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, apps, and even screen settings all need to be saved to keep from starting from scratch. Fortunately, devices on MIUI have several built-in migration tools, as well as universal solutions that work on any Android device.

In this article, we will discuss 5 ways to transfer data between Xiaomi smartphones, from the official Mi Mover to cloud services and manual copying. You will learn which method is the fastest, which is more reliable for large volumes (100+ GB), and how to avoid typical errors, such as loss of messages in WhatsApp or failure of synchronization of Google Account.

If you’re switching from iPhone to Xiaomi or vice versa, this is not for you (we have a separate guide to cross-platform migration), and this is exclusively about transferring data between devices on MIUI (including POCO and Black Shark), all methods tested on MIUI 14/15 firmware and are relevant for 2020-2026 models.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (Wi-Fi transmission)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for migrating data between devices on MIUI. It is pre-installed on all new smartphones of the brand and supports the transfer of almost everything from contacts to call history. The main advantage is that it does not require an Internet connection (works through a local Wi-Fi Direct network), which is critical for transferring tens of gigabytes of photos.

How it works:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Settings → The phone. → Migration data (or find Mi Mover through search in settings).
• 🆕 On a new phone: when you first turn on, select Data Portability or find the same section in the settings.
• 🔗 Click "I'm the sender" on the old device and "I'm the receiver" on the new one. Confirm the connection via QR-code.
• 📤 Select data for transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, applications (APK-files or system settings.

The transmission speed depends on the model:

• 🚀 Xiaomi 13 Pro (Wi-Fi 6E) → up to 500 Mbps (60 GB per) ~20 minutes).
• 📉 Redmi Note 10 (Wi-Fi 5) → up to 200 Mbps (60 GB per) ~45 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: If the new phone already has data (for example, you have restored a Google backup), Mi Mover will suggest erasing it before transferring. This is irreversible.

Battery charge >50% on both phones|Shut down. VPN and energy-saving regimes|Make sure there is enough memory on your new phone|Close background applications (especially messengers)-->

2. Transfer via OTG/USB cable (fastest method)

If you have an OTG cable (or USB-C → USB-C adapter), you can transfer data 2-3 times faster than Wi-Fi. This method is suitable for large volumes (100+ GB) and does not depend on the stability of the wireless network. Minus requires additional accessories and a little more action.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG-Cable (on the new Xiaomi) USB-C → USB-C).
2. A notification will appear on the new phone "USB-Device connected. Select "File transfer" (MTP).
3. Open Files (File Manager app) on your new phone → find the Internal Storage folder of your old device.
4. Copy the right folders: 📁 DCIM — photo. 📁 Download - downloads. 📁 WhatsApp/Media — messenger. 📁 Android/data — Application data (requires root rights for full access).

Cable transmission speed:

• 🔌 USB 3.2 (new flagships) → up to 1 Gbps (100 GB per) ~15 minutes).
• 🔌 USB 2.0 (budgetary models) → up to 480 Mbps (100 GB per) ~30 minutes).

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If the cable is not recognized, try turning it over (some of the cables are not recognized). OTG-Adapters only work in one position or use the original Xiaomi cable.

3.Cloud portability: Xiaomi Cloud vs Google Account

If you have slow Wi-Fi or not OTG-You can upload it to the cloud and then download it to a new phone. Xiaomi has its own cloud storage, Xiaomi Cloud, but it's limited to 5GB for free (versus 15GB for Google Drive), but it syncs notes, calls and settings. MIUI, which are not in Google Account.

Comparison of services:

How to transfer via Xiaomi Cloud:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Xiaomi Cloud → select data to sync.
2. Wait until the loading is complete (may take hours with a large volume).
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and enable sync.

⚠️ Warning: If you used Google Photos to back up, don't automatically sync your new phone immediately after transferring via Mi Mover.This can create duplicate photos. DCIM new-device.

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4. porting applications and their data (including WhatsApp)

Regular file transfers do not store app data (e.g. game progress or WhatsApp chat history) and require special tools to:

• 📲 WhatsApp: Make a backup copy in Settings → chat → Backup (save to Google Drive or locally) Restore from this copy on your new phone when you first start.
• 🎮 Games and apps: Use Google Play Games to save progress or Helium (requires root rights).
• 🔄 APK-files: Appendix APK Extractor will help to remove installed APK From the old phone and transfer them to the new one.

There’s a caveat to WhatsApp: if you migrate data between Xiaomi and Android 12+, the local backup may not recover due to changes in storage policy.

1. Copy /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases folder to your new phone.
2. Rename the copy file from msgstore.db.crypt14 to msgstore.db.crypt12 (if the new version of WhatsApp does not support crypt14).
3. Install WhatsApp on your new phone and restore it from a local copy.

5. Manual transfer: what to do if nothing works

If automatic methods fail (e.g. Mi Mover freezes 99% or the cloud doesn't sync contacts), you'll have to manually transfer the data. That's longer, but it guarantees control over the process.

Checklist for manual transfer:

• 📞 Contacts: Export to.vcf file via Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports.
• 📷 Photo/video: Copy folders DCIM Pictures via File Manager or PC.
• 💬 Communications SMS: Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (Saves in the XML).
• 🔊 Calls: Export history through Call Logs Backup & Restore.
• ⚙️ Settings: Take pictures of screens with settings (like Developer Mode or Gestures) for manual recovery.

To transfer files via computer:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Copy the required folders to the hard disk.
3. Connect the new phone and transfer the data back.

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Manual portability is the only way to guarantee that you can save your application data without rooting permissions (for example, save in games or set up Nova Launcher).

6. Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Even with detailed instructions, users face problems, and here are the most common solutions:

If you've had lags or overheating on your new phone after the transfer, it's probably the background synchronization process that's to blame.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Google Play Services and Xiaomi Cloud → limit background activity.
3. Reboot the phone.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions