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

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to saving valuable data. Photos from the last trip, correspondence in messengers, saved passwords and application settings – all of this must be transferred without loss. Fortunately, Xiaomi has its own migration tools, as well as universal solutions that work on any Android device.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to transfer data, from the official Mi Mover app to manually copying through your computer, how to avoid common mistakes (such as interrupting transmissions due to a dead battery), what types of files can be transferred and what you will have to reconfigure, and focus on the hidden nuances of why some applications do not migrate, how to keep progress in games, and what to do if the new phone does not see the old one on Wi-Fi.

Whether you upgrade from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra or switch from Samsung to POCO F6, the instructions below cover all scenarios. Let’s start with the most reliable method.

1.Official way: Mi Mover app from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary tool for wireless data transfer between devices. It is pre-installed on all new smartphones of the brand and supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, video, audio, applications (including their data), call records and even some system settings.

To use the Mi Mover, both phones must be charged at least 50% (otherwise the process may be interrupted in the middle). Also make sure that the new device has enough free space – the application copies the data in its original quality without compressing it.

• 📱 Step 1. Turn on Mi Mover on both phones. On the old device, select "I am the sender," on the new one, "I am the recipient."
• 🔗 Step 2. On the new phone, scan the QR- code that appears on the old one's screen, and that creates direct Wi-Fi communication between the devices.
• 📁 Step 3: Select data types to transfer (you can mark all or select individual categories). Click "Start transfer".
• ⏳ Step 4: Wait until the process is complete. Time depends on the amount of data: 10 GB of photos can be transmitted for up to 30-40 minutes.

⚠️ Warning: If the old phone had a password or a pattern lock, Mi Mover may request that it be entered on the new device, as a security measure, the transfer will not start without confirmation.

Both phones are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on the old one)|Battery charge >50% on both devices|There is plenty of free space on the new phone.|Disabled. VPN Firewalls (they can block the connection)-->

The main advantage of Mi Mover is to maintain the data structure, for example, WhatsApp correspondence will be transferred along with chat stories, and photos will remain in the same albums as on the old phone.

2.Move over Google Account: Universal Method for Android

If you don’t have access to Mi Mover (like an old phone not from Xiaomi), you can use Google’s built-in backup feature, which is suitable for porting contacts, calendars, notes, some app settings, and some media (if Google Photos sync is enabled).

The advantage of this method is cross-platform: you can transfer data from an iPhone (via Google Drive) or from a phone of another brand, but there are also disadvantages: not all applications support backup to the cloud, and the amount of free storage in Google Drive is limited to 15 GB.

• 🔄 Step 1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Google → Backup and enable the option “Backup to Google Drive”.
• ⏱️ Step 2. Wait for the synchronization to be completed (may take minutes to hours depending on the amount of data).
• 📱 Step 3. On the new Xiaomi, when you first enable it, select “Recover Data” and log in to the same Google account.
• 📂 Step 4: Select the latest backup and confirm the recovery.

⚠️ Warning: If backup encryption was turned on on on the old phone and the password is lost, you can't recover the data. Google doesn't provide password reset capabilities for encrypted backups.

What exactly is transferred through the Google account:

• 📇 Contacts (from the Google Contacts app»)
• 📅 Calendars and events
• 📝 Notes from Google Keep
• 🎮 Progress in games (if they support Google Play Games)
• 📷 Photos and videos (if synced with Google Photos is enabled)

What's not tolerable:

• 📱 System settings (Xiaomi uses its own profiles)
• 💬 Messages SMS/MMS (a separate backup application is required)
• 🔐 Wi-Fi passwords (they will have to be re-entered)
• 🎵 Music and audio files (unless uploaded to Google Music)

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

If you have tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or music files, wireless methods can take too long or be interrupted by unstable connections, and in such cases, it is more reliable to use a direct connection via cable.

There are two options:

1. OTG cable (USB-C → USB-C or MicroUSB → USB-C) allows you to connect an old phone to a new one like a flash drive and copy files directly.
2. The computer is the middleman. The data is copied first to the PC and then to the new Xiaomi.

For connection via OTG:

1. Buy an adapter (for example, USB-C to USB-C for modern models or MicroUSB to USB-C for older models).
2. Connect your old phone to your new phone via an adapter.
3. The new Xiaomi will have a notification saying, "USB- Drive connected." Tap it and select "Transfer Files."
4. Use any file manager (such as embedded Files or Solid Explorer) to copy data.

