How to transfer notes from Xiaomi phone to another smartphone: all ways

The switch to a new smartphone always involves data transfer, and notes are one of the most important types of information. Xiaomi phone owners (including the Redmi series, POCO, Mi 11/12/13/14) The standard Notes app (com.miui.notes) is not always correctly synchronized with the clouds of other manufacturers. As a result, when you change devices — whether it’s another Xiaomi, Samsung, iPhone or even Realme — users risk losing years of accumulated records.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to carry notes, including cloud services, local backups, and manual methods. We’ll focus on the nuances of Mi Account, Google Keep limitations, and iOS workarounds. If you use password-locked notes or biometrics, porting them will require additional steps, which we’ll talk about.

Spoiler: the most reliable method is export to the PDF/HTML through embedded tools MIUI, But it's not suitable for all firmware versions. MIUI 14+, Read the Mi Cloud section – there are new synchronization options.

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1.Move over Mi Cloud (official way for Xiaomi)

Syncing through Mi Cloud is the most logical option for Xiaomi owners, but it only works if you meet three conditions:

1. Both phones must have the same Mi Account logged in.
2. The Notes app (com.miui.notes) must be installed on the target device (even if it is not Xiaomi).
3. Version. MIUI on the old phone - not lower than 12.5 (on earlier synchronization of notes may not be available).

To move your notes through the Mi Cloud:

1. Open the Notes app on the original Xiaomi.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner → Settings → Sync with Mi Cloud.
3. Turn on the switch and wait for the download to complete (the cloud icon at the top should turn green).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account, install the Notes app (if not), and enable synchronization.

⚠️ Note: If the new phone is not MIUI, download APK-Application file Notes from the official Xiaomi website (section "Support" → Installation via Google Play may not work due to regional restrictions.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 Automatically update notes when changing on any device.
• 🔒 The structure of folders and tags is preserved.
• 📱 It works between Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO lossless.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Does not support iPhone (no official Mi Note client for iOS).
• ❌ On Android 13 phones+ Errors may occur due to background activity limitations.

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2. Export of Notes to File (PDF/HTML/TXT)

If cloud sync is not possible (e.g., you switch to an iPhone or a phone from another brand), exporting to a file is a lifesaver. MIUI, but has a limitation: the notes with the lock (password / fingerprint) are exported without the content - only the headings.

Export instructions:

1. Open the app Notes → press three-point → Settings.
2. Select Note Exports → specify the format (PDF, HTML or TXT).
3. Check the required notes (or click Select All).
4. Click Export and save the file to Downloads or Google Drive.

How to import on a new phone:

• 📱 Android: Use any note-taking app (like Google Keep or ColorNote) that supports importing from files. → Imports → Select a file.
• 🍎 iPhone: Install Files (standard app), download the file, then open it in Apple Notes or Notion.

⚠️ Note: If you are exporting to PDF, Check the encoding of the text - on some firmware MIUI Cyrillic is displayed in Cracosabra. Solution: before exporting, change the language of the system to English.

Make sure that your notes are not blocked with a password |

Check the free space on your phone (PDF It can weigh up to 50MB)|

Select the format depending on the target application|

Save the file to the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox) in case of loss-->

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3. Transfer through Google Account (for Android)

If you use Google Keep or another note-taking app that supports Google Drive, you can transfer data through your Google account, but here's the caveat: Xiaomi's standard Notes app doesn't sync directly with Google.

Method 1: Manual transfer via Google Keep

1. Export notes to TXT (as in the previous section).
2. Open Google Keep on your old phone → create a new note → paste the text from the file.
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Google Account – notes will appear automatically.

Method 2: Automatic synchronization via Mi Notes + Google Drive

1. In the Notes app, click Settings → Backup.
2. Select Google Drive as a save location and log in.
3. On the new phone, install Mi Notes and restore data from the backup.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Does not work for lock notes (they are not exported).
• ❌ Google Keep has a limit on the size of a note 20,000 characters).
• ❌ Formatting (bold text, lists) may be lost.

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If there are many notes, break them into pieces. 15-20 It's easier to control the process and avoid mistakes.

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4. Transfer of Notes over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct

If cloud services are not available (e.g., no internet), you can transfer notes locally via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, a method that is suitable for transferring between two Android devices, but requires pre-exporting to a file.

Step-by-step:

1. Export notes to TXT or HTML (see section 2).
2. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones and pair them.
3. On your old phone, open the note file. → Press Share. → Choose Bluetooth.
4. Take the file on your new phone and import it into the note-taking app.

Wi-Fi Direct (faster than Bluetooth):

• 📶 Activate Wi-Fi Direct in settings (Settings) → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct).
• 🔗 Connect to the receiving device.
• 📄 Send the note file through the Share Menu → Wi-Fi Direct.

⚠️ Note: When you transmit files over Bluetooth, files larger than 10 MB can "hang" if you have a lot of notes, archive them in the Internet. ZIP before shipment.

Advantages of local transmission:

• 🔒 Doesn't require the Internet.
• 🛡️ Data does not enter the cloud (privacy).
• 📲 It works even on older Android 5.0 phones.+.

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5. Transfer of Notes from Xiaomi to iPhone (special methods)

The transition from Xiaomi to iPhone is complicated by the fact that Apple Notes does not support imports from the iPhone MIUI Notes directly. However, there are 3 workarounds:

Method 1: Google Keep + iCloud

1. Export notes from Mi Notes to TXT.
2. Import them to Google Keep (as described in Section 3).
3. On your iPhone, open Google Keep via your browser (Safari) and manually copy the text to Apple Notes.

Method 2: Use Notion or Evernote

• 📱 Set Notion on Xiaomi and import notes through HTML-file.
• 🍎 On iPhone, log in to the same Notion account – all notes will be available.
• 🔄 If necessary, export them to Apple Notes through the Share feature.

Method 3: Direct Move to iOS (limited)

⚠️ Note: Apple's Move to iOS app only transfers contacts, photos and messages. It doesn't transfer notes! However, if you save them to Google Drive beforehand, you can download the file to your iPhone manually.

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6.Recovery of deleted notes after transfer

If you find that some of the notes are missing after the transfer, don't panic. Xiaomi has a hidden cart where the data is stored for up to 30 days.

1. Open your notes. → press three-point → Basket.
2. Select the necessary notes → press Restore.
3. Repeat the transfer (e.g. via Mi Cloud or export).

If the basket is empty:

• 🔍 Check the folder. MIUI/Notes/backup In the phone’s internal memory – sometimes backups are left.
• 📧 Write in support of Xiaomi (support)@xiaomi.com) indicatively ID Your Mi Account and the time of deletion.In some cases, they can recover data from the cloud.

To prevent loss:

Make a backup copy in 2 formats (PDF + HTML)|

Check sync with Mi Cloud before resetting your phone|

Make sure there is enough room on the new phone to import|

Save a copy of notes on a PC or flash drive-->

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7. Alternative Notes Apps (if the standard one does not suit)

If Xiaomi’s built-in Notes app isn’t portable, consider alternatives with better cross-platform support:

• 📝 Notion: Import HTML, PDF, Evernote. There are versions for Android, iOS and Windows.
• 📌 Evernote: Supports manual import from MIUI Notes through ENEX-file.
• 🧺 Google Keep: Simple interface, but limited in functionality (no folders, only color tags).
• 🍎 Apple Notes: Optimal if you’re switching to an iPhone, but requires manual porting.

How to migrate to Notion:

1. Export notes from Mi Notes to HTML.
2. At Notion, click Import → select the file → Specify the target database.
3. Set up the structure (tags, filters) to suit your needs.

Tip: If you use Notion, set up automatic backup in Settings → Backups, which will protect the data from loss when you change the phone.

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When choosing an alternative application, pay attention to support for offline mode and data export – this is critical for future transfers.

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FAQ: Frequent questions about moving notes with Xiaomi