How to transfer contacts from Xiaomi phone to another Xiaomi: all working ways

Shifting contacts between Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that every user faces when buying a new device or dumping an old one. Unlike other brands, Redmi, POCO or Mi phones offer unique synchronization tools through the Mi Account ecosystem, but not everyone knows how to use them correctly. In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways — from cloud services to manual export — and also tell you which method to choose depending on your situation.

The main problem with synchronizing contacts on Xiaomi is data fragmentation, and users often store numbers simultaneously in their Google account, Mi Account and on their mobile phone. SIM-We'll show you how to avoid chaos, how to prepare data correctly before transferring, and what to do if contacts don't sync. And at the end of this article, you'll find a comparative table of methods and answers to common questions.

1.Sync through Mi Account: The fastest way for Xiaomi owners

If both of your phones are running MIUI (even different versions), the most reliable way to transfer is to use a Xiaomi cloud account, which requires no additional applications and saves not only numbers, but also contact-associated photos, notes, and call history (if enabled).

To sync contacts through Mi Account, follow the following steps:

• 📱 On your old phone, go to Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Sync and turn on the slider opposite Contact. Wait until the process is complete (the cloud icon turns green).
• 🔄 On the new phone, log in under the same Mi Account and enable contact sync in the same settings. Data will start to load automatically.
• ⚡ If contacts don’t show up, check your internet connection and update data manually by tapping three dots in the upper right corner of the sync screen.

⚠️ Note: If you have previously used Mi Account on another device and deleted contacts from there, they may also disappear on your current phone when synced. Before the procedure, back up in.vcf format (instructions in the next section).

2. Export and import contacts via VCF file (for any Android device)

A universal method that works not only between Xiaomi phones, but also with devices from other brands is to back up contacts in.vcf (vCard) format. This file can be transferred over Bluetooth, email, messenger or even through the use of a mobile phone. USB-cable.

Export instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app on your old phone.
2. Click on three dots in the top right corner → Contact management → Import/Export → Export to file.
3. Choose which contacts to export (e.g. only with the SIM-Maps or from Google Account).
4. Specify the save path (we recommend choosing Internal Memory → Download for easy access).
5. Confirm the export – a file called contacts.vcf will be created.

For import on the new phone:

1. Transfer the contacts.vcf file to a new device (e.g., via Xiaomi File Manager or Google Drive).
2. Open the Contacts app → three-point → Imports/Exports → File-based import.
3. Select the transferred file and confirm the import.

🔹 The advantage of the method: works even without the Internet and is suitable for transferring contacts to devices of other brands (for example, from Xiaomi to Samsung).

⚠️ Note: If your.vcf file contains photos of contacts, they may not be imported to some devices.In this case, use Mi Account or Google Contacts.

3. Sync through Google Account: reliable, but with nuances

If you actively use Google services (such as Gmail or YouTube), your contacts could be automatically saved to your Google Account, a method that is convenient because the data is synchronized not only between Xiaomi phones, but also with other devices on Android or even iOS.

How to transfer contacts via Google:

• 🔗 On your old phone, check if sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts. → Google → [your email] → Account sync. Activate the Contact slider.
• ☁️ Wait until synchronization is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes with a large number of contacts).
• 📱 On your new phone, add the same Google Account and enable contact sync. Data will be automatically downloaded.

⚠️ Note: If you have previously cleared contacts in Google Contacts (e.g., through a web version on your computer), they may disappear from your phone when you sync again!

💡

Before syncing through Google, open contacts.google.com on your computer and make sure all contacts are in place.If some aren't, export them manually from your old phone (method from Section 2).

🔹 Duplication problem: If you previously synced contacts through Mi Account and Google, the new phone may have duplicates:

1. Open Contacts → Management → Combine Doubles.
2. Choose Automatic Combination or do it manually.

4. Transfer of contacts through SIM-Map: Old but proven method

If you do not have access to the Internet or are afraid of losing data during cloud synchronization, you can use the Internet. SIM-This method is suitable for transferring only phone numbers (without names, photos or additional fields).

Instructions:

• 📶 On your old phone, open your contacts. → Management → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-map.
• 🔢 Select contacts for export (usually limit 250 entries per one) SIM).
• 🔄 Move it. SIM-card.
• 📱 On the new device, open Contacts. → Import with SIM-maps and confirm the download.

⚠️ Note: This method has serious limitations:

• 🚫 No names, photos, emails or other data are transferred – only numbers.
• 📵 SIM-Nano-SIM cards do not support the storage of contacts on some Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro).+).
• 🔢 Limit the number of records – usually 200-250 contacts.

💡

Use it. SIM-Only for emergency transfer of a small number. For full synchronization, choose Mi Account or Google.

5. Bluetooth Contact Transfer: When There Are No Other Options

If you do not have access to the Internet, USB-cable SIM-This method is slower than the others, but works 100% of the time (if both phones support the protocol). OBEX, What is in all Xiaomi).

Step-by-step:

1. On an old phone, turn on Bluetooth and make it visible to other devices (Settings → Bluetooth → Visibility).
2. On the new phone, find the old device in the list of available devices and connect to it (code confirmation on both screens will be required).
3. Open Contacts on your old phone → Select Contact → Tap Share → Bluetooth → Select a new device.
4. Confirm the file on the new phone. Repeat for all the contacts you need.

🔹 Tip: To speed up the process, you can export all contacts to a.vcf file (as in Section 2) and send it in a single file over Bluetooth.

⚠️ Note: When transmitting over Bluetooth, contact names may be displayed in encoding UTF-8 (For example, instead of "Ivans" you will see "Ðванов"). To fix this, import the resulting file through Google Contacts on your computer.

Synchronization methods: which one to choose?

To make it easier for you to determine, we have collected the key characteristics of each method in the table:

🔹 Recommendations for selection:

• 📱 If both phones are Xiaomi, use Mi Account (fastest and most complete transfer).
• ☁️ If you want to sync with other brands, choose a Google Account or VCF-file.
• 🆘 In case of emergency (no Internet, account is discharged) will do SIM-map.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with proper synchronization, Xiaomi users sometimes encounter errors.

Problem 1: Contacts are not synced through Mi Account.

• 🔌 Check your internet connection (synchronization only works via Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• 🔄 Update data manually: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Update.
• 📱 Make sure the new phone has the same version. MIUI (newer than the old.

Problem 2: After importation VCF-The file is missing contact photos.

• 🖼️ Photos are not always saved in.vcf. Use Mi Account or Google Contacts to transfer them.
• 🔍 Check if the photo sync option is enabled in Google Contacts settings.

Problem 3: Duplicate contacts after synchronization.

• 🔄 Open Contacts. → Management → Combine the takes.
• 🚫 Turn off sync via Mi Account or Google on one of your accounts if both are active.

💡

If the contacts are not displayed correctly after the transfer (for example, instead of Cyrillic – question marks), try to change the encoding of the.vcf file using a text editor (open the file and save it in UTF-8 encoding).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions