The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always a joy, but the process of data transfer is often alarming. What if important contacts are lost? How to save the history of correspondence on WhatsApp or Telegram? Should we reconfigure all applications? These questions are familiar to everyone who has changed devices at least once. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools that simplify the migration of data between devices in the same ecosystem. But not all of them are equally effective — the choice of method depends on the amount of information, the model of phones and even the version of MIUI.
In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data, from standard backup to manually saving certain types of files. You will learn how to avoid typical errors (for example, data loss when resetting), what settings should be checked before starting the process, and what to do if the new Xiaomi does not see a backup.
If you are in a hurry, use the quick checklist in the Mi Mover section. If you want to understand all the nuances, read the entire article. We tested the instructions on pairs of Redmi Note 12 Pro+ devices → Xiaomi 14 Ultra and POCO X5 → Redmi K70E, so all the steps are relevant for modern models on MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS.
1.Preparation for transfer: what to do before the beginning
Data portability is not just about copying files, but also pre-optimizing both devices, which can cause crashes, loss of information, or even a new smartphone to freeze during setup.
Start by cleaning your old phone:
- 🧹 Delete unnecessary files (app cache, duplicate photos, old videos) via Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup. It'll reduce the amount of data that's being transmitted and speed up the process.
- 🔍 Check the free space: you will need at least a minimum to back up your copy via Mi Cloud 15-20% Free space on the internal storage.
- 🔋 Charge both devices to a minimum of 50% – Cable transfer or Wi-Fi Direct drains the battery faster than usual.
Next, set up a new Xiaomi:
- 📶 Connect it to a stable Wi-Fi network (mobile internet is not suitable – traffic restrictions may interrupt transmissions).
- 🛠️ Update your firmware to the latest version through Settings → The phone. → System updates. Different versions. MIUI/HyperOS They may conflict during transfer.
⚠️ Warning: If storage encryption is enabled on the old phone (Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption, disable it in advance. Otherwise, Mi Mover will not be able to read some files, and backup in Mi Cloud will be incomplete.
The final step is to check model compatibility. Some budget devices (such as the Redmi A2 or POCO C50) have limits on the amount of data transferred through the Mi Mover (maximum 5 GB).
2. Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool from Xiaomi
Mi Mover is a built-in data migration application that works without the Internet (via Wi-Fi Direct or cable) and copies almost everything: contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, apps (including their data), system settings and even desktop wallpapers, the main advantage is the preservation of folder structure and metadata files (dates of creation, geotags, etc.).
How to use Mi Mover:
- On your new phone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → Mi Mover. If the phone is already configured, find the app on the menu.
Select data types to transfer (you can mark everything or select individual categories).
10 minutes to 2 hours
Limitations of Mi Mover:
Charge both phones >50%|Disable encryption (if enabled)|Connect to one Wi-Fi network|Prepare. OTG-Adapter (for cable connection)|Check the free space on your new phone-->
⚠️ Warning: If there is an error during the transfer, the transmission is interrupted, restart both devices and try again. If the problem persists, use alternative methods (see sections). 3-5).
3. Method 2: Backup to Mi Cloud
Mi Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi, which offers 5 GB for free (for Russia and CIS - 10 GB when you link a phone number), this method is convenient if you do not have a cable or the device is in different places.
- ⏳ Slow download/download speed (especially for large data sets).
- 📁 Not all file types are automatically synced (such as browser downloads or files in the root folder).
- 🔒 The limit on the size of one file is 200 MB (video and archives will have to be divided).
Step-by-step:
- On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi → Mi Cloud Account.
- Enable synchronization for the desired categories: 📇 Contacts – Copyed to Google or Mi Cloud. 💬 Messages - only SMS (correspondence in messengers is not preserved!). 📷 Gallery – photos and videos (but not screenshots from the folder) Pictures/Screenshots). 📝 Notes and Calendar – if you use standard Xiaomi apps.
Backup
Create a backup copy
new
Mi Account
Mi Cloud → Restore
Table: What is copied to Mi Cloud and what is not
| Type of data | Copying? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | ✅ Yes. | Only if synced with Mi Cloud or Google |
| SMS/MMS | ✅ Yes. | No attachments (photo/video in messages) |
| Photo/video | ✅ Partially. | Only from DCIM/Camera folder |
| Annexes | ❌ No. | Only the list of installed (without data) |
| Wi-Fi settings | ✅ Yes. | Including passwords |
Tip: If you need to transfer all photos and videos without restrictions, use Google Photos (see section 5). There are separate instructions for messages in messengers (WhatsApp, Viber) (section 4).
💡
Before recovering from Mi Cloud, check the date of the last backup in Settings → Mi → Mi Cloud → Backup. If the copy is old, create a new one!
Method 3: Portability of Application Messages and Data
Standard methods (Mi Mover or Mi Cloud) don’t always correctly transfer data from messengers, social networks or banking applications, but they need special backups that are created inside the applications themselves.
How to transfer correspondence and media files:
- 💬 WhatsApp: Open WhatsApp on your old phone. Go to WhatsApp ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup. Click Create a copy and wait until it is completed (the file will be saved to Google Drive or locally). On the new phone, install WhatsApp, log in to the same account and restore chats when requested. ⚠️ Note: If you use WhatsApp Business, backup is created separately.
- 📱 Telegram: 🔄 Enable synchronization Settings → chat → Chat history → Chat export (you can choose individual dialogs). 📁 The export file will be in.json format, which can be transferred to a new phone and imported. 💰 Banking applications: Data from SberBank Online, Tinkoff, VTB Online and other banks are not automatically transferred. You will need to: Take screenshots of important data (card numbers, payment templates), install the application on a new phone and log in via SMS / biometrics. Restore templates and settings manually.
Table: Compatibility of backups of popular applications
| Annex | Supports the backup? | Where it's stored | Transferred to a new phone? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ Yes. | Google Drive / Locally | ✅ Yes (on recovery) | |
| Telegram | ✅ Yes. | Telegram Cloud / File | ✅ Yes (through exports) |
| Viber | ✅ Yes. | Google Drive/iCloud | ✅ Yes (chat only, no calls) |
| Sberbank Online | ❌ No. | — | ❌ No (only manual input) |
| Google Authenticator | ❌ No. | — | ❌ No (must be carried manually) |
How to transfer Google Authenticator to the new Xiaomi?
5. Method 4: Manual file transfer (photos, videos, documents)
If you only need to transfer media files or documents, the easiest way to do this is manually, which is suitable for large amounts of data (for example, a collection of photos in 100+ GB) that will not fit in the Mi Cloud.
Manual portability options:
- 🖥️ Computer: Connect the old Xiaomi to the PC via cable (in File Transfer mode (DCIM, Downloads, Documents) on your computer. Connect your new phone and paste the files into the corresponding folders.
Through the memory card:
If both phones support microSD,
- Insert the card into an old phone and copy the files to it.
- Transfer the card to a new phone and move the data to internal memory.
- ☁️ Through cloud services: 📷 Google Photos – automatically uploads all photos / videos (settings: High quality – unlimited storage). 📄 Google Drive or Yandex Drive – for documents and archives. 🎵 Yandex Music or Spotify – for transferring playlists.
Warnings when using third-party applications:
- ⚠️ Check permissions: if the application requests access to the SMS, Contacts or geolocations for no reason – refuse.
- ⚠️ Avoid programs with a rating below 4.5★ and a small number of reviews.
- ⚠️ Use secure networks to transmit over Wi-Fi (avoid public access points).
7. Checking data after transfer and correcting errors
Once the transfer is complete, make sure to check the integrity of the data — often some files are lost or corrupted.
Checklist after migration:
- 📞 Check contacts: Open the Contacts app and make sure all numbers are in place (especially pay attention to groups and favorites).
- 💬 Open messengers and check the history of correspondence (in WhatsApp, the media may not recover if the backup was interrupted).
- 📷 Run the Gallery and make sure all photos/videos are displayed (sometimes thumbnails are missing, but files remain in place).
- 🎮 Install one save game (like Clash of Clans) and check if progress has loaded.
- 🔊 Check the audio files: sometimes the music from the Ringtones folder is not copied.
If passwords are not transferred, export them manually through chrome://flags/#password-export (Chrome only).