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Maximum transfer speed (up to 480 Mbit / s at USB 3.0).
• 🔒 Security: no data is transmitted over the network, the risk of interception is minimal.
• 📂 Selective copying: You can only transfer the folders you need.

⚠️ Warning: If your old phone has storage encryption enabled (like Samsung with Knox), the connection via OTG may not work.

For PC portability:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer via USB and copy all the files you need to a separate folder.
2. Turn off your old phone, connect a new Xiaomi.
3. Drag files from your PC to your new smartphone.

4. Cloud services: Dropbox, Yandex Drive, Telegram

If you don't have a cable or Mi Mover doesn't work, you can upload the data to the cloud and then download it to a new phone, which is convenient for selective transfer (e.g., only photos or documents), but is not suitable for large volumes due to traffic and speed limitations.

Compare popular services:

* Files are stored only until you manually delete them.

Instructions for Yandex Disk:

1. Install the Yandex Drive app on both phones.
2. On an old phone, upload files to the cloud (you can select a folder for automatic synchronization).
3. On the new Xiaomi, download files from the cloud to local storage.

For Telegram:

1. Open the Save Messages chat on your old phone.
2. Send yourself files (photos, videos, documents) as messages.
3. On the new phone, open the same chat and save the files to the gallery.

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If you need to transfer a lot of small files (like screenshots), pack them into the ZIP- archive before uploading to the cloud.

5. Applications and their data portability: what you need to know

One of the hardest aspects of migration is migrating installed apps along with their data, like you want WhatsApp to have a history of correspondence, and Spotify to have saved playlists, and unfortunately not all apps support backup, and there are a few nuances.

Methods of transferring applications:

• 🔄 Only APK- files (installation packages) are transferred through Mi Mover. Application data (e.g., saved in games) are only transferred if they are stored in /sdcard/Android/data/.
• ☁️ Google account, only restores apps that were installed from Google Play, data only if the app supports Android Backup Service.
• 💾 Manual backup: Some applications (like WhatsApp) allow you to create a local copy of the data, which you can then restore.

Examples for popular applications:

⚠️ Warning: Some banking applications (e.g., SberBank Online or Tinkoff) block the new device after being migrated via Mi Mover or backup, and will have to be reinstalled and re-authorized.

If an application doesn’t support backup, but its data is stored in a folder on the phone (e.g. /sdcard/Android/obb/ for games), you can manually copy that folder to a new smartphone. However, not all applications will work correctly after such a transfer — some check the integrity of files when you start.

6. transfer of hidden data: passwords, settings, keys

In addition to the obvious files (photos, videos, music), the phone stores hidden data that many people forget about: Wi-Fi passwords, encryption keys, VPN settings, browser autocomplete data, and their transfer requires special attention.

What can be transferred:

• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords: Use applications like WiFi Key Recovery (requires root) or manually write down passwords before resetting your old phone.
• 🌐 Browser bookmarks and passwords. In Google Chrome, they are synced through a Google account. For Mi Browser, you need to enable sync with Xiaomi Cloud.
• 🔒 Smart Lock Data. If you use automatic login on sites, make sure that the Smart Lock for passwords is enabled in Google settings.
• 📡 Settings VPN Export configuration files (.ovpn) from the VPN app and import them on the new phone.

To transfer encryption keys (for example, for Signal or ProtonMail):

1. In the app, find the section “Key Export” or “Backup”.
2. Create an encrypted copy and save it in a safe place (like Google Drive with a password).
3. On a new phone, import the keys through the same app.

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If you use two-factor authentication (2FA) through apps like Google Authenticator, move backup codes or re-link your accounts to the IFAR, without which you could lose access to services!

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when following instructions, users have problems with data transfer, and here are the most common mistakes and ways to solve them:

If Mi Mover has an error, "I couldn't connect":

1. Reboot both phones.
2. Turn off the VPNs and firewalls.
3. Make sure that both phones have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
4. Try connecting via a mobile hotspot (on an old phone, turn on the Wi-Fi distribution and connect a new one to it).

If after transfer of the application fly out:

• Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps.
• Reinstall the problem app from Google Play.
• Check the app’s compatibility with the new version of Android on Xiaomi.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions