How to Back Up on Xiaomi Redmi: The Complete 2026 Guide

Loss of important data on a smartphone is a situation that almost every user has faced. vacation photos, work documents, correspondence in messengers or saved passwords can disappear at once due to a reset, device breakdown or even a banal MIUI update. Xiaomi Redmi smartphones (including Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Redmi 10C, POCO X5 and others) offer several built-in backup tools, but many users do not know how to use them correctly.

In this article, we will discuss all the available backup methods, from standard MIUI functions to third-party applications and cloud services. You will learn how to save not only contacts and SMS, but also system settings, application data (including WhatsApp and Telegram), and why backup through Mi Account does not restore some system files after resetting to factory settings.

1. Built-in backup function in MIUI

The easiest way to create a backup on Xiaomi Redmi is to use the built-in Local Backup tool in your system settings.

• 📱 Contacts and call log
• 💬 SMS/MMS (including multimedia messages)
• 📁 System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sound profiles)
• 🎮 Data from some applications (not all!)

To take advantage of this function:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Click Create Backup and select the items to save.
3. The storage location: internal memory or SD-card (if supported).
4. Wait for the process to be completed (it can take 5-15 minutes depending on the amount of data).

Battery charge > 50%|Free space on the device > 1GB|Memory optimizers are disabled (if any)|Background applications closed-->

The finished archive will be saved in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder in.mbk format, which can be transferred to a PC or other device, but this method has limitations:

⚠️ Attention: Local backup MIUI does not save installed applications (.apk files), data of certain games (for example, progress in Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile), as well as files from folders DCIM And Downloads. They're going to need additional tools.

2. Cloud backup via Mi Account

If you are logged in to Mi Account (required to link your account to your phone!), the system can automatically sync some of the data to the Xiaomi cloud, a method that is convenient because the backup is accessible from any device and recovers from a reset, to enable cloud synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Activate switches in front of the desired categories: 📇 Contacts 📅 Calendar and notes 📸 Gallery (miniatures only!) 🔄 Synchronization of application data (limited list)

Synchronize

It is important to understand that the Xiaomi cloud has limitations:

💡

Before resetting your phone to factory settings, make sure to check that cloud sync is complete. Open Mi Cloud → Sync Log and make sure the last entry is no older than 1 hour.

If you’re planning a full reset (for example, before selling your phone), we recommend combining a cloud backup with a local one. Also note that the free Mi Cloud provides only 5 GB of space – this is enough for only basic data.

3. Backup to PC via Mi PC Suite

For users who prefer to store backups on their computer, Xiaomi offers the official Mi PC Suite utility, which allows you to create a complete copy of data, including:

• 📱 Applications and their data (even system-based applications)
• 📂 Music, video, documents
• 📞 Call log and SMS
• 🔧 System settings (including wallpaper and sound schemes)

Instructions for creating a backup:

1. Download and install Mi PC Suite from the official website.
2. Connect Redmi to the PC via USB-cable (original cable is recommended!).
3. Turn on the phone Debugging over USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the version, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
4. Run Mi PC Suite, wait for device recognition and select Backup.
5. Tick the right categories and click Start.

The process can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of data, and the finished backup will be saved to the PC in the MiPhoneBackup folder in.bak format, and it can be restored by Later through the same utility.

⚠️ Note: Backups created through Mi PC Suite, incompatible with custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) If you plan to switch to unofficial software, use alternative methods (TWRP Titanium Backup).

4. Manual preservation of photos, videos and documents

Built-in tools MIUI They don’t always store multimedia files, especially if they are stored on a computer. SD-To guarantee the preservation of photos, videos and documents:

Method 1: Copying on a PC

• 🖥️ Connect your phone to your computer in File Transfer mode (MTP).
• Open the DCIM (photo/video), Downloads (downloads), Documents (documents) folders.
• Copy them to a PC hard drive or external drive.

Method 2: Cloud storage

• ☁️ Google Photos – automatically uploads photos/video in original quality (up to 15 GB free).
• ☁️ Yandex Disk or Mail.ru Cloud – suitable for documents (up to 10-32 GB free).
• ☁️ Mega – Offers 20GB for free, but requires manual download.

Google Photo|Yandex Disc.|Mail.ru Cloud|Mega|Other|I don't use it.-->

Method 3: Local Storage

If your Redmi has a microSD slot, you can transfer files to the memory card:

1. Open Files → Categories → Images (or another category).
2. Select files, press More. → Copy.
3. Choose. SD-map.

Don't forget that SD-For critical data (e.g., document scans), it is better to use a dual backup: + cloudy.

5. Backup of applications and their data

Standard MIUI tools do not store most applications’ data (e.g., game progress, VK or Instagram settings) and will require third-party solutions to:

For users without root rights:

• 📲 Swift Backup (requires unlocked bootloader, but not root) APK application data.
• ☁️ Built-in backup functions in the applications themselves (e.g. Settings) → chat → Backup copy on WhatsApp).

For users with root rights:

• 🛠️ Titanium Backup is the most powerful solution, even retains system applications.
• 🔄 OAndBackupX – Open source backup software without ads.

Example of backup with Swift Backup:

1. Install the app from Google Play or APKMirror.
2. Allow access to Special Features (Settings → Special Features → Swift Backup).
3. Select backup apps and click Save.
4. The archives will be saved in the SwiftBackup folder on the internal drive.

💡

App backup via Swift Backup does not work on locked Xiaomi downloaders. If you have standard firmware, use cloud services (such as WhatsApp) or manually copy data folders.

For cloud-based games like Genshin Impact or Honor of Kings, no backup is required, progress is tied to your account, but for offline games like Minecraft, copy the Android/obb and Android/data folder manually.

6. backup before unlocking the bootloader or firmware

If you plan to unlock a bootloader, install TWRP or custom firmware, standard backup methods will not work, in which case you need to create a complete image of the system through TWRP Recovery.

Instructions:

1. Install TWRP Recovery for your Redmi model (see instructions on 4PDA or XDA Developers).
2. Boot to TWRP (clip Power + Volume up when turned on).
3. Go to the Backup section.
4. Check the boxes: 📱 Boot (Boot section) 🗃️ System (system) 📄 Data (applications and settings) 🔧 EFS (IMEI and serial numbers)

SD-map

OTG-drive

Swipe to Backup

The finished backup will be in.tar format and will take 5-15 GB depending on the model, and it can be restored by Later through the same TWRP even after a complete flashing.

⚠️ Note: If you delete or damage the section EFS (For example, if the firmware is incorrect, the phone will lose the network (IMEI It's gonna drop to 00000000. You can only recover it from the backup. TWRP or through a service center.

7. Backup automation: scheduler and third-party utilities

To remember about backup, you can configure automatic backup using:

1. MIUI Planner

• 📅 Open the Settings. → Backup and reset → Automatic backup.
• Set a schedule (for example, once a week).
• Choose which data to save (contacts, SMS, settings).

2. Tasker + AutoBackup

For advanced users:

• 🤖 Install Tasker and AutoBackup plugin.
• Create a task with a time trigger or event (such as a Wi-Fi connection).
• Set up automatic backup downloads in Google Drive or Dropbox.

3. Syncthing

Free utility for synchronizing files between devices:

• 🔄 Install Syncthing on your phone and PC.
• Configure folders for sync (for example, DCIM and Downloads).
• The files will be automatically copied when connected to a single Wi-Fi network.

Automation is especially useful for Redmi with a small amount of memory (for example, Redmi 9A at 32 GB), where manual backup is too time consuming.

FAQ: Frequent questions about backup on Xiaomi Redmi