How to Transfer All Data and Apps from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: 5 Ways to Move

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting moment: you want all the usual data, applications and settings to move without loss. But how to do it quickly without losing hours to manually set up? In 2026, owners of Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO have at least 5 ways to transfer — from automatic Mi Mover to manual copying via PC. In this article, we will analyze each method with nuances, warnings and life hacks that will save you time.

The main mistake users make is to try to move everything "head-on" without preparing the device. For example, if the old phone is encrypted or not enough space on the new one, the process can be interrupted by half, we will tell you how to avoid such situations, and we will also compare the speed and reliability of each method in the table, and we will focus on porting applications with data storage (for example, progress in games or setting up messengers) is the most difficult part, which often problems arise.

1. Preparation of telephones for data transfer

Before you start the transfer, make sure that both devices are ready for the procedure, neglecting this stage is the main cause of failure.

On the old phone you need:

• 🔋 Charge the battery to at least 50% (when transferring over the cable, the discharge goes faster).
• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (if you plan to use the cloud or Mi Mover without cable).
• 🔒 Delete unnecessary files to free up space - 50+ GB airborne can take hours.
• 🛡️ Shut down. VPN Firewalls (they can block data transfer between devices).

On the new phone:

• 📱 Pass the initial setting to the Data Transfer screen (don’t miss this step, otherwise Mi Mover won’t start).
• 🔄 Update your firmware to the latest version through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 📁 Check the space available – it should exceed the amount of data transferred by at least 10%.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone has data encryption enabled (Settings) → Additionally. → Encryption and accounts, disable it in advance. Otherwise, Mi Mover will not be able to read some files, and transfer via PC will require entering a password every time you connect.

It’s also worth considering that some Xiaomi models (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) have cable portability restrictions due to proprietary protocols, in which case it’s better to use cloud or backup.

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

Mi Mover is a built-in application for transferring data between Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices. It works over both Wi-Fi and cable, but there are nuances.

How to use:

1. On both phones, open Settings → Additional → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. Select a role: on the old phone - "Send", on the new - "Get".
3. Connect the devices: 📶 Wi-Fi: Select the network on both phones and wait for the connection. 🔌 Through cable: use OTG-Adapter or special Xiaomi cable with connectors USB-C ↔ USB-C.

On an old phone, tick the data for transfer (contacts, messages, photos, applications) and click "Send".

The speed of transfer depends on the method:

• 🔌 Cable: ~1–2 GB/min (the fastest option).
• 📶 Wi-Fi: ~200-500 MB/min (depending on the router).

⚠️ Note: If the transfer is interrupted during the Preparation phase, check if the battery saving for the Mi Mover application is included in the settings (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Mi Mover → Battery. Turn off all restrictions.

Important: Mi Mover does not transfer data from some applications (such as WhatsApp or cloud-saving games).

Method 2: Transfer over the cloud (Mi Cloud or Google Drive)

Cloud portability is handy if you don't have cable or the devices are in different locations. Xiaomi offers two options: its own Mi Cloud (5GB for free) or Google Drive (15GB).

Instructions for Mi Cloud:

1. On the old phone: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup.
2. Select backup data (contacts, notes, messages, system settings) and click "Create backup".
3. On a new phone: Log in to the same Xiaomi account and recover data from the cloud (Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Restore).

For Google Drive:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Google → Backup → turn on the backup.
2. When setting up a new phone, select “Restore from Google Backup” and log in.

Comparison of cloud services:

The biggest downside of cloud porting is the space limit, and if you have 100+GB of photos and videos, you'll have to pay for extra space or use another method.

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If you are transferring photos in their original quality, pre-archive them in ZIP through the file manager, which will reduce the volume by 10-30% without loss of quality.

Method 3: Transfer over an OTG cable or PC

This is the most reliable method for large data volumes (100+ GB), but requires additional accessories.

• 🔌 Cable USB-C ↔ USB-C (or USB-A ↔ USB-C s OTG-adapter).
• 💻 Computer (for transfer via PC).

Option 1: Direct phone connection

1. Connect your old phone to your new phone via cable.
2. On your old phone, select File Transfer Mode (USB for transferring files in the notification curtain).
3. On the new phone, open the file manager (Files) and copy the data manually.

Option 2: Transfer over PC

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy all the data to your hard drive.
2. Disable the old phone, connect the new one and transfer the files back.
3. For applications, use the backup via adb backup (developer rights required).

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Maximum speed (up to 5 GB/min at USB 3.0).
• 📁 Full control over the transferred files.
• 🔄 Possibility of selective copying.

⚠️ Note: When transferring over a PC, do not copy the entire Android folder, which can lead to conflicts in these applications (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures and Contacts through Exports to VCF.

To port data applications (e.g., save in games), use the command:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab

Then restore it to the new phone:

adb restore backup.ab

5. Method 4: Backup through TWRP (for advanced)

If your phone is unlocked and a custom TWRP recavator is installed, you can create a full system backup and restore it to a new device.This method is suitable for Xiaomi with the same processor architecture (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro → POCO X3 Pro).

Instructions:

1. Install TWRP on both phones (see instructions for your model on 4PDA or XDA Developers).
2. On the old phone: Download to TWRP (clamp down on power. + Volume up. Select Backup. → Check the System, Data, Boot sections. Save the backup to SD-map OTG-accumulator.
3. On your new phone: Boot into TWRP. Select Restore and point the way to the backup.

Warnings:

• 🚨 Do not restore the backup to a phone with another version of Android (for example, from Android 12 to Android 14) – this will lead to a download cycle.
• 🔧 After recovery, core firmware may be required (boot.img) compatiblely.

Method 5: Transferring applications with data storage

Conventional portability methods (including Mi Mover) don't always copy app data correctly, like WhatsApp, chats won't move, and games will progress, and you need specialized tools to do that.

For messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber):

• 💬 WhatsApp: Use the built-in backup in Settings → chat → Backup. Important: link the same phone number to the new device.
• 📎 Telegram: Cloud chats sync automatically, but for local files (Telegram Images) copy the folder /storage/emulated/0/Telegram manually.

For games and applications:

• 🎮 Google Play Games: Enable Save Sync in Game Settings.
• 📱 Titanium Backup (requires root): Creates full backups of data-based applications.
• 🔄 Swift Backup (for unlocked bootloaders): Titanium Backup alternative without root.

For applications without cloud sync (such as some banking applications), the only way to do this is to manually transfer data files.

/data/data/{name packet appendix}/


/sdcard/Android/data/{name packet application}/

The name of the package can be found through Settings → Apps → [select app] → Information (e.g. com.whatsapp for WhatsApp).

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To port these applications without root rights, use ADB: adb backup -f app.ab -apk -obb com.example.app. But remember that not all applications support this method due to Android limitations.

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions, you can have problems.

If after transfer on the new phone appeared lags or errors, reset the cache:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Click "Clear Cache" (not to be confused with "Reset Settings"!).

8 What to do after data transfer

Transfer is only half the battle, and to keep the new phone stable, you can do a few extra steps:

• 🔄 Update all apps via Google Play Market or GetApps.
• 🔒 Set up the unlock (fingerprint, Face) ID) In Settings → Lock screen.
• 📶 Check the mobile network settings (APN) In Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks.
• 🎵 Reconfigure notifications and sounds in Settings → Sound and vibration.

We also recommend:

• 📊 Check battery consumption in Settings → Battery – Some ported applications may consume more power.
• 🛡️ Include virus protection in the security → Scanning.
• 🗑️ Remove duplicate photos using the Gallery app (Albums) → Management → Duplicate).

If some applications are not working properly after the transfer (for example, they fly out or do not save settings), try:

1. Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps → [select app] → Memory → Clear cache.
2. Remove and reinstall the application.
3. Check the permissions in Settings → Apps → Permissions.

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After transferring the data, it is recommended to restart the new phone, which will help the system to properly initialize all files and settings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions