Backup on Xiaomi phone: how to save all data without errors

Why backup on Xiaomi is not a luxury, but a necessity

Imagine if you drop your phone in a puddle, it stops turning on, and it has photos of the last five years, work chats and saved passwords, or suddenly MIUI offers to update, but after the reboot all settings are reset. Sounds like a nightmare? It is. According to Xiaomi statistics, one in three users loses data due to the lack of a backup — and these are only official cases when owners contact the service center.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO offer several ways to back up, from built-in MIUI tools to third-party solutions like Google Drive or TWRP. But most users don’t even realize that backup via the standard Settings → About Phone → Backup menu doesn’t save data from some system applications (such as Mi Fit or Mi Home).

Important: If you use Xiaomi with an unlocked bootloader or custom firmware, standard methods may not work. For these cases, we have added a separate section with instructions for TWRP and ADB.

Method 1: Built-in backup via MIUI (the easiest method)

This method is suitable for 90% of Xiaomi users, as it does not require additional software or knowledge, and creates an archive of data that can be restored on the same or another Xiaomi device (provided that MIUI versions are compatible).

How to do this:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Backup.
2. Click “Create a backup” and select the data to save: 📱 System data (wi-fi settings, wallpaper, sounds) 📞 Contacts and communications (SMS/MMS, call-up) 📷 Multimedia (photos, videos, music – only if they are stored in the folders of the system) 🎮 Applications and their data (not all applications are supported!)

memory

Mi Cloud

Xiaomi

Confirm the action and wait until it is completed (may take 5 to 30 minutes).

Where do you look for a backup file? If you've selected internal memory, the archive will be in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder. It can be copied to a PC or a flash drive. For the cloud, the data will automatically sync to your Mi Account account.

⚠️ Note: The built-in backup does not save data from some applications (such as WhatsApp, Telegram or banking programs!

Battery charge > 50% | Free phone space > 1GB| Stable Wi-Fi connection (if you use Mi Cloud) | Mi Account tied and confirmed-->

Once a week | Once a month | Only before updating | Never done | I don't know what that-->

Method 2: Backup to Google Drive (universal method)

If you use Google services (Gmail, YouTube, Play Store), this is the most reliable way, it works on any Android device, including Xiaomi, and allows you to recover data even after resetting to factory settings.

How to set up:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Turn on the “Backup to Google Drive” switch.
3. Click on “Create a backup now” (or wait for the automatic backup).
4. Check what is included in the list: 📱 Application data (e.g., game progress) 📞 Call log and contacts 🔑 Device settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, brightness) 📁 Files from Download folders, Pictures, DCIM

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 Automatic backup update (once every 24 hours when connecting to Wi-Fi).
• 🌍 Access data from any device via Google Drive.
• 🔒 Encryption of data (no one but you can read it).

⚠️ Attention: Google Drive's free rate only provides 15GB of space. If you have a lot of photos/video, the space will run out quickly. Check the occupied volume in Settings → Google → Account management → Warehouse.

💡

If you use WhatsApp, remember to do a separate chat backup in Settings → Chat → Backup. Google Drive doesn’t save messages automatically!

Method 3: Local backup on PC via Mi PC Suite (for full control)

If you don’t trust cloud services or want to save all data, including system files, use the official Mi PC Suite program, which allows you to create a full copy of your phone on your computer and restore it even after serious failures.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Mi PC Suite on PC (Windows or macOS).
2. Connect your phone to your computer through USB-cable (use the original cable for a stable connection!).
3. Turn on the file transfer (MTP) mode on the phone (notification will appear in the curtain).
4. Run the Mi PC Suite and wait for the program to identify the device.
5. Go to the “Backup” section and select the data to save: 📱 System data (required for full recovery) 📁 Multimedia (photo, video, music) 🎮 Applications and their data (including games) 📞 Contacts and communications

Click “Start Backup” and wait until it is completed (may take up to 1 hour).

Where is the backup stored? Files are saved to the PC in the C:\Users\Your user name\MiPhoneBackup folder, and can be copied to an external drive for additional security.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Xiaomi with an unlocked bootloader, Mi PC The Suite may not recognize the device. ADB or TWRP (see next section).

💡

Local backup via Mi PC Suite is the only way to save all data, including system files that are not backed up by cloud services.

Method 4: Advanced backup via TWRP (for power users)

If you’ve installed custom firmware or unlocked a bootloader, standard backup techniques may not work, and TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) – an alternative recovery that allows you to create complete system images, including boot, system and data – will help.

What you need:

• 📱 Xiaomi phone with unlocked bootloader and installed TWRP.
• 💾 microSD card or OTG-storage device (for storage of backup).
• 🔋 Battery charge > 70% (process can take up to 20 minutes).

Instructions:

1. Turn off your phone and press Volume Up + Power to enter TWRP.
2. In the main menu, select Backup.
3. Check the boxes for reservations: Boot System Data EFS (if any)
4. Select a place of storage (internal memory, SD-map OTG).
5. Swipe for confirmation and wait for completion.

Advantages of TWRP:

• 🔧 Full control of partitions (you can restore even a "killed" system).
• 🔄 Selective recovery (e.g. data only without system).
• 📦 Support for backup compression (saves space).

⚠️ Attention: Backup through TWRP Not compatible with standard recovery MIUI. If you restore such a backup to a phone with a locked bootloader, the device may stop booting!

Method 5: Manual backup of important data (photos, contacts, messages)

If you don’t need a full backup, but only the most important data (photos, contacts, messages), you can do without complex tools, which is suitable for users who want to quickly copy files to a PC or flash drive.

How to save different types of data:

• 📷 Photo and video: Connect your phone to your PC via USB (File Transfer Mode. Copy folders DCIM For additional security, use Google Photos (automatic upload to the cloud).
• 📞 Contacts: Open the Contacts app. Click on «⋮» (menu) → «Imports/Exports» → «Export to file. Save the.vcf file to a memory card or send it to your mail.
• 💬 Communications (SMS/MMS): Install the app SMS Backup & Restore. Run a backup and save a file to Google Drive or internal memory.

Application data

1. For games, use Google Play Games (automatic progress synchronization).
2. For WhatsApp: Settings → Chat → Backup (saved in Google Drive).

For automatic backup, set up Google Drive or Mi Cloud.