested all the current methods on Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi Note 12 Pro models+ and POCO X5 Pro (2023-2026) and identified their strengths and weaknesses, such as the Mi Mover automatically skips the transfer of some system files if a newer version is installed on the new phone. MIUI, And then there's the old one.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start migrating, make sure both phones are ready for the process.Neglect of preparation is the main cause of failures.

On the old Xiaomi check out:

• 🔋 Battery charge - at least 50% (when transferring over the cable, the discharge goes faster).
• 📶 Wi-Fi network – both devices must be connected to the same network (for wireless transfer).
• 📱 Version. MIUI — It should be no older than us on the new phone. → The phone. → Version. MIUI.
• 🔒 Lock the screen – temporarily turn off PIN or a graphical key if you use Mi Mover (sometimes this causes authentication errors).

On the new phone:

• 📦 Don’t install apps in advance – they may conflict with data being transferred.
• 🔄 Reset to factory settings if the phone has already been used (in Settings) → Additionally. → Recovery and discharge).
• 📡 Disable mobile data – it can interfere with a stable connection over Wi-Fi.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone has data encryption enabled (in Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption, transfer via Mi Mover can take 2-3 times longer, in which case it is better to use a cable or cloud.

2. Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a built-in application for wireless data transfer between Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO. It supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, applications (including their data), notes and even some system settings.

How to use:

1. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer (or find Mi Mover in Settings → More).
2. On the old phone, open Mi Mover and select I sender.
3. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone or connect manually via Wi-Fi Direct.
4. Select data to transfer (you can mark everything or select individual categories).
5. Confirm the start of the process on both devices.

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

• 📷 10 GB photo/video — ~15-20 minutes.
• 📱 50+ data-driven — ~30-40 minutes.
• 📞 Contact and SMS — 2-5 minutes.

Both phones are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

There is plenty of free space on the new phone.

Power saving mode is turned off on the old phone

Mi Mover app updated to latest version-->

⚠️ Note: If the transfer is interrupted during the application transfer phase, do not start the process again - wait for the current session to end.

Advantages of Mi Mover:

• ✅ Does not require cables or a computer.
• ✅ Keeps the structure of folders and tags of photos.
• ✅ Transfers Wi-Fi settings and accounts (except for some banking applications).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Does not transfer data from some third-party apps (for example, WhatsApp or Telegram require separate backups).
• ❌ It can slow down with a large amount of data (50).+ GB).
• ❌ It doesn’t work if there’s a newer version on the phone. MIUI, older (requires an update of the old device).

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Mi Mover is the easiest way for most users, but it is not suitable for transferring data from third-party messengers and some game accounts.

Method 2: Cable transfer OTG — fast and secure

If you have a cable. OTG (adapter USB-C → USB-C), You can transfer data directly, without depending on Wi-Fi, and this is particularly useful if you want to do this:

• 📶 There is no stable Internet.
• 📦 The volume of data exceeds 50 GB.
• ⚡ We need to move the data as quickly as possible.

Instructions:

1. Connect the old Xiaomi to the new one via cable OTG.
2. On the new phone, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
3. Open Explorer on a new phone – the old phone will show up as an external drive.
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc.) to the internal memory of the new device.
5. To transfer applications, use backups through Settings → Annexes → Backup.

Important nuances:

• 🔌 Use the original cable – cheap analogues may not provide stable transmission.
• 📁 Android folder (with application data) is useless to copy - it will not recover on a new phone without root rights.
• 🔄 After copying, restart the new phone so that the system indexes the files.

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If it's cable OTG not recognized, try connecting your phones in reverse order (new to old first) or use an adapter USB-A → USB-C.

4. Method 3: Xiaomi Cloud – Backup and Recovery

If you have a Xiaomi account (Mi Account), you can back up your old phone and restore it to a new one, which is useful if:

• 🌍 You have a stable Internet (data uploaded to the cloud).
• 🔄 You want to keep a copy of your data in case you lose your phone.
• 📱 You need to transfer data to a phone of another brand (for example, from Xiaomi to Samsung).

How to make a backup copy:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Backup.
2. Select Backup in Mi Cloud and log in to your account.
3. Mark the data for copying (contacts, SMS, Notes, settings) and click Start copying.
4. Wait until it is completed (it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours depending on the internet speed).

How to restore on a new phone:

1. Sign in to the same Mi Account on your new device.
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Restore from backup.
3. Select the latest copy and confirm the recovery.

The limitations of the cloud method:

• 📁 Free storage – only 5 GB (for photo / video this is not enough).
• 🔒 Applications are not portable – only their settings (if supported).
• ⏳ Long recovery – with a large amount of data, it can take several hours.

