How to Transfer Data from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: A Complete 2026 Guide

Why standard file copying methods don’t always work with Xiaomi

The transition to Xiaomi’s new smartphone is always a joy, but the process of data transfer often turns into a headache. Unlike the iPhone, where the Apple ecosystem offers seamless migration through iCloud, owners of Android devices face fragmented solutions, especially in Xiaomi, where standard tools like Google Account or Bluetooth do not always cope with bulk data — 108 MP photos, 4K videos or Telegram message archives.

The problem is compounded by the fact that MIUI (Xiaomi's shell actively caches files and places restrictions on access to system folders, such as trying to copy a folder. DCIM/Camera through USB-The cable may end in an error due to SELinux permissions or locking MIUI Even Google Photos don't always work: metadata (dates, geotags) are lost when synchronized, and the originals are compressed to the right level. 16 MP in free rate.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data between Xiaomi devices, from the official Mi Mover tool to little-known tricks with ADB and local network, and pay special attention to the problem of SMS transfer and call logs, which are often “lost” using standard methods.

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is an MIUI-built application designed specifically for data migration between Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices. It supports almost all types of data transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, apps (including their data) and even some system settings. The main advantage is that it does not require Internet (works on Wi-Fi Direct) and maintains the folder structure.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On both phones, open the Settings app. → The phone. → Mi Mover (or find it through search engine search).
• 🔄 On the old phone, select “I am the sender” and on the new one, “I am the receiver".
• 📶 Connect to one Wi-Fi Direct network (password will appear on the sender screen).
• 📁 Select data types to transfer (we recommend leaving all check boxes except System Settings – they may conflict with the new version). MIUI).
• ⏳ Wait for the process to be completed (the screen will show progress and time assessment).

⚠️ Note: If the new phone is installed MIUI 14+, old — MIUI 12 or lower, Mi Mover may refuse to port some apps due to incompatibility of Android versions.In this case, use alternative methods (see Method 3 or 4).

Make sure both phones have enough room | Battery charge > 50% | Turn off VPN and power saving modes | Check compatibility of MIUI-->

Method 2: Cloud Services – Xiaomi Cloud and Google Drive

If Mi Mover doesn’t work for some reason (for example, due to different versions of MIUI or hardware limitations), you can use cloud services. Xiaomi offers its own cloud – Xiaomi Cloud, and Google – a universal solution Google Drive.

Xiaomi Cloud is convenient because it is integrated into the MIUI ecosystem and automatically synchronizes:

• 📞 Contacts, SMS, callbook
• 🖼️ Photos and videos (in original quality up to 10 GB at free rate)
• 📝 Notes from Mi Notes
• 🔄 Backup copies of applications (but not their data!)

To move data through Xiaomi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Xiaomi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for all categories (especially Contacts and Gallery).
3. Wait for the download to be completed (you can check in the "Storage Management" section).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and enable sync.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos to back up your media files, disable it before syncing with Xiaomi Cloud to avoid duplicate and metadata conflicts.

Google Drive is suitable for data transfer if you don’t want to be attached to the Xiaomi ecosystem.

1. On your old phone, install Google One (if not installed).
2. Go to Settings → System → Backup and create a backup.
3. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select “Restore Data from Backup” or do it later in the same settings.

Xiaomi Cloud|Google Drive|Yandex Drive|iCloud|Nothing else |Not using-->

Method 3: Direct transmission via cable (OTG or USB-C)

One of the most reliable ways to carry large amounts of data is to connect phones directly through a cable.

• 🔌 USB-cable OTG (adapter USB-C to USB-C new-model).
• 📂 File Manager with Support FTP/OTG (Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).

Instructions:

1. Connect your old phone to your new phone using a cable (a notification may appear on the new phone "USB-Connection - select "File Transfer").
2. On your new phone, open Mi File Manager and go to the section "USB-storage” (or “External device").
3. Copy the folders you need (DCIM, Download, Pictures, etc.) into the internal memory of your new phone.

⚠️ Note: When copying a folder Android/data (where application data is stored, some files may not be migrated due to restrictions MIUI To access system directories, transferring them would require root rights or use ADB (see method 5).

Advantages of this method:

• ⚡ High speed (up to 40 MB/s when used) USB 3.0).
• 🔒 Security – data is not transmitted via the Internet.
• 📁 Keeping folder structure (unlike cloud services).

💡

If the phone doesn’t recognize the connected device, try enabling Developer Mode and activating the USB Debugging option in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).

Method 4: Local area network (Wi-Fi FTP or SMB)

If you don't have an OTG cable, but you have access to the same Wi-Fi network, you can organize data transfer over a local area network, which is FTP or SMB. Let's look at both.

Option 1: FTP-phone-side

1. Install an FTP Server application on your old phone (such as WiFi FTP Server from Google Play).
2. Start the server and write down the address of the view ftp://192.168.x.x:2221.
3. On the new phone, open Mi File Manager, select "FTP" and enter the server address.
4. Copy the files you want.

Option 2: SMB (Windows-compatible protocol)

1. Install on your old MiXplorer phone (enable SMB support in settings).
2. In the MiXplorer settings, activate "SMB-server and record the path (smb://192.168.x.x).
3. On a new phone, connect to this address through any file manager.

The speed of transmission over Wi-Fi depends on the standard of the router:

• 📶 Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) — up to 10MB/s.
• 📶 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) — up to 20 MB/s.
• 📶 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) — up to 30MB/s.

Method 5: ADB (for experienced users)

If you need to migrate system data (e.g., application settings, XML SMS, or call logs), standard methods won’t help. Here comes the ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a low-level file system access tool.

Warning: This method requires the developer mode to be turned on and can result in data loss if used incorrectly.

Instructions:

1. On both phones, turn on “Debugging by USB” (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times pressed; then Additional settings → For developers → Debugging by USB).
2. Connect your old phone to your computer and execute a command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab (the phone will receive a confirmation request - enter a password if required).
3. Connect your new phone and recover data: adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Note: Adb backup does not save data from some apps (such as WhatsApp or banking apps) due to Android limitations.

An alternative method is to manually copy system files:

adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db


adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db

These files can then be restored to the new phone using ADB or customized applications like SMS Backup & Restore.

💡

ADB is the only way to migrate full application data (including game saves), but requires technical skills and can disrupt the system if errors occur.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with proven methods, users are faced with common mistakes, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔋 Battery charge – at a level below 20%, some functions (such as Mi Mover) are blocked.
• 🛡️ Antivirus software like Avast or 360 Security can block data transmission.
• 📶 Flight mode – turn it off even if you use a cable.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions