How to Transfer All Data from Your Old Phone to Xiaomi Redmi: A Complete 2026 Guide

Buying a new Xiaomi Redmi smartphone is always a joyful event, but before enjoying the speed of the Snapdragon or the 108 MP camera, there is an important task to solve: data transfer. Contacts, photos over 5 years, saved passwords, notes and even progress in games – all this must be moved without loss. Errors at this stage can be expensive, from losing valuable files to problems with synchronizing accounts.

Fortunately, Xiaomi offers several official and third-party migration options, but not all are equally effective. For example, Mi Mover kop almost everything automatically, but only works between devices on the same platform. MIUI. And Google Account Transfer is universal, but it doesn't always keep the folder structure. In this article, we'll look at 5 proven methods, from the fastest to the most reliable, and we'll also uncover nuances that even Xiaomi's instructions don't tell you.

You'll know:

• 🔄 How to transfer data without a computer in 10 minutes (the method for kettles)
• 📱 Why Mi Mover may not see your old phone and how to fix it
• ☁️ What files cannot be moved through Google Drive and how to replace them
• ⚡ How long will each method take (comparative table)

If the old phone used an iPhone, the algorithm will be different – for this case, we have a separate section with details.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover – a proprietary solution from Xiaomi for data migration between devices MIUI. The app is pre-installed on all Redmis starting with the Redmi Note 5 and supports portability:

• 📞 Contacts, call logs and SMS
• 📷 Photos, video and audio files (including folders) DCIM and downloads)
• 📱 Annexes (APK-file + data if root access is permitted)
• 📝 Notes, calendars and reminders
• 🔑 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness)

The main advantage is that Mi Mover copies even data that is not synced with Google (for example, call histories over 30 days or local notes).

⚠️ Note: If the old phone is Android 10 or older, and the new one — MIUI 14+, You may need to disable battery optimization for Mi Mover in the settings.

Step-by-step:

1. On the new Redmi, select Data Transfer when you first enable it (or find Mi Mover in the app menu).
2. On your old phone, install Mi Mover from Google Play (if not).
3. Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (or use the hotspot on your old phone).
4. On the new Redmi, select I receive data, on the old one, I send data.
5. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone with an old one.
6. Select data types to transfer and wait for completion.

Speed depends on the volume: 10 GB of photos will move over ~20 minutes, 50 GB up to 1.5 hours. If the process is 99 percent frozen, don't interrupt it.

Battery charge >50% on both phones|

Same version MIUI (or differs from no more than 1 version)|

VPNs and firewalls disabled |

Free space on the new Redmi exceeds the amount of data transferred-->

2. Universal method: transfer via Google Account

If your old phone isn't Xiaomi (or Mi Mover is refusing to work), the most reliable option is sync with Google.

• 📱 Samsung, Huawei, Realme and other brands on Android
• 🍎 iPhone (partially, see the section on iOS)
• 🔄 Data recovery after Redmi reset to factory settings

What can be transferred:

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, check that backup is enabled: Settings → Accounts. → Google → [your account] → Synchronization Activate all switches.
2. Install Google Photos and upload all media files (select Original Quality in the settings if saving without compression is important).
3. On the new Redmi, when setting up, select Restore from backup and log in to the same Google Account.
4. Wait until synchronization is complete (may take up to a day for large libraries).

⚠️ Note: If your old phone used Mi Account to sync notes or calendar entries, you will have to export them manually via mi.com, and Google won’t see them.

Mi Mover|

Google Account|

OTG/PC| cable

Cloud services (Yandex Disk, Dropbox)|

Never transferred the data.-->

3. Transfer via OTG cable or computer

If you don’t have Wi-Fi or data is over 100GB, direct cable or PC connectivity is the fastest solution, and it works even between Android and iOS (with limitations).

You'll need:

• 🔌 Cable USB-C → USB-C (or USB-A → USB-C adapter-wise OTG)
• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS (optionally, for backup)
• 📂 flash drive or external SSD (If the data is not stored in the memory of the new Redmi)

Option 1: Direct phone connection (without PC)

1. Connect your old phone to your new Redmi via cable.
2. On the new device in the notification panel, select File Transfer (MTP).
3. Open Explorer on the new Redmi and copy files from the memory of the old phone (folders) DCIM, Downloads, Pictures and more.).

Option 2: Through a computer (more reliable)

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy all the data to your hard drive (for example, to a folder). D:\Redmi_Backup).
2. Connect the new Redmi and transfer the files back.
3. For apps, use APK Extractor (on your old phone) and manually install APK on your new phone.

The advantage of this method is that you have complete control over which files are copied, for example, you can choose only the photos from the last year or eliminate heavy videos.

• ❌ System settings and application data are not transferred (only) APK)
• ❌ It takes more time to sort files.

💡

If the new Redmi doesn’t see the old phone through the cable, try turning on developer mode and activate the Debugging option. USB. To do this, click on the Assembly Number 7 times in Settings → The phone.

4.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi Redmi

The transition from iOS to Android is always more difficult because of Apple's closed ecosystem, but Xiaomi has a special solution, the Move to iOS app -- Joke! In fact, to migrate back (from iPhone to Redmi) you'll have to combine several tools.

What can be transferred:

Step-by-step:

1. Contacts: On iPhone, open iCloud.com → Contacts. Allocate all contacts and export to.vcf. On Redmi, import the file through Google Contacts.
2. Photo/Video: Install Google Photos on your iPhone and enable autoload. On Redmi, log in to the same account and wait for sync.
3. Music: Connect your iPhone to your PC and copy songs from iTunes Media. Move them to Redmi to the Music folder.

⚠️ Apple Music and iTunes purchases are not portable to Android DRM-Alternatives are services like YouTube Music or Spotify.

5. Cloud services: Yandex Drive, Dropbox, Telegram

If you have slow internet or no cable, cloud storage is a lifeline, and it can transfer individual files (photos, documents, music) but can't handle system data (settings, SMS, applications).

Comparison of services:

Instructions for Yandex Disk (optimum for CIS):

1. Install Yandex Drive on your old phone.
2. Upload files to the Disk folder (you can select Autoupload photo).
3. On the new Redmi, log in to the same account and download files.

For Telegram:

1. Send files to your Save Messages (limit is 2 GB per file).
2. On the new phone, open Telegram and save files to the device’s memory.

The advantages of cloud services:

• 🌍 Access from anywhere in the world
• 🔒 Encryption of data (in Yandex Drive and Google Drive)
• 📱 No link to the phone brand

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Slow loading at high volume (for example, 100 GB can load for a day)
• ❌ Loss of quality risk in compression (in Google Photos when selecting "High quality")

💡

Cloud services are ideal for backup, but they don't replace full data portability, and use them as an additional way, for example, to transfer documents or individual folders with photos.

6. Transfer of data after reset to factory settings

If you've already set up a new Redmi but forgot to move the data, or the phone has been reset, don't despair. You can recover information even after the fact - as long as the old device remains backed up.

Recovery methods:

• 🔄 Mi Cloud: If the old Xiaomi was enabled sync with Mi Account, log in to the new Redmi in Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud and select data for recovery.
• ☁️ Google Backup: Go to Settings → System system → Backup and select the last copy.
• 💾 Local Copy: If you did backup through TWRP or SP Flash Tool, restore it via recavers (root rights required).

Important: Not all data is restored equally well, for example:

• ✅ Contacts, calendars and notes are restored almost without loss.
• ⚠️ Photos and videos may lose geolocation tags or dates.
• ❌ Progress in games without a link to Google Play Games or Mi Account will be lost.

⚠️ Note: If you reset your old phone before the data transfer, the only way to get it back is to use programs like Dr.Fone or EaseUS MobiSaver, but they only work if the phone has not written new data (otherwise the files will be overwritten).

Comparison of data transfer methods

To choose the best way, we will evaluate each according to the key criteria:

Selection recommendations:

• 🔹 If both phones are Xiaomi, use Mi Mover.
• 🔹 For transferring from iPhone or Samsung is optimal Google Account + cable.
• 🔹 With a large amount of data (50)+ GB) - direct connection via PC.
• 🔹 For backup of individual files – cloud services.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi Redmi