5. Method 4: Manual transfer of important data (contacts, SMS, photo)

If you only need to migrate certain types of data (such as contacts or photos), you can do without migrating completely.

• 📱 You don't have much data to transfer.
• 🔌 No cable. OTG or stable Wi-Fi.
• 🔒 You want to control which files are copied.

Transfer of contacts:

1. On your old phone, open your contacts. → Settings → Exports/imports.
2. Export contacts to a.vcf file (to a memory card or internal memory).
3. Flip the file to your new phone (by Bluetooth, email or cloud).
4. On a new phone, import contacts from the.vcf file.

SMS portability:

Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (available on Google Play):

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On your old phone, create a backup.
3. Move the backup file to your new phone (via cloud or cable).
4. Restore on the new phone SMS file-based).

Portability of photos and videos:

• 📁 Connect your old phone to your computer and copy the folders DCIM and Pictures on PC.
• 🔌 Connect a new phone and paste files into the appropriate folders.
• 🌍 Alternative: Upload a photo to Google Photos or Mi Cloud and sync it to your new device.

⚠️ Note: When manually transferring photos through your computer, make sure that automatic image compression is not enabled in the new phone settings (in Settings). → Warehouse → Otherwise, the quality of the images may be reduced without your knowledge.

Method 5: Transfer data over a computer (for power users)

This method takes longer, but gives you complete control of the process.

• 💻 You have a computer with Windows or Mac.
• 📂 You need to transfer large amounts of data (100)+ GB).
• 🔧 You want to sort files before copying.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the old Xiaomi to your computer via USB-cable and select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. Copy all the folders you need (DCIM, Downloads, Music, etc. on your computer hard drive.
3. Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.
4. Transfer files from your computer to your new phone to the appropriate folders.
5. Use ADB (command line skills required) to port applications: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab adb restore backup.ab

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Maximum reliability – data is not lost when communication is broken.
• ✅ You can filter out unnecessary files (for example, delete duplicate photos).
• ✅ It works even if the phones are on different versions. MIUI.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ It takes a computer and time.
• ❌ Applications are transferred without data (except backup copies through the ADB).
• ❌ You need basic knowledge of working with the file system.

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If the computer does not see the phone MTP, install the Mi drivers PC Suite from Xiaomi’s official website or reboot both devices.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when using official tools, users are faced with problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

Problem 1: Mi Mover is stuck in the “Connection” phase.

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Connect to another Wi-Fi network (sometimes the router will block the network). P2P-linkage).
• 🔋 Check the battery power – if it is below 30%, the process may be interrupted.

Problem 2: Applications will not open after the transfer.

• 📦 Remove and reinstall problematic apps from Google Play.
• 🔒 Check the permissions in Settings → Annexes → Permits.
• 🔄 Make a cache reset for the application (Settings) → Annexes → [name] → Clear the cache).

Problem 3: The photos are moved but not displayed in the gallery.

• 🔍 Check if the files are hidden (in the Explorer) → Settings → Show hidden files).
• 📁 Make sure that the files are copied to the folder DCIM/Camera.
• 🔄 Restart your phone or update gallery data (Gallery) → Settings → Update media files).

Problem 4: Data from WhatsApp or Telegram is not transferred.

• 📱 For WhatsApp, use built-in backup in Google Drive.
• 🔄 For Telegram, export chats manually (Settings) → chat → Exports of history).
• 💾 Alternative: copy the folder WhatsApp/Databases New phone (root or File Manager required)+).

8 What to do after data transfer

Data portability is only half the battle, and to keep the new Xiaomi running smoothly, follow a few additional steps:

Check it out.

• 🔍 Contacts – Open the Contacts app and make sure all numbers are in place (sometimes duplicated).
• 📷 Photos – check that all albums are displayed in the gallery (especially Screenshots and Downloads).
• 📱 Applications – run key programs (banks, instant messengers, games) and log in again.
• 🔊 Sound and notifications – sometimes volume settings are reset.

Optimize:

• 🧹 Clear the cache of system applications (Settings) → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🔄 Update all apps on Google Play.
• 📡 Set up mobile internet and Wi-Fi (sometimes passwords are not portable).

Remove the unnecessary:

• 🗑️ Remove duplicate photos (use Google Photos or Gallery Doctor).
• 📦 Clean Downloads folder from old files.
• 🎮 Remove unused applications (in Settings) → Annexes).

⚠️ Warning: If the phone is slower after the transfer, check the settings → Battery → Performance mode. Sometimes. MIUI Automatically power saving for new devices.

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After transferring the data, it is recommended to make a full reboot of the new phone - this will help the system to correctly index files and avoid lags.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions