How to Transfer Notes from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: A Complete Guide

Transferring notes from an old Xiaomi smartphone to a new one may seem like a trivial task, but in practice users face a lot of nuances: the lack of synchronization through Mi Account, different versions of MIUI firmware, or even a banal lack of space in the cloud – all this makes a simple operation a puzzle, especially for owners of devices with MIUI 12-14, where the standard application Notes has undergone dramatic changes in the architecture of storage.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for transferring notes between Xiaomi phones, from official solutions (via Mi Cloud and Google Drive) to alternative methods (export to.txt, transfer over Bluetooth). Each method is illustrated with screenshots of current versions of MIUI and contains warnings about possible pitfalls. If you move from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 13 Ultra or just want to back up notes before reset, here you will find a solution for your task.

1. Transfer of Notes through Mi Cloud (official method)

Xiaomi’s most reliable and recommended method is synchronization via Mi Cloud, which works on all devices with MIUI 10 and later, but there are important limitations: free cloud storage is only 5 GB, and notes take up space in the general pool. If you actively use photos or backups, there may not be enough space.

To move notes through Mi Cloud, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and turn on the slider opposite Note. Wait for the sync to be completed (the cloud indicator should turn green).
• 🔄 On the new phone: log in to the same Mi Account, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and enable synchronization of notes. Data will start to load automatically.
• ⏳ Wait 5-15 minutes, depending on the number of notes and the speed of the Internet!

Wi-Fi connection (mobile internet may be disrupted)

Free space in Mi Cloud (minimum 100 MB)

The same version of MIUI on both devices (or close ones)

No VPN (can block synchronization)

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If the notes don’t appear on the new phone, check:

• 🔍 Notes App Version – Both devices should be the same (update via Play Market or App Store).
• 📡 Internet connection stability – switch from mobile data to Wi-Fi.
• 🔄 Manual sync: Open the Notes app, pull the screen down to update the data.

⚠️ Note: If you have used Notes in Local mode (without account binding), they are not synced through Mi Cloud.

2.Export notes to file and import to new phone

If cloud sync is not available for some reason (e.g., no Mi Account or no place), you can export notes to a.txt or.zip file and transfer it to a new device, which works even on devices with different firmware (MIUI and HyperOS).

Instructions for export:

1. Open the Notes app on your old phone.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Settings → Export notes.
3. Choose the format: 📄.Txt is a simple text file (suitable for a small number of notes). 🗄️.zip - archive with HTML-Markup (saves formatting, pictures and lists).

Downloads.

Now transfer the file to the new phone:

• 📎 Bluetooth: Send the file as a regular attachment.
• 🌐 Through the cloud: upload the file to Google Drive/Yandex.Disk and download on a new device.
• 🔌 Cable: Connect both phones to your PC and copy the file manually.

For import on the new phone:

1. Open Notes → Settings → Import notes.
2. Select the downloaded file and confirm the import.
3. Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 5 minutes for large archives).

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If you import notes without formatting (the list has become solid text), try importing a.zip archive instead of a.txt.

3. Move over Google Drive (for notes tied to Google)

If you use Google Notes (or sync data through Google Account), the transfer is simplified with a couple of clicks, a method that works even when you switch from Xiaomi to a smartphone of another brand (such as Samsung or Pixel).

How to transfer notes through Google Drive:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure Notes Sync is enabled (or Drive if you use Google Keep).
2. Sign in to the new phone under the same Google Account.
3. Install the Google Keep app (if you use it) or wait for the standard notes to automatically sync.

⚠️ Note: If you used the standard Xiaomi Notes app without syncing with Google, this method won't work.

Mi Cloud

Export to file

Google Drive

Bluetooth/cable

Another way.

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4. Transfer of Notes over Bluetooth or over a Local Area Network

If you don't have access to the Internet or cloud services, you can transfer notes directly, whether it's Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct or a local network, which is suitable for a small number of notes (up to 50 pieces), as it can take a long time to transfer large files.

Step-by-step:

1. On an old phone, export notes to a.txt or.zip file (see method 2).
2. Turn on Bluetooth on both devices and make them visible to other devices (Settings → Bluetooth → Visibility).
3. On an old phone, find the exported file in Explorer, click Share → Bluetooth and select a new phone.
4. On the new phone, confirm the file reception and wait for the transfer to be completed.
5. Import notes through the Notes app (see Method 2).

The alternative is to use Wi-Fi Direct:

• 📶 Activate Wi-Fi Direct on both phones (Settings) → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct).
• 🔗 Connect devices to each other (code confirmation required).
• 📤 Send the note file as a regular attachment through Explorer.

The advantage of this method is that it doesn't depend on the Internet, but it has some disadvantages:

• ⏳ Slow transfer speed (especially for large files).
• 🔋 High battery consumption (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct are actively consuming energy).
• 📱 File size limit (usually up to 100MB per transfer).

5. Transfer notes through third-party applications (e.g. Evernote or OneNote)

If standard methods don't work (e.g., Mi Cloud malfunction or MIUI version incompatibility), you can use third-party note-taking apps. Popular options: Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, Simplenote. They support cross-platform synchronization and often do better at porting formatted text.

How to transfer notes through Evernote:

1. Install Evernote on an old phone from Play Market.
2. Register or log in to your account.
3. Manually copy the text of notes from the standard Notes app in Evernote (or export them to.txt and import them to Evernote via Import).
4. On your new phone, install Evernote, log in and wait for sync.

Advantages of this method:

• ☁️ Automatic synchronization between devices.
• 📌 Preserving formatting (bold text, lists, images).
• 🔒 Additional features: tags, text search, note versions.

⚠️ Warning: The free version of Evernote limits monthly sync traffic (usually 60MB).If you have a lot of pictures notes, you may need a paid subscription.

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The app side (e.g. Evernote) is the best choice if you want to keep the structure of notes (tables, highlights, attachments) and Xiaomi’s standard methods often eat up formatting.

6. Note Transfers with PC (for advanced users)

If none of the above methods are suitable (for example, due to corrupted firmware or lack of access to the cloud), you can extract notes directly from the phone’s memory through the computer, this method requires basic skills to work with ADB or Android file system.

Instructions for extracting notes via PC:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB-cable and enable file transfer mode.
2. With Windows Explorer or ADB, find the note folder. It's usually located along the path: /data/data/com.miui.notes/files/notes/Note: access to this folder requires root rights or use ADB with the command: adb pull /data/data/com.miui.notes/files/notes/C:\NotesBackup\
3. Copy note files (usually in.json or.db) to your computer.
4. Transfer them to the new phone in the same folder (or import them via ADB).

If you do not have root rights, an alternative way to do this is to:

• 🖥️ Use the Mi program. PC Suite (Official Xiaomi Backup Software).
• 📦 Back up your entire phone, then restore it to your new device (selecting only Notes in the data list).

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If you don't want to mess with ADB, try Solid Explorer, which has access to the root folder, which allows you to view system files without root, as long as USB debugging is enabled.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When you move notes, you often have typical problems, and here are the most common ones and how to solve them:

If none of the solutions worked, try resetting the Notes app settings:

1. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.

⚠️ Notes will delete all local notes not synced to the cloud!Be sure to export them to the file before resetting.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions