How to make a copy of Xiaomi on the new Xiaomi: 3 proven ways

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting: more memory, more powerful processor, fresh hardware. But with the joy of updating comes a headache: how to transfer all the data from an old device so as not to lose contact, photos, or important notes? Official instructions are often silent about the pitfalls, and users face problems synchronization, transmission interruptions or sudden errors.

This article will not just list copying methods, it will analyze each method by bone: from cloud backup via Mi Cloud to direct cable transmission, taking into account the features of the system. MIUI 14/15. We tested all the options on models from Redmi Note 12 Xiaomi 14 Ultra to help you choose the best path without losing data, and also to reveal the secrets of how to avoid the typical errors when migrating applications and their settings.

1. Preparing the old Xiaomi for copying: what to do before the transfer

The first step is not to choose how to transfer, but to prepare the old device, and neglecting this step leads to the fact that the new smartphone is not all the data is not shown or transmitted in a corrupted form.

Waste cleaning. Over the years of use on Xiaomi accumulates to 10-15 GB of unnecessary files: app cache, duplicate photos, remnants of deleted programs. To avoid carrying this junk, go to Settings → Memory. → Clean up and run a deep check. Pay special attention to the folders. DCIM/.thumbnails Download – Gigabytes of unnecessary data are often stored there.

• 🔋 Charging both devices to 80 percent or higher, using cable or Wi-Fi Direct to drain the battery faster than you think, and if it's interrupted by the discharge, some of the data may be lost.
• 📶 Stable Internet connection (for cloud method) With a weak signal, Mi Cloud can "hang" during the boot phase, leaving you without a backup.
• 🔑 Check your Mi Account. Make sure your old phone uses the same Xiaomi account as your new phone.
• 📱 Update MIUI. If the old smartphone is firmware older MIUI 12, some portability features may not work. Update the system through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

⚠️ Note: If old Xiaomi has data encryption enabled (in Settings) → Lockdown and protection → Encryption, then backup through Mi Cloud will be created, but you can only restore it on the new device after you enter the password from the old phone!

The critical mistake most users make is that they don't check the space on a new smartphone before the penos. If the new Xiaomi has less memory than the old one, the process will stop in the middle, and some files will remain uncopied. 10-15% from the amount of data transferred.

2. Method 1: Transfer over Mi Cloud - pros and pitfalls

The Mi Cloud cloud service is the easiest way to migrate data, but it has limitations that Xiaomi doesn't always warn about, so let's see what you can copy with this method and what problems you might encounter.

Mi Cloud allows you to reserve:

• 📇 Contacts, messages (SMS/MMS), callbook
• 📷 Photos and videos (from the gallery only, without folders like WhatsApp Images)
• 📝 Notes, calendar, browser bookmarks
• ⚙️ System settings (Wi-Fi passwords, wallpaper, sound profiles)
• 🎮 Data from some games (only those that support Mi Cloud)

What is NOT copied through the Mi Cloud:

• 🚫 Established APK-Application files (only list to re-download from Play Market)
• 🚫 Files in the root folder (for example, documents in the /storage/emulated/0/Download)
• 🚫 Settings for individual applications (e.g. filters in Snapseed or saved games in Genshin Impact)
• 🚫 Data messengers (chat backups WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber)

Step-by-step instructions for creating a backup copy:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on sync for all the categories you need (contacts, notes, etc.).
3. Go to Mi Cloud → Backup of the device.
4. Click Create Backup and wait until it is completed (can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours).
5. On the new smartphone, log in to the same Mi Account and restore data from the backup.

⚠️ Note: If the new Xiaomi is a newer version MIUI, In addition to the old system, some system settings may not recover due to incompatibility. MIUI 13 not always working properly in the MIUI 15.

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If the backup in the Mi Cloud "hangs" on 99%, Do not interrupt the process. Close the application, restart the phone and check the status of the copy through 10-15 Often the progress bar just doesn't update, even though the data keeps loading.

Method 2: Direct transmission via cable - fast, but with nuances

Data transmission via cable OTG USB-TypeC is the most reliable method if you have a lot of heavy files. 4K, RAW-However, there are pitfalls: not all Xiaomi models support the mode. USB Host, and some cables are simply not designed to transmit data (only for charging).

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (If the old smartphone has a microUSB connector) or USB-TypeC (for new models).
• 📱 Adapter (if the new smartphone does not have a Type-C port, like the Xiaomi 13 Lite).
• ⚡ Charger (for recharging during transmission).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the old Xiaomi to the new one with a cable. On the screen of the old phone, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. On the new smartphone, open a notification about the connection USB and select Data Transfer.
3. Launch the Files app (or any file manager) and go to the section USB-accumulator.
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM, Download, WhatsApp, etc.) to the internal memory of the new phone.
5. To transfer applications, use the built-in Application Cloning utility (available in Settings) → Annexes).

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Speed: transmission 50 GB of data is ~30-40 Minutes (versus hours over Wi-Fi).
• 🔒 Security: Data does not go to the cloud, the risk of leakage is minimal.
• 📁 Selective transfer: you can copy only the necessary folders without clogging the memory of the new phone.

Disadvantages:

• 🔌 High-quality cable with data support is required (cheap cables often only work for charging).
• 📱 In some models (for example, POCO F5) You need to manually activate the debugging mode USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (7 times click on the version, then return to the → For developers).
• 🎮 Applications are ported without data (for example, save in games or settings) VLC You have to recreate separately).

The cable supports data transfer (not just charging)

Both phones are on mode. MTP (File transfer)

Free space on the new smartphone ≥ data transferability

Battery optimizations for file manager disabled-->

Method 3: Local backup for advanced users

If you need to migrate all data without exception (including system settings, application data, and even desktop wallpaper), then the best option is to create a full local backup through built-in tools. MIUI. This method takes longer, but guarantees 100% transfer.

How it works:

1. On an old smartphone, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select the categories to reserve (we recommend that you mark everything except the Application if they take up too much space).
3. Click Create a backup and wait until it is completed. the file will be saved in the folder. MIUI/backup/AllBackup.
4. Copy the backup file (usually weighs) 5-15 GB for a new smartphone via cable or cloud.
5. On the new device, go to the same menu (Local Backup) and select the file to recover.

Important nuances:

• 🔄 Backup is created in.mbk format and is not compatible with other brands (only for Xiaomi).
• 📱 Recovery is only possible on devices with the same or newer version. MIUI. For example, a copy of the MIUI 14 cannot be restored to MIUI 13.
• 🔑 If the lock password was installed on the old phone, you will need to enter it when you restore it.
• 🚫 Do not interrupt the recovery process – this may result in loss of data or system failure.

⚠️ Note: Local backup does not include data from some system applications (such as Mi Fit or Mi Home) and will have to be synced separately through your Xiaomi account.

5. Data transfer of messengers and social networks

One of the most painful things about changing your smartphone is the transfer of chats, media files and settings from messengers. Unfortunately, Xiaomi doesn’t provide built-in tools for this task, so you’ll have to use third-party solutions.

WhatsApp:

• 📱 Back up chats in Google Drive: WhatsApp Settings → chat → Backup copy.
• 🔄 When WhatsApp first starts on a new phone, it will prompt you to recover data from Google Drive.
• ⚠️ Important: The backup is tied to your phone number and your Google account. SIM-Map, restore the copy first, and then change the number in the WhatsApp settings.

Telegram:

• ☁️ All chats and media files are stored in the Telegram cloud, so just log in to your account on a new phone.
• 📁 To transfer local files (such as saved voice messages), copy the folder. Telegram/Telegram Images via cable.

Viber:

• 🔄 Backup: Settings → Account. → Backup (available to copy to Google Drive or memory card).
• 📱 Recovery: When you first start Viber on your new phone, select the recovery option from backup.

Social media (VK, Instagram, TikTok):

• 📷 To transfer saved photos / videos, copy folders: Pictures/VK, Pictures/Instagram, Movies/TikTok.
• 🔖 Bookmarks and drafts are synced through a social network account, but sometimes manual export is required (for example, to the social network account). VK This is done through the web version).

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For instant messengers, always use official backup tools. manual folder copying (e.g., hand-copying, WhatsApp/Databases) Often leads to failures due to mismatch of application versions.

6.Transfer applications and their data: what works and what doesn’t

One of the most challenging tasks is to migrate not only the applications themselves, but also their data (save games, customize programs, cache), and there is good news and bad news.

What is automatically transferred:

• 📱 List of installed apps (via Mi Cloud or Google Account) New phone will offer to download them from Play Market.
• 🎮 Game data, if linked to a Google Play Games account or social media (e.g. Clash of Clans via Game Center).
• ⚙️ Settings for some apps (e.g. Chrome syncs bookmarks and history through a Google account).

What is NOT tolerable and requires manual intervention:

• 🚫 Local data of games without being linked to the cloud (for example, saving in Minecraft or other games). GTA They need to be hand-copyed from a folder. Android/obb.
• 🚫 Settings of third-party applications (e.g. filters in Lightroom or profiles in Termux) are often stored in folders of the view /data/data/com.adobe.lrmobile, which are not available without root rights.
• 🚫 APK-Manually installed files (outside the Play Market) will have to be copied separately and re-installed, allowing installation from unknown sources.

How to transfer APK application data:

1. Install the App Backup & Restore app on your old phone (available in the Play Market).
2. Backup the required applications (select the option) APK + Data).
3. Copy backup files to a new phone.
4. Install App Backup & Restore on your new device and recover the data.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. banking or with) DRM-And you have to reset it with a security like Netflix, which blocks data transfer through third-party utilities.

7.Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and ways to solve them:

Additional advice:

• 🔄 If notifications don’t work on the new phone after transfer, check the permissions for apps in Settings → Annexes → Permits.
• 📶 If Wi-Fi networks are not transferred, export them through the WiFi Password Viewer app (root rights required) or take a photo. QR-password-code.
• 🔋 If the battery is quickly depleted after transfer, this is normal - the system needs to be used. 2-3 day to optimize background processes.

8. FAQ: Answers to frequent questions