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

Why data transfer between Xiaomi smartphones requires a special approach

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always a joyful event, but the data migration process can become a headache if you do not know the nuances. Unlike other brands, MIUI phones have unique synchronization tools that both simplify and complicate the task. For example, the built-in Mi Cloud automatically reserves some data, but not all users know that linking an account to the region of China blocks access to some portability functions in global versions of MIUI.

Another feature is the variety of models. The data transfer from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra will be smooth if both devices are running MIUI 14/15. But when you switch from the old Mi 8 (MIUI 12), you may have problems with compatibility of backups. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, from official tools to workarounds for complex cases.

Device Preparation: What to Do Before Data Transfer

Before you start migrating, make sure both smartphones are ready for the procedure, which will save you from errors such as a transfer failure or loss of files.

• 🔋 Charging both devices at least 50%. Transferring data via cable or Wi-Fi Direct consumes a lot of power - at a discharge below 20%, the process can be interrupted.
• 📶 Stable Internet connection (for cloud methods) If you use mobile Internet, disable background restriction for the Mi Cloud app in traffic settings.
• 🔐 One Mi Account on both phones. If the accounts are different, the data from Mi Cloud is not automatically synced.
• 📂 Cleaning up unnecessary files on an old phone. 100 GB of garbage will take hours – check the folders Download and DCIM/.thumbnails.

Pay special attention to the region of your Mi Account. If your account is tied to China (for example, when buying a phone in Chinese stores), some features like Mi Mover may not be available. Check the region in your account settings: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Personal Data.

⚠️ Warning: If a new phone has already created a Mi Account with a different email, reset to factory settings before the data penos. Otherwise, linking to the new device may block access to old backups.

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool for fast transfer

Mi Mover is a built-in app from Xiaomi that allows you to transfer data directly between two phones via Wi-Fi Direct, which works even without the Internet and supports:

• 📞 Contacts, call log, SMS/MMS
• 📸 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums, if saved locally)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📁 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS etc.)
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sound circuits, shortcuts)
• 🎮 Data from certain games (if the developer supports the game) MIUI Backup)

How to use Mi Mover:

1. Install the app on both phones (if it’s not the default, download from the Mi App Store).
2. On the old phone, select Send, on the new phone, Receive.
3. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone on an old phone (or connect via device search).
4. Select data types to transfer and confirm the beginning.
5. Wait until the process is completed – it can take from 10 minutes to several hours (depending on the volume).

⚠️ Warning: If you see a “Disconnected” error during the transfer over Mi Mover, check that both phones are Wi-Fi Direct enabled and power saving is turned off. Also make sure that the new phone has enough free space – migration requires a temporary buffer of equal size. ~20% of the volume of data transferred.

Install Mi Mover on both phones | Disable VPN and firewalls | Free space on the new phone > data portability | Close background applications (especially messengers) | Connect both phones to charge-->

Method 2: Mi Cloud – Cloud Transfer with Change History

The Mi Cloud is the most reliable way to back up data on Xiaomi servers, and the advantage of this method is that you can restore data to a new phone even a month after the transfer.

• 🌍 Regional restrictions: Users with accounts linked to China have only 5GB of free space (15GB in global accounts).
• ⏳ Time limit: Backups are stored for 30 days and then automatically deleted.
• 🔄 Not all data is synchronized: for example, Wi-Fi passwords and some system settings are not saved.

Instructions for perenos via Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for all the necessary categories (contacts, notes, photos, etc.).
3. Backup: Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup (optional, for duplicate).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and wait for automatic synchronization.
5. To restore backup: Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Restore from Mi Cloud.

If you have a Chinese version of MIUI, check before the penos to see if Mi Cloud services are unlocked for your region. Sometimes you need to change your account region (dosed through Account Settings → Country / Region, but may require confirmation by SMS to the Chinese number).

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If Mi Cloud doesn’t sync photos, check the settings of the Gallery app: go to Gallery Settings → Cloud Sync and turn on the option “Autosynchronization over Wi-Fi”.

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for users of global versions of MIUI)

If you use Google services (Gmail, Drive, Photos), you can transfer data through your Google account, which is universal and works even when you switch from Xiaomi to a smartphone of another brand.

• 📧 Contacts and calendars are synchronized completely, but the call log and SMS — no.
• 📸 Google Photos saves media files in original quality only at a paid rate (free – compression up to 16 MP for photos).
• 🎮 Apps are restored from Google Play, but their data (for example, progress in games) – only if the developer supports Google Drive Backup.

How to transfer data via Google:

1. On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts and sync → Google → [your email] → Sync everything
2. Upload photos to Google Photos (open the app and wait for the download to complete).
3. On your new phone, when you first turn on, select Copy Data from your old device → From the cloud and log in to the same Google account.
4. If the phone is already configured, go to Settings → System → Backup and restore data.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone used two-step Google login (2FA), Add the new phone to the list of trusted devices before penos, otherwise, when you restore data, you may need a code from Google Authenticator, which will remain on the old device.

Method 4: Local Transfer via OTG Cable or Computer

If you have more than 50 GB of data or slow Internet, you'd better be able to use direct cable.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (Connecting a flash drive or a second phone).
• 💻 Computer with USB-Ports (if you use PC as an intermediary).
• 📁 File Manager (e.g. Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).

Option 1: Direct phone connection (via OTG)

1. Connect your old phone to your new phone via an OTG+USB-C cable (or microUSB, depending on the model).
2. On your old phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On the new phone, open Mi File Manager and copy the folders you need (DCIM, Download, Pictures, etc.).

Option 2: Computer-assisted

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy the data to your hard drive.
2. Disable the old phone, connect the new one and transfer the files back.
3. For contacts, export them to the.vcf file via the Contacts app → Settings → Export.

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When transferring via a computer, don’t copy the entire Android folder – it contains an app cache that takes up a lot of space and is not needed on the new phone. Android/data Only for games with local saves (e.g. Genshin Impact).

Method 5: Transfer applications and their data (for advanced users)

Standard methods (Mi Mover, Mi Cloud) are only available. APK-If you need to save, for example, progress in games or settings messengers, additional steps will be required.

For root (root) users:

• 🛠️ Use Titanium Backup (requires root rights) to create a full backup of applications and their data.
• 📲 Transfer the backup to a new phone and restore through the same app.

No root rights:

• 🎮 For gaming: check if the game supports cloud-based saves (e.g., through Google Play Games or Mi Game Center).
• 💬 For messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp have built-in chat exports (in Settings) → chat → Exports of history).
• 📱 For system settings: use ADB Backup (team below), but note that newer versions MIUI This method is not stable. adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab

⚠️ Note: When transferring application data through ADB Backup on MIUI 14/15 You may have a "failed to recover" error, and then try to recover the backup through TWRP (Custom recovery, but it requires unlocking the bootloader.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users encounter problems, and here are the most common errors and ways to correct them:

If none of these methods worked, try alternative solutions:

• 🔄 Resetting settings on a new phone and trying to re-transfer (sometimes helps with sync errors).
• 📡 Using third-party apps like Clone Phone (from Huawei) or Samsung Smart Switch (works with Xiaomi).
• 🛠️ Manual transfer of critical data (contacts via.vcf, photo via flash drive).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions