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

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting event, but the process of data transfer often turns into a headache: contacts are scattered across different accounts, photos are lost in cloud storage, and application settings have to be reconfigured. This article will help avoid chaos: here are all the current ways of data migration between Xiaomi devices (including models on MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS), taking into account the peculiarities of the brand ecosystem.

We will not only look at standard methods like Mi Mover or Mi Cloud backup, but also at alternative solutions for “nothing goes according to plan”: cloud service failure, lack of space on a new device or the need for selective transfer, and we will focus on hidden MIUI settings that speed up the process by 2-3 times – they are usually not mentioned in the official guides.

Before you start, check out two key points: the MIUI version on both phones (a difference of more than 2 major releases can cause compatibility issues) and free space on the new device – a full migration will require at least 20% more volume than the data on the old smartphone.

1. Preparation of telephones for data transfer

Incorrect preparation is the main cause of migration failures. Start by syncing time and date on both devices: even a minimal discrepancy can interrupt the transfer process through Mi Mover or Mi Cloud. Go to Settings → Additional → Date and time and activate the Autodetermination option.

Next, it is mandatory:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50% – with low charge MIUI Automatically suspends background processes, including data transfer.
• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (preferably 5 GHz) – mobile Internet may not cope with the amount of traffic when transferring through the cloud.
• 🔒 Make sure that the new phone has disabled the Data Protection function in Settings → Privacy – it blocks access to system files.
• 📁 Free up at least 10 GB of memory on the new device – temporary migration files can take up to 30% of the volume of data transferred.

If you are migrating data from Xiaomi to a HyperOS model (such as Xiaomi 14 or Redmi K70), upgrade your old phone to the latest version of MIUI beforehand. Otherwise, some system settings (such as Game Turbo or Second Space settings) may not move.

⚠️ Warning: If storage encryption is enabled on the old phone (Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption, disable it 12 hours before transfer. Otherwise, Mi Mover will not be able to read the application files, and decryption time can take several hours.

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

Mi Mover is a built-in migration solution that works on all Xiaomi phones since MIUI 9. Its main advantage is data transfer without loss of quality (unlike cloud services that can compress photos / videos) and support all types of content:

• 📞 Contacts, call log, SMS/MMS
• 📸 Photos and videos (including Xiaomi Gallery albums)
• 🎵 Music, documents, downloads
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sound schemes, network parameters)
• 📱 Application data (for supported programs, such as Mi Fit or Mi Home)

Instructions for use:

1. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Transfer Data from the settings menu. If the phone is already configured, open Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer.
2. On your old phone, run Mi Mover (find through search in settings or Settings → More).
3. On the new device, select I am the sender, on the old one, I am the receiver.
4. Scan it. QR-code from old phone new or connect via Direct Wi-Fi connection.
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of transmission depends on the amount of data:

⚠️ Note: If the process has been stuck in the Preparation phase for more than 15 minutes, restart both phones and try again. MIUI — Check for updates on your old device.

Storage encryption disabled

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

There is plenty of free space on the new phone.

MIUI versions are compatible (the difference is not more than 2 releases)

All background applications closed-->

Method 2: Mi Cloud - Cloud Transfer

Cloud storage is convenient if you don’t have physical access to both phones at the same time or if you want to keep a backup before migrating.

• 📉 The free rate only provides 5 GB (this is the case). ~1000 high-resolution photos or 2 hours of video).
• ⏳ Download/download speed depends on your Internet channel.
• 🔄 Not all data is portable: for example, App Settings and Call Log may not be available.

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for all the necessary categories: Contacts, Notes, Gallery, etc.
3. Click Backup and create a new copy (the process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and restore data from the backup to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Recovery.

If you get the error "Not enough space in Mi Cloud", there are two ways out:

1. Optimize your backup: eliminate large files (video, archives) or old copies.
2. Buying extra space: 50 GB worth ~300 ₽/year, 200 GB — ~1000 ₽/year (tariffs are valid for 2026).

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If you only need to move contacts and notes, use sync through Google Account – it works faster and does not take up space in Mi Cloud. To do this, turn on the option of Sync Contacts in the settings of your Google account on your old phone, and then log in to the same account on the new device.

4. Method 3: Transfer through Google Account

This method is suitable if you use Google services (Gmail, Drive, Photos) or if you do not have enough space in Mi Cloud.

• 🌐 Cross-platform – data will be available on any Android device.
• 📤 Automatic Photo Sync in Google Photos (up to 15 GB free).
• 🔄 Support for Call Log and SMS (Google Drive).

How to transfer data:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Google Accounts → Sync your account and enable all the options you need.
2. To back up apps and settings, go to Settings → System → Backup and create a copy in Google Drive.
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Google account and restore data from the backup during the initial setup or manually through Settings → System → Restore.

Pay attention to the nuances:

• 📱 Application data is only transferred to programs that support Google Backup (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram).
• 📁 Photos and videos in their original quality take up space in Google Photos. To save space, select High Quality (unlimited storage, but compressed to 16 MP for photos).
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sounds, network settings) are not transferred via Google – use Mi Cloud for this purpose.

5. Method 4: Manual transfer over PC (for large amounts of data)

If you have more than 50GB of data or want to selectively transfer files, the best option is to use a computer, which is also useful if:

• 🔄 You have different versions. MIUI, And the Mi Mover is not working.
• 📂 You need to transfer files to specific folders (for example, projects from Mi File Manager).
• 🔧 You need to edit the data before transferring (for example, converting video).

Instructions for Windows/macOS:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode (MTP) notice-curtain).
2. Copy the folders you need (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, MIUI for themes and wallpaper) to your computer.
3. Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.
4. Move the files to the appropriate folders on the new device.
5. To transfer contacts, export them to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Export on an old phone, then import on a new one.

To transfer applications and their data, use the ADB utility:

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


adb restore backup.ab

This team creates a full backup of applications (including APK and data) on the PC, and then restores them to the new phone. Important: ADB requires you to enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (7 times click on the version, then return to Additional → For Developers).

⚠️ Note: When manually transferring, do not copy the entire Android folder, which can cause conflicts in these applications, Android/data/com.tencent.mm/MicroMsg for WeChat).

Method 5: Transfer through third-party applications

If the standard methods don't work, you can use third-party utilities, and we tested 3 reliable solutions.

Recommendations for use:

• For full migration between Xiaomi phones, choose Clone Phone – it is integrated with MIUI and crashes less often.
• If you want to transfer data to a non-Xiaomi (such as a Samsung or iPhone), use Dr.Fone.
• For fast file transfer (photos, videos, documents) without settings, ShareMe is suitable.

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The app side is convenient, but always check reviews before installing – some utilities (such as Xender) may contain advertising software or collect data.

7.Special Data Transfer: What to Do with WhatsApp, Mi Fit, and Game Accounts

Some applications require a special approach to migration, and let's look at the most popular ones:

WhatsApp:

1. Create a backup of chats on your old phone: Settings → Chat → Backup.
2. Install WhatsApp on your new phone and sign in to the same account.
3. Restore chats from Google Drive (if there is a copy) or from local storage (msgstore.db.crypt14 in the WhatsApp/Databases folder).

Mi Fit / Zepp:

• 📱 Health data is synced with Xiaomi’s account, so just log in to the same account on a new phone.
• 🔄 If the data does not appear, update the application and restart the phone.

Gaming accounts (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, etc.):

• 🎮 Most games are linked to Google Play, Facebook or Mi Account. Sign in to the same account in the game on your new phone.
• 💾 For local saves (e.g., in Minecraft), copy the games folder from /Android/data old-phone.

Parental Control (Parental Control):

• 👨‍👩‍👧 Parental controls are linked to Xiaomi account. Move them through Settings → Parental control → Synchronization.
• 🔒 If the new phone does not have this option, update it. MIUI last-minute.

8. Post-transfer validation and optimization

After the data migration, follow the following steps to avoid problems:

1. Check file integrity: Open a few photos/video from different folders. listen to music or run a video - if files are corrupt, repeat the transfer.
2. Update apps: Launch Google Play Store and update all programs. For system applications (Gallery, Music) check for updates to Settings → Apps → Update system applications.
3. Set up sync: Enable automatic sync for Mi Cloud and Google Account. Check that Background data transfer is allowed for key applications.
4. Optimize storage: Remove duplicate photos with Xiaomi Gallery (Albums → Duplicates). Clear the app cache in Settings → Storage → Cleanup.

If after transferring the phone began to brake or overheat, follow the following steps:

1. Reset the device.
2. Turn off background activity for unnecessary applications in Settings → Battery → Select Battery Mode.
3. Check memory usage in Settings → Storage – if System Data takes up more than 10 GB, make a cache reset to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset → Cache Reset.

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After transferring data, it is recommended to disable the automatic download of media files in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) for 2-3 days - this will help to avoid overloading the storage.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi