How to Back Up Xiaomi Redmi 5: 5 Verified Ways

Xiaomi Redmi 5, released in 2017, is still a popular budget smartphone among users who value reliability and simplicity. However, over the years, the risk of data loss due to crashes, viruses or physical damage only grows. Backup is not a luxury, but a necessity, especially if you store important photos, correspondence or work documents on your phone.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to create a backup on Redmi 5: from standard tools. MIUI Advanced methods using custom recavery TWRP. You will learn how to save not only media files, but also system settings, SMS, Call logs and even app data, and how to properly recover information if something goes wrong.

Important: Backup procedure depends on version MIUI (Redmi 5 is up to date with versions 9 to 12.5 and the status of the phone (whether the bootloader is unlocked, whether there are root rights.

1. Backup Preparation: What You Need to Know

Before you start creating a backup, check out a few key points:

• 📱 Battery charge: make sure the charge level is not below 50%. interruption of the process due to discharge can lead to data loss.
• 📁 Free space: on the internal memory or SD-The card must have at least 1-2 GB of free space (depending on the amount of data copied).
• 🔒 Screen locking: if you use a pattern lock or PIN, Remember it – some backup techniques require unlocking the device.
• 🌐 Network Connection: Cloud Backups (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) require stable Wi-Fi or mobile internet.

Pay special attention to the choice of storage backup:

• 💾 Internal Memory: Convenient, but if the phone breaks, access to files will be lost.
• 📱 SD-map: more reliable, but cards may fail. Use high-quality cards in a class no lower than UHS-I (Class 10).
• ☁️ Cloud: the most secure solution, but requires login and sufficient space (for example, Google Drive only gives free 15 GB).

⚠️ Warning: If you plan to reset your phone to factory settings or flash it, backup through standard means MIUI will not save data from some system applications (for example, messages in Mi Messages or theme settings). TWRP or ADB.

Also, the Redmi 5 came in several versions: Redmi 5 (rosy) and Redmi 5 Plus (vince), all of which are suitable for both models unless otherwise stated.

2. Method 1: Standard backup through MIUI (locally)

The easiest way is to use the built-in backup function in MIUI. It allows you to keep it:

• 📞 Contacts, call log, SMS/MMS
• 📷 Photos and videos (optional)
• ⚙️ System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sounds)
• 📱 Data of some applications (for example, browser, calendar)

How to make a backup:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Press Local Backup.
3. Choose items to copy (we recommend that you note everything except the App – they take up a lot of space and are better saved through Google or Titanium Backup).
4. Click Create a backup and wait until it is completed (may take 5-15 minutes).

The finished backup will be saved in the folder /MIUI/backup/AllBackup internal memory or SD-The file has the.mbk extension and can only be restored through the same menu.

⚠️ Attention: Standard backup MIUI retain: 🔐 Wi-Fi passwords (they will have to be re-entered after recovery). 🎮 Game data (use Google Play Games or Helium for this purpose). 📂 Files in folders like Download or DCIM (They need to be copied manually).

Make sure there is enough room on the phone|Disable battery optimization for the "Backup" application"|Remember the password from the lock screen|Check that SD-The card is formatted as a portable storage (if you save it to it)-->

3. Method 2: Cloud backup via Mi Cloud

Mi Cloud is a cloud storage service from Xiaomi that offers 5GB for free (extra space is available for purchase) and the advantage of the method is that data is accessible from any device, even if the phone is lost or broken.

How to set up a backup in Mi Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Sign in or create an account if you don’t have one.
3. Turn on the switches next to the data you want to save (contacts, notes, photos, etc.).
4. Press Sync and wait until it is completed.

For full backup (including system settings):

1. Return to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Backup in Mi Cloud.
3. Click Create a backup and confirm the action.

Important: to recover data from the Mi Cloud on a new phone, it is enough to log in to the same Xiaomi account and enable synchronization, SMS) They may not be able to recover if the version MIUI on the new device is very different.

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If you don’t have enough space in Mi Cloud, clear unnecessary data before backup: go to Mi Cloud → Manage storage and delete old backups or duplicate photos.

4. Method 3: Backup via Google (contacts, photos, apps)

If you use Google services, some of the data is already synced automatically, and this method is universal and works on any Android device, including Redmi 5.

What is saved on Google:

• 📇 Contacts: synced with Google Contacts.
• 📅 Calendar: Events from Google Calendar.
• 📷 Photos and Videos: via Google Photos (freely compressed or in original quality with a paid subscription).
• 🎮 Game data: via Google Play Games (if the game supports cloud-based saves).
• 📱 App list: Linked to Google account and restored when a new phone is first launched.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Select your account and enable synchronization for the services you need (contacts, calendar, drive, etc.).
3. For Google Photos, open the app, click on the avatar → Photo settings → Backup and synchronization.

To create a complete system backup through Google Drive:

1. Go to Settings → System → Backup.
2. Enable Backup in Google Drive.
3. Click Create a backup copy now.

⚠️ Note: Google Drive backup on Redmi 5 may not work if: 🔧 There is a very outdated version on the phone. MIUI (10). 🔒 Google Services are not available (for example, if you delete them through the ADB). 📶 There is no stable Internet connection (backup will be interrupted), in such cases, use local methods or TWRP.

5. Method 4: Complete backup through TWRP (for advanced users)

If you need to keep the entire system intact, including data apps, settings, and even firmware, the best way to do this is to use custom recavery. TWRP. This method requires an unlocked boot loader and installed TWRP, But it gives you maximum reliability.

The advantages of TWRP-backup:

• 🔧 Stores all firmware, including boot, system, data and recovery.
• 📲 It works even if the phone is not turned on (if it is not turned on). TWRP fixed).
• 🔄 You can restore it to another Redmi 5 with the same modification (rosy or vince).

How to make a backup through TWRP:

1. Turn off your phone and press Volume Up + Power to enter TWRP.
2. If you request a password, enter it (this is the password from the lock screen).
3. Press Backup.
4. Check the copy sections (we recommend you choose everything except Cache and Android Secure).
5. Select a storage location (internal memory or storage). SD-map).
6. Swipe for confirmation and wait until completion (may take 10–30 minutes).

The finished backup will be in the folder. /TWRP/BACKUPS. It can be copied to a PC or cloud for additional security.

⚠️ Attention: Backup through TWRP Incompatible with official firmware if you update MIUI through OTA. Once this backup is restored, the phone may become bootloop-centric. To avoid this, run the same version before restoring it. MIUI, What was it when the backup was created.

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TWRP-Backup is the only way to save application data (such as game progress or messaging settings) without root rights. However, it requires pre-unlocking the bootloader, which resets the phone to factory settings.

Method 5: Manual backup of important files (without software)

If you don't need system settings, but only personal files (photos, videos, documents), you can copy them manually, and this method is the most versatile and works even on "bricks" (phones that are not turned on, but are determined by a computer).

What can be saved manually:

• 📸 Photo and video: folder DCIM (camera) and Pictures (screenshots, downloads from instant messengers).
• 🎵 Music and audio: Music, Ringtones, Notifications.
• 📄 Documents: Documents folder or Download folder.
• 📱 Contacts: export to.vcf file via Contacts app.

How to copy files:

1. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable.
2. On your phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On the computer, open the folder of the phone and copy the necessary data to the hard drive.

For export contacts:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press. ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/exports → Export to file.
3. Select contacts for export and save the.vcf file to a memory card or internal memory.

If the phone is not turned on, but is determined by the computer, use it. ADB (guideline).

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/ C:\Backup\Photos

This team will copy all the photos from the phone to the folder. C:\Backup\Photos For other folders, replace them. DCIM on the right path (for example, Download).

- WhatsApp: /sdcard/WhatsApp/ (including Databases for chat history).

- Telegram: /sdcard/Telegram/.

After reinstalling the app, restore those folders to place and chat history will return.-->

7. Data recovery from backup

Backup is half the battle, and it's just as important to be able to recover data correctly, and how you recover it depends on how you backup it.

If the phone is unstable after restoring the backup (for example, it reboots frequently or apps crash), try:

• 🔄 Reset the application settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → ⋮ → Resetting application settings.
• 📱 Make Wipe Cache in TWRP (It does not delete data, but it does clean temporary files).
• 🔧 Refuse the phone with a clean version MIUI and rebuild the backup.

⚠️ Note: If you restore a backup to another Redmi 5 (e.g. rosy to vince), there may be compatibility issues, in which case it is better to transfer only personal files (photos, contacts) and install the applications again.

8. Frequent errors and their solution

When creating or restoring a backup, users often face problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

• 🚫 "Not enough space: Clear unnecessary files or save backup SD-map/PC. TWRP-Backup can be divided into several parts (Split backup option).
• ⏳ "Backup freezes 99%": Reboot your phone and try again. If the problem recurs, check integrity SD-The card (possibly damaged).
• 🔒 "Password required, but not": If you forget the password from the lock screen, and it is required to restore the backup, you will have to reset your phone via Fastboot (data will be lost).
• 📱 "After recovery no photos": Make sure the backup was marked with a checkmark Gallery (in the MIUI) file DCIM hand-copyed.
• 🔧 "TWRP Does not see internal memory: This is due to data encryption in newer versions MIUI. The solution is to format data into TWRP (The data will be deleted! or used externally. SD-map.

If none of these methods worked, and data is critical, go to a service center, and people can extract information directly from the memory chip, but it's expensive and not always possible.

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Before any reset or firmware of the phone, be sure to check the integrity of the backup. For this, try restoring it to another device or viewing the contents of the archive (for this purpose, try to restore it to another device or view the contents of the archive). TWRP-Backups can be used to program 7-Zip PC-only).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions