How to transfer all information from one Xiaomi smartphone to another: 5 proven ways

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data transfer often becomes a headache: Contacts are scattered across accounts, photos are lost in the cloud, and app settings have to be reconfigured. Meanwhile, the manufacturer has envisaged several universal migration methods that work even between devices of different generations, from the Redmi Note 8 Pro to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

In this article, we will examine all the current methods of data transfer, from the official Mi Mover tool to manual methods through Google Account and physical connection. SMS, How to transfer passwords from Mi Browser, and what to do if the new smartphone does not see the old one through the cable. USB-debugging and firmware versions MIUI.

If you're in a hurry, you can jump right to the fastest way (Section 3). For those who want to save all digital life without loss, read the full article. We tested each method on real devices and indicated which data is being transferred and which can remain on an old phone.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the beginning

To avoid losing important information or conflicts between devices, do these steps on both smartphones:

✅ Update. MIUI Up to the latest version. old firmware (e.g, MIUI 12 and below) may not support modern transmission protocols. → The phone. → Update: If the update is not available, use the alternative methods in Section 5.

✅ Clear the app cache, especially Mi Mover, Google Drive, and Contacts. Go to Settings. → Annexes → Manage applications, find what you need and click Clear cache.

✅ Check the space. The new device should have at least 20 percent more memory than the old one. For example, if you have 32 GB full, the new smartphone should have at least 20 percent more memory. ≥40 GB of free space.

Charging both phones ≥50%|Disabled. VPN proxy|One Wi-Fi for both devices|Google Sync is off (temporarily)|Lock screen password disabled (for Mi Mover)-->

⚠️ Note: If the old smartphone has enabled data encryption (Settings) → Additionally. → Encryption, some methods (such as cable transfer) may not work, in which case use cloud services or Google Account.

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution that defaults to all devices with MIUI 9 and up, and allows you to transfer almost all data in one session, including:

• 📱 Contacts (including groups and notes)
• 📷 Photo and video (in original quality)
• 💬 SMS and MMS (full-budget)
• 🎵 Music and audio recordings
• 📁 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS etc.)
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness)
• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords (if both phones are on the phone) MIUI 12+)

How to use Mi Mover:

1. Open the Mi Mover app on both phones (if you don’t have one, download it from Google Play).
2. On the new smartphone, select I receive data, on the old one, I send data.
3. Bring the devices to each other and wait for the appearance QR-- Scan it from the old phone.
4. Select data types to transfer (you can note everything) and confirm the beginning of the process.

⚠️ Note: If the Mi Mover is “hanging” during the connection stage, check it out:

• Power saving modes on both devices are turned off.
• Are storage permissions allowed for the application (in Settings → Applications → Mi Mover → Permissions).
• Do you use a dual MIUI account (Second Space)?

Important: Mi Mover does not transfer data from some third-party apps (such as WhatsApp or Telegram).

Method 2: Quick transfer via OTG cable (for experienced)

If you don't have time to set up Wi-Fi or Mi Mover refuses to work, physical cable connection is the most reliable method.

• 🔌 USB-cable OTG (adapter USB-C → USB-A)
• 📱 File Manager (e.g., built-in Explorer or Solid Explorer)
• ⚡ Charge both devices ≥30%

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old smartphone to your new one OTG-On the screen of the old phone, select File Transfer mode (MTP).
2. On your new phone, open the file manager and find the connected device in the Devices or USB section.
3. Copy the folders you need: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM – photos and videos /storage/emulated/0/Download – downloads /storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp – WhatsApp backups /storage/emulated/0/Music – music
4. To transfer contacts, export them to the file VCF: Contacts → ⋮ → Imports/Exports → Export to the device, then copy the file to the new phone and import it.

⚠️ Note: When copying through the cable is not transferred:

• 🔄 Application settings (for example, login in games)
• 📱 SMS call-book
• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords

For this data, use Mi Mover or Google Account.

Mi Mover (official tool)| OTG|Google Cable Account|Cloud Services (Dropbox, Yandex Drive)|Another way-->

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for minimalists)

If you only need to migrate basic data (contacts, calendar, mail, and some apps), sync with Google Account is enough, which works on all Android devices, but has limitations:

• ✅ Transferred: contacts, calendar events, Keep notes, some settings.
• ❌ Not tolerated: SMS, Photos (only if you have Google Photos enabled), Wi-Fi passwords.

How to synchronize data:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the right categories.
2. On the new phone, add the same Google account and wait until sync is complete (it can take up to 1 hour).
3. To transfer applications, open Google Play, click on the profile avatar → App and Device Management → Library and install the desired programs.

💡 Useful tip: If contacts are duplicated after synchronization, clear the Contacts app cache and restart the phone.Duplicates will disappear after re-synchronization.

💡

To speed up sync, connect your new smartphone to Wi-Fi and turn on the “Always Active Mobile Internet” mode in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks.

Method 4: Cloud services for large amounts of data

If you have a lot of photos, videos or documents (for example, 50+GB) and cable connection is not enough, use cloud storage. Xiaomi offers several options:

Instructions for Mi Cloud (optimum for Xiaomi):

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and turn on backup for the right categories.
2. Wait until the loading is complete (you can leave overnight).
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and restore the data from the backup (Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Restore).

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos to transfer media files, make sure the new phone has the “Original Quality” option (not “High Quality”) on it, or the photos will shrink.

Method 5: Manual transfer for individual data types

Some data needs to be personalized, and here's how to transfer it without loss.

📱 SMS call-book:

• Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (available on Google Play) XML-file that is then restored to the new phone.
• For MIUI 12+, you can use the built-in function: Settings → Applications → SMS → Backup.

🎮 Game and application data:

• If the game supports Google Play Games or Mi Account, log in to the same profile on the new phone – progress will pick up automatically.
• For other games, use Helium (root rights required) or the built-in backup feature in Settings. → Annexes → Application management → [play-off] → Backup copy.

🔐 Passwords and bookmarks from Mi Browser:

• Export bookmarks to HTML-Open the file: open Mi Browser, press ⋮ → Bookmarks → Exports.
• Passwords are synced only through Mi Account (if the option is enabled in Settings → Passwords and Security).

💡

To transfer data from WhatsApp, use the built-in backup to Google Drive. Importantly, the phone number on the new device must be the same as on the old one!

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions, you can have unexpected errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

🔴 Mi Mover doesn't see the device over Wi-Fi:

• Turn off the power saving mode on both phones.
• Restart your router or connect your phones to another network.
• Make sure both devices have the same MIUI version (or no more than 1 version).

🔴 Transfer over cable is interrupted:

• Use the original Xiaomi cable (cheap cables often don’t support it) MTP-protocol).
• Try another one. USB-Port (if connected via PC).
• Turn it off. USB-Debugging in the developer settings (sometimes it conflicts with the developer’s settings) MTP).

🔴 No photos in original quality are transferred:

• In Google Photos, check the download settings: Settings → Backup and Sync → Download quality → select Original.
• When using Mi Cloud, make sure that the option to Download in original quality is enabled.

🔴 Applications are not restored from backup:

• Check that the new phone has the same region in Google Play settings (some apps are not available in other countries).
• Delete the cache and data of the Google Play Store (Settings → Apps → Google Play Store → Storage).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions